Queen City Soapbox

Flooding

2005-01-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

I've been hanging out at the urbanohio.com forum of late - it's a wonderful place with develpment/urbanist folks who take some great pictures and discuss city issues from all over the state. I rant on politics in the comments at Brian's or Nick's or Wes's place, then post photos over there. But I thought I would drop back by here post some pictures from the recent flooding - this is pretty much a mirror of my urbanohio post.

These shots were taken Sunday, January 9th, 2005, with the river just above 55 feet and rising. It's expected to crest at 57.5 feet, so it's not done yet, and more rain is expected mid-week. Hopefully the rain will be light enough to let this crest be the end of it...

So we start in Bicentennial Commons - P&G Pavilion:

The Schott Amphitheater:

...and my artsy shot of the old Waterworks building...I thought this was pretty cool...

They were doing a good job of holding the water back at the Rowing Club in the Boathouse - sheet metal to block the current, sandbags to stop the water, then pumps to throw the water back into the river as it seeped thru. But with more than two more feet of water, these guys have their work cut out for them...

It's hard to convey the speed of the current with still photos, but you can see some turbulence in this one, even way off to the edge of the river:

This was a really shocking view to me - it's just not a place you think the river ought to be:

...ah, the irony...

Looking over the Serpentine Wall to the clearance ruler on the Taylor-Southgate Bridge. It's pretty handy in high water, because the bridge deck sits at 100 feet above the riverbed - just subtract whatever number this ruler measures from 100 feet, and that's the river gage.

Just to put the amazing height of the flood of 1997 in context, here's Cincinnatus today, with the river more than 3 feet above flood stage:

...and here's Cincinnatus in 1997 (photo by Michael Snyder):

The serpentine wall - this was pretty shocking to me too:

The view from Mt. Echo. This was taken right around 2pm. Note the barge going up-river...

Lunken Airport from Alms Park. There's a creek or a drainage ditch of some sort running across the field that drains into the Little Miami - it looks like the Ohio backwater-flooded the Little Miami, which is backwater flooding this creek. Planes were still taking off and landing.

I dropped down the hill and was going to bring Kellogg and Eastern back into town, but after seeing this ahead of me, I wimped out and turned around.

Ah, the classic kids-on-bikes shot...and they're standing next to flooded ball fields! I expect my Pulitzer any day now...

Mt. Adams from the back parking lot of St. Rose off Eastern Ave. Just amazing to see the river basin so full.

St. Rose has seen some high water in its day - this is on its back wall:

The view from the upper Eden Park overlook - probably my favorite river view in the city:

...and remember the barge I mentioned above? An hour and a half after I took that picture from Mt. Echo, I looked downriver from Eden Park and saw it again - it's about 6 miles upriver from where it was 90 minutes ago - that means it's just clocking a bit over 3.3 knots - ouch...:

Walls and Bridges III

2004-11-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

This would have to be an incredibly nerve-wracking house to live in...it had fallen into disrepair, but it's being rehabbed now - and they had to work on the roof of this place! There's only a regular-sized sidewalk between the house and that wall...

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Veteran's Day

2004-11-11T06:41:00.000-08:00

The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Eden Park...

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Walls and Bridges II

2004-11-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

The Roebling Suspension Bridge, from the river, just before we passed under it...

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Walls and Bridges I

2004-11-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

(I have more Bridge shots than Wall shots, but whatever gets you through the night...) This is the L&N from the river, same day as this shot, which was my first time ever on the river (other than the Anderson Ferry and the Old Augusta Ferry). Hopefully the warmth of that July evening will come through - it's supposed to be downright bitterly cold tonight.
...to think I used to live 1/2 mile from Lake Erie...if I wanted my car to start in the morning, I'd have to take the battery out and bring it inside for the night, it was so cold...and now I'm complaining when it dips into the 20's...

BTW, new stuff from Jake Mecklenborg - I believe the fall foliage is ancillary, but it's still quite pretty.

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Mt. Storm Pavilion

2004-11-07T22:33:00.000-08:00

Mt. Storm was the first Cincinnati park I fell in love with...my wife and I walked here on our first date (and that's her sitting on the steps!)...well, it was nearly midnight, and I didn't want to walk around a park that late, so we walked to near Mt. Storm, even if we didn't go all the way to the Pavilion...anyway, this shot is from my Fall Foliage day.

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Ida Street Bridge

2004-11-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

No matter which way your politics run, and whether the election looked like dawn or looked like sunset, at least we can all agree on one thing - we live in a beautiful fucking city...this was taken probably a month ago on a foggy morning from the Ida Street Bridge. That bridge is definitely my favorite city view - a commanding overlook, but much closer to the city than you are from the West Side - with Price Hill in the distance, Music Hall and Union Terminal dead ahead, with Mt. Auburn to your right (not in this shot), and the low brick buildings of upper downtown and Over-the-Rhine...just a great city view.

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Pretty sure I did vote today...

2004-11-02T13:16:00.000-08:00

I've spent way too much time on the phone this morning, but it looks like things not only worked out for me fine, but are much less discouraging than they appeared to be generally not long ago.

I called another number the first person I spoke with had given me, which took me to a guy who gave me a false name - I don't understand why he lied about his name, but there's no John Fish in the building - there was a guy with a somewhat similar name who I later found out dug up my file. Crazy.

Anyway, after a bunch of information-giving, "John" found my physical registration file from 1997, four addresses ago. He didn't know what the problem had been, but he said he would fix it as soon as we got off the phone, and that I could call back next week to find out what actually happened and confirm that my ballot actually was counted. I asked how I could have had a physical file, received a registration card in the mail, and then not been in the book, and he figured I'd been matched up with someone else, but didn't know any more.

I called back to ask "John" what would have happened if I hadn't called - are they going to try to pull the physical files on every provisional vote? And how will they get the extra data they need - I had to confirm an address on Pogue Road that I last lived at in 1998! Well, I got Ann when I called, and she was marvelous. She figured out what had happened to me - there was guy who had my same first name, same middle initial, and same date of birth, but a completely different last name. He was a new registrant. Meanwhile, the BOE was switching from an old system to a new system. Meanwhile, they were flooded with new applications, so they hired temps to do the data entry, and one of those temps decided that I must have changed my last name - maybe I got married or something? Anyway, I became this new guy, and the history wasn't available to the first folks I talked with at the BOE. However, the old system is still running, and Ann and a few other folks can access it.

Most importantly, Ann said that the procedure on provisional ballots was definitely going to include checking the old system before anything is disqualified, and going to the physical files if necessary. That means that even if I hadn't called in, they would have found the problem and fixed it, and that other folks who found themselves in my position don't have to call in to make sure their vote is counted.

However, if you did cast a provisional ballot that wasn't due to just moving into the precinct, I would strongly urge you to politely follow up. You can call 632.7036 and explain what happened.

All in all, I'm well pleased with the folks working the system - everyone at the polls was helpful and respectful, including the challengers, as was everyone I talked with at the BOE - though I'm still weirded out by "John" lying to me about his name. But Ann seemed like a great, dedicated election worker who was doing everything she could to make certain everyone's vote counted. I think the blame for this incident is best laid at the feet of our representatives in Columbus, and probably in the County, who did not give the BOE the resources necessary to handle the volume of registrations they got. There's no profit margin, there's no market demand, and there's no competition in Boards of Elections - that means the only thing that forces efficiency and stability and security into the system is political will. Our representatives obviously don't have a lick of that. Ann said they were so slammed that they barely got the data entered in time to print the signature books, and they had no time to proof them. That's insane, and that's a problem that Columbus and Hamilton County can fix.

Thanks to Brian Griffin for his attention and insight on this today...

I think I voted today...

2004-11-02T09:59:00.000-08:00

So my wife and got to our polling station around 8:10 this morning. There were around 30 people in line, so that wasn't too bad, but with only six booths, it took a while to process folks through. There were four poll workers, and two challengers sitting in the corner with legal pads - I couldn't see what the woman was doing, but the guy (I'll call him Mr. C) looked like he was reading a student's paper or something. While in line, one guy came in not knowing his polling station - the poll workers helped him find his correct location, and when he left, Mr. C got up and followed him out. When he came back in he filled out a form from his bag, put it away and went back to his paper. Two other voters had just moved into the area (one from Mt. Adams, one from Madeira), and they filled out provisional ballots.

At 8:40 or so, we got to the front of the line. My wife signed her name in the book and went off to vote. Then I came up, and my name wasn't in the book. Odd...I've voted in every single election since we moved to Walnut Hills over two years ago, including last spring in the primaries. They looked and looked...no name. I had received the card in the mail a few weeks ago, but hadn't brought it with me. So I showed them my driver's license - still no name. So I filled out a provisional ballot - they had me put my current address as both my old and new addresses, and sign this form and that affidavit and everything...they double-checked my address in their guidebook, and yes, I was in the right place. I asked how it could have happened, and they didn't know. I mean, I've not committed any felonies, I've not moved, and I've voted in the same place over and over again. They gave me a phone number I could call, and I went on and voted.

When I left, Mr. C came up to me to say he'd seen what had happened, that he was the Democratic Observer (which I assume was a euphamism for "challenger", since nothing in the Ohio Revised Code about elections mentions "observers"), and that he would like my contact information so they could log the issue. I gave it to him, and told him they'd given me a phone number to the BOE where I could try to follow up. I asked him why my name would have been dropped from the rolls, and he didn't know.

So my observations so far - someone screwed something up, and I don't believe it was me. But the challenger was friendly and helpful - definitely seemed like what Davo said in the comments at Nick Spencer's blog - he wasn't interested in challenging, he was interested in making sure everything went smoothly. I believe most folks are interested in nothing more than a tough campaign and an honest election, and that's definitely what I saw in the poll workers and party operatives today. Bravo.

Now, to the board of elections - what the fuck happened? I'll be calling them and will post any follow-ups. But hopefully the worst of what could happen happened to me today - if so, this will be a very smooth election.

UPDATE: Just got off the phone with the BOE, and they told me my ballot will be thrown out. I have another number I'm calling now, and we'll see what happens...I'm also keeping Brian's post updated in the comments, since he's got tons and tons more traffic than this little hovel...

Let a Thousand Flowers Bloom

2004-11-02T00:04:00.000-08:00

This guy was outside my post office a couple weeks ago. We chatted for a minute or two, but I had to get in to work.

Dedicated to Wes Flinn...

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Disturbing Fountain

2004-10-31T10:42:00.000-08:00

This fountain is down at Sawyer Point right below the Flying Pigs - if you climb up to the base of the Flying Pigs columns, there's a slightly descending walkway with a model of the Ohio River, with a stream of water running through it. It depicts the entire length of the river, from Pittsburgh to Cairo, IL, and shows the location of each lock and dam, as well as where Cincinnati is.
Anyway, this fountain is on the side of this elevated walkway, and tell me it doesn't freak you out...my Halloween contribution...

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Creepy Lights

2004-10-30T09:41:00.000-07:00

A little Halloween prep - these light sculptures are in the patio/pavilion area between the library and Zimmer. They're really pretty cool, bug damn, they're creepy too. Especially when you're off a ways and see them sort of poking up in the distance...creepy...

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Daniel Drake Overlook

2004-10-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

(Make sure you scroll to the right for the full picture - this one is very wide)

I mentioned not seeing any hillsides of riotous colors - well, on Monday after work I swung by the Daniel Drake Park - it has an overlook over the Redbank/I-71 interchange. It was absolutely amazing. This picture doesn't capture it - it's stitched together and cropped to maximize the colors, but it doesn't do the scene justice. Walking a little ways down the hillside of the overlook, you get a view to the south of the tops of acres and acres of trees - you're looking at a very low angle at them, and my pictures didn't give the sense of depth you got in person, but it was just breathtaking. This is pretty much the straight-on view of the hillside opposite I-71, and I think it only gives a flavor of the view. If you drive I-71, it's well worth a 10 minute detour - get off at Redbank, turn onto Duck Creek, then an immediate right onto Redbank (the old Redbank, which is different from the expressway version). Daniel Drake is on your right at the top of the hill. Just one hell of view, if the leaves still have their color...

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Mt. Storm

2004-10-26T08:29:00.000-07:00

This is a silhouette of the Temple of Love, taken on my Fall Foliage tour on Sunday, near sunset. No foliage, but I really dug this shot...so a short break from fall colors, but they shall resume shortly...

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Fall Foliage 2004, Part II

2004-10-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is the Cincinnati Observatory near Ault Park, with the normally green bushes turning a brilliant red under a beautiful blue sky, the first we'd had in at least a week. Just a beautiful day...

We did get out to Fairview, Mt. Echo and Mt. Storm, so plenty of shots to follow...what an amazing day it was - not a cloud anywhere. Made for an underwhelming sunset from Mt. Storm, but was perfect for foliage...

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Fall Foliage 2004, Part I

2004-10-24T15:23:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken from the Victory Parkway Bridge looking northwest, up Kemper Lane towards the Luray/Nassau/Kemper intersection.

I went out today to shoot fall foliage - Eden Park, Alms Park, Ault Park, the Cincinnati Observatory, Mt. Adams...I'll be heading out to try Mt. Echo, Fairview and Drake parks in a little while. Unfortunately, I left my Canon at work on Friday, so I had to use my old 1 megapixel HP. After a full summer of 3 megapixels, it's really painful to step back. I've always loved the colors the HP got, but 1 megapixel just cannot make a sharp picture.

The foliage is a little disappointing - some trees haven't started to change yet, while some have already lost all their leaves, so there aren't any riotous hillsides of brilliant colors. However, as the picture above shows, there are definitely some amazing scenes, with a few brilliant trees making for a gorgeous view. I'll be posting more over the next few days.

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Suspension Bridge from the River

2004-10-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge, not the J. K. Rowling Suspension Bridge, like I always have to stop myself from saying...
The picture was taken from the river (obviously) on a friend's boat on July 14th, 2004. It was a gorgeous day, lots of pictures - my first time on the river and my first time at Party in the Park. The river was far cooler, but that's probably just me...

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Tangeman Interior

2004-10-22T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is a panoramic shot of the interior of UC's Tangeman Hall. Imagine walking out of McMicken, across the grass, and into the front doors of TUC. This is what you see.
Indeed, WTF? The whole building has been completely gutted. It's been gutted, added to, reworked, restructured...completely unrecognizable. The only way to tell where the old News Record office used to be would be to pace it off.
It's definitely a much more useable space now - very open, though antiseptic feeling - no where near the character of the old space. But now there's an outdoor balcony overlooking part of the stadium, the bookstore is in McDonald's old space, and the Film Society seems to have a movie every night, showing in a large-ish theater on the bottom floor. That would have been handy back in the day - I'd get awfully winded smoking my lungs out with the Film Society folks then having to trek all the way to the top floor. (Even with an escalator!)

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Tangeman Exterior

2004-10-21T01:14:00.000-07:00

I went to UC/CCM for the 1990-91 school year, then didn't really go back until I took a Geology class in the spring of 2000. I was very suprised by how much had changed at that point, but I hadn't seen nuthin' yet. My wife and I have been taking Arabic (more on that later, I'm sure), so we're on campus regularly, and sweet hoppin' savior, things have changed dramatically in the last four-ish years. I'll be posting a few campus shots, starting with this one. This, as the title of this post suggests, is the front entrance to Tangeman Hall. If your reaction is anything like mine, you just said, "holy ass, WTF is that?"
That's some sort of steel-gray siding material that's invading like kudzu. Check out this shot of the Steger Student Life Center as it invades Swift Hall:

You will become one with the borg...
If you think Tangeman's exterior has changed, wait until you see the interior. I was absolutely floored...that's for tomorrow.

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Mt. Echo Park

2004-10-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

This is the Mt. Echo Park Pavilion in Price Hill. My wife and I were married in Alms Park two years ago, but we shopped around a bit and considered Mt. Echo. I thought Echo was by far the most dramatic pavilion view in the city - I could imagine us sitting like royalty before the city, leaning over to my wife and saying, "the Kingdom looks well today."
But while Mt. Echo Park is a beautiful space, with some amazing views, it's just not as warm and comfortable to me. The overlooks at the top of the cliffs feature the noise from the industry/transportation stuff down along the river, and the park space itself seems less centered, more exposed, less comfortable.
Nonetheless, it's got a hell of a view. Downtown plus an S-curve of the Ohio River...extremely dramatic.

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Celestial View - Day and Night

2004-10-19T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the Celestial's parking lot in Mt. Adams. Both were stitched together using Canon's Zoombrowser EX 4.5 software - it came with the camera, but it's pretty cool - the camera has a "stitch" shooting mode that displays the right 1/4 of the previous shot while you line up the next one, and then the software can pick out the common points and stitch it all together for you - quite handy.
The daytime shot was from September 22nd, the nighttime shot from October 10th, and I wasn't standing at precisely the same location both time, but it was pretty close nonetheless. The nighttime shot was a Sunday night around 9:30 or so, so I want to go back up there and try again on a Friday or Saturday, see if there are more lights, more activity.

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Off Season Part VI

2004-10-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

There's a WWI memorial tucked away in a corner of the Twin Lakes area of Eden Park, for the 136th Field Artillery, A.E.F. Behind it is this stone stairway - it's not in good repair, and the top five or ten feet don't even have steps. But if it's not wet (or snowy!), you can climb to the upper overlook from here.

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Off Season Part V

2004-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

This is the lower of the Twin Lakes in Eden Park, with a brilliant winter sun in the sky. This was later in the season, so ice skating was certainly not an option - it was really difficult even just walking across the ice with all the cuts and piles frozen everywhere. Not that I'd have skated anyway - I have all the grace of an IT professional - roller blading is out, let alone ice skating.

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Off Season Part IV

2004-10-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

The view off the Victory Parkway Bridge, looking down Kemper Lane towards the river. You can see the river and Dayton, KY sitting behind its levee. Tell me Kemper Lane doesn't look like the single most dangerous road on the planet - downhill, curvy road that catches some morning sun then sits in shade the rest of the day. I've not had any problems with it - they salt it pretty well - but it does scare me just to look at it.

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Off Season Part III

2004-10-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

This shot was taken from the porch of the house at the corner of Whitfield and Ludlow, looking south on Whitfield. I always loved snowy weekend days in the gaslight - it always felt so cozy. You didn't have to drive anywhere, since you could walk to IGA. Perfect for baking a loaf of bread and cooking a big beef stew, or else just heating up some Prego and noodles and buying some of that awful 5 minute garlic bread butter-hell Texas toast garbage...mmm...thems good eatin'...then curling up with a book and a space heater, since I doubt there are more than a dozen structures in the entire neighborhood with actual insulation in the walls...

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Off Season Part II

2004-10-14T17:03:00.000-07:00

Mirror Lake on a cold afternoon. This is pretty poor composition here - I think I just snapped the shot while driving through the park, so the guard rail things block the view, and much of the frame is wasted with the road - but nonetheless, it's a view probably every Cincinnatian has seen.

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Sunrise

2004-10-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'll be out of town for the weekend, but if I can get to a kiosk or internet cafe, I'll try to post some pre-prepped pictures in the Off Season series. Meanwhile, this was the view of Tuesday morning's sunrise from my window. Wish I'd have gotten my slack-ass out of bed to see it from Eden Park's upper overlook.

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Off Season Part I

2004-10-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy looking at off-season pictures - looking at Autumn shots in Spring, or Summer shots in Winter. It's still warm enough for winter shots to feel inappropriate enough to qualify, so the next few days I'll be putting some up.
This picture is the Water Tower and the Melan Arch Bridge, with the upper Eden Park overlook to my back.

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L&N

2004-10-11T05:37:00.000-07:00

...the Purple People Bridge, looking south (er...and up-ish)...

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Sunrise over Alms Park

2004-10-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken around 7:30am on September 22nd from the upper overlook in Eden Park, with the river at 51" and just beginning to drop. The river was running extremely fast - I tried to get a movie of it, but from this height you can't really see the speed. That night I picked up carryout ribs from the Boathouse - it was a last-minute decision, so I was still on the phone with them when I got to Eggleston, so I had 20 or 30 minutes to blow. I walked down into the park and sat in the little amphitheater where the old waterworks building was, sitting on the concrete seats/steps, with the water nearly at my feet - now that was something. Sitting right at river level, looking across a quarter mile swath of water that starts right at your feet, carrying entire trees past at tremendous speed...unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera - that would have been the view to get a movie of.

You can't make out Alms park in this picture, but it's there just to the right of the sun, at the crest of that rise overlooking the river.

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Downtown From Newport

2004-10-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

Some days we'll walk over to Newport - maybe a walk thru Friendship Park, which is a really nice river-side park - not as cool as the Memphis Riverwalk, and I don't think as cool as Sawyer Point and all the cool stuff jammed in there past Mongtomery Inn, but nonetheless, it's a nice park. I especially like the impressions of leaves and the pawprints of racoons and deer and birds they put in the walkway - a great touch (sorry, the pictures are all on my non-hooked-up Dell).

This picture was taken from right at the end of the Purple People Bridge near sunset back in early August. Here's a non-shrunken copy of the picture - reducing it to fit on the blog makes the Taylor-Southgate Bridge grain out...alas...

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The Soapbox

2004-10-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've not blogged for a long, long time now. I've followed Nick Spencer and Brian Griffin's blogs religiously, and commented there occasionally, but haven't really gotten around to blogging myself. Then in the comments of a post at Brian's, Greg Korte (I assume it was him) very kindly asked what happened to the Queen City Soapbox. Here's my response:

Mostly it's that I don't have a whole lot to say, to be honest. When I came on to tag team with Chris Anderson (who I thought was a fantastic blogger, always thoughtful and interesting and fair), I was really hyped up about local affairs. Since then, I've become much more interested in national affairs, and I really don't have much to add there - so many people do such a better job than I do.
...and then when one doesn't write for months, anything you drop up there isn't going to be read anyway...
I've been thinking about getting back to it, but focusing more on what I'm interested in locally, which is really how amazingly gorgeous this area is - all the hills, the river, the hillsides on both sides of the river...I've taken to walking lately, and can reach Mt. Adams with maybe a half hour walk or so. The views from the Eden Park overlooks, and the Rookwood/Celestial parking lot, then the view from the Ida Street Bridge - they're just breathtaking. So I've been thinking of maybe pseudo-photo-blogging, then throwing in other commentary as the mood strikes.

Well, I think the time has come. My home computer has been disconnected for a few weeks now since my dad and grandpa and I made some built-in bookshelves and a desk in my Thinkatorium, and I can't get DSL to work from any other phone jacks in the house, and can't set the computer back up until I stain and lacquer, etc. Anyway, I can't get to my photos, but I've always loved this shot by Glenn Hartong from the Enquirer back in March of 2001:

Here's the Enquirer story on how he got the picture, along with links to download it in assorted sizes, and here's the link if you want to buy a print.

Sunday Liquor Sales

2004-02-22T06:01:00.000-08:00

So Erlanger is considering moving their opening hour for Sunday by-the-drink alcohol sales back from 1pm. Sunday brunch is a very popular meal, and Bloody Mary's and Mimosa's are, for many people, an enjoyable part of that. Often those are the hair of the dog that helps starts the Sunday recovery. But regardless, what the hell kind of argument is this:

"We just see no reason to have any Sunday liquor sales before 1 p.m.," said the Rev. John Street, minister of Erlanger United Methodist Church. "It's a matter of principle for us.
"For Christians, Sunday is a holy day."

For Jews Saturday is a holy day. It's a matter of principle for them that you should not be allowed to eat pork or shellfish on Saturdays. For Muslims Ramadan is a holy month - all restaurants should be closed during daylight hours for that month - it's a matter of principle.
And athiests see no reason to go to church on Sunday or any day. It's a matter of principle for them. For athiests, every day is a normal day. So let's close down churches on Sundays. And let's start with the Methodists - they don't even believe in transsubstantiation! For Catholics, that's a matter of principle, and since what you do over in your little building has so much impact on them in this other little building, we better get the government to pass a law that stops your consubstatiating asses.
Or, perhaps we could finally decide that the government doesn't really have a place in deciding which religion gets to shove its principles down the community's throat?

Win, Win, Win

2004-01-24T12:21:00.000-08:00

I can't imagine any possible objections to this proposal from Valerie Lemmie to try to hire up some of the recently laid off Cleveland police officers. The proposal has more cops for the law and order folks, and it brings in non-Elder people, non West Siders, in fact, non-Cincinnatians into the police department - we get their training, their experience, and their lack of baggage...I guess the only complaint would be if one thought we had too many cops already, but even so, most of the people I've heard saying that are really concerned about more cops like the ones they object to now.
Valerie Lemmie earned her paycheck this week...

Wow...

2004-01-20T05:18:00.000-08:00

Pretty amazing results in Iowa...there's and interesting first look on why the amazing results from Iowa by Tom Schaller over at DailyKos - he said, "Dean was organized, but in a very superficial way." They had the T-shirts for the precinct captains, they had the observers, but their precinct captains were unexperienced, seemed diffident and distant, and just were not prepared to vacuum up delegates from non-viable candidates. Same message from Jerome Armstrong:

The basic gist was that the general laid down an excellent strategy, but the execution didn't happen. Those who arrived at the caucus as the Dean Precinct captains were unprepared; there was not enough input into training them, not enough holding them through process of what was going to happen the night of the caucus. In comparison, Kerry and Edwards were ready.

I suspect this may be the absolute best thing that could have happened to Dean. Don't get me wrong, I think Iowa was an utter disaster for him - he's spent two years there, and couldn't close the deal. He's lost his underdog appeal without becoming a front-runner, he's no longer the news story - in NH that will be Kerry vs. Clark, and if Clark is stillborn, Kerry vs. Edwards. His organization is not what it was supposed to be, his enthusiasm is being spun as anger, etc., etc. Iowa was a complete and unmitigated disaster - he lost everything without winning anything but a Ross Perot margin.
But if Dean can come back from this - that's the key. I really think Bush is unassailable this year - I mean, he hasn't even started campaigning yet and he's still got good approval numbers, without any of the lesser-of-two-evils voters that will appear when the Democratic nominee becomes clear. If he's going to be beaten, it's going to take someone with the ability to fight through things like being thoroughly embarassed in an Iowa tromping to do it. Should be interesting - I'll be riveted if he can do it.

Great Iowa Coverage

2004-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing some fantastic coverage of the caucuses from Daily Kos - discussions on hard counts, nuances of polling, etc. I suspect there's a whole lot of over-optimism among the Dean folks regarding first timers, but who knows? I'm definitely no veteran caucus watcher. Too bad Wes wasn't able to go (well, he could have gone, but would have gotten pretty cold sleeping in the street) - I'd have loved to see his on-the-spot reporting. Maybe New Hampshire?

New Contributor to Unfolio

2004-01-13T17:01:00.000-08:00

There's a new contributor to Unfolio: Joseph Clarke - Chris Davis introduces him here. A warm welcome - I'm a big Unfolio fan, and look forward to his contributions!

Jay Love, Luddite

2004-01-12T11:55:00.000-08:00

So Jay Love has completely dropped off the deep end...he spent much of the first hour of his show (which was all I was able to catch) reading excerpts from the Unabomber's Manifesto and saying that Ted Kaczynski's analysis of modern society might well be spot-on. He of course gave no historical context, showed no understanding of anything other than the words on the page in front of him (taken from the introduction, not even from the meat of the manifesto), and happily compared Bush to Kaczynski when he took his first call (they both murdered people, don't you see?)
To my mind, this is another illustration of the trouble we have with the media today - it's not bias one way or another, it's utterly ignornant people spouting off on things they don't begin to understand. Rush Limbaugh saying we obviously don't know how oil is created because they say it's dead dinosaurs, but how could dinosaurs have survived in the desert where all the oil is? Hell, most media reports on breaking news in the sciences or medicine show that the writer is a communications major, not a scientist, and is simply not prepared to give the story the context it needs. The same goes for stories that require historical context (as I believe most current events stories do) - I'm sorry, but someone who has studied how to communicate is not necessarily the best person to explain something to you. They're very good at telling you what they think - but they may not think anything of consequence, or worse, they may not understand what the hell they're talking about.
Kinda like Jay discussing Luddism. And yes, kinda like me blogging too - but hey, you get what you pay for!

Oops

2004-01-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

From the UK Mirror: A MAN went in to hospital with "I love women" tattooed on his leg but when he came out it read "I love men". He was apparently stitched up with insufficient attention being paid to his body art, although, judging from this photo in the British Medical Journal, it's not really as bad as it sounds. I'd have been more embarrassed by my own decision to choose that tattoo in the first place...and honestly, does anything scream "closet case" louder than feeling the need to avow your heterosexuality indelibly on your freakin' leg?

Reds Blogs

2004-01-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

JD Arney lists his Top 10 Reds prospects for 2004, and Shawn Weaver discusses the Reds reorganized scouting operation. (question for Wes: is it still post-modern if I'm blogging about bloggers who aren't blogging about me?)

Congratulations

2004-01-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to the Cincinnati chapter of the AIAS who, as reported on unfolio, won the election to host the 2005 AIAS Forum in Cincinnati. Of particular interest to me is Chris Davis's speech to the conference in Austin, Texas explaining the proposed theme, "Building from Crisis":

In the same way that any action taken by the federal government now references September 11, every building and urban revitalization project in Cincinnati has come as a result of or references these tragic riots. This is a city that is truly building from its crisis. Indeed, the most important building currently under construction in Cincinnati is the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, which has the explicit mission of connecting crises of the past, such as slavery, with those of our modern world. The building, and the events therein will serve as a pedagogical instrument, educating the visitor about the plights of those who participated in the Underground Railroad and, most importantly, showing how lessons of the past can apply to present situations in not just Cincinnati, but in cities and towns across the United States and the world.
Throughout history, crisis and tragedy have provided society with unparallel opportunities for growth and reflection, in both memorials and functional spaces. From the plagues of the Middle Ages and burning of London, to earthquakes in California and genocide in Kosovo, architects have always built from crisis in unique and innovative ways.

Definitely an interesting facet that I've not thought about regarding the riots and the racial turmoil in the city. Just as with a war, the politics and the justifications (or irrationality) that have led to a conflict may command our attention from day to day, but the longest lasting impact may well come from how the conflict itself affects other things that don't seem related at all.

New Immigration Policy

2004-01-07T16:16:00.000-08:00

According to CNN's bullet points on the new immigration policy, people currently in the country illegally will be allowed to apply for a 3-6 year temporary visa, if they can show they have a job that the employer can show he can't get Americans to fill. I doubt this will work by itself - many people have commented on the willingness of illegals to trust the government, but my question is: will there be a corresponding amnesty for employers? Will employers be willing to risk that this amnesty will work as promised? It seems to me that this proposal would have to be coupled with two other items: a solid amnesty for the employers, which is to be followed by a severe crackdown on those employers found to be hiring illegals when that amnesty expires. If enforcement continues to be business as usual, then the only folks incentivized by this program are illegal immigrants who trust both the government and their employers. That doesn't spell "big win" to me for anyone.
The good news is that this may in fact be Michael Savage's worst nightmare - a foot in the door for a more rational immigration policy. We have opportunity, immigrants have ambition and a work ethic, and figuring out a way to let those two elements come together will benefit everyone. It brings to mind Don't Ask, Don't Tell - an awful policy, untenable, internally inconsistent - but perhaps a first step. In both cases we have a job and a job seeker, a buyer and a seller - I can't think of any two better examples of issues on which a conservative's interest in capitalism and a liberal's interest in civil and human rights ought to put them on the same side of an issue.

One more point on Pete

2004-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

To my mind, this entire saga is entirely Major League Baseball's fault. Not the part about the gambling and the lying - the fact that any of this is news. They decided that there had to be a moral threshold a candidate had to meet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That's crazy - performance and contributions should be the threshold, as decided by the writers and the veterans, not that plus some arbitrary rules the commissioner makes up as he goes along ("ok, if you say this, then we'll do this, and you can do that"). Rose should have been banned from baseball, not the Hall of Fame, and the writers and veterans should have been left with the perogative of deciding whether he should get inducted - he'd have been in on the first ballot in 1991 or 1992, MLB would have lanced the boil, and he'd never work in baseball again. No sympathy, no chants at the World Series, no Jim Gray nonsense.

UPDATE: JD Arney gives us his thoughts and collects an assortment of blogger reaction.

US-VISIT

2004-01-06T10:02:00.000-08:00

I met the news of the US-VISIT program (link via Michael at Rantophilia via Brian Griffin), in which we will be taking fingerprints and photos of foreign visitors, with much the same reaction I had when I heard the news that the SEC would be requiring executives to sign off on their financials:

you mean they don't do that already?

I guess it shouldn't be surprising - I have been through customs once, and it wasn't exactly high-tech, and I've crossed the border to Canada four times in the past few years, twice post-9/11, and that was either racial profiling in my favor, a random-search policy that hasn't hit me yet, an utter joke, or some combination of the above.

I agree with Brian that it does look bad, but I suspect that image will be fleeting - the fact is, we have reasonable rules regarding visiting the country, and this is a reasonable method of enforcing those rules. If we were introducing a policy of fingerprinting and photographing everyone arrested by the police today for the first time, we would hear a similar hue and cry against such a draconian invasion of privacy - in fact, we hear that cry today regarding DNA testing (I don't know enough about the issue to have a firm opinion on it, though I have to say I would be uncomfortable with a national DNA database that included every individual arrested anywhere - but as I said, I'd need to know a lot more about it first).

What is particularly telling for me on this issue is that the complaints of the ACLU are not with this system, but rather a) with the "confusion" it will create for immigrants, and b) that it will not end unfair discrimination against Arabs and Muslims. I can't speak to the first item (though I know our current immigration system is a horrific mess of bureaucracy, both from news reports and from friends I've had who have gone through the process), but even the ACLU (whom I generally support) isn't complaining about anything fundamental, but rather that this won't fix their major immigration concern.

Good Lord, it's Cold

2004-01-06T06:37:00.000-08:00

The bottom really dropped out last night, which brings to mind this site, the National Weather Service's current weather conditions page for Lunken Airport. Lunken is the location closest to me, but CVG airport's readings are available too. One problem with Lunken, however, is that it sits down near the river - it's at 508 feet above sea level, and I'm at least a hundred feet above that. Countering that effect when temperatures change is that it's down near the river - large bodies of water buffer temperatures. I don't know how effective running water is at that compared with lakes (I used to live a half mile from Lake Erie, and it had a dramatic impact - where I lived was much warmer on fall days and much cooler on spring days than where I worked). But I got a really cool remote-sensing thermometer for Christmas, so I plan on comparing my house with Lunken to see just how much a difference there is. First, I need to get it working...

More Free than Ever

2004-01-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

I've been brewing up a big-ol' dissertation on what I see as mistaken conventional wisdom about the state of things today - it seems to me that we have more civil liberties than ever, that there's less partisanship than ever, that the media is less biased than ever, etc., etc., and I want to spend some time, do some research, and present the case in its proper perspective (by the way, apologies to those who, like Wes Flinn, are working on actual dissertations). Things being how they are, it may be a bit on that, but Eugene Volokh has a piece today in the National Review Online (link via Instapundit) that makes a similar point regarding First Amendment rights. He's criticizing conservative outrage at liberal judges eroding our traditional First Amendment rights, and makes the point that "for most of American history, speech was less constitutionally protected than it is today."

In the late 1700s, it wasn't even clear whether the First Amendment covered criminal punishment for politically incorrect speech. Many people argued that it applied only to "prior restraints," such as injunctions or prepublication censorship rule. Laws criminalizing speech after it's published, the argument went, were perfectly constitutional — even if, for instance, the laws banned criticism of the government. Only in the 1930s was it firmly settled that the First Amendment protects speech against criminal punishment.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s, courts routinely held that some antigovernment speech — even speech that wasn't directly inciting crime — was constitutionally unprotected. In many states, until the 1810s and 1820s truth wasn't a defense to criminal libel prosecutions. Even when it became a defense, it generally applied only when the statement was made with "good motives" and for "justifiable ends," however a judge or jury chose to interpret these vague phrases. Those limitations weren't eliminated until the 1960s.

In the first half of the 1800s, courts held that blasphemy could be outlawed, and blasphemy covered not just swearing but the offensive public denial of the truth of Christianity. Until the mid-1900s, judges routinely sent people to jail for publishing newspaper articles that criticized the judge's decisions. Until the mid-1900s, obscenity laws punished not just hard-core pornography, but serious literature as well as discussion of contraceptives.

Moreover, until the mid-1900s, the dominant view was that the government had virtually unlimited power over its own property and its own employees. Until recently, courts would probably have upheld campus speech codes simply on the grounds that public universities were completely free to sanction and expel students for any reason at all.

This isn't to say we've fought the whole battle - Dennis Barrie and the Contemporary Art Center were indicted for pandering obscenity back in 1990 regarding the Mapplethorpe exhibit - but don't forget, they were acquitted. The fact that they would be indicted is chilling, as are other examples of obscenity prosecutions, of over-zealous policing of protestors, of "free speech zones" at political events, of school administrators reacting irrationally to student diaries in the wake of Columbine - but considered in the perspective of American history, it's amazing that these are the battles we're fighting, and not whether blogging about stupid judicial decisions should land one in jail for contempt of court. Considering the perspective of world history? There's just no way to compare how free our speech is today.

Pete stuff

2004-01-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Two items regarding the post below: first, all the speculation has been completely overcome by events, and second, Hall of Fame voting will be announced Tuesday. Pete obviously can't be voted in this year, but it's a great synergy for selling books, and as Tom Verducci points out, the baseball writers only have two more chances to vote him in - after that, it's up to the Veteran's Committee, who would probably vote him in 70 years from now.

JD Arney Is (and Has Been) Back

2004-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

JD Arney's Red's Faithful blog is back. He explains his extended time away here, and gives a nice 2003 Reds Review here. I always enjoyed reading his summaries and insights - he's very readable and knowledgeable, and now he's focused on the off-season, which is where I always had the hardest time keeping up with baseball. His return is great news!

In other Reds-related news, Shawn Weaver is connecting the latest Pete Rose dots, and it looks like this Thursday could be a very interesting day...Pete's new book comes out January 8th...Hall of Fame voting results are announced January 8th...Pete has an interview on ABC on January 8th...

By the way, what in the hell is up with the book cover for "My Prison Without Bars" - I can understand MLB not allowing him to use pictures of himself in the uniform, and I can understand him trying to be sensitive to anything that might annoy them right now, like a bat over his shoulder standing in a cell or something - but good lord, solid red with block letters? Why not at least put your very recognizable face on it? Was this thrown together that quickly?

Blogging

2004-01-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Brian Griffin for his kind words. I definitely intend to get back to more frequent blogging - the main reason I've been so lax has been from spending a tremendous amount of time at work, which is hopefully on its way to changing in 2004. I have enough time to keep up with the news and the blogs, and read Brian and Wes every day, and try to keep in touch with Rob and the folks over at Unfolio - I always love reading the detailed thoughts of folks with special insight into things I know nothing about, and that's definitely these folks - four architecture students (though most of the posting is from Chris Davis) blogging about the latest happenings in architecture - things like the detailed review of each of the six proposed WTC Memorial designs (see their archives). And nationally I pretty much keep up with The Volokh Conspiracy and Atrios daily, and never miss a Lileks Bleat. But reading is not writing, as I'm sure you all know. It's a lot of fun, but work and eating and sleeping end up coming first for me - that's how I know I'll never be a writer!

Insane shopping

2003-12-21T12:23:00.000-08:00

We made the mistake of trying to go to Kenwood Towne Center on Saturday afternoon. I was amazed - there was not a single parking space to be had. We spent probably fifteen minutes cruising around the lot along with dozens and dozens of other cars. This wasn't a question of not wanting to walk, it was a question of there being absolutely zero spaces, but two or three vehicles in every row, circling like vultures. Kenwood has 5,600 parking spaces (the lot that had been torn up on Montgomery Road was supposed to be opened by now - we didn't get to that side, so I don't know if that's the case - supposedly they weren't going to lose any parking due to the redesign, though) - all filled to the gills.

Just crazy - I can only imagine how many people were actually in the mall. The lines at checkout were probably horrifying. We ended up just leaving, dropping movies off at Blockbuster, then seeing a spot open up on the street near Hyde Park Square, browsed around a bit, got some lunch, then walked all the way to Rookwood...it was a great idea on the way there, but hefting back towels and sheets and sweaters and such was far less appealing on the 3/4 mile walk back to the car.

Endorsements

2003-11-03T06:35:00.000-08:00

Time to climb out from 'neath my rock and make some sort of endorsements in the council race. I'm going to have a pretty quick time of things in there, because I've always believed voting only for the people you actually want on council is the best way to deploy your vote - your seventh and eighth choices may help those candidates knock your #1 choice out. So I'm voting for four candidates total:
John Schlagetter - the way John handled the Convergys situation - looking for numbers, analyzing the numbers - that's the sort of thing it's vital to have on council, and electing John is the best way to get that.
Nick Spencer - I'm not 100% on the Spenser boat, for a number of reasons, but I'm more with him than against him. More importantly, I think Schlagetter and Spencer would make a good core for a bloc on council.
Jim Tarbell - he's kept the Charter party viable for years (that's probably a broad overstatement), and always seems to make sense. He walked the streets after the riots, doesn't seem to have higher ambitions, and seems to have the best interests of the city at heart. Boy, that's pretty emotional voting, eh? Indeed, but again I'm more with him than against him, and he's the most likely person to hold the Charterite door open to council in case John doesn't make it.
Chris Smitherman - notice a trend here? Indeed, it's a straight Charterite ticket. I don't know if Chris has a real shot or not, and if I did I might well not vote for him - I'd hate to see him take a Schlagetter seat - but we have a viable third party in this city, and I think it's important to support it.

As for the rest, I was an enthusiastic Alicia Reese supporter the last two times around, but she lost my vote forever when she, Cooper and Crowley tried to get council to vote on the war in Iraq. Support the war or despise the war, the fact is that this was an abuse of power - not one of them campaigned on U.S. foreign policy, and that they would presume to speak for the city in that situation shows me that the law is secondary - not unlike the mayor's handling of the police contract. Both lost my support for the exact same reason - abusing their power.

New Vigilancia Politica

2003-10-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Brian's posted his latest Vigilancia Politica over at XRay Magazine. It's a great summary of what's going on in the council race, so if you have even the slightest sliver of interest, make sure to check it out.

Rush acknowledges he sounds like Clinton...

2003-10-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

...and continues to sound like Clinton nonetheless:

Based on some things that I have read, things that people have written - and I understand it, what people have said - let me try one more time, ladies and gentlemen, on the story about me and drug use. When I said Friday that I didn't yet know what I was dealing with and that when I did I would tell you everything, I meant exactly that. Some people are interpreting that to mean, well, in fact, let me just be blunt. People are saying that I'm being Clintonesque, that I'm waiting until I know everything I have to deal with so that I can figure out what I have to lie about. That's what I said that Bill Clinton always did when we were waiting for him to come forth.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's not what is going on here at all. I am waiting to find out just exactly what I am facing legally. And until I know that, I'm not going to say anything, I can't. But as I said Friday, I asked you to trust me, and I'm asking you again to trust me now and today. When such time comes, fear not; what there is to be known will be known, and I will tell you. But until it is permissible and makes sense for me to tell you that, I can't, and I won't. But I'm not holding anything back, and I'm not determining what it is that down the road I'm going to have to lie about. Believe me, I don't even have any desire to do that, and I haven't. So this is simply a matter of waiting until it is permissible. And when - as I say - until I know what I'm dealing with, I mean exactly that.

So, let's see...when Clinton did the exact same thing, it was bad...when Limbaugh copies his strategy, well, then it's different.

This, by the way, highlights one of the points I tried to make earlier - arguments about a person's hypocricy says nothing about the merits of the issue itself. In this case, it is no doubt in Limbaugh's best interest not to put anything in the public record that isn't carefully controlled by his attorneys. He's facing possible legal liability, and probably civil liability as well - he's got deep pockets, and certainly someone will figure out a way to sue him over this. It would be crazy for him to give his legal opponents unsolicited material to use against him. So keeping his mouth shut is definitely the only intelligent legal strategy for him, and I certainly wouldn't recommend he do anything else. That, however, does nothing to change the fact that his hypocrisy here is just amazingly monumental.

Bubblehead News

2003-10-07T11:13:00.000-07:00

Great posts from Brian Griffin and Wes Flinn about local news coverage. I haven't had a TV since 1996 (well, we have one now that doesn't get any stations, just has a DVD player hooked up to it), so I really couldn't say how good or bad the local TV coverage is - but I will say, one reason I don't feel like I'm missing anything without a TV is because I saw years of bubblehead news that seemed to get progressively more bubbleheaded. I have no reason to believe it's changed for the better.

Wes, the apparent optimist, posts a pretty comprehensive list of the local media (TV, radio and print) along with contact information, so that you can contact them to request more local coverage, particulary of the council race. Sounds like a good idea, I guess, but I have to believe that they broadcast/print what sells, and that they have a pretty darn good idea of what that is. There's definitely a niche for depth in the local media, but it just isn't big enough for broadcast.

The circus is coming to town...

2003-10-06T12:55:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore is coming to Xavier, and it's going to be a circus. It will be great to see the mix of protesters - I'm sure there are plenty of Xavier students on the far right - will they stand united with Nate Livingston? Will Moore even take the gig after he hears the hue and cry from Boycotts A and B? I'm sure Bill Cunningham is like a Labrador on his way to the park - completely incapable of restraining his excitement.

Is he waiting to see if they find the semen-stained dress?

2003-10-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Rush Limbaugh on the OxyContin controversy

I really don't know the full scope of what I am dealing with. And when I get all the facts, when I get all the details of this, rest assured that I will discuss this with you and tell you how it is, tell you everything there is, maybe more than you want to know about this. You can believe me and trust me on that. I don't want to answer any questions about it now, as I say, until I know exactly what I'm dealing with, and at that point I will fill you all in.

Can you imagine how he'd have reacted to Tom Daschle or Ted Kennedy making the same statement? I'm normally turned off by that sort of argument, because if you're trying to show, say, Arnold shouldn't be elected, then calling Republicans hypocrites for not being rabid regarding his personal improprieties does not address the facts of the situation - nor does pointing out the hypocrisy of Democrats saying that this time, personal indescretions do matter. Same thing with a Special Prosecutor - Demorats and Republicans switching sides on the issue due to the Plame affair says nothing about whether a Special Prosecutor is a wise or an unwise choice. However, in this case my point is not the value of some independent fact - it's the simple fact that this may be among the most hypocritical things I've ever heard Rush say, and I've been an on and off listener of his since 1989 (back when WTAM was still WWWE!). He's often lambasted unfairly, and I often think his critics should both lighten up and get more informed about him before making blanket statements - but that doesn't change the fact that he can be as ignorant and as hypocritical as anyone he comments on. I mean, I swear to God here, I once heard him say, to cast doubt on estimates of how long our oil supplies will last, that we don't know how oil was formed anyway, and as an illustration, he said he never understood how we got all that oil in the middle east, when it's all a desert - how on earth could dinosaurs have lived in the baking hot desert? And we're supposed to trust a damn word that escapes his mouth on anything related to either science or scientific methods? I mean, honestly?
...and then there's his comments on the ESPN controversy:

You know, actually so much that needs to be said, here. I guess at the top of the list would be that we supposedly have freedom of speech in this country, but if you don't say what people who consider themselves the Arbiters of What Can Be Said - if you don't say what they agree with - then they want to come after you with everything they've got and try to humiliate and take a stab at your reputation and otherwise get your mind right.

...I wish I could tell him that no, in fact, his First Amendment rights have not been violated. You have a right to say whatever you wish - you do not have a right to make others pay you to speak. He's not sitting in jail, he hasn't had his property seized - I would suggest he read some transcripts of his show from back when the Dixie Chix were whining about having to pay the consequences of saying what they believe.

Wes was right

2003-09-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

I just learned today that Wes Flinn, a name I only knew of through his frequent comments on Brian Griffin's blog, has had a blog of his own for more than a year now. (I found it via a welcoming comment he made on the new local architecture-oriented blog Brian linked to yesterday, Unfolio).

Anyway, I'm trying to catch up on his archives, and ran across this post from September 4th, in which he refers to a Snopes piece that discredited Michael Moore's claims about Saudi's being allowed to fly in the days after 9/11. A New York Times story had come out corroborating at least some of those claims, and as Wes said, "From all appearances, they [snopes] may have to change their tune."

I'm sure he'll be happy to learn that they have quite thoroughly changed their tune. Barbara Mikkelson's first words in her current commentary on the story are "I owe Michael Moore an apology." The page was updated September 6th with all the relevant new information (as far as I could tell), and I'm quite happy to see that she says her original comments were inappropriate even if her facts had been correct in the first place. Tom Tomorrow saved the text from the original Snopes story, from which you can see that she's entirely correct about that - she was in full bloviating mode.

Anyway, I would welcome Wes to blogville, but that would be like welcoming my next door neighbor to Walnut Hills - they've both been here far longer than I.

Ah, hell, welcome anyway!

"Church Teaches what it Believes, Believes what it Teaches"

2003-09-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

...just an alternate headline to this story from today's Enquirer. According to the story, Angel Meacham, a top-notch teacher at St. Joseph's Elementary School in Crescent Springs, remarried outside of the Catholic Church without getting an annulment of her previous marriage, so the Covington Diocese fired her.

On the merits of the case itself, let me say that I personally believe the Church got it all wrong when they sacramentalized matrimony. Leave it as a legal contract, bless it if you wish, offer support, and let your interest in the whole thing go at that. They shouldn't have gotten in the business of forcing unhappy people to stay unhappy together. However, that's not how things went. The Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament confected by the two being wed - the priest (or deacon) is simply the Church's witness to that sacrament. What that means is that Protestant marriages, Muslim marriages, and even civil ceremonies, while not necessarily licit sacraments, are still valid sacraments. It also teaches that one may only be married once, and that What God Has Joined, ya de da. So to remarry, you have to prove that you were never really married in the first place. You have to have your first marriage annulled - nullified, recognized that it never actually happened. It can do this because it isn't the priest who confects the sacrament, it's the two individuals - and if you married someone who was incapable of fulfilling the vow he or she made, then the sacrament never happened, the marriage never happened, and you're free to remarry.

The practical effect of all of this is, to my mind, appalling. The Church is trying to bridge the gap between its beliefs and modern society, and in order to present itself as being consistent, it pushes people to deny what are obvious truths - you have to deny your previous marriage was a real one. In some cases, at the extremes, that's not so bad. A shotgun wedding may not really have been a marriage. But most of the time, it's not that the wedding never occured, it's that the folks changed. Simple as that. But that doesn't fit in the What God Has Joined belief, so the Church can't accept it.

That all being said, the fact is that the Church believes that, unless Angel's previous marriage can be shown not to have happened, then she's living in sin, just as much as if she had shacked up with someone. The problem here is not being married in the Presbyterian Church - the problem is that she's living with someone she's not married to. The fact that the Church is willing to follow through on its beliefs should not be shocking - it's only shocking because so few people take those teachings seriously. Who, aside from the people you see at daily mass and people who own a Breviary, actually believe birth control is sinful? For that matter, how many people who take communion on Sunday really, truly believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is physically present on the altar, and that they are drinking his actual blood? In a world like this, it's not surprising that firing a good teacher based on the implications of your sacramentology would be front page news.

One other point this draws to mind - in this time of Faith Based Initiatives, voucher programs, and all those blurring of lines between Church and State, it's really easy to wonder what possible harm could come from it. When you're dealing with a Hallmark Christ and a watered-down, ecumenically-minded sort of Pseudo-Christian deism, it's hard to see why. This story should show exactly why that's dangerous - churches actually BELIEVE things, and then they act on those beliefs. It's perfectly just, it's perfectly acceptable, and I definitely defend their right to act on what they believe. I just want to be very careful about the government giving my money to the Catholic Church so they can fire good teachers just because they've found happiness.

Public Radio

2003-09-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

I agree with Chris's post below regarding the plethora of public radio stations we have here in Cincinnati, but I have to say that WVXU has annoyed me for a long time now. I used to give money both to WNKU and WVXU, but I stopped pledging to WVXU when I started to notice all the commercials. It's one thing to mention a corporate sponsor - it's another to play a spot complete with background music and a sales pitch. They also seem to ignore their membership until it's pledge time (when they put the gun to Garrison Keillor's head) - I would always hear them blowing their corporate sponsors and underwriters for bringing me this or that show, but rarely mentioning the thousands of people donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to them. There's only so much time, and it's tough to mention everyone when you're fitting in commercials on commercial-free radio.

I always prefered WNKU - I love the music playlist (except the blues on the weekends), love the late broadcast of All Things Considered, and love the way they're less corporate, less polished, less commercial. I'm not being fair to WVXU, I realize, with their incredibly diverse offerings (from old radio shows to new age crap to thrash music to local theater talk shows to the BBC World Service), but they've rubbed me the wrong way for a long time now.

I should probably get over it...

Pledge Week

2003-09-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a good thing about Cincinnati, something I've not experienced in any other city I've lived in: We have three radio stations affiliated with National Public Radio. WVXU airs "Morning Edition" and hands it off to WGUC in the afternoon, for "All Things Considered." WNKU airs both shows, so there's always a choice of radio stations for my two favorite news shows. That, plus I can catch "Fresh Air" at 7:00 if I've missed it at 4:00.

I guess you'd call WVXU my favorite of the three, because it's the one I give money to ("Public" is out, "Listener-supported" is in.) This week is WVXU's fall fund drive.

Our multiple-station setup is especially great during pledge-week. We can keep listening to real programming while the begging takes place on the other channel. WVXU's pledge-week is so egregious that it almost an art. Jim King's combination of guilt, mournfulness and veiled threats (Match this challenge-grant or we kill "The Shadow"!) is way more over-the-top than anything I've listened to in other cities. WVXU always makes its goal, but the marathon must leave King exhausted. I know I am after 15 minutes of it.

What amazes me is that they're apparently not broadcasting to empty air. Oh, they try to make it entertaining, telling you all about the latest goody they have for $100 contribution ("that's only $8.00 a month on your Visa or Mastercard!"), and they dole out just enough real programming to remind you what you're going to lose. Still, it's like getting a tooth drilled. Probably necessary, but who would volunteer to listen to it?

Having the choice of stations presents a peculiar dilemma to all three stations: they can't run simultanous pledge drives, because to an extent they're all going to the same well. They have to stagger it out, which allows their listeners to depart en masse until the sorry spectacle is over with. Me, I try to get my pledge in early, then guess when they'll be returning to normal.

Although I still tune in out of habit, and sometimes I'll keep it on for a few minutes. Pledge drives have a certain fascination, like a car-wreck.

A Racial Strategy

2003-09-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

The fight over Damon Lynch's city residency gets stranger even as it gets uglier. Today's news included the determination by the Board of Elections that Lynch lives in his Cincinnati condo and his (un-separated) wife lives in their Woodlawn house. Curiouser and curiouser.

For what it's worth, I think that challenger Pete Witte is fighting a losing battle. Previous candidates Courtis Fuller and Paul Booth have established their so-called residency by simply renting apartments. Precedent seems to be on Lynch's side. (Why candidates who don't even live in the city become immediate front-runners is a deeper question. Cincinnati has over 300,000 residents: is the political soil that thin?)

On the ugly side, Lynch political consultant Jene Galvin is alleging racism in the residency challenge:"Politically, this is the cheapest of political shots and, sadly, it has racial overtones," said Jene Galvin, an adviser to Lynch.
Well, Jene didn't sound sad when he wrote this rather bald invitation to race-based voting in last week's CityBeat:So let's get back to Lynch. He should run for city council as if he's running from a district. He should not worry about representing the entire city. The people of Hyde Park have lots of council members sucking up to them. Procter & Gamble is well covered. People whose lives depend on justice are not.

Could he win with such a narrow political focus? Yes, and that's the beauty of this upcoming race. He can be what is needed, he can be true to his core values and he can be the Lynch that so many of us admire and still win a seat on Cincinnati City Council.

He would first need to get nearly every African-American vote. If his political message and campaign style remains true to his life's work, he'll get them. Second, there would need to be a hefty turnout in the African-American community, and Lynch's place on the ticket will help drive it. That would help my friends Alicia and Laketa. Their names on the ballot will draw people over to Lynch as well.
'Sadly', this whole line of thinking has racial overtones.

Galvin is a strategist, and if you're in this to win, then targeting your message and resources is essential. Really, no problem there. Just don't issue mournful statments about racial overtones while you're running a race-based campaign.

It's a credibility thing.

The Parking Conundrum

2003-09-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

The editorial verdict is in: both the Post and Enquirer are urging the City of Cincinnati to build a parking garage for Kroger. In the sense of keeping promises and living up to your commitments, they're right.

The City has already made a commitment in principle to building this garage. Following through is as important in politics as it is in business. So in a sense, whatever current debate or opposition is floating around is already blunted by the city's commitment to Kroger.

Both editorials, however, gloss over two assumptions, apparently regarding them as self-evident: first, that Kroger must provide parking to its employees and second, that the respective balance-sheets of Kroger and Cincinnati make this a responsibility of the City.

The second of these two assumptions is the easier to dismiss: Kroger has a market capitalization of $14.5 billion and cash on hand of $156 million. They had $52.4 billion in sales and income of $1.26 billion. The company pays Chairman Jospeh Pichler $3.9 million per year, an amount that would amortize the garage in less than 5 years.

In contrast, the City took in about $330 million in income taxes in 2002, and their parking fund expenditures were about $7 million in 2002. (Huge PDF file). In terms of financial strength, Goliath is sticking David with the check.

Kroger, as they have pointed out, can take its toys and go to Mason, or Erlanger or wherever. Whether that's a smart business move is beyond my means. That Kroger is playing this game instead of announcing a fait accompli tells me that there's value in staying downtown. After all, if Pichler's only real responsibility is to his shareholders, there must be real business advantages in the downtown location.

Fact is, the deal is corporate welfare, and a plainer example is hard to find. Kroger has the income, assets and credit to build their own garage, and the land to do it on. Does anything more need to be said?

Well, one thing. It's that assumption—never questioned in the press or in the statements of the Mayor and Council—that providing cheap and convenient parking is essential to employee retention.

Kroger is doing this for their employees, right? That's what they have maintained.

It's a peculiar dilemma for a mid-sized, older city like Cincinnati. A company like Kroger (or Delta) asserts that parking is essential to their well-being, and everyone takes it at face value.

The same assertion made in a great American city (I count six: New York, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Washington and Philadelphia) wouldn't pass the laugh test. Such places might willingly allow their Fortune-500 companies to build garages, but foot the bill? Get real.

The difference, of course, is density and transportation. While a company in a larger city might provide some parking spaces for their top exectives, even those folks might find it easier to take a train or subway. For the wage slave on the fourth floor, parking isn't even a consideration.

On the flip side, the demand for a parking garage in a Houston or Charlotte would likely meet with a yawn, if only because almost all of the prime business locations are within the city limits. Their downtowns aren't as primary as ours is, and they've been able to expand the central city to take in anyplace that would have the kind of density a company like Kroger would need.

So Cincinnati is in the difficult middle. We can't picture our downtown as big enough or dense enough to disregard parking (in the short run), but it's big enough to have Fortune-500 companies and dense enough that parking is a "problem." On the other hand, Cincinnati's downtown is small enough for Kroger's departure to hurt, so the perception is that Kroger's problem is Cincinnati's problem.

The City Council is going to have to make this decision in the short run, unfortunately. That's the cruel logic of corporate welfare. There's always a good reason to go for it, often several. It's only in hindsight that communities get hammered for investing in the wrong solution.

I'm bothered that Kroger's plan for a new garage doesn't appear to have been examined in any kind of comprehensive fashion. I hear and read constant moaning about the declining vitality of downtown Cincinnati. I've seen some of that first hand, even though I think most of us don't take enough advantage of what's already there. Keeping Kroger downtown makes financial sense, and putting the burden on an enterprise fund (not the general taxpayer) makes the extortion more palatable. Even so, I think that building a garage for Kroger is a step in the slow transformation of downtown Cincinnati from the real heart of the region to a one-use, high-rise office park.

Ever strolled an office park for fun? I didn't think so. They're sterile and pretty and devoted to one thing, with geese as the only 24-hour users. Ah, but free parking: it's always there.

When CityBeat reporter Doug Trapp left Cincinnati for the Peace Corps, he offered this advice:Cincinnati's nagging problem is its leaders have tried to make the city into a quasi-suburb instead of embracing what makes cities attractive to people who like cities. People didn't move to Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, New York or Chicago in the 1990s for the low taxes, easy parking or family-friendly streets. They wanted music, good weather, diversity, arts, mass transit, streets full of people at all hours, a bit of an edge and the other stuff these cities provide in abundance.
...
So what do these fearless people want? A real freaking city. A place with great public spaces where lots of people want to spend time. A city where walking down the street is a fulfilling experience in itself (see Piatt Park), not just something you have to do to get from the parking garage to the restaurant. A place where entrepreneurs have space not only to take risks but to get support for their ideas.

To hook these risk-takers, we also need to get our buildings, streets, parks and mass transit working together as a team. We have to put the pedestrian first. Without pedestrians, the city will never feel safe and we'll never be able to get a higher population density by relying on cars alone to move people.
...
So may I ask one favor of the city's leaders while I'm gone? Listen and lead. Hang up on the CEOs for a minute and listen to the citizens who love the city. Ask them why they live where they do and help grow the assets that kept them here.

Austin banks on its music and New York on its arts. Cincinnati has a chance, with the right investments, to be unique as well. Here's a vision to talk about: Cincinnati, the Most Walkable City in the Midwest.

The concept is historic because this is what the city used to be, but it's also forward-thinking and achievable enough to get outsiders to buy into it. It's exactly the kind of motto the city needs to distinguish itself from the rest of the Midwest and provide hope for the future.

It's a vision for a city desperately in need of one.
We're a real city and we should start acting like one. That's the long-term solution.

Build Me a Garage

2003-09-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

My letter to the City of Norwood:

Dear City of Norwood:

After studying space needs and evaluating my future tenancy in my Kenilworth Avenue house, I have concluded that I need a garage. Although I purchased this house without a garage or even a driveway, recent changes in the vicinity of my house regrettably prevent me from continuing the status quo. While street parking is available, conditions at some times of the night have forced me to park as far away as the next block or around the corner. This situation has led me to explore my relocation options.

As you know, the income tax I pay to the City is in the high three figures. In addition, since 1997 the amount paid per year has increased by 50%, and I can confidently predict an additional 50-100% increase in the next ten years. You should take these figures at face value, because I have been a good citizen of Norwood, volunteering my time as a member of the steering committee for the Norwood Action Plan.

Since my peak earning years are still ahead of me, you will undoubtedly see the benefit in retaining me as a resident of Norwood. As I am otherwise happy in my house, the simple construction of a two-car garage and driveway will resolve the current situation. Please also note that I have secured the land for the garage (my backyard) and driveway (sideyard).

I'm so certain that Norwood will want to invest in its future that I have obtained preliminary plans and cost estimates (attached). As you can see from the amortization schedule, my current and future earnings tax should allow for a 22-year payoff on the garage with current intrest rates.

Although I cannot make an absolute commitment to stay in my house or even in the City of Norwood, I understand that as public officials, you need some reassurance that the City will not be left "holding the bag." Therefore, I will commit to paying a pro-rated amount of the cost should I decide in the future to take my earnings (and taxes) elsewhere.

While this request may seem a bit unusual coming from a resident, I think that once you study the financials, you'll agree that the simple matter of building me a garage in order to retain an above-average taxpayer is a wise investment.

Please be advised that I have been working with a relocation consultant and have a property outside of the City under option. Although I cannot disclose the location or any financial details, I will be forced to relocate if we cannot bring this matter to a speedy resolution.

Sincerely,

Chris Anderson

I showed this letter to a friend of mine. She described it as "grasping." Well, yeah.

Yeah

2003-09-02T16:00:00.000-07:00

...I'm back. What started out as a brief mental health break inexplicably turned into a three-month hiatus. Well, not that there's no explanation. More that I spent most of my summer doing things that didn't involve a computer. Instead, I spent large chunks of time being gloriously disengaged from breaking news, online punditry and the transient satisfaction of seeing my opinions on the screen.

This one felt more like summer than any year since I left college.

Power Observations

2003-08-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

- In all of this I was most surprised that the Fox News website took until nearly 6pm before it got anything posted on its website about the outage. Anyone else notice that? I would have thought one of their non-NYC locations could have at least posted a bulletin or something, at least a headline.

- There, I did it too - it's amazing how NYC-centric news organizations are. I understand that it's the biggest city involved, that it's our international city, that it's the focus of so much outside of this event - but just like with 9/11, it seems like all the coverage is about how it affects NYC, with the other locations added for their geographical significance. All the pictures are from New York, all the stories lead with New York, all the human interest angles are New Yorkers dealing with the inconveniences. It's not a fair observation, because I obviously haven't seen all of the coverage, and there certainly were reports of other cities - but report after report that I heard just seemed to be "New York and North East hit with massive power failure. New Yorkers are resilient. Traffic snarled all over New York. All five burroughs, as well as other areas affected."

- Here's a first person account from someone evacuated from the subways of New York.

- Now CNN is leading with Cleveland - but the headline is "Outage might have started in Cleveland."

- I've found a lot of cool links off the Command Post on this, including this link where you can watch an animation showing stations tripping off-line.

UPDATE: Just wanted to note, regarding the NYC-centric comment above - CNN's video section about the power outage includes these four items:

   - New Yorkers might one day ask: Where were you when the lights went out?

   - CNN's Bill Hemmer interviews New York Gov. George Pataki on the status of the power crisis.

   - CNN's Peter Viles on New Yorkers trudging home in the worst commute in city history.

   - New Yorkers' reactions to the power outage.

Q&A with Nick Spencer

2003-08-07T20:52:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I referenced Nick Spencer's economic plan, and while reading through it came up with some questions on some specifics that were not directly addressed in the document. Nick responded at length to my questions, which responses I'll post here unedited and in full. Reference information is in navy blue (mostly quoted from his plan - see the full plan for complete details. Quotes will be italicized), my questions will be in green, and his responses will be block quoted in black. If I've chosen my tags poorly for non-IE browsers, please feel free to upbraid me. I'll post my thoughts shortly, but for now will let Nick speak for himself.

One further caution - this presentation will assuredly not give anyone a summary of Nick's economic plan. There are large parts of his plan I didn't address. Please read through his plan first, and realize that this will not give a fair picture of his ideas - it's only a supplement.

"Nick Spencer proposes an expanded Special Improvement District for the Center City. A Special Improvement District (SID) is an area where property owners tax themselves in order to pay for improvements in their area. Currently, a modest SID is in place that funds Downtown Cincinnati, Inc. Nick Spencer proposes changing the SID rate, allowing the City to offer more aggressive incentives to spur development."

How would you change the SID rate - should it be higher, to offset the incentives, or should it be lower, to encourage business?

If it were up to me, I’d like to see a staggered SID that charges more to large companies and stays the same for mom-and-pop stores and small businesses. I think this is only fair since larger companies, in many cases, are already receiving incentives that far outweigh a nominal increase in their SID rate.

However, I’d like to make clear that while I would push for a more effective and better-funded SID, at the end of the day, businesses themselves must make the final decision. That means Council would need to lay out a real plan for growth that convinces them that an increase in the SID rate is worthwhile, and not just another new tax. I think if business owners were pitched something like the PILOT program I have proposed, they would get on board. Or, we could link an SID increase to a particular project such as Fountain Square (although this isn’t nearly as attractive to me, since its not market-driven).

At any rate, we need a stronger SID to make up for our lost TIF money—I’m not afraid to say that in campaign season, because trust me: Council will be saying the same thing after the election.

One of the incentives mentioned is: "A Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) Program. This program would offer a property tax 'freeze' of up to 15 years for Center City development projects."

What does a property tax "freeze" mean: you pay the taxes but those taxes cannot change for X years, or you do not pay property taxes at all for X years, or something else?

By "freeze," I mean the rate stays the same for 15 years. The owner still owes property taxes, but only at the rate determined at the start of the 15-year period.

Another incentive is: "A Broker Bonus programs to reward brokers or tenant representatives that aggressively sign new tenants to Center City properties."

How does the Broker Bonus program work? Would it relieve taxes, or would it be a direct payment - and if so, how much?

A direct payment of $5,000 to a licensed broker (limited to once a year for any broker). The lease must be for 5 years; in the case of office leasing, the tenant must employee at least 30 people. For retail, the project must be a ground level storefront. We could coordinate this program with the Tenant Loan program by limiting it to certain streets or designated areas.

In discussing Minority Empowerment, there was an overlap in incentive programs:

Would minority-owned retail projects that are also in the Center City SID, and thus would qualify for both the 5 year property tax freeze and the 15 year freeze, only get 15 years, get 20 years, or get 5 years of extra subsidies followed by 10 years of a regular freeze? [Sorry, that one's pretty nit-picky, and would get worked out later, but I was curious how you thought that should work]

As you noted, these are the kinds of details that would get worked out later, most likely in committee. However, I can say I would push for allowing it to be an additional 5 years.

In discussing ways to encourage business and development, Nick mentioned reducing paperwork. This led to the obvious question:

Specifically what paperwork would you eliminate for new businesses?

A great first step would be issuing project ID numbers. Its not that certain forms aren’t needed; but each one seems to ask for the same information—name, address, location of property. If we issued ID numbers, we could eliminate that redundancy.

In the long term, we need some good Database Administrators at City Hall, to help eliminate the paperwork burden by helping departments coordinate with each other. And as a great as a One-Stop Center will be, what would really make a difference is a One Contact program (see below).

He also proposes offering more training and resources to assist new businesses to deal with city government: "We must offer the training and resources necessary to ensure that startups of all kinds are given a chance to succeed and impact our local economy"; "...a 'One Stop' should offer classes and training for people interested in learning more about building construction and rehabilitation."

How would the training and resources be offered - seminars in navigating city government, web pages with up-to-date instructions and "what to expect" documents, a New Business customer service department, the One Stop Center?

All of the above, with an emphasis on strong web support and improved customer service.

A great way to make development easier is a "One Contact" program. Essentially, an interested developer would deal with ONE person. That person would assemble paperwork, talk to departments, and walk the person through each step. One problem with the "shop" philosophy is it assumes that simply putting everything in one building will solve all your problems. But right now, at City Hall, all permits and paperwork can be found in the same room on the Third Floor. Centralization of resources is a part of the answer, to be sure. But better service and client support will make the difference.

"Nick also supports ending the inspection process for many kinds of small home improvements. Such inspections are costly and drain the city’s resources."

Specifically which home improvement projects would become exempt from inspections?

Fencing, Roofing, Garage Installation (for up to two cars), utility sheds, decks (of a reasonable size).

Some of these projects are already exempt, but will likely come up for review next year. I really believe we waste a lot of time and energy on inspections that aren’t needed.

One series of questions I asked regarding Regional Cooperation he chose not to address in specific detail:

Can you give a couple samples of areas where development is desired, and a couple samples of where it is not? Would the higher taxes in preserved areas go into effect on businesses already established, or only on new development there? Which taxes specifically would be manipulated? And how much of a difference would there be in the tax rates between areas - 10%, 20%, 50%?

I have responded to all the questions you posed except for the questions on regional cooperation. The primary reason being I don't want to draw lines in the sand on where growth boundaries should be, or how the tax pie should be divided.

One other quesion he postponed answering:

How would you respond to Chris Anderson's critique of the Eastern Corridor route: http://queencity.blogspot.com/2003_06_08_QueenCity_archive.html#200415284

I haven't responded to your Light Rail Question YET. I will, as soon as I have the time to read the links you sent me.

15th Best in the Country

2003-08-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

It was observed in this space a few weeks ago that we have a lot going for us as far as businesses are concerned. The Business Courier has a story about a survey that ranks Cincinnati as the 15th best city in the country for where to locate a business (the survey considered reports on education, health care, quality of life, infrastructure, labor pool and business climate created by state legislatures). Top honors went to Des Moines, Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis and Seattle. Seems to me like Cincinnati has a lot of things those places don't have - if nothing else, you can drive to a lot more interesting places in an afternoon or in a day from here than from any of those other places (in one reasonable day's drive or less you can get to NYC, DC, Atlanta, most anywhere on the Atlantic coast, Toronto, Chicago, St. Louis, the Smoky Mountains, and anywhere in between). It's hard for me to be unbiased, since I love so much about this city, but I have to imagine that if I were on the steering committee for a corporate relocation, that I'd pull for Cincinnati before I'd get hot and bothered about Des Moines or KC, if for no other reason than you pretty much have to fly to go anywhere interesting.

I know I'm a nag, but I always try to keep in mind that, despite the bad decisions and hare-brained plans and stupid ideas and cruelty and unfairness and bad choices - despite that litany, Cincinnati is still a fantastic place to live and work, better than most.

John Schlagetter's Questions

2003-07-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

John Schlagetter has posted another email exchange regarding the Convergys deal. "Exchange" is not really the correct word - detailed exposition followed by a weak duck is more apt. I have to say, I was concerned about the job retention tax credits - but one benefit they have is that if there ain't no jobs, there ain't no credits. Here we have cash flowing out right away, with supposed "clawbacks" - which essentially means that if Convergys ever decides to leave, they can pay millions of dollars back to the city, or alternately they can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to attorneys to tie the millions up in court. Hmmm...wonder which path they would take. Considering they are savvy businessmen, with their first responsibility being to their shareholders, I know which way I'd bet. And of course, if they go out of business, or even re-organize in bankruptcy, we'll be waiting a very long time to see that money - in other words, we'll never see it again. Hopefully they'll continue to grow and will create jobs and this investment will reap substantial rewards for a generation or more - but if that doesn't happen, we'll be worse off than we would have been with the first deal.

A couple positive things that came of this:

1) I think John Schlagetter has an issue that he can show he was out in front on - his position is clear, his suggestions for transparency are logical, and the questions he posed on this deal seem quite reasonable - and best of all, he's on solid ground about an issue that will resonate with voters. It's easy to be knee-jerk anti-business populist, but it's hard to get taken seriously. It's something else entirely to be pro-business, but anti-this deal, especially with this coming along at the beginning of the election season. I think John was going to get elected this time around anyway, but this issue may make him a contender for being one of the higher vote-getters, and John Schlagetter with a big mandate would be a fantastic thing for this city. Nick Spencer is also vocally against this deal, and I'm sure this whole episode will give him his primary issue to run on. I haven't yet made up my mind on whether I'll be voting for him or not, but this will definitely help get his voice heard as well.

2) One of my primary concerns about this whole deal was that the strategy was to shove it through with as little notice as possible. This Enquirer story from last week has this paragraph:

William H. Hawkins II, the company's chief lobbyist, said it was his decision to keep the debate as low-profile as possible. The company tried to get the deal passed without a whole lot of noise, thinking that any public statements it made would come across as "self-serving."

That was probably a great strategy for Convergys, and I don't fault them for trying. But I greatly fault the city administration for allowing it. City Council, like it or not, represents the people of the city, and when you're talking about $63MM, you cannot try to sidestep them, you cannot try to stifle debate, you cannot try to force them into taking action in mere days on something of such great importance. I'm of course disappointed that they did not make better use of their extra ten days, and rather than getting answers to John's questions out they instead put together a riskier deal than we had before - but policy can be changed at the ballot box. At least we made it perfectly clear as constituents that de facto fast track negotiations will not be tolerated.

Nick Spencer's Meat and Potatoes

2003-07-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Apologies to Nick Spencer - in my previous post I remarked on what seemed to be more summaries than specifics on his website. Turns out he has a much more detailed text already prepared and published on his web site. I simply missed the link - again, my apologies.

This is from his email reply to me regarding his thoughts on general principles for incentive packages:

As a general rule, I support only limited incentives to corporations. The problem with awarding incentives to a Fortune 500 company is the amount is always so huge. You can offer smaller companies strong incentives for less money, obviously, and then you have more potential for growth. I'd rather see more money put into technology incubators and small business tax credits. I believe smart cities have a revolving door economy-- that is, companies may leave to cut costs, but new ones emerge because of a high talent level and support for entreprenuerial growth.

Nick Spencer on Convergys

2003-07-16T01:39:00.000-07:00

Nick Spencer, now endorsed by the Charterites, has posted a statement on the Convergys situation over at his campaign blog. Brian Griffin said earlier today (er...late yesterday), "Do we have our first major political issue of the campaign? This is a story that every candidate should have a position on." Nick didn't waste any time stepping up to the plate.

His concerns resonate with me: "it is a knee jerk reaction to a threat"; "it would set a terrible precedent for other corporations to follow"; "Convergys gives us little reason to believe they will actually live up their end of the bargain [in re: Norwood]." He counters the sky-is-falling arguments about Convergys leaving: "Austin, Texas is home to only one Fortune 500 company. Portland, Oregon is home to none. Yet both of these cities are out-performing us economically."

I do have a couple counter-concerns, though: for one thing, just because Austin and Portland do without Fortune 500 companies does not mean they aren't tremendously important to local economies. One need look no further than Norwood and the GM plant closing to see that. I agree that we cannot give away the farm to keep the tractor - but I'd certainly sign off on a reasonable package that did not open up a Pandora's Box of new giveaways. I would love to see how he would finish this sentence: "I would vote against this deal for Convergys, but I would offer them ____________."

Another counter-concern is that I don't know what specifically we're talking about in place of spending money on Convergys. It's easy to argue against specifics with generalities - but let's see the specifics on the other side so we can have a fair comparison. It's still early in the campaign, so I certainly don't expect drafted ordinances and amendments, but I'm looking forward to seeing them as the election gets closer. Right now we have this on Nick's issues page:

Nick Spencer will push to dramatically overhaul our economic revitalization agenda. He will streamline development and create new investment in the urban core. He will work to make Cincinnati a center for technology and innovation. He will put the focus back on small businesses and independent retailers. And he will support improving quality of life for all residents.

That's great - but there isn't a candidate who wouldn't agree with every point there, at least on the campaign trail. The big question is how. I look forward to seeing his concrete ideas as things progress.

By the way, John Schlagetter (who has the advantage of having been through this once before), has a very thoroughly laid out plan that includes very specific points about what he would support and what the city should do. You can argue with someone about allowing new businesses to escrow earnings tax revenue to collateralize against loans (which sounds like a great idea to me) - you can't argue about "focus[ing] on small businesses."

UPDATE: I missed Nick's link to his more detailed Economic Plan - see the post above.

Brian Griffin's comments section

2003-07-15T10:33:00.000-07:00

Quote from Paul Green in the comments section of Brian Griffin's blog:

I hope the tax breaks for Convergys are defeated. The city should not be in the business of favoring one business over another. The solution to keeping businesses in Cincinnati is to create a climate that is so attractive that businesses won’t even think about moving. If the city reduces taxes across the board, creates a top-notch infrastructure and cuts red-tape and bureaucracy, they won’t have to bribe companies to stay.

We do have a lot going for us in Cincinnati - a beautiful city, fantastic fine arts (Symphony, Opera, Art Museum and Contemporary Art Museum), a ton of fantastic restaurants (Nicola's, the Precinct, the Maisonette, Prima Vista, etc.), a reasonable cost of living (below the national average, in fact), an inordinate number of parks, and a good labor pool. We do poorly in some areas (that report ranking us near the bottom for singles, deficient nightlife, Article XII, racial issues, bureaucracy, taxes, etc.), we definitely have places to improve. Convergys is a great company to have in the city, exactly what we need to have twenty or thirty or a hundred of - and I understand that them leaving will cost us dearly with no payback over time for what it costs us - but it does seem that attracting companies by being a great place to work and do business is a better overall growth plan than simple bribery. The biggest problem is if we do neither.

New Convergys developments

2003-07-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Big development this morning - Chris Monzel changed his mind, so there's no way the current deal will pass in City Council. Mayor Luken is understandably annoyed and pessimistic - but I have to say, one ancillary benefit of this debacle is that hopefully in the future the state and city's administration won't try to push through a take-it-or-leave-it deal in mere days. I know it was probably a smart tactic to attempt - I mean, once Council gets its hands on things, it will slow the process tremendously, and carries with it the possibility of not just screwing everything up on this deal, but of scaring other companies away too. A company like Kroger does not want to be in the news for very long about contract negotiations. But unfortunately, City Council represents the people of the city, and like it or not, they need to have a voice in the process. I realize that politicizes things, and that's a large part of why places like Newport can get things done that Cincinnati can't (just by virtue of being smaller, it can move more quickly) - but the administration can't solve that problem by creating de facto fast track authority for itself.

And perhaps it's another part of the strategy, but I haven't come across any quotes from Convergys in days. It may be a requirement of the negotiations, and it may be the best strategy, but the fact that they aren't out there trying to sell this to the people, aren't even giving lawyer-vetted public statements, definitely puts the entire deal into smoke-filled-room mode.

Convergys

2003-07-14T20:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where exactly I stand on the proposed Convergys deal - having to cut city programs to keep a company in town does not sound like a win/win situation to me - tax incentives are supposed to generate more revenue for the city. Answers to John Schlagetter's list of questions ought to be published in the Enquirer prior to any city council action, and the fact that they aren't answered seems to mean either that the answers are known and do not look favorable, or that the answers are not known and nobody wants to admit that. I'd guess it's the second option - perhaps the cynic would say it's more that "the answers are not known because nobody thought to ask the questions." Anyway, tomorrow's vote will definitely be interesting.

The thing that bothers me the most about approving this deal is the possibility that this story by Ken Alltucker may be an accurate characterization of how Convergys has failed to live up to its deal with Norwood. Because Convergys declined comment for the article we can't really hear their side of things, but it sounds like back in 1996 they promised Norwood more than 1,000 jobs, of which they only ever created 724; that figure is now down to 400; and if this deal goes through, that will drop to 100. I wish Convergys would have told its side of that story - maybe the deal was open-ended, maybe it was contingent on something, maybe that wasn't really the deal in their eyes. But if I were on council, I'd definitely ask that question of Convergys. Then I'd ask myself what was built into this deal to insure the 1,500 promised jobs (72% of which are to pay $55K-$80K) materialized, and what made it likely that figure would double by 2018.

I'm not knee-jerk against this deal just because it's big - but I definitely have more questions right now than answers, and more suspicion than confidence.

By the way, check out the nifty knife-in-the-back that Taft gave Norwood - I understand that this is the real world, and sometimes the small guy gets screwed, and that's the unfortunate way things go. But man, couldn't you at least give Norwood a buzz? They'd have answered the phone. Instead they were notified (not consulted) after the deal was already approved giving tacit approval of what Convergys has been doing to Norwood all along. That's just rude. Maybe I'm naive, but I thought we were supposed to be on the same team here...

What a scam

2003-07-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ticketmaster's new TicketFast system is pretty cool. This Enquirer story gives the pertinent details - you buy your ticket online, are emailed a .pdf which you then print out and take to the venue. There a barcode scanner is used to verify the ticket, and in you go. If you lose the ticket, they void the number in their database and reissue it. Pretty cool stuff. I just have two comments:

1) Ticketmaster charges you an additional $2.50 per ticket to use the service! What an incredible scam - they save money on printing, handling, postage, fraud prevention and detection, they streamline their processing, and they charge you $2.50 for it. It probably costs them $0.25 or $0.30 per ticket to handle things physically (very rough guess), and this eliminates that. That savings alone would more than cover the infrastructure costs, the bulk of which I wouldn't be surprised if the individual venues were required to carry (the barcode readers and internet connectivity). If this were a competitive market, you would be given a discount for using TicketFast, not be charged a completely outrageous surcharge. Seems like there's a lot of room for a competitor to move in here - though Ticketmaster could change its fee structure much faster than a competitor could make inroads. But that's what you get in a monopoly situation.

2) The Enquirer story is teased on the main webpage this way:

Thanks to bar-code technology, you can buy tickets online and have them e-mailed to you in minutes. And it's catching on.

Seldom does one see a more plain illustration of just how out of touch journalists can be with the real world. That's like saying, "Thanks to aerodynamic technology, the United States was able to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki - and bring the War in the Pacific to an end." Indeed, bar codes are used, as are power supplies, lasers and computer chips - what makes this possible is not the technology you could find in a grocery store in 1978 - it's the connectivity, the communication of data between a barcode reader at Bogart's in Cincinnati and some huge server housing an Oracle database in Los Angeles. The ability to house data centrally but access it in real time, whether that information is input via a keyboard, a barcode reader, a mass spectrometer or a home alarm system - that is the atom bomb, that is the technology that makes this possible. The barcode just improves efficiency.

Presumption of Liberty

2003-07-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Randy Barnett, a co-conspirator over at the Volokh Conspiracy, has written this excellent article on what may be the most important overlooked result of the recent Lawrence v. Texas decision - that the court moved from requiring a right to be traceable back to a fundamental right to be protected, to requiring that the state justify its restriction of liberty. It's a very enlightening article.

Issue 5

2003-07-11T09:53:00.000-07:00

As Brian Griffin teased a day or so ago, there is a definite political storm brewing around the Luken/Lemmie/Issue 5 negotiations. The Post's story from late last week describes the basic arguments on either side. I can see that to one extreme, if the voters of some idiot-infested county passed a measure requiring something clearly unconstitutional, arbitrators ought not to allow that vote to trump the law of the land. As Scott Greenwood elegantly stated in the 10 Commandments case: "There are some things in America we don't vote on. We don't vote on which religion is most popular and gets to have its message spread by government bodies." On the other hand, popular referendums (referenda?) can certainly change policy, even hiring practices. Seems to me like this case is lodged firmly in that middle ground, and I'm definitely not qualified to assess where that line should be drawn. I voted for Issue 5 and would love to see it implemented - when the FOP president, Scott Webster, says something as stupid as "Politicians are trying to run the police department, and that's something the public shouldn't allow," he desperately needs to be educated regarding basic civil organization. Politicians are our representatives, like it or not, and you need to answer to them in order to answer to us; and appealing to the public in any argument when you are definitively on the opposite side from them is pretty extreme hubris.

Somewhat uninteresting to me is the standard display of hypocrisy - conservatives being pro-union and liberals being majority-rules. Believe it or not, I think Bronson makes a good point in his op-ed piece that City Council thwarted the will of the people in its vote to add sexual orientation to its hate crimes ordinance. Article XII is truly appalling, and I believe unconstitutional, but it's is the standing will of the people. I hope Bronson is this respectful of the public will when Article XII comes up for a repeal vote and is STOMPED into embarrassed obscurity by a large majority of the city; and it's shocking to see him say, "Never mind that Issue 5 won by a paper-thin majority" after the Florida vote in 2000 - Bush is our president regardless of the margin, and Issue 5 was adopted regardless of the margin; and I think City Council behaved correctly in adding orientation to the hate crimes ordinance rather than violating what they believe to be their duty - serving and protecting all our citizens - but nonetheless, if the voters wish to hold them accountable for that action, that's what democracy is for.

Similarly, if the voters wish to recall Mayor Luken because, according to what I heard on Jay Love's show on Tuesday, he did not even try to get the police union to accept Issue 5 during negotiations, then I'm all for it. I listened to the debate over the police contract last fall (the Buzz carried it live - are there any other stations in town that actually care about local matters and do things like eat air time with live feeds? I'd love to know if I'm missing it), and Mayor Luken did NOT want to try to push Issue 5. He can say all he wants that 95% of it has been implemented, but the only part that actually mattered, and the reason it was voted for, was to break up the perceived "old boys' club" leadership of the police force and make all the higher-ups directly accountable to the people via City Council. Until that's in place, Issue 5 doesn't mean anything. Luken was clearly charged by the voters to implement Issue 5 - if an arbitrator or a court strikes it down, then so be it - but his job was not to be that arbitrator or that judge - his marching orders were to fight for Issue 5. According to the current buzz, he didn't even try. If that's the case, I don't think a recall petition is inappropriate.

High water

2003-07-09T11:55:00.000-07:00

This is the National Weather Service's "Daily River and Lake Summary," which gives current data and predictions for river levels, includes the flood stage for reference, and a text summary of the highlights. The Ohio River isn't elevated at all, but the Great Miami is predicted to flood after midnight tonight. This is also a handy site for watching river levels - you can get detailed data daily or hourly, and cool graphs going back two years.

Bush's Vietnam

2003-07-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

I received this John Pilger article from an email correspondent who asked for my thoughts. I had been thinking more and more about not only Iraq, but especially about Vietnam. The conventional wisdom I've always heard has been that it was a pointless war, or even that it was American Imperialism on Parade. Reading about Truman in Korea made me doubt that conventional wisdom. I am certainly no historian, and I'm not as deep of a thinker as I'd like to be, but I'm no longer comfortable with the easy rhetoric of either the hawks or the doves.

Anyway, for what they're worth, these are my long-winded thoughts on the subject.

1) First of all, say what you will, Vietnam and Korea prevented WWIII and kept Western Europe from falling to the brutal, genocidal oppression of the Soviets. Both Roosevelt and Truman learned too late not to trust Stalin, which Poland, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Albania and East Germany all paid for with fifty years of decay and fear. But Truman stiffened up, and when the Soviets blockaded West Berlin, he took the middle ground - he put the airlift in place, avoiding open conflict, but not backing down. He did the same thing in Korea - when the Soviet and Chinese backed insurgents attacked South Korea, he sent in Macarthur. We held our ground (well, we retreated mightily, nearly got pushed into the sea, but reinforcements eventually arrived), but Truman refused to let Macarthur expand the conflict beyond the bounds of Korea. If we'd have backed down, the next place the Soviets would have pressed would have been Western Europe. If we'd have fought to win it, it could easily have escalated into a general Asian war. But by standing firm in Korea, by proving we were willing to pay that steep price (Korean civilians, 54,246 US troops and immense amounts of money in 4 years), we prevented a far more devastating war. Same thing with Vietnam - in that case 58,202 US troops, countless civilians, and decades of domestic upheaval were the price - but compared with the suffering that would have followed all across Asia, Western Europe and here at home had Soviet aggression not been checked and instead spread across the continent - it's no comparison.
Vietnam was a quagmire, was horrible in countless ways - but it kept France free and saved millions of lives. To compare Afghanistan and Iraq with it may be apt in a way not intended by the author - it may show that we have a thankless lesser-of-two-evils situation to contend with, but that despite the pressure we will pay the price for the greater good.

2) If you are going to compare the current operations with Vietnam (and if you intend that to be derogatory), then look at where we are. 254 dead coalition troops. Vietnam was 58,202, and that's just US soldiers - there were another 223,748 killed in the South Vietnam Army and another 5,282 between soldiers from South Korea, Australia, Thailand and New Zealand. Compare civilian deaths - 7,703 in Iraq thus far according to the largest estimates of Iraq Body Count - I just went to their website - don't know where he got 10K from - but let's take 10K. In Vietnam, it is estimated that 2 million civilians in North Vietnam and another 2 million in South Vietnam died during the war (that doesn't count the 1.1 million North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong soldiers who died). We've already won the war here, with less than a quarter of one percent the civilian casualties. There is less similarity in human suffering between Iraq and Vietnam than there was between Vietnam and World War II. It is nowhere near the same ballpark, not the same game, not even the same species playing.

3) I have no doubt many Iraqi's are pissed because the electricity is still out. I also have no doubt that the electricity will not be out forever. I don't doubt that many Iraqi's are pissed because their infrastructure and civil services are incapable of handling the demands on them right now. I also have no doubt that the infrastructure and civil services are getting better, not worse, and will only continue to do so. Iraqi citizens have suffered long and are impatient for things to get better, even to get tolerable. I know I would be angry and impatient if I lived in Baghdad right now. But their legitimate concerns are being addressed day by day. You have to bear in mind that eleven years after the British surrendered at Yorktown, Washington had to put down an open rebellion in Pennsylvania. It took decades for Europe to recover from WWII, and in Japan there were hundreds of thousands of people still homeless in 1950. There is suffering in Iraq, and inefficiencies and poor planning have not helped stop that suffering as quickly as everyone would like to have done. But we are mere months from the fall of the regime - Rome was not built in a day, and Baghdad will not be rebuilt in a day either. Little by little and day by day the suffering will ease, and everyone will be incalculably better off for it.

4) Without a doubt there are people who used to exercise power and authority who have been removed from power and who hate us immensely. They are organized, intelligent, and want nothing more than to see chaos and suffering from which they can again rise to power. We have to stop them, and the only thing that will keep that from happening will be a lack of resolve. Meanwhile, they will sow fear and bloodshed, trying to drive us out by increasing suffering. It was bound to happen, it is bound to continue, and the only way to stop it is help Iraq build a strong and stable nation.

5) The fact that we went into Iraq and took out Saddam is already paying humanitarian dividends in Liberia. Charles Taylor knows that we are both willing and able to go in and take him out, so he's taken up Nigeria's offer of exile. If he were not convinced of that, a prolonged battle for Monrovia would likely have taken place, which would have cost thousands and thousands of Liberian civilian lives.

I personally believe George Bush is an idiot. He cannot speak the language, and I have seen no evidence to suggest that he can construct a complex thought.

I think there were a lot of things that we did poorly, especially in the immediate post-war - we didn't anticipate such a rapid victory, and weren't prepared for the power vacuum. I think we learned that lesson, and if we are ever faced with a similar situation again I am sure we will be ready for those contingencies, but the fact is that we weren't ready and that allowed the looting and lawlessness to get completely out of hand.

I think the administration, though "legally" justified by the 1991 resolution, nonetheless politically justified its action at home based on exaggerated claims of WMD, and that we should hold the President's feet to the fire for that.

I think a heartbreaking number of families have suffered unbearably, both in Iraq and here at home.

However - a proven threat to peace and stability in the region is gone. A brutal tyrant is deposed. A vibrant people are daily getting their country back. A safe haven for violent enemies of the west is now a transparent country growing more stable. A regime bent on acquiring nuclear weapons is out of power (regardless of what they had or did not have in the summer of 2002, the fact is that Israel blew up their first nuclear program in 1981; by the UN's own information, it was mere months from a nuclear bomb in 1991; it had reconstituted its program in the mid-90's; and the fact that, after giving seven months' warning that we were about to invade, we aren't able to find evidence that at that particular moment they were in full R&D mode does not, in my estimation, change the fact that if left alone, Saddam would build nukes). All of this has been accomplished at a cost, in terms of human suffering, of the merest fraction of that paid in Vietnam, and the net cost, when you consider just Liberia, is even less than that. Individual stories of suffering, while heart-wrenching, do not change that fact. Individual and sporadic acts of violence against our troops do not change that. The world is a better place today because of what we've done since March, and it will only continue to get better.

Graeter's going outside the family

2003-06-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Graeter's has hired Tom Kunzelman to be their "Director of Ice Cream" (it's interesting, by the way, to see what was once "iced cream" now officially (assuming the Graeter's ice cream page to be "official") become "ice cream." I'm still a stickler, and distinctly pronounce "iced tea" in the drive through, but I need look no further than iced cream to see that I'm probably wrong, and regardless I'm fighting a losing battle. That and split infinitives - though Eugene Volokh has converted me to descriptivism, I'm pretty much a personal prescriptivist.)

The good news is that they'll be recording the recipe for all time, so our great grandchildren (or great grand nephews and great grand neices) can enjoy the beauty of the world's most perfect vanilla milkshake. The possible bad news is that as production moves from a craftsman and his apprentice to mass manufacture, quality has often suffered. There are countless things we do far better today than we ever did in the past (including treating diseases, building roads, disposing our sewage, playing orchestral music, making believable special effects and climbing slowly out of the dark ages), but there are some things that have suffered with efficiency (I'm primarily thinking of the exquisite detail on the umpteenth floor of some public buildings). I'm sure Mr. Kunzelman wouldn't have been hired if he didn't share the Graeters' passion, I just hope the 2nd or 3rd generation of non-Graeter owners continue the tradition.

Cincinnati Opera

2003-06-27T09:55:00.000-07:00

So we finally got to the Opera last night, and it was really great. This was the modern set, three operas each 35 - 40 minutes, and the most remarkable thing was that all three starred the same woman, Catherine Malfitano. In fact, the first opera, "La Voix Humaine," and the last one, "Medusa," each featured a cast of one - Catherine Malfitano - singing the whole thing solo ("Medusa" was written especially for her, and the composer and librettist were both at the show - they came on stage after the performance, which was the world stage premier). The middle piece, Kurt Weill's "Seven Deadly Sins," was mostly her singing solo with an occasional Greek Chorus of four commenting on various scenes. In addition, the Weill normally has a dancer and a separate actor singing - she did both. It was definitely Malfitano Fest '03 at Music Hall, but she more than pulled it off - she really made it work.

I don't have a trained enough ear to understand what all was going on musically - the modern pieces go mostly over my head, except for phrases and pseudo-refrains and cool moments - but one thing that just dazzled me the whole night was how amazingly they treated light. Between the sink-your-eyes-into-it stage lighting, with deep greens and blues, or truly bright-blood colored reds, there were splashes of color, monochromatic scenes, technicolor extravaganzas - just always something as beautiful or as engaging as a brilliant painting, and always changing, augmenting the mood. They have some amazing lighting and set directors down there. Even without the music it was a beautiful night. I'm seriously considering picking up a few cheap seats and going back on Saturday.

Here's Kate Brauer-Bell's review in Citibeat. It's a great review - well written and comprehensive - and I'm completely on her bus, except that I definitely dug Medusa, more than the Poulenc. Perhaps the language issue was too tough for me on the Poulenc, but I was able to listen on a whole other level to the Medusa, and hear the intonation and cool vocal stuff she was doing. But it's a great summary of a wonderful evening. Here's an Enquirer piece from last Sunday, but I haven't seen their review yet.

Tonight is our make-up performance of Turandot, and we're dragging another three people along with us. I'm quite excited to see my first traditionally staged opera, and also to see how our friends enjoy it.

Exciting night at the opera

2003-06-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

Saturday' night's performance of Turandot didn't end until sometime after midnight, first because a patron stumbled up in the extremely steep gallery (think Riverfront's upper deck), was injured to the point that there was blood, which I hear caused another patron to pass out. So after 20 or 30 minutes' delay things began, only to be interrupted at the end of the 1st act by a fire alarm. There was no fire, but that meant clearing everyone out of the building (all of whom were probably thankful it was a beautiful night - imagine the same thing at a January orchestra concert) until the fire department could give the all clear. They hit the 2nd act around 10:30, instead of 9pm like Thursday. Here's the Opera's press release. I just wonder how much this cost the Opera - all those musicians are union, with extremely strict rules - they get paid for every 15 minute block no matter what happens, with special overtime rates.

We couldn't make the Thursday show (been out of town most of the week due to a family illness), so we exchanged our seats for next Friday - glad we didn't pick Saturday...

Brinksmanship, Presbyterian-Style

2003-06-17T22:52:00.000-07:00

Can you win by losing? Stephen Van Kuiken might think so. He's been removed from his pulpit and kicked out of the Presbyterian church, for the transgression of marrying same-sex couples.

In an administrative and democratic move, the Cincinnati Presbytery fired the pastor of one of their most vibrant urban churches. Did they have a choice? Of course they did, as the 119-45 vote indicates. Still, Van Kuiken forced the issue by informing the Presbytery in writing that he had perfomed a marriage of two women, after being rebuked for doing so.

In that way, what happened yesterday was inevitable. The rebuke dealt out by a church court in April satisfied nobody, including Van Kuiken and his California-based accuser.

Still, it takes my breath away that the Rev. Van Kuiken is being defrocked for performing marriages, in a church that allows the blessing of same-sex unions, so long as the words "holy matrimony" are never uttered.

That bit of hypocrisy aside, I have to wonder just what values the Presbytery thought it was upholding when they voted to remove the Pastor. Van Kuiken is ministering to people who want to form lifelong partnerships, work within the church, and uphold the church's teachings.

Will the Mt. Auburn congregation take this sitting down? Unlikely. According to a friend who is involved in the church, however, the congregation is divided. There are those, led by the Pastor, who want to take this to the limit, even if it means getting kicked out of the denomination. Others, my friend included, would have rather have sought a compromise, while continuing to work for change. Van Kuiken's predecessor, the Rev. Hal Porter, led the congregation in much the same direction without forcing this kind of confrontation. Whether Porter's style or Van Kuiken's is more effective remains to be seen.

As I predicted, there are some who see this as an "only in Cincinnati" kind of event, emblematic of the City's intolerance. Nonsense. Anyone who has lived in the Bible Belt:mdash;as I have:mdash;knows better. It's not a Cincinnati thing, it's a religious thing.

Two things set this case apart. The first is that Cincinnati has a Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church to begin with. The congragation's continued vitality is a rebuke to the narrow-minded folks who think that gay people are enemy #1 of the church. Without a successful inclusive church, there would be no issue at all.

The second thing that sets the case apart is the governance structure of the Presbyterian Church. Although the Mt. Auburn congregation selected Van Kuiken as their pastor, they are not the final authority on whether he can call himself a Presbyterian minister. The Presbyterian church, with its consitutional structure, gives its congregations just enough freedom to get themselves in trouble, if they're found to be irregular.

Unlike some other denominations such as the Methodists, Catholics or Eastern Orthodox, the minister isn't selected for the congregation. That practice allowes a good match between the congregation and its pastor, but it doesn't provide him the protection of a pastoral heirarchy and bureacracy. On the other hand, Mt. Auburn doesn't have the autonomy within the Presbyterian church that a Baptist or Congregationalist church would have. Those denominations give their congregations the freedom to hire their own pastors and manage their own affairs. The Presbyterians are somewhere in between.

The only thing that's for sure is that this story isn't over. I don't look for Rev. Van Kuiken to go quietly, nor for Mt. Auburn to disappear.

IMAX to close too soon

2003-06-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

The big IMAX theatre at Newport on the Levee is going to be shutting down. I wish I could say this is a shame, but considering how often I've been to Newport on the Levee (it's a four or five minute jaunt just across the river) and the fact that I've not yet taken in an IMAX movie there pretty much places a share of the blame squarely on my shoulders. Same thing with the Shadowbox Cabaret and the Aquarium - I fully intend to go, but haven't made the trip yet.

Of course, if we're making that list, gotta add walking Cincinnati's steps, like the walk from Sawyer Point up to Immaculata, dinner at the Maisonette, Goetta Fest (gonna miss it again this year, damnit) and going to the top of the Carew Tower. Maybe this summer...

2003-06-13T14:12:00.000-07:00

Looking for a dog? These folks are looking to adopt out an 8-year old Airedale-Border Collie-Chow mix, who is homeless due to the death of her owner. You can read a more detailed description of Maggie here.

I'll put a plug in for adopting an older dog. My dog Missy came to live with me when she was 8 years old. I had her for 7 years before she died in 2001. Older dogs are more relaxed, they appreciate routines, and are a lot less likely to chew up your shoes.

If you're in Cincinnati and thinking about adopting a rescue dog, why not check this one out?

Railroad to Nowhere

2003-06-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Rail transit is far from dead in Cincinnati. The Business Courer reports that momentum is building for an eastern rail line using existing tracks. It would use diesel locomotives rather than electric vehicles. That combined with the current freight line, would dramatically reduce the capital costs.

All well and good. This proposal has been favored for a number of years by Commissioner Todd Portune, back to his days on City Council. It also has the support of John Dowlin, who knows more about east side transportation issues than any other politician. The line is part of the Eastern Corridor Study, the exhaustive (and exhausting, if you've participated in the planning sessions) study of transportation alternatives for the east side. During my time in Milford, we even twisted the arm of a developer to reserve property for a future terminal station.

Ironically, the Milford experience points to the biggest problem with this proposal. The land set aside is in the Milford Commerce Park, far removed from Milford's concentrated population, in the midst of office buildings, a car dealership, and a Target store. Not a walkable environment at all.

Unfortunately, that's largely true for about 95% of the line. The picture shows a corridor of 1/4 mile on each side of the proposed line. A quarter-mile is the accepted rule of thumb for how far an average person will walk to a transit stop. The brown spots are buildings of all types: houses, stores, factories...but mostly houses.

What's striking to me about the picture is how much of the rail line goes through areas where buildings are absent or lower in density. Simply put, there aren't many people in proximity to this line, and few people means fewer riders. The only areas approaching urban densities are Columbia-Tusculum (near the sharp curve) and Fairfax & Mariemont (the barbell area). In the latter case, the distance to the rail line is frustrated by a steep bluff between the houses and the railroad. Overall, this is a mature area, so the land not already built upon is unlikely to ever be developed (the Little Miami floodplain is a big reason).

Light rail in Cincinnati has been criticized as a pipe dream, a way for urban dilettantes to spend other people's money imitating Portland. I'm not convinced that's the case in general, but I'm also not sold on this proposal. I'd hate to see Cincinnati implement a rail line in an area with so little urban population, only to have it starve for riders. Tim Reynolds, director of Strategic Planning at SORTS, hints at that:

"DMUs are essentially as expensive as (overhead electric) light rail vehicles," he said. "You don't need the infrastructure or the wires, but it's all expensive."

The unspoken companion to that thought is the fewer riders, the bigger the subsidy.

Proving that rail transit works with a demonstration project may be the best way to build support for an expanded system. My fear is that if the eastern line flops, it will queer the deal permanently. With so little population in the corridor, a flop is all too likely.

Category Killer

2003-06-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

Funny how California is always on the cutting edge. Of idiocy, sometimes, but out there nonetheless. Just as Wal-mart is poised to enter the grocery business in a big way, making firms like Kroger plenty nervous, Contra Costa County found a way to put a roadblock in Wal-mart's path.

They used an ingeniously sneaky method: limiting the sale of non-taxable items (such as groceries) to 5% of the floor area for stores in excess of 90,000 square feet.

I'm of two minds about this. As a consumer, I wonder what made the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors think that they should be picking winners and losers in the grocery business. This ordinance is going to have the unsubtle effect of blocking Wal-mart's downward pressure on prices, much to the delight of Safeway and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.

I'm old enough to remember when the UFCW Local 880 had a stranglehold on the Cleveland grocery market. Back in the 1970's, their work rules meant that every Cleveland supermarket closed at 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on Sunday. The result was that the stores were ridiculously busy on Saturdays, as working people struggled to shop. The alternative was a convenience store, with convenience prices and selection. Does anyone want to go back to that?

On the other hand, I can see where these folks look at the Wal-mart steamroller and see nothing good ahead. Not only that, but Wal-Mart's tendency is to build a new Supercenter, and leave their previous big box store empty. The real estate folks involved blandly assure the locals that the space will be filled by someone else, without making any commitment to do so.

Here in Cincinnati, West Chester is grappling with that very question. They've been put on notice that Wal-mart is planning a superstore. Aside from dealing with the development and traffic issues of the new store, they also face an impending vacancy at Wal-mart's current store.

I'm not so sure, in any case, that the arrival of Walmart in the grocery business means certain death for Harris-Teeter, Publix, Giant Eagle or any other traditional supermarket. One thing to keep in mind is the convenience factor. As a single person who often eats out, I know I'm not the model. Still, it takes a significant commitment of time to negotiate the aisles of a hypermarket, and their locations and huge parking lots add to the time problem. Frequent shoppers and small purchasers confront the time-cost calculation: is the savings of a Walmart supercenter worth the drive and the extra time it takes once I'm there? For me, the answer is usually "no."

My point is that the conquest of the grocery market by Wal-mart isn't a foregone conclusion. In my part of the country, Meijer operates on a similar scale, and yet you can find places where both Meijer and Kroger, or Meijer and Biggs, operate within a thousand feet of one another. The grocery business has long been cutthroat, and my feeling is that Wal-mart will raise the stakes, but it won't wipe out the competition.

In the meanwhile, suburban communities had better brace themselves for some more empty boxes, and practice their patience while they wait for them to be filled again.

I'm Back

2003-06-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

Leave it to my unscheduled two-week blogging vacation to provide a good lede for the Cincinnati Business Courier's article on blogging. It has been more than two weeks since Chris Anderson updated his weblog, and it's eating at him.

True enough. To go dark with no explanation isn't my preference, but I can't think of a time in recent memory when I've felt less like reading—much less commenting on—the news. So, my apologies if you've been wondering if I'm still alive. The answer is yes, and I'm returning to "the hobby."

Bronson on Art

2003-06-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

What a complete and utter idiot. This is the same man who, in writing an article on evolution last fall, summarized the theory of punctuated equilibrium in this way:

The way I understand it, if you put a goldfish in a jar and shake it hard enough, you get a beagle? I'm confused. But maybe that's why I got a D in high school chemistry.

I thought celebrating ignorance was supposed to be the domain of the left...I thought arguing against straw men was what liberals did...

Anyway, as Brian Griffin points out (permalink isn't working for me), Mr. Bronson has once again spewed forth, this time insulting the new Contemporary Arts Center (I posted about the Rosenthals' generousity last month) as "a children's museum for demented adults." No, Mr. Bronson, it's a cultural magnet that will pay artistic dividends to the city blessed with its presence for generations and generations. If it makes you uncomfortable, be that because some of its art displays the gritty underbelly of society, or because some of the performance art you saw there involved things that were not Patriotically Correct, and if your reaction to that is to joke that the artist is committing "felony fraud," then perhaps art is not the only thing here that you don't understand.

One final note - it was folks of this mindset who rioted during the premier of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring (text search "riot" for a summary of the story). I hope he comes see the symphony perform it next spring - we've had April riots and May riots, why not February?

About damn time...

2003-06-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not referring to how long it's been since my last post (sorry, but between immense amounts of time at work and just discovering Winston Churchill's six volume tome on WWII, time has just slipped away) - I'm referring to the water company finally engaging a project to get remote meter readings. It's just crazy that in 2003 they're still estimating my water bill because they can never get in my house to read the meter because I have an actual job. They've not been in my house since we bought it - the only real readings have been those we've phoned in to them. But if you don't call by noon the day after they leave the notice, it's too late, they just guess. It's a crazy system when reliable, inexpensive solutions are so abundant, and most especially considering the cost will be mitigated by saving wasted meter reader time.

Cincinnati Settles Police Lawsuits

2003-05-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Settlement of the various lawsuits against the Cincinnati Police has been a key demand of the Cincinnati Boycott. Now, in a comprhensive fashion, the City of Cincinnati has settled all but one of them. The most notorious of the lawsuits involved in the settlement is Angela Leasure's on behalf of her son Timothy Thomas, whose death touched off the 2001 riots.

Notably absent from the settlement is the Roger Owensby case, which tends to confirm that it's the most egregious of cases, including Thomas. Certainly, given the facts and ongoing coverage of the case, Cincinnati officials don't hope to win this one. More likely, they are in separate negotiations with Owensby's family.

Settling the cases is one of the more reasonable demands of the boycott, even if it did serve the interests of boycott patron Ken Lawson. The sooner the City of Cincinnati settles the Owensby case, the better.

The Geography of a "Secret Deal"

2003-05-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

Full Disclosure: I was Milford's Assistant City Manager from 1996-2001.

Milford deal called secretive
Mayor says actions proper

By Marie McCain
The Cincinnati Enquirer

MILFORD - Some residents want the Clermont County prosecutor to look into possible violations of the Open Meetings Act by certain city leaders.

During a council meeting Tuesday, former council member John Aufdenkampe called for the investigation.

Aufdenkampe alleges that four members of city council acted improperly in connection with a plan to help pay for a private Hamilton County country club's Fourth of July fireworks display.

He contended that this month, Mayor James Antell made calls to three council members and asked them to support the proposal before it was presented to the full, seven-member City Council.

Antell denied any wrongdoing Tuesday night, calling the allegations "ridiculous." He said an official with Terrace Park County Club, of which he is a member, asked him if the club might partner with Milford to sponsor the club's annual Fourth of July fireworks show. Terrace Park sits southwest of Milford, just across the Little Miami River.

The show, officials said, would have been billed as a city event, the city would chip in half the cost - $2,900, and residents would be able to watch the show from a location near club grounds. (Emphasis added)

Not to beat up on Marie McCain, but this story shows just how often reporters can get the little things wrong in their stories, and how obvious it is when you know the territory they are covering.

Where is Terrace Park Country Club? This Mapquest screen capture shows the country club in the green area at the bottom of the map; Milford and Terrace Park are separated by the river. Reading the story, you would conclude that the country club is in Terrace Park. As a matter of fact, it's in Milford. A small error, and understandable given the club's name. Terrace Park Country Club was organized in Terrace Park in 1908, but moved to Milford in 1929.

On the other hand, a reader of this story could reasonably conclude that not only did Mayor Jim Antell want to give money to his country club, he wanted to do it for a fireworks display that wasn't even in Milford! Bad stuff, but not true with regard to the location. The error in geography makes Antell look not only like he's taking care of his friends, but subsidizing another community as well.

Bonus Blind Item: The Council of a Clermont County municipality has scheduled an executive session to discuss removing their mayor from his position and returning him to the role of Councilmember. The community has a Council-Manager form of government, and the mayor is elected by the Council from among its membership. Watch for news of this next Wednesday or Thursday.

Congratulations to SORTA

2003-05-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

A bus system is normally easy to ignore, until you find it doesn't go where you need it to go or it has an accounting scandal or raises fares. But the Cincinnati Metro just passed the latest Federal Transportation Administration review with flying colors. In fact:

...it again received a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada. Metro has received this recognition for 11 years in a row, putting it among the top 5 percent of all governmental agencies in Ohio to earn the award.

Reliable bus service is not sexy, and nowhere near as attention-grabbing as some idiot punk biting a cop, but its impact on the daily quality of life is far greater than many of the headlines out there.

The Importuning Muddle

2003-05-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

The case of Elmwood Police Chief Jeremy Alley raises some questions regarding Ohio's Importuning statute. To recap: Alley was caught in a sting operation trying to arrange for sex with what he thought was a 15-year old girl. In fact, he had been chatting online with a 34-year old detective Cheryl Hart. Alley's attorney is challenging the importuning law, saying "You can't have a crime dealing with a minor when you have no minor. It's not a crime."

Shades of Minority Report, perhaps. Alley is charged with a crime he wanted to commit, although after being tricked, he's going to do the time without doing the crime.

This whole area of the law has a high yuck-factor, but I wonder which is worse: trying to hook up with someone you think is 15, but turns out to be 34, or actually having sex with someone who told you they were 18, but is really 15? The first situation has led to a series of high-profile arrests, Alley's the most recent. The second situation we've heard much less about, but I wonder if it doesn't happen just as often.

In my mind, the second situation is worse, because the sex took place, even if the adult was (maybe willingly) ignorant of the teenager's true age. There's a reason that teenagers are called "jailbait", and any man who finds himself tempted has no excuse for not finding out the truth first. On the other hand, the adult who has sex with a minor posing as an adult has been lied to, and that's at least a small mitigating factor.

On the other hand, you have someone like Alley--who didn't actually do anything--arrested, fired and disgraced. Creepy as his case is, I think the law should only punish crimes that really happen.

The police justify this on the same basis as other sting operations, such as drug buys. To my mind, invoking the drug war to justify this kind of sting operation illustrates how ambiguous the whole enterprise is. I'm reminded of the sting operations of convenience store clerks for selling cigarettes to minors. Typically, law enforcement sends teenagers into the stores to attempt to buy cigarettes without ID. If successful, the store clerk is charged, because the law is all about the sale of cigarettes to minors, not their consumption. Have those people not been entrapped? After all, they've been asked by a representative of law enforcement to break the law. Likewise, would Jeremy Alley have actually found a willing 15-year old girl if Officer Cheryl Hart hadn't been helpfully online? Maybe, but "maybe" is not "yes".

I should repeat that I don't think Alley was right to be online trying to set up an encounter with a teenager. That's clearly wrong, but I still have a hard time with the concept of sending him to jail for something that never happened. Is wanting it to happen enough?

By the way: Ohio's importuning statute has been through some strange twists and turns. It was created when Ohio abandoned its sodomy law as part of comprehensive overhaul of the criminal code in 1972. From 1974 to 2002, it covered only "unwanted sexual advances" from a person of the same sex, until it was struck down by the Ohio Supreme Court on free speech and equal protection grounds.

Our friends Citizens for Community Values had a rather bizarre response to the case. While their attorney David Langdon agreed with the Supreme Court's reasoning, he looked forward to introducing a bill banning homosexual conduct, modeled on the Texas law(!) now being challenged in the US Supreme Court. The reasoning was that since you couldn't prosecute for someone for making advances, we might just as well get serious and ban the acts. The proposed bill got exactly nowhere, to the credit of the Ohio General Assembly.

The current importuning statute was enacted in 2001 to cover solicitation by means of a "computer or other telecommunications device," and covers offenders seeking sex with those less than 16 years of age. The law contains a provision for someone seeking sex from a "law enforcement officer posing a person less than thirteen years of age." ~~This seemingly does not apply to the Alley case. I wonder why that point wasn't raised by Alley's attorneys.~~ After recieving a question by e-mail, I see that a law enforcement officer posing as someone between 12 and 16 is also covered, with a lesser fifth-degree misdemeanor charge as opposed to a fourth-degree misdemeanor for someone believing that the person is 13 or under.

An "Unindicted" Folk Hero

2003-05-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm late in getting to this, but Bar Shooter Harold McKinney clearly benefitted from jury nullification, in which the grand jury chose to ignore or discount the facts of the case and returned a "no true bill."

Ethan Hahn wonders how the grand jury could ignore the clear violation of the law in bringing a gun into a bar, while Brian Griffin sees a weak effort by Prosecutor Mike Allen behind the decision.

I think it's simpler than that. Harold McKinney has become a folk hero, something that the Enquirer editorialized against, as if the Enquirer can decide who gets to be a folk hero or not. That's up to the folk, and the folks on the grand jury made an exception.

They probably didn't need to, and as a matter of law, things would have been clearer if they hadn't. An indicted Harold McKinney would have been easily found guilty by a Common Pleas judge, and then even more swiftly have had his sentence suspended. Bank on that. Maybe the people on the grand jury didn't believe it would happen--clearly they took the opportunity they had to end the case against Harold McKinney.

I'm not upset by this. I don't think that jury nullification is a shady thing. We have juries, in part, to act as a check on the prosecution, to keep them from abusing their power.

While no prosecutor that I know of was trying to abuse his power in the McKinney case, I think the nullification served another function. The grand jury made an exception for Harold McKinney, one based on the facts of the case, and one that Mike Allen couldn't make on his own, whether he wanted to or not.

In a way, it reminds me of the zoning variance, which allows a relaxation of zoning on a property where a hardship exists. In my work as a zoning administrator, I don't have the power to give variances: the potential for abuse of power is too great when that decision is vested in one person. Instead, a Board of Zoning Appeals looks at the facts, makes some findings and then votes on whether to hold someone to the letter of the law or cut them some slack.

The BZA functions in a quasi-judicial manner, and it's that fairness of procedure that is supposed to guarantee everyone's rights. The more subtle effect of having a BZA, however, is that they are applying the community's judgement to the appeal, in essence deciding when it is more prudent NOT to follow the law. That's something I could never do on my own and maintain my credibility, but the BZA does it just fine, because they are judging the facts and because they represent the community.

Much like the grand jury does.

The Rosenthal's Latest Gift

2003-05-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

So many things are going so right in this city right now. I posted last month about the big guns in the city's art scene with the opera and the symphony. Well, on Saturday, thanks to the amazing generousity of Lois and Richard Rosenthal (who are the primary donors for the new Contemporary Arts Center building, have given a New Play Prize since 1989, and apparently give away both their money and their time with the Uptown Arts project - supporting artists with good paying teaching positions and allowing students to study there for free, right in the heart of Over the Rhine), the Art Museum will be free for everyone.

Experience in other cities indicates that this will greatly increase both the number of visits and the diversity of the visitors, both of which are fantastic things. The only issue now will be getting to the art museum, but with the 49 bus route running past every half hour (from North Fairmont thru Downtown and Mt. Adams up to the Zoo in Avondale), and fares no higher than 80 cents even during weekday rush hour, the Rosenthals have done more to open up the world of fine arts to more people today than anyone can imagine.

Personally, the biggest impact on me will be that I'll be far more likely to stop in for a half hour or an hour, just to take in a few pieces or see what's new. Even though I have gone in there an hour before closing, it's not something I was likely to do very often. When I was as CWRU, I would walk past the Cleveland Museum of Art most every day, and would often drop in if I had twenty or thirty minutes to take in a Monet or Manet or two, something I'd never have done if it had cost even a nominal amount (especially being a no-income smoker).

One important point, though - in Cleveland the standard bus fare is now up to $1.25/trip - if you go on the weekend here in Cincinnati it's 65 cents/trip. I've always thought that was such a great, progressive policy we have here, where 0.30% of the employment tax funds the metro system. It keeps fares down for everyone, and really helps make things like the Rosenthal's generosity bear its full fruit.

Elsinore WCPO Update

2003-05-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

I posted last month about the new WCPO building being built right behind the Elsinore Towers. Well, I was starting to get a little concerned, because the retaining walls they'd put up stretched completely behind the towers - it looked like whatever was put up might possibly become the backdrop for the towers from all angles, like they were to become the Great Gate of Channel 9 or something. However, the main walls have started to go up, and happily, it appears that the building will end respectfully off to the side of the towers. Perhaps the retaining wall is to secure the hill for a driveway or parking.

I just emailed someone in their press department, and will, of course, dutifully report any response I get.

No charges for bar shooter

2003-05-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

So Harold McKinney, who shot a would-be armed robber, was not indicted by a grand jury. The story says he will not face any charges. I guess I understand not indicting him for the actual shooting, if it's because he was defending people and property from an immediate threat. What I don't understand is how he can possibly have avoided indictment for carrying a firearm in a liquor establishment. I realize it is by far the more trivial of the two charges, but there is obviously evidence a-plenty that he did carry a firearm in a liquor establishment, and there are signs posted in every bar I've ever been in telling you that "IF YOU ARE CARRYING A FIREARM IN THIS LIQUOR ESTABLISHMENT, YOU MAY BE GUILTY OF A FELONY AND SUBJECT TO A MANDATORY JAIL TERM OF ONE OR TWO YEARS." Perhaps he shouldn't receive that harsh of a sentence, and maybe I just don't understand a grand jury's discretion, and maybe everyone is happy with how this all turned out, but it seems to me like a crime was most assuredly committed, a crime the state takes seriously, and it's been completely ignored.

Brian Griffin discusses the case in a more general sense (the archive doesn't seem to be working - it's from 5/15/2003). I'm not sure I agree with his analysis entirely - for one thing, it isn't entirely "private property" if you run a store open to the public. If it were, one would not be required to provide accessibility for the disabled, to be non-discriminating in who you choose to serve, etc. I don't mind the laws requiring store owners abide by the public will in one case (cannot reject customers based on creed/color/sex/orientation/etc.), so I can't object to obliging store owners to abide by the public will in another case (allowing people to carry concealed weapons). Now I may object to the second case for a whole host of reasons - but the rights of a store owner is not a consistent reason to do so.

However, in this case it was clearly felonious to be in a bar with a gun, whether the owner wanted it there or not. No matter how rabid the Concealed Carry folks may be, it has no bearing on this case, unless we repeal the firearms in bars laws.

SPECIAL ADDED BONUS: Nate spouts more nonsense in Brian's comments section!

Back in town

2003-05-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

I've been off at a conference since last Friday, just flying back to Cincinnati last night, so I've been unable to blog for a while. But let me throw out a few thoughts from the past few days:

- .Net does indeed rock the free world. I hate to be one with the MSFT Borg, but there is a reason they're so amazingly huge. Sure, take your Unix and your C++ and your "real" OS's and languages - I will respect you immensely, acknowledge that you are smarter than I, then go on my merry way and get some work done. Actually, Foxpro is my world, but .Net is where things are going, and it really is pretty exciting stuff.

- Montreal is a beautiful city. Very European, with some amazing restaurants and parks and a great metro.

- Despite the fact that this was a technology conference, I didn't have any access to a computer during the trip - no email, no web surfing, nothing. It will take a few days to catch up with all the activity from Brian Griffin and the Volokh Conspiracy, as well as local news (I understand you had a touch of rain while I was gone...and that the Reds are no longer looking like the Reds).

- In the interest of full disclosure - I was in the marching band too. Band president and John Phillip Sousa award, in fact. I played the tuba and sousaphone, so I don't think I can categorically reject the "geek" label, even if I wanted to. And yes, I think Whitney Houston's singing of the National Anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl was a complete butchering. Who the hell said you could put it in 4/4?

Justice Served?

2003-05-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's knowing a victim of a crime that makes you more hardcore about the punishment of the perpetrator. Maybe it's the inherent goodness of the victim. Whatever it is, the acquittal of Tonda Ansley in the murder of Miami Professor Sherry Corbett leaves me cold.

Sherry Corbett was my professor for a course on historic preservation, one that I'd rank in the top five of all the classes I took both at Miami and UNCC. I've been to her house, as have so many of her students. She was that kind of person. I can count on one hand the number of professors who have opened their homes to me, and Sherry Corbett was the thumb, so to speak.

Tonda Ansley may or may not have been insane—that's a judgment call that we're going to have to live with. For certain, she was brutal in carrying out the murder:

Witnesses say Ansley walked up to Sherry Lee Corbett Saturday as she chatted with a neighbor, shot her point-blank three times and calmly walked away. Ansley returned moments later to shoot her landlord and former employer twice more as she lay bleeding on the street, neighbors said.

"She was smiling when she shot her," said Brandi Caudill, another tenant who saw the shooting.

The woman who shot Sherry Corbett three times with a smile on her face, and then returned to put two more bullets into her dying body has been spared by the law. Tonda Ansley will be confined in treatment, perhaps for the rest of her life, perhaps for as little as two years.

The insanity verdict makes Sherry Corbett's death as senseless and inexplicable as a no-fault car accident.

I foolishly had thought we could do better by her.

"A Singular Negative"

2003-05-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Geitner Simmons, who points to an editorial from the Omaha World-Herald, condemning a Nebraska constitutional amendment that "prohibits not only gay marriage but also any other form of legal recognition for same-sex relationships." The amendment is being challenged in Federal Court, with a range of possible outcomes. The World-Herald sums up their opinion on how the amendment affects Nebraska:

What is unambiguous, regardless of the legal argument, is that Section 29 stands as a singular negative for Nebraska.

The measure highlights the folly of using the constitution, rather than more changeable statutes, as a mechanism for legal adjustment.

It provides a needless slap in the face to gay Nebraskans. It sends a message that undercuts the state's ability to attract many national companies that recognize the value of employees who happen to be gay. (This point was underscored by Gallup Corp. President James Clifton in a recent speech in Lincoln.)

It also promotes culture-war divisiveness -- using Nebraska's constitution to do so -- when the state should instead be working toward nurturing respect and solidarity across the breadth of Nebraska society. Besides (as we predicted in this space during the Initiative 416 campaign), it invites unintended consequences. The current lawsuit is Exhibit A, as it prepares to venture into unmapped legal territory.

The truth and importance of these points will remain, no matter how the legal challenge to Section 29 fares in the courts.

The parallels to Article XII of the Cincinnati City Charter are obvious, including the Cincinnati obsession-of-the-day: economic development.

By the Way: Apologies for so few posts this week--I've been down with a virus that makes me want to do nothing but sleep.