hohum

Good riddance to bad rubbish! Now lets keep the pressure on the rest!

Because they aren't trying to make their cash cow obsolete, they are trying to figure out what the hell they are going to do when their cash cow is gone (and score some PR points along the way). And make no mistake about it, their cash cow will be gone soon enough as oil gets more and more expensive to extract from more and more difficult sources (well before we hit the no oil left point)

Heh, its doubtful there will be a GTA IV ghost sign... Its papered on instead of painted. Those don't last for very long (like virtually everything else we've constructed in the last 50 years)

This is very true, you can often see the "sea change" in mentality well before it comes through what is shown in advertising. It is after all their job to be on top of that. The good news is that serious reurbanization can't support the 2+ cars per household model. The need for a personal transportation vehicle isn't going to go away any time soon, but I hope I see that average shrink below 1 in my lifetime.

They can make trillions in profit for all I care, just don't come on the airwaves telling me that the solution to our problems is... wait for it... BURN MORE STUFF.

I fully grant him that he found a hot button political trump card. Good for him. I DO NOT grant him that he is serving the role he is supposed to be serving (helping place people in homes, while sustaining the financial feasibility of subsidized vouchers). I don't think I have ever seen Witte use his clout as anything other than an advocate for Price Hill. This isn't the Price Hill Housing Association he is representing. I think this little shenanigan is going to bite him in his arse, or at least in a truly functioning democracy it should. When you use a county wide organization to advocate for the interests of a VERY SMALL SEGMENT of that county, you should be booted right the heck out. I don't attribute any higher goals to Mr. Witte because I have NEVER heard him speak out for any other community, other than in passing, than Price Hill. My own neighborhood has its own problems with voucher subsidised housing, yet have I EVER heard him speak out about the concentration of CMHA voucher recipients in CUF? Nope. He failed in his run for council because his base of support is such a narrow one. Now he is using his role in a county wide organization to advocate for that narrow base of support.

No doubt, it was a "perfect storm" of things coinciding. And now its time to turn it around. Just about the perfect storm for re urbanization is happening right now, its just harder to capitalize on if you aren't "big oil" Anyone else notice how man oil company feel good commercials have been running lately?

Unfortunately, I am a pessimist on this front. This country at least doesn't address problems until they hit us in the head. Choosing to take creative solutions (probably the BEST of them is raising the federal gas tax SUBSTANTIALLY, say to a few dollars a gallon, and then using that money to address the development of sustainable means of transportation) will better position us for the future (strategically). That said, I was just talking with a friend about this the other day, I think that if there is one thing this country can and does do pretty well is rallying to overcome a crisis. History seems to teach that we will continue to be firefighters -- putting out fires, and rebuilding as necessary.

Personally, I think we can do SENSIBLE things to encourage gun control and accountability for their use. As I said before, I am a gun owner, but I don't really consider myself a gun owning "yahoo" Here's an idea to encourage both gun control and accountability, one that will never get past the NRA, but in many states, you actually have to register your firearms (serial number, make mode, address where stored, etc). I dont' consider this an onerous restriction and I think it should be required everywhere. Second, on top of registration, I think they should take a sample bullet shot through the gun for ballistics purposes. Then, anytime, they find a slug, they can work on tracing it back to the person who they last have registered as owning the weapon. Again, I don't see this as terribly onerous at all. In the end, I find the argument that the constitution supports a personal right to carry a firearm relatively ridiculous in this day and age. What good are firearms against laser guided one ton bombs? When it was drafted, it made sense, it was plausible that if a large enough portion of the citizenry stood up and decided to rebel against the gov't, it could happen. Now, that justification makes no sense. I mean really, lets be clear here, if that were to happen here, if things were to get to the point where citizens were actually taking arms against the gov't, does anyone think that the gov't wouldn't fight back with the full might of the armed forces? Gun ownership as a means to take back the gov't means nothing today. Self defense is a valid reason to own a gun, even though most will never have to use it for that reason, but if that insurance policy makes you feel better, well then great, so long as you don't use your gun irresponsibly. I like to target shoot, and from time to time I like to hunt, and I think these are also valid reasons that a law abiding citizen should be allowed to have a firearm. Absolute abolition of firearms will not completely solve the problem, and frankly, unless you take them away from the police too, I won't be supporting abolition.

I'm pretty sure he realizes that correlation and causation are different, I mean there were a HECK of a lot of social and economic factors in play at that time. Desegregation, the rise of the "everyone has to have a car" movement, the burgeoning baby boom, big oil buying out public transit, etc, etc. Still, its a nifty little fact.

Zoning is one thing, this is another. Regardless of what the zoning is, the market will continue to dictate price. I can zone Hyde Park for giant section 8 housing projects all I want, they won't get built there because there isn't the millions of dollars that would be required to buy the property to do it. Granted, this is somewhat different because it is a new build, but the time to leverage that as part of the process was VERY early on in the planning. (I do believe it is possible to integrate upscale housing with publicly subsidized housing in a construction project such as this, but it needs to be part of the consideration from the outset - at the very earliest design phases) Is it fair? Who knows, it is the market. Work the market, or the market works you ;) Edit - by all this, I just mean to say that I believe in voucher housing programs to a degree, but only to the degree that they work within the market. The subsidy required to do otherwise (buy expensive property for use as subsidized houseing) is just too high. If Mr. Witte's agenda is that he doesn't like that his neighborhood has been disproportionately affected, then the best solution is for him to keep working for changes on the ground there.

Fix the neighborhood then Don't use your position with a county wide social services system as mouthpiece for your personal neighborhood agenda *cough*

Way to go Mayor Mallory. Seriously though, how many units do you think CMHA will buy at market rates, given the likely cost of properties down there? 10%? I mean really, how may of the empty condos currently in the CBD selling for $400K+ in the CBD have they bought? I really see voucher recipients living in the McAlpin. HA!@ How many buildings? Are they buying 33 W4th and renovating it for millions? Its a card. Being played. And if the bluff is called, and they want to try to keep playing, it will certainly cost Mr. Witte just about all of his political, and his organizations financial, capital -- in one fell swoop. Its just absurd, this is a market based system. If you get a voucher for X dollars, and rent is Y dollars, you will move to the place with the lowest difference between X and Y. Period. There is no way to make sure that load is distributed differently unless you step up and buy properties at market rate. The budget of CMHA organizations would be DECIMATED if they did that in high cost neighborhoods. Does anyone think its a coincidence that there are few residents living in Hyde Park on CMHA vouchers? Not only is it well out of the means due to the market, how many residents would be moved through these places because complaining neighbors know how to use the system, and I am not even saying vindictively (although that is certainly possible), just that bad neighbors cause problems, problems bring police, and police calls cause people to lose vouchers. Its such a ridiculous ploy. I would only hope the Mr. Witte would be working to serve CMHA voucher recipients, being smart and working WITHIN the market system to find as many people homes in as many neighborhoods as the market allows. Anything else is futile (unless you want to say capitalism is dead).

Hmmm, well 53 is great for storing wine but its also actually really close to the temp you need for lagering beer - 50 - 55 or so... not sure why you would need ice?

Yup, this is true too. Sometimes I don't know how New Orleans does it... They must have massive cleaning crew teams... (Not that its Paris clean, but yeah)

So much better than the peach smell!

Wine storage for sure. I actually have thought about renting a little vault over in the Czech republic (one of the cheapest places to do it) where folks actually pay from $300 - $1500 (depending on size) a year for a little cubby to store and age their wine. THAT is certainly worth looking into. The real question is how cold does it get down there?

Yes, it was cool :) I was there "hawking" streetcars all day Saturday and part of the day on Sunday!

Doesn't keep me from wanting to break every radio I own so it can't tune in 700 WLW ;)

I don't think any of them are installed yet. I was under the impression that they were just unveiled last weekend....

But there are laws against public intoxication as well. Thats just as illegal as an open container, its just harder to enforce because it may or may not be as visible. I really have no problem with open container laws, its an easy proxy to catch some of the worst offenders.

Ask and ye shall receive! http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/gov/2008/04/this-week-with-mark-mallory.asp See number 9 on the list of the meeting with Mallory 9. The plan to move ahead with streetcars could be on council's agenda next week. "A little more conversation needs to happen. We can probably get it wrapped up this week." You can bet I'll be at the finance meeting on Monday (and, fingers crossed, consequently at the full council meeting on Wednesday too!)

Because its not you they worry about walking down the street with an open beer :) Imagine the crowds in washington park if open containers were allowed... no thanks.

Nah, political pandering and brinksmanship is universal.

Here is the basic text of what I will be sending... -- snip -- Dear Council Member [blah], Let me preface this letter by stating that I am not resident of Columbus, but a resident of Cincinnati. I am currently a law student at the University of Cincinnati college of law, just finishing up my last year. One thing that comes with the last year of law school is watching my fellow students make big decisions about where they will live upon graduation, and for new graduates with heavy debt, issues such as quality public transportation (considering the exorbitant cost of gasoline) weigh heavily in our considerations. This year I will see many of my friends leave Ohio for greener pastures and I feel strongly that Ohio needs to do everything possible to keep these folks in the fold. My current job will keep me in Cincinnati, but that said, I am up in Columbus fairly frequently to attend conferences, musical events, and sporting events. As a non resident, I am well aware that there are many bus routes that cover the city fairly well, but I don't know these routes or their stops, and I am unlikely to hop on a bus if I don't know that I can get off near where I want to be. This is just one of the reasons the proposed Columbus streetcar would be of great benefit to me. I have been watching the debate over the proposed streetcar line for some time now, and it seems to me that there has already been a great deal of discussion about the benefits, costs, and planning of the currently proposed system. I can state with some certainty that if and when this system is built it will encourage me and my wife to come up to Columbus more often, even if just to get away for a weekend. There are tons of attractions along the proposed route that I would certainly frequent more often if I could just leave my car at the hotel. As it stands now, if I have to drive everywhere I would like to go, visiting Columbus for recreation just isn't high on my list. I urge you to please support the Columbus streetcar as it is currently proposed by Mayor Coleman. It great potential to encourage investment in Columbus and keeping our best and brightest in Ohio. Sincerely, Christopher St. Pierre