Ram23

Don’t a lot of the light rail plans call for use of the existing tunnels? I seem to remember light rail using the tunnels, but limited new construction of subway. Trains from the west side would stop at Race St. and people would transfer to the streetcar to get to destinations around the basin. I would think with streetcar service, Liberty and Race would be the only stations necessary along the existing tunnels. The west side line could just terminate at Race St, since there’s enough room down there to switch tracks and head back out in the opposite direction. Also, depending on the extent of renovations, existing stations wouldn’t have to be made ADA compliant. Although it wouldn’t be much trouble to add an elevator to one or two of the stations, particularly Race St (since it’s a center platform, it’d only need 1 elevator).

Conceding, for a moment, your point that $400 million is a LARGE amount ... . Then the HUMONGOUSLY GARGANTUAN amount of $1.7 billion for the I-70/71 split in Columbus, which a lot of people don't feel confindent about, should be getting a whole lot more scrutiny than 3-C. But it's not. I’m not going to argue against that, I think ODOT should spend more money on rail and less on highways. I’ll point out the dozens of ways highway designs are inefficient and waste money and real estate in the proper thread. I can’t stand the fact that the Brent Spence Bridge in Cincinnati is getting 10 times what the 3-C is getting. But, it is a solid deal. What I’m saying is $400 million is a lot to spend on a project if it becomes a failure. If anything, ODOT should be spending much more on 3-C at the onset; for instance if cost $1 billion but was a plan I had more faith in, I’d be supportive. Maybe I haven’t been making myself clear. I support rail, I think the state and feds should spend more on new rail infrastructure and service (and less on new roads), I just don’t like the particulars of 3-C.

I'm for renaming of streets to be only honorary, which is how it's done in most places. Except for Pete Rose Way, he was way too important, that one should stay.

This is a source that is generally pretty spot on when making accusations like this. This should also get the discussion back on to the development issues regarding this project. It again reinforces what I’ve been saying: something fishy is going on. It takes it to a whole new level, almost a conspiracy! http://queenscrap.blogspot.com/2010/09/lets-discuss-mosque.html

I explained what I meant by that statement. I think you interpreted it wrong prior to reading the rest of the post. The proposed stop locations, the speed, destinations served, etc. Honestly, I’d rather see the $400 million spent on improving already existing Amtrak service than a 3-C corridor. If we could improve service and quality on already existing routes, that could free up some minds and allow for a proper amount of money to be spent to build a rail system Ohio could be proud of. I’m not a naysayer, 3-C could be semi successful like other similar projects elsewhere, but why settle for that?

Did you read the rest of the post? I explained that as I finished the post. I’m fairly concerned that the current 3-C plans are a half-hearted attempt at passenger rail. That’s an opinion, not speculation, and it’s based upon the plans (which I’ve been following closely). I pay less attention to studies by groups with a vested interest in having 3-C either built or not built.

So what happens to that $400 million if we kill off 3-C? IT GOES TO ANOTHER STATE. So by killing off the 3-C project, you're not saving the country ANY of the $400 million. So stop throwing that figure out as a cost. It's a sunk cost (and one covered by the federal government, not Ohio). It all comes down to $17 million per year. Do you think we get $3 million more benefit from cutting the grass next to the highways (which costs $20 million per year) than we would get from an alternative mode of transportation connecting our major cities? How about from the suburban sound barriers which only protect the idiots that built cardboard boxes on cheap land right next to a noisy interstate, then whined about the noise? Stop scaring people with your erroneous $400 million argument. Talk about the facts and let's see if you still have an argument. You’re misconstruing my point. My concern is that money isn’t enough, in other words we will end up with a sub-par product (or as Niko pointed out, go way over budget), and that will kill any hope we have of ever getting true high speed rail. It has nothing to do with whether the $400 million for rail is a waste (it isn’t, in my opinion). If we build a half-hearted attempt, it may turn off even more people in the end. If people pay to take the train across the state once or even a few times, have a bad experience or two, what are the chances they will support more rail in the future?

"Large amounts of spending" like less than the amount it costs to mow the grass along the interstates? I don't see Republicans crying about that money. That's because Obama never proposed it. Yes.... it's that simple. Obama didn’t propose cutting grass on the interstates, but he proposed 3-C? Did I miss something? That comment is completely off base. Cutting grass has obvious returns, even if they are minimal (prevents wildfires, enhances safety, etc.), and it’s something that has to be done at least once a year (we could debate how often, exactly, but that’s for another thread). The debate about 3-C isn’t just pro-rail vs. anti-rail, even though some would lead you to believe that’s what it is. The issue has to do with spending a large amount of money (and yes, $400 million is a LARGE amount no matter what you are going to randomly compare it to) on a project that some don’t feel confident about. I am very pro-rail, (I helped campaign against the anti-rail amendment to Cincinnati’s charter door to door, passed out stickers, sported a yard sign, spread it on my blog, etc.) but am hesitant to support 3-C. My primary concern is that there’s not enough money from the feds and the plan to start slowly and let it grow isn’t the best strategy, and that has nothing to do with the president. Lumping opponents into some narrow minded stereotype like that isn’t the way to go about a debate.

Large amounts of government spending are the key issue, and a lot of people think that certain rail projects require a lot of spending, but may fail to ever be successful. There are a lot of Republicans (actually, a lot of Ohioans in general) that are pro-rail, but anti-3-C, by the way.

Usually I just don’t acknowledge their existence at all, never had somebody try to step out in front of me though. I get the same four groups every week when I go to lunch.. planned parenthood, something about gay rights, gym memberships, and monthly parking. If I’m feeling perky on any particular day I’ll make a smart ass comment on my way back; they’re annoying me, the least I could do is annoy them back.

yea maybe for the football for idiots crowd like you. Yeah, football idiots like me, who played the game for 10 years in school, and have been watching my entire life. That was a really lame comment, what are you, 12?

I think this is an interesting possibility, along the lines of what I've been thinking (ie the whole thing was just attention whoring). Trying to sell at a huge profit makes perfect sense as a motive. As far as Park51, it is an LLC, and I don't think New York allows non-profit LLC's. Somebody could stand to make a huge chunk of change, primarily the guy Trumps letter was addressed to (the main donor for the project).

^ Yeah, Google Ad-Sense is scarily accurate. The worst is in Gmail, it literally reads your email and gives you ads concerning whatever your email is about.

I think it was just a showcase of HTML 5, particularly canvas elements, the development of which Google has been spearheading. It's basically a replacement for Flash, that doesn't require a proprietary plugin of any kind, just a bit of HTML. However, if their logo was any indication it has a ways to go. The code itself was much more efficient than a Flash object, but it took a lot more processing power than Flash (at least from my experience).

It wasn’t the nutjob that used to stand out there every Friday and hold up “Impeach Bush” signs was it? He was always on the corner of McMillan and Clifton, by the bus stop, with really crappy poster board signs in big plastic bags.

^What’s ironic is the comparison between the two events, and how people can be so hypocritical in attacking one and defending the other. The crazy pastor is completely within his legal bounds to burn Korans all day long if he wants, just as the developer is completely within his legal bounds to build a Mosque on the site by the WTC. Both of those actions would, however, offend a whole bunch of people. It takes quite a hypocrite to not take the same side on both of these issues, I just wish more people could see that.

The Onion usually isn't very funny, but their NFL team-by-team guide could be considered to be pretty spot on. Link: http://www.theonion.com/articles/onion-sports-2010-nfl-teambyteam-guide,18023/ Cincinnati Bengals: Strength: In the past three years, their ability to convince NFL experts the team could make it to the Super Bowl has been staggering Weakness: Terrell Owens wants to prove he can still play at a high level, but he wants to systematically destroy an entire football organization much, much more Intangibles: The combination of T.O. and Ochocinco could make the Bengals so annoying at the receiver position that other teams forfeit to avoid playing them Biggest Question: How good is Carson Palmer's psychiatrist? The write-up on the Browns was pretty funny, too! Cleveland Browns: Strength: N/A Weakness: Okay, where to begin? Let's see, Jake Delhomme is their starting quarterback. Bobby Engram, their 37-year-old starting wide receiver, caught 5 passes last year. Running back Jamal Lewis was cut in the off-season. Man, this is fun and easy! What else? Okay! They're in a constant state of rebuilding and have no team identity, the future of the franchise is Colt McCoy, and their biggest asset is team president and non-football-player Mike Holmgren Strength: Oh, just thought of one: dog faces Player to Watch: To see Colt McCoy become a starter too early, get extremely flustered, and have a terrible rookie season could be quite delightful Biggest Question: How soon will fans bust out the paper bags?

Seems like it's more about attention whoring and perhaps some other agenda, rather than money... NY Mosque Investor Declines Trump's Buyout Offer http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=11596634 "This is just a cheap attempt to get publicity and get in the limelight," said Wolodymyr Starosolsky, a lawyer for the investor, Hisham Elzanaty. I wonder if that lawyer realized how accurately he actually summed up his clients intentions?

^Yeah, it could come down Jefferson, turn at University and make a loop back around to Daniels, and back onto Jefferson, if that's what you mean. That's the route the UC shuttle buses take to turn around on campus. If the route were ever extended, that would just become a slight bump out with a stop for south-bound trains.

^ Yeah, instead of turning on Taft for a layover, go up a couple hundred feet and turn onto UC’s campus, ending by CCM/Nippert. That would be an excellent place to layover for a few minutes, as it would start to fill up with the hundreds of pedestrians always passing by, all wondering what bar to go to or where to eat dinner.

Downtown you have Sung Korean Bistro, you have Riverside Korean in Covington, Korea House in Harper's Point, Saya Korea BBQ up in Dayton and Chung Kiwha Korean BBQ in Florence. There is a Thai place downtown but it isn't open for dinner but Teak Thai is right in Mt. Adams and there are tons of Thai places throughout the suburbs to name them all. Oh I’ve been to all the Korean restaurants in town (minus the one in Dayton), that’s why I’m saying we could use more! I won’t rest until I can find some live octopus somewhere.

^All the articles I’ve been posting have been building the case. On a related note, it would appear The Donald agrees with me: Donald Trump Offers to Buy "Ground Zero" Mosque http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/09/09/donald_trump_offers_to_buy_ground_zero_mosque_site.php#more It'll be interesting to see if the developer would rather attention whore or line his pockets.

I certainly agree with you about NY's laws. I don't necessarily disagree with your disparaging of the developer either. But I don't understand the rest. How often does any developer build what's in the "best interest" of anyone but his or self? It's just a weird standard that isn't applied to anyone else. It's like all these stupid polls asking if people "support" the project? WTF does that mean? I'm a pretty secular guy- I wouldn't say I "support" the project. I don't even think I "support" most of what get's built in NYC. How many people "support" the ugly trump SoHo? I guess it's interesting to know how many people are offended by it- that at least highlights that this is nothing more than a debate about good taste and feelings. The developer (and everyone defending it in any argument) keeps calling it a “community center” and there was an article posted awhile ago in which the developer talks about how he wants to give to the community and that’s why he’s doing the project. I don’t expect him to come out and say “I’m doing this because I want my name in the paper, and I’m an asshole who likes to stir up trouble,” but that is the truth, hence my arguments here.

^ No, NY's laws are already way too oppressive and the cause of many unnecessary costs and wasted time. I've never once argued anything should be done by the city or state to stop this, I'm just painting the picture that this developer is an attention whoring deadbeat, and that any notion of this project being in the best interest of anyone other than the developer himself is BS.

The developer is neglecting many of their other duties and properties, and pushing forward a controversial project instead. No crocodile tears from me, the developer is the hypocrite here.