OldMojo

"Celtic" with a soft C became "Celtic with a hard C. Peking is now Beijing. Some fools are starting to pronounce Carnegie car-NAY-gee. As for the comma controversy, it seems to me that common pairs should use the "&" as in macaroni & cheese, thus avoiding comma confusion.

While I think the coffee sack look has been done to death by the likes of Old Navy / Hollister, I kinda like it - and it definitely beats "Get Midwest"

Hey folks - saw WhoDey has recently popped back up - guess It's time to "come home to Mama" (Meaning Chris of course :-D) I'm Back!! Now to the hearculean task of posting all of the pics I've taken over the last year or so. Nice to see some familiar names still frequenting this board. Huzzah!!

Yeah, it's been awhile - all will be explained shortly. Nice to be missed though.

I think we're within about $0.30/gal of reaching a "tipping point" where fuel prices will begin to cause enough economic hardship that you'll see new trends emerge. The problem is that at this point such prices are bound to start having serious repercussions on the economy as a whole. We may start seeing "die-offs" of marginal industries that had depended on cheap oil to stay profitable, similar to what we saw in the '70s and '80s with the decimation of our manufacturing base. Countries with higher gas prices have forced themselves to learn to be competitive at that level. We have many painful lessons ahead of us.

To more precisely determine the level of hick-ness, determine that if indeed the term "warsh" is used, then what does the speaker call the small hand cloth that one takes into the shower? Is it a "warsh-cloth" or a "warsh-rag"? In the house I grew up in, it was a "warsh-rag". Being more cultured than my parents, I have adapted to the term "wash-rag". "Wash-cloth" sounds entirely too uppity.

Not to worry - different audience I think. I can't see people who go to the places you mentioned abandoning them for this. This sounds geared more toward the Fraze crowd. And, uh, where is the "Patterson Boulevard bridge" anyway?

I think it was Buckeye Native who some time ago posted an explanation of the "Please?" phenomenon. It is said to be a remnant of Cincinnati's German heritage, in which language the word "Bitte" is used to mean both "please" and "excuse me" I don't know how factual that explanation is, but it seems to me to be at least plausible.

The provision for pedestrians seems to be an afterthought. Can you imagine trying to herd a group of camera-toting forum geeks across one of these things? "Dammit, we lost Monte again" "Grasscat, must you stop to light up in the middle of the roundabout? the pope: "Check it out guys - Big Ben!!, Parliament!!"

Same here. I went by there this week, saw the equipment and dumpsters out front and thought "no, dammit!" What a pleasant suprise. I'm particularly intrigued by the decision to preserve the industrial fixtures inside.

The problem with the "culture of employment" as you call it is, I think, poorly understood by most people. But it is very real and applies to everyone in some form or another. My family and those I grew up with were working class people. Therefore that type of career was what I was most familiar with and it is really no suprise that I make my living that way. Had my family & friends been stock brokers or business owners, I would probably been more likely to go in that direction. It's the same way - perhaps even more intensely so - for the poor. People don't just adopt lifestyles that they aren't familiar with. As for "non-violent" loitering, while I agree that it should by no means be illegal, the fact is that in a particular context it takes on a menacing nature that is definitely a detriment to neighborhood recovery. Harassment like what Maximillian described must NOT be tolerated.

Welcome back Ronnie - we were just worried sick!! :wtf:

Floridians have no room to talk. Six blocks inland from the coasts, Florida is nothing but strip malls and mobile homes. They can't grow a decent shade tree down there. And for all of their amusement parks, their roster of roller coasters is embarrassingly poor!

^^^^Hey all you photoshop geeks - get to work on that!^^^^

Nooooooooo!!!!!! Cable-stayed bridges are everywhere now. If they want a distinctive design, they should look elsewhere. I vote for a slick deco/truss design akin to the Sydney Harbor bridge. Something stately that complements Cincinnati's historic character.

Anyone know where the most active docks are now? Toledo? Conneaut?

Maybe it's because I grew up elsewhere, and to natives it might seem like the grass is always greener, but I think Ohio has a lot going for it. First and foremost, it doesn't have one or two dominating cities. It has several, each with different strengths, weaknesses and character that seem to complement each other. The wealth is spread out, and I think that makes the state healthier overall. As some of you know, I grew up in downstate IL where the exact opposite is true. All the wealth and opportunity is concentrated in Chicagoland, and you can just drive down I-57 and see the depair increase the farther south you go. (and the animosity too!) I think this situation exists, although perhaps to a lesser degree, in Indiana and Iowa as well. Missouri has it's squabbling siblings in KC and StL. When I look at all of these photo threads of the smaller Ohio towns, I'm continually amazed by how well preserved so many of them are. Throughout downstate IL, towns look like they haven't seen a can of paint since 1957, and they've built nothing except pole barns since then. Towns have nothing to peg their future to except strip malls and fast food joints - or maybe they'll hit the jackpot and get a prison built outside of town! I love the variety of scenery. You can go north to the "coast", you can go SE into the mountains, there's rolling countryside a-plenty. There's great urbanity! There's great beer! There's Buckeye Chuck! We don't suck near as bad as a lot of other places! So kwitcherbitchin!! (new state motto?) I guess it's all just your perspective.

OK, I'm going to say it. The problem is not really the schools themselves, the teachers or even the administrators. Its the STUDENTS and PARENTS, or lack thereof. Without order, discipline, and a sense of security, education cannot take place. A teacher can't give lessons when all their time is spent breaking up fights, squelching arguments, and attempting to keep school property from being destroyed. In any given classroom in an inner city school, there are at least a half-dozen kids who because of their behavior are basically un-teachable in a traditional setting. Yet more often than not, there is nothing that can really be done about them because there is no money or staff for remedial action. Inner city public schools have the hardest job with the most difficult students, so they need proportionally the most resources. Instead of deperately needed help, they get criticism, budget cuts, and calls for more and more testing. You're right - the battle for the future of our core cities is being fought in the schools, and the fact is that we (as a society) aren't putting up much of a fight.

From the first article: T. Boone Pickens is known for telling it like it is - If he says we're peaking, we'd better listen. You know we've got problems if it is becoming profitable to process tar sands in Alberta. Read Hubbert's Peak http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691116253/qid=1109557746/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-3557227-8698309 The author goes in depth about the geologic processes that make oil and how unlikely it is that there are any more large reserves to be found. He also describes the process by which oil is extracted from tar sands. As I recall, the process was a net energy loser in that used more energy from electricity and coal in order to produce usable oil than the energy that the oil itself yielded. It was only feasible because the net product is more versatile than coal or electricity.

Ye another ramification of running these dollar-crushing deficits :|

I must reluctantly agree - while I understand and agree with all of the arguments about the hidden costs of driving, Joe Traveller doesn't, and $95 is going to go over like a frigging lead balloon. Personal economics are driven by perceived value, and those figures just simply don't jive. This is just pissing in the wind unless fares can be brought into the $50 range.

Hold on there Monte - ye paint with too broad a brush. Concerning restaurants, I can kind of see where you're coming from. IMO, the problem has been the TYPE of places that have been failing. All of these attempts to establish upscale, overpriced dining have fallen flat on their faces, but the more moderately priced places are doing fine, and some expanding. The Spaghetti Warehouse & Uno's seem to be doing well, and some of the newer places like Bimini Bill's, & Brixx Ice Co. are making a go of it. A new deli opened up in the Webster St. market, and the Therapy Cafe is expanding into dinner. As for night life, include some of the above mentioned as well as Southern Belle and the Canal St. tavern, which is always packed and is looking to move into a larger facility. Something may actually be happening with the promised Jefferson St. entertainment district, as I see that the former El Diablo building has undergone some extensive renovations. Others have posted about the steady pace of loft development. As for retail, that one is a bit tougher, agreed. For any type of mall concept to work, it would have to be specialized. Perhaps something like an electronics mall - which would complement the "Tech Town" plans for the Frigidaire site if that ever goes through. Something that would make it "the place to go" for a certain kind of product or service. You're right about some of those Dayton suburbanites - especially the ones in the area around WPAFB. Everyone I've ever met from around Beavercreek is absolutely petrified at the thought of just crossing into Dayton, much less coming downtown. Same goes for a lot of Miami Co. people, who used to be my neighbors. I try to talk up Dayton to them whenever appropriate, and it's amusing to see the responses. Everything from curious interest to disbelief to utter cluelessness.

Someone call Hyatt!! Seriously, I feel so helpless when I read things like this, because what can everyday Joes like us do about such things when we don't have millions of dollars to contribute? There is unquestionably plenty of public support for this building, so I can't see demolition being a real threat right now, but the danger of deterioration by neglect is very real, I fear. Something needs to be done NOW, because once the maintenance stops, redevelopment costs will skyrocket exponentially. If you think it's been a struggle so far, just wait until the water damage sets in!!

Pretty sure it's alphabetical. Over here Miami Co. is 55 and Montgomery is 57. that would leave Monroe (wherever thehell that is :-D ) #56

Yes, and it's NOT in Columbus.... Ahem...