Maximillian

You never know what you might find lurking in the woods!

You would actually spend more because there would be no need to own a car and somebody who buys a 20K car will spend an average of 40k over 5 years for a depreciating hunk of polluting metal. I am carless and I spend more because I have more to spend AND I buy locally to support the local economy.

I had a dream. Here is my 2 minute idea for Brent Spence Bridge, Molak style. Screw a new bridge, don't need it! Ban all thru trucks 71/75 inside 275. Build a nice light rail system connecting the airport/covington/downtown and everywhere else. Make the fast lanes on 75 an HOV lane. Hope gas goes to $7. gallon. (to cut down on people unnecessarily driving to walmart to buy poison chihuaha chicken strips) Streetcar system downtown + 5 new phases. Bike trails and bike lanes on more roadways.

Looks like the best time to avoid the DIC area and Washington Park is when it gets really cold. Several Hundred Stop By Drop Inn Center Last Update: 11:41 am www.wcpo.com Freezing temperatures have brought many homeless people to shelters around the Tri-State. Overnight, about 300 people took advantage of the Drop Inn Center in Over-the-Rhine. A worker said that's about 50 more than a normal night. One reason the center has been letting so many people through the door is to hopefully prevent weather-related deaths. Glen Ward, coordinator of the Drop Inn Center, said, "Even the people on our avoid list we allow them to stay unless they're real violent, then we ask them to leave." Donations can be made to help the center, including blankets, socks, and hats, or anything to keep warm.

The problem is the trucks are causing the problems on that bridge and about about 2-3 miles to the south and 2-3 miles to the north.

Dump all the thru truck traffic onto 275. Impose huge fines for any truck using 71/75 thru cincinnati that is not here on business.

OK if you guys love her Banks plan you might get a kick out of her Rothenburg plan. The project is to transform Rothenberg High School, which is a beautiful building on the corner of Liberty and Main, into an Empower Academy for those non-violent prisoners who are now crowding our jails. The Academy can accommodate ~700 people and thus we can close the Queens gate and use money to run this Empower Academy. We can retrain sheriff's deputies to become guardians and teachers instead of jailers (it they want to do it). I have already spoken to the retired police officers who now manage the complaint office at the City Hall under the cooperative agreement. They loved the idea of Empower Academy and had given me several names of retired police officers who can work with us and provide a role model for those young people. We would take the ages from 15-35. The goal is to enable them to learn how to live well legally in the society, and train them for various jobs, so that they become employable in other fields, rather then flipping hamburgers. This all could be paid from the money that they are currently spending locking them up. We will also employ these "students of life" with our various projects in renovating dilapidated houses (which may need a lead clean up), and help them become homeowners according to our SEARCH project. I am waiting to hear from Lou Strigari, and will try to get an appointment with the Prosecutor and a few judges to convince them to apply alternative sentencing. I believe that they will all endorse the project and we can start after Christmas. For those who do not live in the area, we will have dormitories...At this point there is a building available that can accommodate up to 500 people. We can do all this with very little money, and keep those young people in school and otherwise busy from 7 am to 9 pm so that they do not have time or energy to get into trouble. Also, I would make a city wide appeal for citizens to become role models to individuals, so that we can reinforce the positive behaviors and discover the gifts of those who are now in jail. I am sure that among 700 people we will find all kinds of talents that need to be discovered and developed, so that they would not be wasting their lives in jails and on the streets. Stay well, V.

I met Vlasta a few years ago. She is a good person and has had some great ideas for her properties near Findlay Market in OTR. The alternative Banks Project and Rothenberg idea is a little bit over the top but I give her credit for coming up with ideas that are different. I think she should stick to her smaller OTR projects. Nope she is serious!! Here is a bit of her bio.. Dr. Vlasta Molak is a recognized national and international expert in risk analysis, risk management, environmental quality issues, and sustainable energy development, as well as deeply involved in the preservation of quality of life in her community in Greater Cincinnati for over twenty-two years. In 1999, Dr. Molak worked on the Kyoto Protocol as an Environmental Congressional Fellow for the Hon. Dennis Kucinich(OH-10), who wrote the forward for her book on FUNDAMENTALS OF RISK ANALYSIS AND RISK MANAGEMENT, published by the CRC Press in 1997. She was a Secretary and International Coordinator of the International Society for Risk Analysis. Dr. Molak has an interdisciplinary training with an Engineer in Physics (equivalent to B.S. in Physics) from the University of Zagreb in Croatia, M.S. in Chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from SUNY's Downstate Medical Center in New York City with postdoctoral training in Molecular Genetics. Dr. Molak is a Diplomate of the American Board of Toxicology. She has worked as a risk analyst at the US Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and for a private consulting company in a cleanup of a nuclear feed facility at Fernald, working with Departments of Energy, Defense, OSHA and FDA. She was also a founder of the Biotechnology Forum, which was organizing workshops and lecture series pertaining to biotechnology and thus enabled the members to be at the forefront of biotechnology developments in the late eighties and early nineties. One of the first methods for evaluating the danger of release of genetically modified organisms was the work of Dr. Molak. She also organized a workshop on the problems of oil spills in the marine environments, resulting in a book of proceedings titled A Comprehensive Approach to Problems With Oil Spills in Marine Environments (Proceedings of): TheAlaska Story Dr. Molak has taught courses on Sustainable Development and Risk Analysis at the UN's Division for Sustainable Development in New York City and at the University of Sao Paulo and Quiaba in Brazil. Dr. Molak is the founder and President and CEO of GAIA UNLIMITED, Inc. (since 1993) an environmental consulting company that uses risk analysis and risk management techniques in solving environmental problems. Also, she is a founder of GAIA FOUNDATION, Inc., a non-for-profit educational and research organization involved in broad issues of promoting a wide variety of sustainable development activities. One of the major projects is sustainable development of the inner city of Cincinnati (SEARCH), an area with empty houses and many homeless people. Dr. Molak has participated in major community projects, such as chairing the Subcommittee for Technical Interpretation (STI) of the Local Emergency Planning Committee, chairing the environmental committee of the Cincinnati-Kharkiv Sister City Project, being a part of the Planning Committee for the Environmental Priorities Project in Hamilton County, participating in the Comparative Risk Analysis for the State of Ohio etc...As a Chair of the STI, she has initiated and saw a completion of the Hazard Analysis of Toxic Chemicals in Hamilton County, and has performed evaluations of industrial wastewaters by analyzing toxic release inventories for the Metropolitan Sewer District. In the end of 2004 and first four months of 2005, Dr. Molak has spent in Nepal and India, studying their systems of food production and energy production (Nepal's electric energy is entirely hydroelectric from Himalayas and their agriculture is sustainable) performing environmental audit of energy consumption and material flows in a Buddhist monastery.

Where the old Washington Park school was there is now a fugly parking lot. I know it's temporary but I'd rather see grass.

These are real Urban furniture and home accesories that will last MANY more lifecycles, but sorry you won't find meatballs and dingleberries here. I'd rather support OTR than West Chester anyday :-) http://www.mainlyart.com/new_design/

Of course. It would be perfect for a dorm room though.

By Shelley Emling Cox News Service

I was in Japan in November for a couple of weeks and all the buses I rode in shut off the engines if stopped at a stoplight or heavy traffic. Evidentally some cities are getting Diesel hybrids soon this would be great if Cincinnati would get something similar.

Here you go Neville. http://homepage.mac.com/jjakucyk/Transit1/

Central Ave, Colerain and Harrison. Close to the Mockbee on Central Parkway

I know most of you guys don't like to talk about the old streetcars but here are some cool pics I found laying around. Just spreading the streetcar love F-Deters! :-D These shots blow me away when I see them. My Father grew up in Brighton in the 40's-50s and he always recounts memories of the wonderful streetcars. Here is Brighton corner in it's heyday. This was the busiest streetcar area in the system. The streamlined bright yellow PCC cars, they are the sexiest of all. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/Hakaida/IMG_2827.jpg?t=1200588901 The Art Deco Masterpiece, Western Hills Viaduct was built specifically for streetcars. http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/Hakaida/IMG_2828.jpg?t=1200589987 Cool shot of the PCC car making it's way up the Mt Adams incline http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/Hakaida/IMG_2829.jpg?t=1200589610 Lastly, This is 5th and Vine Downtown Who wants a ride??? (notice DanB's Evil Trolley Coach in the distance) http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b13/Hakaida/IMG_2830.jpg?t=1200591720 The modern streetcars are really nice and user friendly. I rode the streetcars in San Fransisco, Hiroshima Japan and Toronto and have had the streetcar bug ever since. It would incredible to have them back in Cincinnati again. Keep up the good work guys!

Heres your old Trolley coach, hmmmm looks like it has tires. :-P Here's your modern Cincinnati trolley.

. Yes, anybody notice that the I-471 Liberty st exit now has "Findlay Market" signage? Pretty awesome! To me, using the word Trolley, is a derogatory term and is quite often used by anti-streetcar people.

I think Prospecthillians will use it more if it ran on 12th rather than central parkway. I know I would if I use it to get to Findlay Market.

A renovated school wasn't what I was hoping, I wanted CPS to sell it off and it get turned into condos etc. Vine st should have been the area school. Next battle-Freestore Foodbank! 8-)

You scared me for a second, this is the Martin I was talking about :lol:

Very cool!! Awesome bar space, just hope a guy named Martin doesn't open up there :wink: Jean Roberts LLC owns the building right?

I feel sorry for her. I love when my wife supports OTR and I encourage her to go there and shop. In fact she brought me back Shadeau bread from her morning walk. :-P

Before Sept 11th your mom could climb over the steel door into the broken fence part easily. The watermain is the reason for the tightened security. It's funny people actually pay $ to go down there, but the times have changed and if you haven't been down there before, try and get on a tour if they even have them anymore..?

Watching tv last night an E.D. commercial came on, later they showed an old PCC Streetcar in the background as the man looked like he was probably headed with his girl over to his city loft? Streetcars ARE Sexy and maybe they can cure our city of E.D!! :lol: