moonloop

Good. Now I wonder if the cities are lump together by region and the committee tries to have games in each region. So Cincy would be the in the midwest competing with Chicago, Detroit, and KC.

I miss Trattoria Roma. It was always a good meal. It didn't have much atmosphere, maybe even a little dumpy, but they did Italian well.

That $5 billion is an interesting number since that's nearly the exact same amount the new Apple Headquarters cost to build. That should give people an idea the scale they're talking about.

One thing I recently noticed with my cable (spectrum) is most of the channels I watch have their shows on demand. So now I'm seriously questioning the need for the DVR service. Right now I'm leaning toward bare bones cable while subscribing to a streaming service for short periods of time. I have Amazon Prime free for 6 months thanks to a Sprint offer(along with Tidal for another 6 months for music streaming). Just finished a show called Patriot that was pleasantly very good but I don't think there's too many Prime must watch shows and will drop it after the 6 months. I currently have DirectTV Now free for a month including HBO(for GOT). I'll pay for one month to finish up GOT and catch up on some VOD shows(The Young Pope and Leftovers) then I'll drop it. DirectTV Now is interesting but initially I had serious connection issues but it has settled down substantially. I kept my eyes on Netflix for any shows that interest me but right I don't have to subscribe. And around it goes. This all reminds me of Energy Choice Ohio. If you want the lowest rate on your electric you have to keep switching providers every 3 months or sooner. It's a game I've gotten pretty good at, but you can get burn.

I found this article timely, for me at least, as I've avoided subwoofers since their existence but lately I've been considering adding one to my system. This article convinced me not to bother. Drop the Bass: A Case Against Subwoofers Though bass-boosting subwoofers are everywhere nowadays, Damon Krukowski argues that, for certain styles of music, these low-end behemoths are actually ruining our listening experiences http://pitchfork.com/features/oped/9667-drop-the-bass-a-case-against-subwoofers/ They even quote one of the guys from Sunn O))). Pat yourself on the back if you can listen to an hour this:

^Chip Hart is quoted in this article. Then I remembered he wrote an op-ed in the Enquirer about how the Convention Center DOES NOT need to be expanded in an article about the arena. Hart is owner of Hart Productions who hold tons of shows there. Hotel tax ideal funding source for arena renovation "...For many reasons, there is no need for an expansion of the convention center. First, there is no room downtown for any measurable expansion that would enable DECC to compete even with Columbus or Indianapolis. There is a glut of buildings nationwide that will not likely be filled anytime in our lifetime. There also is a complete lack of post-convention and trade show economic impact studies of those events held in Cincinnati that would justify any further expansion. They just don’t exist. Every study (if you want to call them that) available is purely speculative and based completely on projections of attendance, individual spending using homogenized national spending models, and projected length of stay for every delegate. The last two expansions of our convention center were based on projections and speculation. Convention and trade show economic impacts are not mentioned anymore, rather projected hotel room nights are used in their place... ...Our company has used the convention center since 1967 and has always been the single-largest user. We’ve paid millions of dollars in rent over the past 60 years. We’ve put millions of people through the doors of the DECC. Our shows have generated real quantifiable billions in economic impact with high-profile consumer trade shows. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/opinion/contributors/2017/07/21/hotel-tax-ideal-funding-source-arena-renovation/491095001/

The city making a move to improve the area around the the convention center, maybe... Buildings from the 80s are nearly as dreadful as the music from the 80s City battles blight at front door of Duke Energy Convention Center Convention Place Mall is an office and retail complex built on city-owned land at 435 Elm Street by developer Harvey Cohen in 1983. The city of Cincinnati shut down a section of the Downtown skywalk near Duke Energy Convention Center this month after inspectors found “deteriorated steel” in the metal platform leading to Convention Place Mall. It’s the latest in a series of legal skirmishes that could lead to an eviction, foreclosure or bankruptcy filing by two companies that control the office building and retail center across from the convention center’s main entrance at Fifth and Elm streets. http://www.wcpo.com/news/insider/city-battles-blight-at-front-door-of-duke-energy-convention-center

Glad I never jumped on the vinyl bandwagon. The only time I was serious about vinyl was when I was a kid. I would save up my grass cutting money to buy KISS albums at Gold Circle. Twenty-five years later my Mom sells them all at a garage sale for .25 each. I'm slowly thinning out my CD collection. Converting them to high-res digital files which stream to a pretty decent home stereo. I really dig using Airplay. Why Vinyl’s Boom Is Over Old LPs were cut from analog tapes—that’s why they sound so high quality. But the majority of today’s new and re-issued vinyl albums—around 80% or more, several experts estimate—start from digital files, even lower-quality CDs. These digital files are often loud and harsh-sounding, optimized for ear-buds, not living rooms. So the new vinyl LP is sometimes inferior to what a consumer hears on a CD. “They’re re-issuing [old albums] and not using the original tapes” to save time and money, says Michael Fremer, editor of AnalogPlanet.com and one of America’s leading audio authorities. “They have the tapes. They could take them out and have it done right—by a good engineer. They don’t.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-vinyls-boom-is-over-1500721202?mod=e2tw

No harm in allowing people a vote. The auditor values the building at only $9M so Nederlander asking for $35M+ for the current arena so the Port can own the new building seems like a reach. Also, I don't think they should be limited as to who can manage a new arena. Under the latest Nederlander plan: Voters would be asked to extend for seven years a quarter-cent sales tax now being used to renovate Union Terminal. That would bring in an estimated $313 million. Out of that money, the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority would buy the arena from Nederlander for $35 million to $40 million, meaning it would be owned by the public. The Port would pay Nederlander to operate the arena. Nederlander would lease space there for the Cincinnati Cyclones. Increased events would bring in $34 million over six years, which would also be used for the renovation. After that, the revenue would flow to the Port, which has long sought an ongoing stream of revenue. Over six years, increased parking would bring in $14 million and the admissions tax $9 million. Both would go toward the project. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/07/14/cincinnati-arena-owner-proposes-370-redo-sales-tax/475341001/

Not quite a beer start-up, but i grabbed some Skinny Piggy at a local farmers market. They make kombucha, which they describe a carbonated tea with live cultures. So healthy and pretty good. Even better they brew near Beekman St. They occupy a warehouse building there. https://skinnypiggykombucha.com

The Jock Tax yes. A ton of cities(including Cincy) and states (Calif.) have one, but I meant regular old taxes like payroll, property and sales taxes. With the headquarters in Clermont Cty, the city would miss out. Plus that's $25M could be used toward the new stadium. And that opens FCC to criticism the stadium will only be used 17x a year. The Bengals always get hammer about PBS "only" being used 10x a year, but really it's their office 5 days a week, all year. They have about 85 office personal working at PBS. http://www.bengals.com/team/staff-directory.html And if your curious, the Reds have a ton more. I can't count that high. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/team/front_office.jsp?c_id=cin

Not worried about that. The practice fields for the Crew are in the middle of nowhere. No need for those to be in the city proper. They need cheap land and it won't be a destination. Yes and no. Not having all the employees and players working in the city of Cincinnati prevents the city from capturing as much of their taxes as possible. On the other hand, we're not talking big money since it's minor league soccer and even if they make the jump to MSL, players salaries don't seem to be crazy high. There's a lot to dislike with how the Bengals operate but at least their entire operation is in the city. Ditto for the Reds. So most of the taxes workers/players pay are in the city. Granted, I know a lot of players live in NKY. How much of Joey Votto's $25M a year go to the city? I think Newport might have the advantage for the stadium if Bill Butler (Corporex) is involved. I haven't seen his name in the news in ages. He was the kingmaker in NKY. I can see him being able to put something together. FCC stadium could jumpstart Ovation. The renderings show Ovation type buildings.

FCC has a deal in the works for a $25M headquarters and practice fields in ... Clermont County. Meh.

Some branding options... Notice the model in the lower right. Credit: @PBrennanENQ

If it's in Newport...