Eigth and State

I don't think biodiesel or any other alternative for that matter reduces our so called dependence on foreign oil. We take all the foreign oil we can get. If Saudi Arabia offers us 10 million barrels of oil, we take it. If they offer 20 million barrels, we take it. We take whatever we can get. If we use 2% biodiesel, does it reduce the amount of oil we import from Saudi Arabia? I don't think it does. We still take whatever we can get. I have to ask if biodiesel is really economical taking into account all subsidies and legal requirements.

Maximillian, you may get your wish. CNN Money just called for $4.00 a gallon soon. Gasoline is selling for $3.00 a gallon wholesale, and typically, retail is $0.60 higher than wholesale with a time lag.

Peak oil does not necessarily imply increased use of alternative fuels and vehicles. In fact, it may very well imply reduced use of them. There is no true alternative to oil.

Welcome back, Mojo - haven't noticed any posts from you in a while. There is a phrase for the "tipping point." It's called "demand destruction." As the price of oil rises, people will have to use less of it somewhere along the line. Even if your driving habits don't change, some other habit might. For example, if you are used to spending $50 a month on gas and $20 on donuts, and due to gas prices rising, you pay $70 a month for the same amount of gas, you might just skip the donuts. However, it takes oil to make and transport the donuts, and somewhere the donut guy is going out of business. So, at what price is the tipping point? I don't know, but it seems we are getting closer. People have been whining about oil prices since it was $1.60 - and now its about $2.60! One friend of mine switched from driving a car to riding a motercycle due to gas prices. Meanwhile anaylists are calling for $3.00 for most of next summer.

Yep. Sort of an old style pay lake. They have fishing and a par 3 golf course. Your turn.

Ok, here's one. In the center of the photo is a pond surrounded by a golf course. Name it. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.266816,-84.576874&spn=0.017360,0.023402&t=k&hl=en

Here is a photo of a nearby marina that was cut out of the river bank instead of poking out into the channel. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.116909,-84.458985&spn=0.020560,0.040199&t=k&hl=en

You are correct. Your turn.

Hmmm, I can't remember any photos of Loveland Castle on this site. Neat place - some guy built his dream home, then added on to it for the rest of his life. Did all the work himself, too. Speaking of castles, here's a structure that resembles one. What is it? http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.190240,-84.570951&spn=0.002172,0.002905&t=k&hl=en

I know what it is but I will let someone else guess.

"I've read conflicting arguments about its usefulness." I have also. It seems that it takes just as much energy or more to produce it as you get out of it. I have read that it is possible to realize a slight energy gain. It is no substitute for petroleum.

Stricker's Grove it is. Your turn, Mr. Sparkle.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.295583,-84.670043&spn=0.008677,0.011619&t=k&hl=en

No one else has touched this after one week. It's the WLW tower in Mason.

This "upscale" or not thing seems to be attracting all the attention, but if any retail whatsoever goes in there, the result is likely to be the same: a huge building and a sea of parking.

Not long before the whole FWW / stadium thing, TANK stopped using Dixie Terminal. For those who don't know, Dixie Terminal was a main stop for streetcars and later buses from Kentucky. There was both an entrance on the ground floor at 3rd street, and a special ramp directly from the Suspension Bridge to the second floor for streetcars / busses only. Each floor had a loop for the streetcars / busses to turn around within the building. Passengers would pass through the beautiful Ren Revival arcade to ground level on the other side at fourth street. The reason TANK gave for not using it was that most of the passengers wanted to go to Sixth Street, so the bus system changed their route. Of course, all the retail in the arcade died out from loss of traffic. The building was converted to offices. In fact, they added another floor. The arcade is still there. There used to be a good view of the Roebling Bridge from the arcade but now the freedom center blocks it. There is a sign at the fourth street entrance that says "Railroad tickets sold here," if I remember correctly. Anyway, when I first heard of the transit center, I thought, "Gee, TANK decided not to use Dixie Terminal anymore because it was better to drive passengers up to Sixth Street. Who do they expect to use the Transit Center?" The Transit Center has been locked every time I've been there. Has anyone been inside since it's been finished? I know there was a proposal to put in some public art. In fact, there was supposed to be a competition. The idea was to dress the concrete walls. Did this proposal die off? I agree that the designers allowed flexibility. The most surprising thing is how few people even know about the transit center. There is a tour of the transit center under construction on Jake's site, www.cincinnati-transit.net. By the way, Jake, your site is excellent and I refer to it often.

Good one! I'll let someone else guess. There has been some more development there since the photo was taken. By the way, has anyone heard if the accident victims are okay?

Allright, I suppose that one was too hard. It is Hageman Junction, on the former CL&N railroad between Mason and Lebanon. If you have ever taken a trip on the Turtle Creek scenic railway, you may have passed this point. Two railroads cross here, forming an X. Two quadrants of the X have curved connecting tracks. This was the detail that I had hoped was recognizable. Route 42 crosses through the middle of all of this, and if you are driving you come to three railroad crossings with awkward spacing. A run away train car derailed here recently after travelling 5 miles down grade. Two automobiles were hit en route; one of them resulted in serious injuries. Someone else can do the next one.

No.

"He says we need sit-down restaurants," said the florist. "What does he think we do on the West Side, eat out of troughs?" :lol:

This one is harder. I am looking for the specific name of this place. It starts with H. Bonus if you can name the news item that happened here recently. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.390637,-84.265394&spn=0.008665,0.011619&t=k&hl=en

Hyde Park Country Club.

Yes, it's University Plaza, also known as the Corryville Kroger. If you ever go there, notice how there is a sidewalk encircling the site, but mostly not connected to the buildings. Nevertheless, there is heavy pedestrian traffic, forming huge muddy areas where there is supposed to be grass. One such trail climbs down a steep slope around a retaining wall. The buildings are in the center of the site, surrounded by parking. The truck loading dock is at the farthest possible point from the street, forcing trucks to circle around the site. Dumpsters are scattered about. Bus riders are forced to wait in an awkward concrete island in the middle of the street. At least the front door of the Kroger connects to the sidewalk on Short Vine. In my humble opinion, this is an awful example of site design. The shame is that it could have been so much nicer. Enough of that. Your turn.

"Doing nothing is not an option on Interstate 75." I don't like when people say such things. Doing nothing IS an option. Depending on who you are, doing nothing might be the BEST option, even. I agree with grasscat in that I don't like the double decker highway idea.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.128579,-84.509647&spn=0.004349,0.005810&t=k&hl=en