Andre the Giant

 

Taken while he gave my horoscope.

The Worst Sidewalk Downtown

 

[where: 13 E. Thirteenth Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]
(SW corner of Thirteenth and Jackson, 1227 Jackson ie: Jackson Street Warehouse is the owner responsible)

Visual Lingual

A neighbor of ours has a great post today about choosing her environment. I definitely feel affinity for her decision process. My life, where I live and how, is made from innumerable small steps and everyday decisions. It was not planned out in advance, but the result is pretty good. Read her post.

Does This Man Live on Fountain Square?

Basil Sturgill? I don't think so, but that is the address he gave the sheriff when he registered as a sexual offender last week. He probably just got out of jail and had no idea what else to tell them when asked where he is going to live... I've seen other men list their cars, or even the sidewalk....

Walkable is In

Nothing gets the point across better than a simple drawing like this by the New Urbanists:

 

On the subject of walkability... no other mode of transport compares in ease or pleasure. A few days ago our family took a nice bike ride to Newport. The ride was a lot of fun, but I was struck how much more complicated and difficult it was than our usual walk to the Library or Fountain Square. You can't really carry a conversation while biking, and one kid requires a special seat with a seatbelt, both require helmets that they have trouble with, add some mechanical difficulties, and then trying to park them in a safe spot and carrying the helmets around all adds up to a strained day. Really, nothing beats a walk.

William Steig

Boy and Dog Drawing

 

See the William Steig webpage. He is the author of The Amazing Bone, Dr. DeSoto, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and many other great children's books.

UC Initiative to Reduce Violent Crime

I thought this article was interesting and am linking to it, because it is in the UC magazine, which probably doesn't have a big readership:

Researchers save lives by unlocking the street code in Cincinnati

... Dozens of young men filed into a downtown courtroom last summer. ...they were summoned as a condition of probation or parole to sit through a surprise "call-in session," ...Facing them was an assembly of men and women -- law enforcement officers, criminal justice workers, social service providers and community members --hellbent on convincing their captive audience to end the bloodshed.

Cops laid down new stiffer rules with federal sentences. Weary moms described burying sons. And social workers offered job training as a way out.

By the end of the tense session, the message seemed to penetrate. Dead stares at the wall and blank looks at the floor gave way to more respectful glances, even full attention. A few in the benches actually broke down in tears. And afterward, astonishingly, the phones started ringing from those who wanted out.

... most shocking was the sheer number ready to give up their hardened ways. Experts who had implemented similar initiatives in other cities cautioned Cincinnati to expect a handful, at best, to take such positive steps.

... "When they come into these call-ins they are tough. They have this street image -- like this is 'BS' or they can't be bothered.

"Then the mothers (of the dead) speak. And you can see them hang their heads. They know. They can't escape the honesty of what these people are saying. "You can see their tears, especially when they say to them, 'Don't let this be your mother. This is the pain that's left behind.'"

... UC researchers ... have developed social networking models that pinpoint 67 different violent street groups in the city. ... data now allows researchers to literally generate a map of bad guys and "who has a beef with whom."

... the majority of the Queen City's killings have more to do with respect than drugs. ... the community can curb the number of homicides by disrupting the group dynamic that promotes a violent response as the method for addressing disrespect.

... what seems to set the Cincinnati method apart is its "carrot." CIRV relies heavily on social services and the community to reach troubled men who need a way out.

... today, the London Metropolitan Police are implementing the Cincinnati model. Closer to home, UC researchers will soon use state funds to take the CIRV plan to eight cities across Ohio.

Rude Preachers and Private Tents

Situation #1:
Should a preacher be allowed to preach in a public park?

Sure.

Can he use a loudspeaker? Without any kind of permit? How loud can he be? Can he curse all the people in the park to Hell? Can he play obnoxious music and sing a really bad version of "We Are the World"?

How would you like it, if in the public park by your house, this guy came every Saturday of the year and broadcast his message so loud so as not only to make the park unusable, but to wake your kids at bedtime?

That is the situation in Washington Park. Nothing deters this preacher. His response to complaints is that the park is his church, and the people in the park are his congregation.

I understand that during special events, the park may be filled with loud music and that this can be disruptive to those who live nearby. I can even understand that a festival for example can be held in the park, and that during that event, the park is not fully usable by the public. In my view it is the combination of the loudness and the ubiquitousness of his use, that makes him rude.

Situation #2:
Should a wedding party be allowed to rent a pavilion in a public park?

Of course. Many pavilions in neighborhood parks are specifically built for such use. A few years ago we attended a wedding at the pavilion in Ault Park, and it is used for such events throughout the summer. Of course the public is not invited to such events.

Situation #3:
Fountain Square:

 

This was an event for the organizers of the Flying Pig marathon. The general public was kept out of the tent. But, this is Fountain Square, not a neighborhood park. It should not be rented out like a pavilion at a neighborhood park.

However, this was for an event that is obviously beneficial for the city. I don't think a private business can fill the square with a tent (or can they)? This has become a contentious issue in NYC's Bryant Park.

In my opinion, private parties should be held in an adjacent hotel ballroom. Either that, or make it a public celebration in which everyone is invited.

I don't want to get into discussion about the First Amendment and Free Speech and Assembly, I just think that the key point of a public square, is that it is open to the public! People who use this public square must stay civil (relatively quiet) and events must be open to the general public. Tenting, or fencing-off areas for ticket-holders only, or holding events that are very loud, should be rare and should be minimally intrusive to the other users of the space.

Babysitter Options

A couple people have asked, and I have posted about this before, but it's been a while so here are two options to get babysitters:

Babysitease. Basically, this service guarantees to hook you up with a sitter for $8 an hour. There is a $50 registration fee, then you schedule the sits through their website and pay Babysitease $8 each time you schedule. Then you pay the sitter cash. We have done this several times and it has worked wonderfully. The only drawback is not really knowing who you will get as a sitter, but they have mostly been UC students and some have been excellent.

Mommy Mixer. I keep getting unwanted solicitations for this event wherein you meet potential sitters and get names and phone numbers. The next event is May 14 at 6pm. Cost is $50. We have never done this, but it might be worth a try for others.

Big Brothers Started in OTR

Did you know that the Big Brother Big Sister program was started in Over-the-Rhine in 1903?

The Big Brother movement was started in Cincinnati in 1903 by businessman Irv Westheimer. His idea to reach out to fatherless boys gained support in Cincinnati, then spread coast-to-coast and expanded to include young girls. There are now nearly 500 Big Brother Big Sister agencies in the United States.

It is a great program, and I had no idea it started here.

Mostly Done Mural

 

[where: 908 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202]

Boris Johnson Quote

The new conservative mayor of London, tapping into a sentiment against modern ugly towers. He knows that most people prefer to live in neighborhoods of brick townhouses:

...promised to protect London's traditional and historic buildings and streets from bulldozers and skyscrapers.

Mr Johnson said he would assure Londoners that "their gardens, their views, their neighbourhoods are not going to be dwarfed by high rise blocks or engulfed in a sea of identikit homes.

"What the average Londoner wants is a house with a garden and a front door.

But when I look at some of the plans for the 27 phallocratic towers that Ken wants to erect in the suburbs, I wonder whether we have learned anything from the experience of the last 50 years.

"We seem to be in the grip of barbarians who are determined to knock down venerable buildings - Victorian police stations and swimming baths - and put drab blocks in their place.

"You can have more houses without wrecking the garden city of London."

Private Playstructures

The decline of public play is a theme of this blog. This author touched on this when trying to figure out why he disliked the plastic play structures so common in backyards:

Children's play equipment and the decline of the American yard
at Slate

...Lurking somewhere, either peeping out from the back or nakedly displayed right in front, some form of children's play equipment, typically in plastic and typically in some bright primary color, will probably be splayed on the grass.

I'd like to raise just one question about this picture of domestic bliss: How often do you actually see a child playing on, or near, one of these devices?

....the fear of injuries and their litigious consequences forced the closing, or banal "post-and-platform" retrofitting, of many playgrounds.
...
"Told incessantly to be mindful of lurking dangers and the people who might inhabit the outdoors, [paranoid] parents often defer trips to public spaces. Going to a playground becomes too exhausting for a parent to contemplate." And so instead of a communal play space, each yard becomes a (rarely used) playground unto itself.
....
.... "To a four-year-old, though, the space made by the vaulting branches of a forsythia is as grand as the inside of a cathedral, and there is room enough for a world between a lilac and a wall."

Free Bread

 

And then half-way down the block:

 

Catalytic Converter Notice

I got this notice via the blockwatch group. My question, how do you know your catalytic converter has been stolen? Will there be muffler parts laying on the ground arouns your car?

In the event the catalytic converter is taken off your car
please do not move the car. Immediately call the police to
report the incident and they will dust the car for
fingerprints. The Cincinnati Police can be reached at
513.765.1212. If the police are not immediately available
to respond, please leave a contact number and your location
with the police dispatcher, for follow up investigation.

A Candidate Finally Mentions Rail

An Obama quote from yesterday, as per Grist:

The irony is with the gas prices what they are, we should be expanding rail service. One of the things I have been talking about for awhile is high speed rail connecting all of these Midwest cities -- Indianapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, St. Louis. They are not that far away from each other. Because of how big of a hassle airlines are now. There are a lot of people if they had the choice, it takes you just about as much time if you had high speed rail to go the airport, park, take your shoes off.

This is something that we should be talking about a lot more. We are going to be having a lot of conversations this summer about gas prices. And it is a perfect time to start talk about why we don't have better rail service. We are the only advanced country in the world that doesn't have high speed rail. We just don't have it. And it works on the Northeast corridor. They would rather go from New York to Washington by train than they would by plane. It is a lot more reliable and it is a good way for us to start reducing how much gas we are using. It is a good story to tell.

Is he intent on losing the white suburban vote or with the current gas prices are they finally ready for other options?

Vacant Buildings Again

More boarded-up buildings. These are on Pleasant Street south of Findlay Market, but north of Liberty (1600 Block)