Mallory Shuns Crowley

I learned tonight that Mayor-Elect Mark Mallory choose not to give me a chairmanship position on ANY City Council Committee for the term starting tomorrow. In fact, Mallory did not even recommend me for the vice-chair position of the committee I currently chair.

As the current chairperson of the Economic Development Committee and former chairperson of the Education Committee, the 4th top vote getter in this month's election, one of the most senior members on Council and a fellow Democrat, I am very disappointed and disturbed with Mallory's decision.

In fact, Mallory recommended two Charterites and one Republicans for chairmanships over me, a Democrat.

I urge you to contact Mayor-Elect Mallory TONIGHT and let him know that you are angered and frustrated with his decision to completely overlook me. He can be contacted at mark.mallory@cincinnati-oh.gov or 352-3250. The quickest way is to call the office and register a complaint because we are not sure whether or not Mallory is checking his email yet.

Thank you for your continued support,
David Crowley

So What Was The Issue?

Okay, last time until Congresswoman Schmidt says something else:

she insists on focussing on the issue, rather than her statement that Congressman Murtha is a coward. But, I want to know, what is the issue?

Is it that it is not Patriotic to "cut and run"? Or is it that Congressman Murtha--even if he hadn't taken a few bullets for the States, served in a few wars, and had never saw a war, before this one ,that he didn't like--said "Hey, how about we start planning something, or at least look like we give a shit". No, seriously, what is the issue, will somebody tell me?

Next question, is Steve Fritsch out of his mind? Does he think that a draft will make anything better, rich man's war is being fought--without a plan--with the poor and middle class man's kids.

What do the defenders of this horrible, horrible disreguard for human life, defend this with? You don't have to be wrong, after all you've been lied to (baldface) for almost 3 years.

Customers or Chumps?

Like most cities, Cincinnati is a monopoly market for its cable operator. You can order Time Warner or nothing. The only other choice is satellite dish, and there is competition among those service providers. But not with cable.

Does that mean cable subscribers are paying more than they should? Yes, it does. The only local area with cable competition is Lebanon, and Time Warner charges 40% less there.

Wanted: More Scientists

As posted a few days ago ("Church Gives State the Noogie"), the Ohio State legislature is having difficulty distinguishing between science, medicine and religion. As in the rest of the nation, the Republicans are having more of a problem than the Democrats, but as The Post notes in its article, "The Legislature has many attorneys but no one who lists a medical degree or occupation as a physician. There is one veterinarian, two nurses, a clinical psychologist and a mortician. With so little science background..."

We live in a world of rapid scientific and technological change. Maybe we should have more scientifically and technologically fluent people in political office. Maybe we need more scientists and engineers instead of lawyers.

With Friends Like This...

From The Athens News:

An Athens County grand jury returned an indictment this month on 36-year-old Cinseree Johnson of South Shafer Street. Johnson is alleged to have forged all the signatures on a petition she handed in to the Ohio Secretary of State's office, in support of putting state Issue 3 on the ballot.

The Athens County Board of Elections caught the alleged forgery almost immediately, county Prosecutor C. David Warren said Wednesday.

"She had names on there like (Ohio University official) Alan Geiger," Warren noted, adding that the names were noticeably in the same handwriting.

All the signatures? That's what it says; not just some, but all. Wow. What a nut. She just sat there and wrote down a bunch of names and then handed it in! Smashing.

Joseph Wilson to Speak at Xavier, Dec. 5

Foreign policy expert and U.S. diplomat Ambassador Joseph Wilson will speak at Xavier University at 8 p.m. Dec. 5.

Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for faculty, staff and alumni and $15 for the general public. For tickets or more information, call (513) 745-3411.

[The Post]

Penguins Hate God, America

You may remember the movie March of the Penguins and the buzz among fundamentalists that penguins are evidence of intelligent design.

Well, the atheistic scientists that control the world have wasted no time 'discovering' 'evidence' of microevolution in penguins.

Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that scientists (who hate God) just happened to find evidence of evolution (something that God-haters hate God with) in the exact animal that proves intelligent design? Isn't it more likely that liberal Democrats (who also hate God) fabricated this whole thing with money (which God loves and wants to give to Republicans because they don't hate him) from George Soros, and that the whole thing was planned in secret meetings chaired by Hillary Clinton?

March of the Penguins is no longer playing, but you can visit the OmniMax Theater site to see the current features (one of the features has a Spanish-language version at 1 p.m. on weekends, for those who hate America).

Church Gives State the Noogie

The Ohio Senate passed a bill to limit stem cell research on Tuesday. According to the Post article, legislators "struggled with the scientific implications" but passed it anyway.

The bill puts the same guidelines on state funding that Bush put on federal funding: funds are only given for research on already stem cell lines that existed before 2001. The bill also bans therapeutic cloning (a bit like banning home plate from baseball).

Stem cell research is opposed by right-wing religious groups (as is most scientific progress). Is the Ohio legislature caving in to the religious right on this bill? How can it be in Ohio's long-term interest to market itself as a state that not only welcomes ignorance, but legislates with it?

Sadly, these questions will be answered soon when the bill goes to the House, which "is considering its own stricter version of the bill that bans cloning altogether and calls for fines and prison terms for violations." [The Post]

Learn about cloning from this brief article, this longer article, or this other longer article with pictures.
For an overview written by scientists for scientists, go here.

Mallory's Successor in Senate is Chosen

The Ohio Democratic Party selected local attorney and publisher, Eric Kearney, to replace Mallory at the Statehouse.

The Democratic Party gives the following bio on Kearney:

Eric Kearney is the current CEO/President of Sesh Communications. He founded and built the group which has become one of the largest African American-owned publishing companies in the area. Sesh Communications' list of publications includes The Cincinnati Herald, The Dayton Defender and Our Week. Additionally, Kearney has been a partner in the Cincinnati law firm, Cohen, Todd, Kit & Stanford, LLC. He is also a current special master/trustee in the Fernald II Workers Settlement fund which oversees the processing of more than 3,000 workers' claims and awards.

Kearney is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

But will he run for re-election once his term is up? If so, what are his chances against Yates (certain to run), Barrett (likely), Pepper (possibly), and Reece (please don't)?

Metro Gov Working In Louisville? Saturday

Learning from Louisville: A Successful City/County Merger
Featuring: Joan Riehm, Deputy Mayor, Louisville/Jefferson County Government
When: Citizens for Civic Renewal Annual Meeting
Saturday, November 19th from 10 a.m. to noon
Where: Rookwood Tower (5th floor) 3805 Edwards Road CCR's commitment to the Cincinnati Metropatterns. action agenda continues at the CCR Annual Meeting. This year the meeting will feature Joan Riehm, Deputy Mayor of the newly consolidated Louisville/Jefferson County government. Learning from Louisville will help us move forward on CCR.s governance reform strategies of encouraging more voluntary cooperation among local governments and expanding regional governance. Recent legislation from the Ohio General Assembly aims to promote more cooperation between local jurisdictions. Consolidation of city and county governments was the answer in Louisville. Come participate in this important discussion.

Please RSVP to Steve Johns at 513-458-6736 or ccrcinn@juno.com.
Co-Sponsored by the Cincinnatus Association

Local Newspaper Blows Schmidt a Kiss

The Western Star (Warren County) has a nice butt-kissing profile of Jean Schmidt, the uninspiring and unintelligent Congresswoman for district 2.

Tri-State's Top 100 Private Companies

Deloitte & Touche ("Toilet & Douche" if you work for KPMG) has compiled its annual list of the top 100 privately-owned firms in the tri-state region.

The recipients will get off on their bad selves at a special dinner at Music Hall tomorrow. One lucky winner will receive the first Carl H. Lindner Award for Entrepreneurial & Civic Spirit which "not only celebrates Mr. Lindner’s remarkable business accomplishments and contributions to our region, but also provides a platform to recognize and inspire others to follow in his footsteps.”

Yes, let's inspire more corporate takeover of government and politics; more politicians for sale; more one-party rule; more one-party corruption. Sure, that's a great idea.

The Post Redefines "Local News", vol. 2

Headlines from Monday's Local News in Brief:

Deputy hurt, hit by vehicle
Fleeing driver killed
Man shot to death
Injured boy is critical
Chow attacks boy, 6

Kudos to the Post for skipping dumb, old, boring stories about the city, its neighborhoods and communities in favor of much cooler car crashes, shootings, fires, and attacks.

If anyone from the Post is reading, how about ONE good neighborhood story instead of a transcript of the police and fire scanners?

For the Discriminating Star Wars Fan

Still trying to get over the disappointment of Episodes I-III? Then check out AtomFilm's 2006 Star Wars Fan Film Awards.

Bengals Fans Should Beware of Ticket Scams

Don't let counterfeit ticket sellers ruin your enjoyment of good football!

Bill Frist No Saner Than Bush, Cheney

A brief recap:

Cheney wants Congress to allow the CIA to use torture;
Bush says the U.S. doesn't torture;
Informations is leaked to the press about CIA torture prisons in eastern Europe;
Frist says the real problem is the leak, not the torture;
Republicans agree that this leak, which hurts their credibility, is much worse than the Plame leak, which only hurt national security.

But can it be... a modicum of method rising up from the madness?

Make a 5-min Video, Get $3,000

But you have to be a university student. The contest, sponsored by The Christophers ("It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness"), is for a video on the theme of "one person can make a difference."

The three top prizes are $3,000, $2,000, and $1,000. Not a bad reward for 5 minutes of video. Contest details here.

Campus Crusaders for Ignorance

A bit of lighthearted gay-bashing took place at NKU over the fall break.

But at Ohio Wesleyan they don't have time to bash gays; they've still got their hands full with the blacks.

Nothing to be concerned about, of course: blatant displays of ignorance go together perfectly with institutions of higher learning. Only an ivory-tower liberal elitist would think otherwise.

Who Will Replace Mallory in the Senate?

The Enquirer and FOX19 News are reporting that 4 people are interested: Steve Driehaus, Tyrone Yates, Catherine Barrett, and Alicia Reece.

3 of the 4 are currently serving in the Statehouse; Reece was recently handed a humiliating defeat by Cincinnati voters, including in her own neighborhood of Bond Hill. Nevertheless, the scandal-plagued self-appointed spokesperson of black America seems to have no shortage of ego.

Ohio Voters Reject Wal-Mart

Voters in Lorain convincingly rejected a zoning change to allow construction of a new Wal-Mart.

Not everyone feels that way, though. The trustees in Bazetta Township are saying "yes" to Wal-Mart.

Will Sinnard, Wulsin Run Again in District 2?

In her latest column, Ann Driscoll writes: "Paul Hackett's primary opponents in the special congressional election, Dr. Victoria Wulsin and Jeff Sinnard were there [at a foreign policy forum] and they are both planning on running for Congress in District 2."

Local blogger WestEnder asked Jeff Sinnard for confirmation, to which he responded:

I can't speak for Dr. Wulsin, but I think it would be more accurate to say. "...they are both considering running for Congress in District 2."

and then he added this provocative afterthought:

I have thought about running in District 1. I grew up in the district and most of my family still lives there.

Sinnard's campaign website is still operational, but Wulsin's is not.

Follow the Money: Ohio First's Ties to Corruption

Daily Kos reports that the anti-RON group Ohio First has ties to the quid pro quo corruption scandals in Ohio government. It shouldn't come as a surprise then, to know that the average contribution to Ohio First is 24 times that to RON.

Corrupt Republicans and the lobbyists than love them too much... tomorrow on Oprah.

EPA Has Latest Mileage Data for Car Buyers

Thinking about buying a car? Well, then you’ll certainly want to factor in the EPA’s latest mileage tests as you consider cost of ownership. There is one caveat about EPA mileage figures: although these are the figures posted on car windows (by law), they are NOT considered the most precise figures, especially for city mileage. For a more precise estimate, use the Consumer Reports figures. The difference lies in the testing methodology: the EPA puts the car on a “treadmill” and measures the mileage, whereas Consumer Reports actually drives the car around for a while. The stop-and-go nature of real world driving makes a difference in the mileage figures.


The quick & dirty results of the EPA tests:

Best: Honda Insight, Toyota Prius, Mini Cooper, Pontiac Vibe, and Honda Odyssey

Worst: Dodge Ram 1500, BMW M5, VW Phaeton

And starting in January, hybrids come with tax breaks, too.

If you’re not buying a car but you want to find cheap gas around town, try CincyGasPrices.com.

Neutron Star Discovered Where a Black Hole was Expected

Something about that headline cracks me up. Maybe I'm just tired.

A very massive star collapsed to form a neutron star and not a black hole as anticipated, according to new results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. This discovery shows that nature has a harder time making black holes than previously thought.[SpaceRef.com}

Non-Corporate Grocer Coming to Oakley

The Fresh Market, a family-run chain of small grocery stores that bear resemblance to historic markets for their concentration on fresh produce, meat and fish, is entering the crowded Cincinnati retail market with stores in Oakley and Sycamore Township. Fresh Market, based in Greensboro, N.C., is heavy on behind-counter service -- no meats or fish are prepackaged. The chain of 50 stores also is known as much for what it doesn't carry as for what it does. There will be no baby food, soap products, pet goods or paper products. [Cincinnati Business Courier]

The Post Goes Tabloid with Local News

Headlines from Monday’s “Local News in Brief” section:

Motel evacuated during arrest
Woman found dead
Robbery thwarted

And under the subheading “Crashes:”

2 seriously injured
Three arrested
Four teens killed

Maybe the regular person is on vacation and The Post had to borrow the guy from channel 5.