Zipcar a go-go at UC

Zipcar launched their car rental service today at the University of Cincinnati, a membership drive is going on right now outside of McMicken hall on McMicken Commons. Once signed up Zipcars will be available FOR rental this afternoon. Two cars each will be available at McMicken Circle and West Daniels Way. More cars will be added as membership grows.
University of Cincinnati students, staff and faculty receive a discount on memberships.
Zipcar
Members recieve:


  • Access to Zipcars 24/7.

  • Discounted hourly rates for UC faculty, staff, and students age 18 and older: rates start at just $7 per hour.

  • Gas, insurance, and maintenance are included free!

  • Join for only $25 a year, and receive $35 in driving credit your first month.


Members of the community are welcome to join, but won't receive the UC discount. Zipcar is also in negotiations with the city to locate cars downtown. Hopefully that will occur soon.
For more information go to the UC/Zipcar website.

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The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park

The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park

Anchored by a statue of a prototypical firefighter, the park was first dedicated in 1968 and redicated oct 6th 2010. The park at Sixth Street and Central Avenue honors the 82 Cincinnati firemen who died while performing their duties.
Some of the fire departments represented and their shields.
The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park
The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park
The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park
The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park

The original commitee circa 1964 wanted a memorial on Fountain Square, but the city leaders at the time who the fire deptartment labled "firefighter haters" didn't think it an apropriate spot. I don't know what the Square looked like in '68 but the version I saw moving here in '04 wouldn't have been good for it anyhow. I think they did much better having their own space.
The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park
[where: 45202]The Greater Cincinnati Firefighters Memorial Park
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sturm und drang

Beer Sellar

"It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues"
-Abe Lincoln

That's about right, I've always said I can't really trust anyone who is without at least one vice. They always tend to have too much time on their hands and get into everyone else's bizzness.
Besides, how do you even hang out with someone like that, what stories could they possibly have?
Beer Sellar
Beer Sellar
Beer Sellar
Beer Sellar

"A wisely chosen cigar to me, is like a weapon against certain of life's torments, in some mysterious way, a little blue smoke chases them away."
-Zino Davidoff

All that and a display of nature like this is a perfect end to a day.
Beer Sellar
[where: 45202]best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Clifton StreetScapes Festival

Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival
Clifton StreetScapes Festival[where: 45202]Clifton StreetScapes Festival Telford Ave cincinnati ohio chalk art Gaslight District the ethos of Cincinnati
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you're so van, I bet you think this truck is about you

How cool was the MPMF Art Midway on 12th? It's amazing that the music festival has grown big enough to spin off side shows having little or nothing to do with music. The Know Theatre wrote a play that took place in a box truck. Higher Level Art graffiti'd up a truck. Galaxy Skate Shop and Anonymous Skateboards hosted a skateboard art show and built ramps on their truck.

MPMF
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
Mid Point Music fest
[where: 45202]best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Super Heros downtown

Super Heros

Here is the scoop on what these Super heroes are all about.
They are located on rooftops nearby is an oversized poster. A QR code take you to the location game platform SCVNGR where there are challenges at a variety of music and arts venues.
Completing a challenge will unlock a MidPoint reward like a free music download. Completing these challenges will generate user content; photos, text and social media, which will be integrated into the actual Radius film. The film will also feature a soundtrack with music from Midpoint bands, bringing the MidPoint story full circle. The posters encourage everyone to "Find Yourself in the Film."
Kind of late with this info, but that what was up if you didn't know.
Super Heros
Super Heros
[where: 45202]best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Sid Saturday

P1190749

Chris Seelbach campaigning for the crucial Sid endorsement.
[where: 45202]best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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Bombshells on the Parkway

Knitting, the stuff of grandma's everywhere.
When you think of knitting you think of quiet evenings by the fire, maybe a cat near by.
That's what you might think of knitting unless you were downtown Wednesday night on Central Parkway when the Bombshells blew your mind clear out of your head, knitted it up and plopped it back in your skull.
Art? Not Art? WFT?
You're not alone, it may be your weft to my warp but at the end of the day it's streetart.
And streetart is as much about, or even more about the process than the final product, people who don't get it probably don't get that.

Bombshells Yarn

A few words with Pinky Shears, since I knew they started planning this in March. Yes, MARCH!
What possessed you to go out and bomb Central Ave?
We loved the idea of Central Parkway being in the "center" of downtown.
Did you know it is a city park? There is so much going on in the arts in that area. We wanted to create a magical oasis that is seen often,but under celebrated.
It also allowed so many artists, crafters, DIYers in our posse to have their own piece of art with in the entire installation.

Did you acquire blue prints for central Parkway or did one of you go out and survey the entire place?
The Internet is a wonderful thing. Big Foot and I used Google Earth, and the Park web site. as well as numerous images on the web.
Then Babzy, Rasta Man and I went out on a recon mission to measure every tree, planter, light post and doogy do-do pole. Then the measurements we sent out. Many BombShells went out after and measure later, due to the trees growing a bit.

Do you know how many hours were invested knitting everything?
WOW, great question. The BombShells meet and we gave each other lessons on different types of fiber arts techniques. We had numerous meeting with the Park Board, Artworks and Metro. Before we got to the making. Then each BombShells invited old friends, new friends and family to be on their team as Sidekicks.This is even before the art making began.
There are hundreds and hundreds of hour in the making and creating. Hundreds per teams, per Sidekicks, per BombShells. I think we should come up with a number of yards of yarns and hours of making. Boo Radley and I use Law and Order episodes to gage our time. There is always a station that seem to have reruns on. And the beauty of knitting, crochet is that you can do it at home, with your family and friends and relax as you create.

How many people were involved?
There are 18 Bombshells, our amazing blogger May Hem, our video/photo documentation guys, Orson Wells and Hitchcock. Over 100 INCREDIBLE Sidekicks. We did workshops at the CAC and CAM and numerous participants helped my pom poms for the bus.
Wow, is like a million sound good?

Did you have sponsorship?
The BombShells are completely artist driven. This is the first time an artist has approached ArtWorks with an idea and Tamara Harkvay of Artworks faciliated the process of finding amazing funders. Artworks has been incredible in helping us make this a reality. So much of the supplies were donated, which was great too. The Bombshells and our Sidekicks did this art installtion for the love of creating art and creating community. None of us were paid to create this fete de arte! Additionally, the Cincinnati Parks and Metro partnered with us, the Cincinnati Reds too! The Art Academy of Cincinnati photography students are creating a photo documentary of our process as a class assignment. Lead by the iconic photographer Emily Hanako Momahra, each student was paired with a BombShell, and followed us around to document the goings on. There will be a show next Friday night in the ArtWorks Project Space.
There is a full list on the Artworks website too.
This sound so sugar coated sweetie pie, but I don't know of anywhere that an artist can have a idea and a city can come together to make it happen.
Along with over 100 pretty darn committed artist and craftspersons.

Bombshells Yarn

I get an email late last week, don't tell anyone, the Bombshell yarn bombers are going to be out Wednesday.
Sweet!
Except when I get there, there are as many people with cameras as there are yarn bombers. With that many people involved there's no way that secret was going to be kept.
The interview with Pinky explains all the photographers.
Twitpics were flying fast and furious on twitter, it was almost Hudson River proportions in the twitterverse.
Bombshells Yarn

Remeber those 3D postcards you'd buy out west on vacation? Yeah, its kinda like that.
Bombshells Yarn
Bombshells Yarn
Bombshells Yarn

How cool is it that the Metro has a sense of humor and loaned the Bombshells a bus?
Bombshells
Bombshells
Bombshells
Bombshells Yarn

Alice dropping down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.
Bombshells Yarn
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8 purl stitches

Brent Spence Bridge #billiondollarboondoggle and highway sprawl uber alles!

Parker Flats view Jan 16 2010

Been thinking about this because I blew twitter up two weeks ago calling plans to rebuild the Brent Spence Bridge a boondoggle. Its amazing to how upset everyone gets over this bridge, instead of asking more hard questions, everyone wants to fast track the project and ask less questions, or none if possible.
In a time when the DOT gets 330 billion a year from the government but the gas sales tax generates only 230 billion a year how long can fiscal conservatives justify spending money they don't have?
Did you hear any of John Boehner's remarks at Economic Club of Washington in response to President Obama’s American Jobs Act?
Interesting highlights,

  • The president's proposals are a poor substitute for the pro-growth policies...
  • They've[private sector] been hurt by a government that offers short-term gimmicks rather than fundamental reforms
  • the current tax code, ...discourages investment and rewards special interests
  • They've[private sector] been antagonized by a government that favors bureaucrats over market-based solutions

Between Boehner and Kasich going on about running government more like a business I had this thought.
Consider, there is no STRUCTURAL reason to replace the BSB. It is structurally stable. The main reason for replacement that I have heard is that it is "FUNCTIONALLY OBSOLETE".
I can't think of a business that gives anything away for free so it only makes sense that the issue of the bridge exceeding capacity is a excellent business opportunity and I have the perfect solution, a toll with congestion pricing.
This is how it will work, $1 a vehicle until the functional limit of 85,000 cars draws close, then the toll will start increasing to encourage people to take one of the other 5 bridges in the area. Once 85,000 vehicles have crossed the bridge the toll will go to $10 a vehicle, this will accomplish two things, local traffic, the traffic that makes up over 80% of the traffic on the bridge will find more convenient ways across the river and the traffic that everyone claims "crucial" to US transportation will sail across smoothly.
We’d actually be making the truckers money, think about it, instead of sitting in traffic for hours, they sail right through, that $10 will allow them to spend an hour driving 55 mph instead of sitting in traffic which instead of $17 in lost revenue, will generate a $7 gain.UPDATE(this isn't revenue, I was thinking the truckers hourly rate, if that's even how they get paid which it probably isn't. I think they get paid by mile so even more important they move as quickly as possible.)
In addition to freight haulers this would also save the government 3 billion dollars and provide an easy half million+ a day in revenue.
Isn't that business like?
-- doesn’t get more market based than that.

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PopShop + Vitaminwater fashion show

The pimped out space on the ground floor of the Hanke Building has been knocking out shows all month leading up to MPMF. The fashion show last night, set against the backdrop of the Higher Level Art murals was just the latest. Is this a new standard in Cincinnati, according to Nathan Hurst, it could be. He talked last week in a Cincinnati Profile story about the string of fashions shows happening this fall.
If it is or isn't, the local fashion scene is coming on strong. Last night featured clothing from Northside's Chicken Lays An Egg, Hyde Park's Fetish and OTR's Lindsey Lusignolo.

vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
vitaminwater Uncapped  fashion show
[where: 45202]best place to learn how to live downtown cincinnati ohio the ethos of Cincinnati
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