The Nati

Allowing something like this to be printed in the newspaper and distributed to tens of thousands of people is irresponsible. Even if it is printed under the title 'editorial' there is still some limit to what should be promoted.

The piece, written by Theodore Bering of Anderson Township, has no basis in fact, and even less basis in reality. To even propose that instead of continued work on the banks deal, that they land on the riverfront (quite possibly some of the most prime real estate in any major city in the United States) should be used to build a jail is irrational.

But what pisses me off the most is this statement, "businesses still located in the downtown area are mainly unused, some have closed and others lacking customer support or parking will eventually fail and close because of uncontrolled street gangs, thugs, panhandling, etc."

I am with the next guy that says some areas such as OTR, West End, Avondale and others have some crime issues that must be addressed and that a jail is important. However, indicating that the downtown area has problems with 'uncontrolled street gangs' is ignorant. Flat out ignorant. It is very obviously a comment from a man who has not stepped inside of the downtown in years. Or is simply a flat out lie... one of the two. I spend every day and many weekday/weekend nights in downtown for work and for fun. I can tell you i've yet to see the gangs he speaks of.

Stop the lies and the propaganda. Quit printing filth like this, Enquirer! It's not true, and you know it's not. If you can't edit the editorials, then don't print them!

Downtown is not struggling... I was downtown at 9 PM on a Wednesday night last night, and you couldn't get a seat at Rock Bottom... obviously this isn't the sign of a struggling business... just wait until all the rest of the tenants in 5th/3rd are announced and open by June!

Juan Williams, Senior Correspondent for NPR, was the Freedom Center yesterday. His message was simple, his audience receptive.

This is what he had to say... and does it get any more basic than this:

Williams challenged the black community to take these steps to pull themselves from poverty:
Graduate from high school.
Stay in the job market.
Don't get married before age 20, and don't have children until marriage.

If those 3 steps could be followed, so much would change. Now I am not here to say that there aren't challenges there. Staying in school and graduating should be achievable. Staying in the job market is potentially a harder task, but mostly because step 1 isn't completed.

The final one is pretty simple too. Now, I am not here to say that there aren't reasons why some people end up as single parents. I am also not here to say that it's impossible for a single parent to raise a successful family. What I am here to say (and more accurately, agree with) is that getting established, maturing, getting married later and THEN having children, is a great reciepe for success.

Now take his three steps to success and compare them to what is actually happening in the black community in the US, from Juan Williams' speech:

"Fifty percent of African-American children are dropping out of high schools"
"The number of blacks in poverty is more than double the national average."
"Seventy percent of black children are born to single mothers today".

If you believe in the path to success laid out by Juan Williams, then a comparison to reality crystalizes the issues faced by the black community today... now the real question.... How do you reverse this trend and create a path to success?

More here in the Enquirer article

It's just a rough draft, but everyone should take note of the calendar of events that has quietly been posted to the Fountain Square website.

It's chock full of 'stuff'. When I say full... I mean full! Starting in early May and lasting through late September there are literally one or more events planned every day. That's impressive. 3CDC and Fountain Square Mgmt are living up to their end of the bargain to make FS lively and active... now if 5th/3rd could get off their rump and get some damn tenants signed!

My favorite new event.. this looks awesome... the Flower Carpet (Apr. 14-29). It's in the tradition of public flower carpets in Europe. Check out this site for an example.



Here's a preview of some of the other 'stuff':

- Partner Events - Bock Fest Kick-off (Mar. 1), Mini-Heart Marathon Events (Mar 25), Reds Opening Day (Apr.2), Bridge Climb Kick-Off (Apr. 13), Flying Pig Events (May 1-4),
- Celebrations - Fountain Day - New event to celebrate turning the fountain back on (Mar. 19th), KY Derby Party by Give Back Cincinnati (May 5)
- Games - XBOX Challenge (May 24-25), Spelling Bee (May 30),
- Events - Fountain Square Market (Tuesdays starting May 29), Movie Night (Saturdays starting Jun 2),
- Sports - Mondays starting Jun 4th - Dodgeball, Human Foosball, Four Square, Badminton, Volleyball, Sumo Wrestling
- Music - Fridays starting May 25th - Live Music every friday evening, Thursdays at lunch acoustic thursdays.

Okay... you get the idea... check out the rest online. - All dates subject to change.

Dear Marvin Lewis,

When is it time to say enough? As a season ticket holder, I understand the drive to win as much as the guys sitting next to me in the stands. We remember the Bungles and the empty stands. I don't want to go back to that, not ever!

When I used to tell people that I was a Bengals fan they would laugh, or get a confused look on their face. "Really?" they would ask. That was embarassing. You arrived and things changed. We began to win games, and then Carson arrived to lead us to the playoffs last year. It was glorious, once again I could wear my bengals gear in public, even purposely packing it for vacations to deliver my pride across the country.... "I am a Bengals fan!" However, it's just as embarrassing (maybe more) now. I know what the 'company line' is going to be. We don't comment on on-going investigations. Or maybe the ever present, "I can't babysit them 24 hours a day".

I am tired of those excuses. I am now laying the blame on you. You are hear to coach a football team, but you're also here as a representative of our community. When the first, the third or even the eigth different person gets arrested, perhaps you can say 'boys will be boys'. At some point though, it comes down to leadership. Maybe it's the type of players you and your staff are selecting (with talent being the only criteria). Maybe it's being too loose in the punishment handed down. I don't know, but I call on you to fix it.

Sure we're winning again, but I don't want to go out in public with a grocery bag over my face whenever I have Bengals gear on. Please fix it!

Joe Hansbauer