Soon Clifton's Gaslight District will host a place to buy hammers and nails and possibly a venue to hear live Jazz performed nightly. Already considered one of the city's most livable neighborhoods, Ludlow Avenue's versatile, metropolitan vibe continues to evolve.
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The same people who organized the local Tea Party last month are planning a march from Fountain Square to Cincinnati City Hall on Tax Day, April 15, so I think it's reasonable to broach the topic again. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the latest edition of "Angry White Conservative Pop Quiz," the game show where most contestants would rather demagogue than participate.

Just like many daily newspapers across the nation, The Cincinnati Enquirer is having an identity crisis. With increasing numbers of readers choosing to get their information on the Internet and through devices, The Enquirer finds itself struggling to remain a profitable business — and has unveiled a new "social media strategy" to engage those wandering readers.
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Most ultra-conservatives hate Big Government. Until they use it for their own personal benefit, that is. A case in point is local attorney Chris Finney, a conservative activist whos railed against the evils of excessive governmental power and wasteful spending for years.
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Life isn’t fair. That’s one of the reasons humanity, in all of its cultures and variations, has always created a system of justice — to help even the scales and encourage certain behaviors while discouraging others. Sometimes, though, the system is so skewed and distorted by special interests and power that it just doesn’t function properly. Muntazer al-Zaidi, an Iraqi TV news reporter, was sentenced earlier this month to three years in prison for throwing his shoe at then-President Bush during a visit to Baghdad in December.
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In a move that’s raised eyebrows across the political spectrum, the president of the NAACP’s Cincinnati chapter has given a board appointment to an arch-conservative legal activist who has a history of working on anti-gay rights causes.
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Don't be fooled: This fantasy is more 'Sgt. Pepper' than 'Tarzan.' The famed Cirque Productions brings another of its European-style circus shows to town for an almost two-week run at the Aronoff Center starting March 31. This one has a cast of 25 acrobats, contortionists, jugglers and others outfitted as various brightly colored animals, flowers and trees.

For all the recent headlines about tainted toys from China and contaminated peanut butter in snacks, public health hazards caused by everyday items are nothing new. In fact, the U.S. has a long and tragic history involving scares caused by overzealous entrepreneurs making profits at the expense of consumers while politicians turn a blind eye — until outrage builds and action finally is demanded.
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After Punk singer Johnny Rotten left the Sex Pistols, he headed another group called Public Image Limited. Among its hits was the song “Rise,” featuring a verse that included the bellowing refrain “Anger is an energy.” It’s true: Anger can be a great motivator for change. But if that’s all a person or a movement has to rely on, without offering any positive message as a counter-balancing force or goal, they’ll ultimately become bitter and self-destruct.
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It’s a sorry fact that political party leaders in Hamilton County like to undermine voters when it suits their own interests, but now some Cincinnati City Council members are jumping on that bandwagon. People who follow local politics remember the odious deal struck last year between the local Democratic and Republican parties regarding the two separate Hamilton County Commission races.
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