In mid-June, the Cincinnati Planning Commission approved a change in the city's zoning code that, on the surface, seemed to trigger a looming reduction in the number of existing downtown parking spaces. Actually, the revision is meant to be prospective, not retroactive, in its intent, reducing by half the current requirement that development projects include two parking spaces for each residential unit added.  

Eyeing its goal of joining "more progressive" cities with an active bicycling culture, Cincinnati has released an initial blueprint for its Bicycle Master Plan, a network of hundreds of miles of bike routes (from dedicated bike lanes to "sharrows") that could soon have more residents leaving their cars at home and pedaling to work.  

It might take a lesson in understanding games of logic to understand all the various aspects surrounding Issue 9. Here's how it begins: There is an issue on the ballot this November called Issue 9. One side that's interested in the topic says it's about stopping wasteful spending; the other side insists it's about saving Cincinnati jobs.  

It's easy to get lost in the ideological gamesmanship of Michael Moore's tactics. But here he challenges audiences on both sides of the issue by allowing us to see the personal and philosophical toll. Not just in the stories of families being thrown out of their homes or even the galvanizing efforts of Chicago union workers to fight for back pay after their company closed, but for Moore himself. This is a love story, and America couldn't ask for a more affectionate and steadfast lover. Grade: A.  

TORONTO — The worldwide economic recession and the general retrenching (or, in some cases, evaporation) of movie studios and distributors has clearly impacted the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Word is that nearly half of the festival's 300-plus films are still looking for distributors. A quick glance at the lineup also reveals far fewer buzz-inducing offerings over the festival's all-important first weekend, but there's more to Toronto than buzz. The festival is perpetually rife with under-the-radar gems from across the globe, and this year looks to be no exception.  

When it comes to public art, I appreciate programs like ArtWorks' ongoing MuralWorks project (and the jobs it creates), but what I really respond to is "ghost art." That public art or architecture which seems almost accidental: residue or remnants of something once present and now gone or something mysteriously placed in the public domain for no discernible intent.