Carrie Lynn Cooke
Jymi Bolden Carrie Lynn Cooke Rest hasn't come easily to Carrie Lynn Cooke. "This past couple of weeks I Ahaven't been sleeping a whole lot at all," she admits. A full-time art teacher at New Miami High School and a part-time graduate student in art education at Miami University, Cooke has also had to…
Diner: Word-of-Mouth
Finding one restaurant that can please my generally vegetarian tastes and my husband's hearty appetite is a rarity. Luckily, our quest for such a place took us to Blue Ash to a restaurant that satisfied us both: Through the Garden. Don't expect to find Through the Garden in front of a mall or along a…
Cover Story: Making My Own Rules
On some level, growing up I always thought being a man was about obeying the rules and doing what was expected of me. As far as I could tell, it wasn't really about feelings, because none of the men I knew had feelings like I did. I can't really remember the first time I…
Ohio General Assembly Should Be Ashamed of Its Poor Education Record
More than nine years ago, five Ohio school districts challenged the constitutionality of the state's public education system. Their lawsuit wound through the judicial system and landed, with much fanfare, in front of the Ohio Supreme Court. The state's highest court determined that Ohio's leaders had, instead of providing effective statewide public schools, handed the…
News: Area smart growth group gets $12K boost
If nothing else, the $12,000 recently granted to a local smart growth group will provide a better-looking package for their summer project. At best, the grant could spark a whole new level of debate about planning in Greater Cincinnati. Formed several months ago, the Smart Growth Coalition of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky is about…
Love is One of the Answers
"I can't figure it out," a friend said to me the other afternoon. "Sometimes it feels serious, other times I think we're winding down." She was referencing her current relationship. The guy she's dating. Been dating. For five months. Which is why her comments completely baffled me. In an effort to clarify, I asked her…
The Curse of the Werewolf
Live with wolves, howl like a wolf. — Proverb Cast your eyes skyward any night this week, and you'll see a progressively larger sliver of moon making its way across an ocean of stars. Each night cold, silent mountain ranges and smooth-floored valley plains will emerge a little further from the shadows. But these and…
Animal Instincts
When it comes to company spokespeople, it appears we actually prefer animals to humans. And the trend isn't only hot now. Since the dawn of advertising, it never really cooled off. Consider this hypothetical: Company X puts out a new line of mustard. Time to advertise. To introduce the product, they create ads that show…
Cover Story: Dad Rock
John and Sean and Julian Lennon Dad: John was behind some '60s band called The Beatles and forged a successful career afterwards with his timeless, soulful Pop magic. Sons: Julian strove for a career mimicking his pop's old band (and David Bowie, for a short period) and had success with his debut album in…
Music: Deviled Hams
Woodrow J. Hinton Rock & Roll is the devil's music — well, at least the good stuff anyway. Just ask Eddie Spaghetti, leader of The Supersuckers. The singer/bassist and the rest of his cohorts — guitarists Dan "Thunder" Bolton and Ron Heathman and drummer Dancing Eagle — have been making evil Rock & Roll…
Cover Story: Dad-less
Family photos appeared normal to me. My mom and I celebrating Christmas. My mom and I in Myrtle Beach. My mom and I at my high school graduation. That was my nuclear family: me and Mom. No brothers. No sisters. And most importantly, no father. Rumor has it I do have a father. Somewhere.…
The Underground Jazz Orchestra Plays for Keeps
It's a shrieking orgy; the aural equivalent to an elephant in heat and rhinos getting laid. And Scott Belck, well, he's Caligula with a trumpet leading the musically orgiastic sonic explorations played by the Underground Jazz Orchestra. It's at turns as intentionally sloppy as a Big Mac from a ghetto McDonald's then, on a…
