Finishing Touches
Four years and counting: The residents of Rockford Woods are "cautiously optimistic" about the city's latest proposal to finish developing their 2001 CiTiRAMA neighborhood. Matt Appenzeller, a resident speaking on behalf of the 16 homeowners, says Mayor Mark Mallory has brought about a dramatic change in the city's approach to solving the neighborhood's problems (see…
Film: Bang, Pow, Hmmm
Hugo Weaving plays the villianous V, a mask-wearing, bomb-wielding terrorist in director James McTeigue's V for Vendetta. The comic world is one of superhuman powers, nonstop battles and earth-shaking explosions. But the futuristic thriller V for Vendetta is something altogether different. The differences that distinguish comics featuring costumed heroes from graphic novels, especially those…
Sports: Everyone Into the Pool!
It can be a little daunting. A sheet of paper with 32 teams on two sides placed into brackets that whittle their way down to one center spot for the NCAA men's basketball champion. All across America right now, people in offices, schools and knitting circles are filling in their brackets. But how in the…
News to Use
Veteran Speaks Out Against the War Harvey Tharp, a local member of Iraq Veterans Against the War (http://www.ivaw.net/) speaks at 11 a.m. March 25 about his experiences in Iraq, in the military and with recruiters. The program is at Peaslee Neighborhood Center in Over-the-Rhine. Tharp is participating in the March 14-19 march from Mobile, Ala.…
CHARLES FISHMAN — THE WAL-MART EFFECT
CHARLES FISHMAN — THE WAL-MART EFFECT Whether you love Wal-Mart or hate it, there is little doubt that the giant retail box has had an enormous impact on the American and, to some extent, the global economy. Charles Fishman's The Wal-Mart Effect documents this impact, from Wal-Mart's humble beginnings in Rogers, Ark., in 1962…
Diner: Uncommon Italian
One of my favorite food fantasies involves a movie theater, a thunderstorm and a plate of steaming pasta. The camera zooms in on our happy couple as they trip out of a matinee. The clouds break open overhead, so they lock arms and duck into a tiny storefront for cover. Enter Biagio's Bistro. Alright, maybe…
Television and Radio: Guilty!
Ex-Judge Catherine Crier talks with guests like actor Tom Selleck about cases under scrutiny on Court TV If you're one of the millions of Americans who can't get enough prime-time television programming about procedural justice, there are several permutations of the wildly successful Law & Order. If that's not enough, you'll also find Crossing…
Black Oil On Tap
I drank a tall glass of Guinness a few weeks ago, and couldn't help but notice that it looked like crude oil's twin brother. I knew such a likeness would eventually find its way into song, and it has. My original idea for this song sprang from a simple question: what would happen if an…
Living Out Loud: : A Conversation with an Honest Man
Sara Beiting "When people confuse me with some of my characters and ask if I'm really like that, all I can say is I hope not." —Larry Gross Last November, Larry Gross published a slender volume of dark diamonds entitled Signed, Sealed and Delivered. The short stories were described by one reviewer as a "late-night…
Cover Story: David Singleton and the Ohio Justice and Policy Center advocate justice for all
Matt Borgerding Deborah Ranker, an OJPC non-attorney advocate, advises Gregory Bell at OJPC's Tuesday legal clinic at Our Daily Bread. The mural in the children's playroom of Our Daily Bread on Race Street in Over-the-Rhine lies to the walk-in clients of the legal clinic hosted by the Ohio Justice and Policy Center (OJPC). "You're…
Northside Artists Need Space
The CD player skips with every thunderclap at the Sidewinder Coffeehouse in Northside. An afternoon rainstorm of monsoon quality is raging, but the Hamilton Avenue sidewalks are still full with passers-by, mostly young adults scurrying to get inside the strip's various restaurants and stores without getting completely soaked. A cloudburst is one of many good…
UC Hoops Down the Toilet
I hope you do a follow-up story on how sad it is that UC didn't make the NCAA Tournament ("Hicks and Kennedy Brought Order to UC's Tumultuous Season," issue of March 8-14). And don't forget how the new "president" and "athletic director" didn't make one public comment about being left out or how the AD…
Film: Nonsense and Nonsensibility
Rob Brydon (left) and Steve Coogan are rival actors in Tristram Shandy. TORONTO — Somewhere, cameras should be rolling. During one of those moments when seemingly every Toronto Film Festival actor and filmmaker are squeezed into the International Continental Hotel's paneled bar and adjacent courtyard restaurant, actors Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon grab two…
CINCINNATI SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
Rich Sofranko Josh Neth will be back for a second summer of The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) in July. It's that time of year when Cincinnati's theaters start doing the season announcement dance. I'm glad to share information with you, but I avoid the big splash that the daily papers seem to…
News: Buying Outside the Big Box
Natalie Hager Bookstore owner John Hutton hopes he can continue to draw customers. If the terms "sprawl" and "big box retail" seem to rankle residents of Cincinnati's quirky Oakley neighborhood, a short drive up Madison Road might explain why. The old Oakley Square oozes cozy urban living, from the historic 20th Century Theater to…
Upcoming Concert Reviews of Watermelon Slim, The Kyle Sowashes and More…
Watermelon Slim Watermelon Slim & The Workers Thursday · The Loft (above Tickets Sports Cafe) Watermelon Slim's excellent harmonica and slide work perfectly recapture the classic Muddy Waters/Little Walter electric Blues sound of the '50s. Testament to decades of hard livin' on the wrong side of the tracks, Slim's raspy, raw nasal yelp is…
A More-Than-Fair Debut
Local guitarist Mike Fair unveils his new band, Mike Fair and the Adventure Seekers, on Sunday at Arnold's Bar & Grill. The coming out party will also feature an appearance from one of Fair's other bands (Wojo), as well as the Beau Alquizola Band. The show is free and kicks off at 7 p.m. Fair…
Remembering Kindred’s Spirit
I read about the death of Octavia Butler online. A brief headline announcement linked me to a longer acknowledgment of her life and contributions as one of science fiction's maverick writers, this black woman among the techno-babbling boys and their speculative toys. To label her a maverick, my term, assigns a degree of attention that…
Locals Only: : “Escape” Artists
KRINJ KRINJ The details are a little sketchy, but what's clear is that Brandon Migliorisi and Ben Franks were only 13 when they flipped open the dictionary to pick a name for their new band. Now, what are the odds of landing "cringe" (phonetically pronounced krinj) on their first try? My guess is that…
The Paralympics Deserve Equal Time
If you were jonesing for the thrill derived from daily highlights of the International Olympic Games, you don't need to wait for Beijing 2008 for another fix. The world's second largest gathering of world class athletes, the International Paralympic Games, held opening ceremonies March 10 and the games, held in Torino, Italy in the same…
News: Building a Green Future
KZF Design The new Recreation Center at the University of Cincinnati incorporates several elements of green building, a comprehensive approach to matching environmental and fiscal responsibility. UC's green building approach is leading the way for a philosophy now being studied by local government. Collecting rainwater in a barrel was an old-fashioned version of water…
NCAA Tourney Selection Process Is the Real March Madness
Jerry Dowling Two years ago, the Xavier Musketeers taught us that all our most deflationary suspicions about college basketball are true — the season matters only for the last six weeks and any team that doesn't entirely ruin its life by then can always put it together and make sweet memories. Only in the…
Oppressing Immigrants and Pot Heads
Andrew Houston Leo Achondo, national director of Justice for Immigrants, addresses the Cincinnati rally. Often portrayed as a menace, undocumented immigrants are, in fact, one of the most vulnerable parts of American society, often working low-paying jobs and fearing deportation at every turn. Last weekend the Archdiocese of Cincinnati called on Catholics to welcome…
Music: The Rocky Horror Music Show
Octavio Arazala How's our hair?: HorrorPops like to keep it simple. Danish guitarist Kim Nekroman is used to extremes, but the East Coast-to-South routing of the latest HorrorPops tour has subjected the band to the full range of the American climate. "We're sitting here in the hot, hot Texas weather," says Nekroman from the…
