Idolizing choice, affordable red wines
Among my prized possessions is a copy of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, signed by esteemed wine critic, Kevin Zraly. He wrote, "It is easy for me to give you a hundred dollar bottle of wine. The real test is to find a $10 bottle of wine that tastes like a $20 …"…
News: Rescue for the Rescuers
Jymi Bolden Public response to an appeal for help with a broken furnace warmed the hearts of the staff at the Cincinnati Fire Museum. In 24 years, the museum has expanded from a focus on history to include folk art associated with firefighting and educating children about fire hazards. When the primary furnace at the…
Solving the Democrats’ Nader Problem
The biggest news on the campaign trail over the past month was not Sen. John Kerry's near lock on the Democratic presidential nomination — more than a year ago no less an authority than The Washington Post reported, "Chances are, (Kerry has) already won the 2004 Democratic nomination." The fact that electronic voting machines —…
Music: Tout Le Bond
Dale M. Johnson Bond, Michael Bond: Though now living in Chicago, multi-hyphenated musician Michael Bond still has strong ties to the Cincinnati music scene. Michael Bond is a man of many hats. In fact, he might just have invented additional hats for himself to wear somewhere along the way. Along with Tim Heyl and Matt…
News: Conflicting Interests
Jymi Bolden County commissioners Todd Portune (left) and Phil Heimlich (right) voted to sue the Bengals. Commissioner John Dowlin (middle) left the meeting. Everyone has known for a while that Hamilton County taxpayers are getting screwed by the Bengals stadium lease. After voting in 1996 to fully fund the stadium's construction, taxpayers have been repaid…
Grandmother whacks off her pet parakeet
As an avid reader of your column, I thought of you and only you for help with this problem. My grandmother, 78 and widowed, is a kind, generous woman who has seen her share of diffcult times. She's a bit offbeat, but extremely conservative and religious. After my grandfather passed on, she purchased a lively…
The Know Theatre Tribe offers lip service
SCPA student Kayla Richardson is performing in Madison, Wisc. It's National Women's History Month, and the Know Theatre Tribe has found the perfect play to mark the occasion and reach out to diverse audiences: It's the regional premiere of Constance Congdon's LIPS, about the first female President of the United States and her patriotic campaign…
Cover Story: Marching Forward
Tony Bobbitt of the UC Bearcats It's not often you wish to praise the ordinary course of the college basketball season, an outbreak of barely meaningful games until the first of March, when every game is everything. College basketball is a festival that sets up every weekend in March, not a season. Naturally, it's good…
Sherith Israel Synagogue
Then: In 1997, CityBeat reported on a controversy surrounding the site of a former synagogue downtown. The building was deemed "the oldest synagogue west of the Allegheny Mountains," and, though the building itself had long since been gutted, a panel of local folk wanted to keep what was left of it and designate it a…
Film: Cliffhanger
Director Kevin Macdonald followed the footsteps of his mountain climber subects to make Touching the Void. Hell is most definitely a place on earth, and it is very, very cold. Joe Simpson discovered this in 1985 while climbing the west face of Siula Grande in Peru's Andes Mountain range. He and his partner, Simon Yates,…
Downsized Activism
After the efforts to build the new Reds ballpark at Broadway Commons next to Over-the-Rhine came to a crashing defeat on a November 1998 ballot, I still remember the optimistic words of then-Cincinnati Mayor Roxanne Qualls. She predicted that the Broadway Commons decision would be the last gasp of old time cronyism in Cincinnati, the…
Music: Try It, You’ll Like It
Another national story about Cincinnati, another tizzy in the local media. And more evidence that perhaps Cincinnati is its own worst enemy. By now you might have heard about Esquire magazine's special section, "Things a Man Should Know About Music," naming Cincinnati No. 7 on its top 10 "Cities That Rock." The section was previewed…
Cover Story: Reason to Believe
In some Kentucky families, it's been understood for several generations that the Kentucky Wildcats can't win the national college basketball championship every year. For the rest, it's March again — next year has arrived. Kentucky basketball trades in high achievement. As UK has won all the honors already, every new team distinguishes itself by the…
Writer’s Block
Obalaye Macharia is part of the Public Library's Poetry in the Garden series. Pathetic might be the best way to assess CityBeat's ranking in the ANNUAL SCRIPPS SPELLING BEE FOR LITERACY. Fortunately, we have a lot of gumption. After last year's defeat (thanks to a mis-speaking of the spelling), we're determined to embarrass ourselves again.…
Diner: Gaslight Gastronomy
A quick heads-up before we get started. Think of this as less of a restaurant review and more of a public service announcement: People of Cincinnati, if you're looking for a great meal, get thee to Tink's Café in Clifton's Gaslight District, pronto. If you already know Tink's and are familiar with its inventive cuisine,…
News to Use
March Against Empire Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Antiwar supporters are marking the day with protests around the country. The local peace rally and march begin at noon at Fountain Square. For more information, contact the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center at 513-579-8547 or info@ijpc-cincinnati.org. Getting Global "Global: A…
Locals Only: : Spider Man
Theraphosa Anyone who's ever played music will tell you how ridiculous and painstaking the process of properly naming a band can be. Some groups (Led Zeppelin) get a lucky tip from a friend or happen upon a word in the dictionary that no one else has previously opted for. But, more often than not, a…
News: After 41 Shots
Jymi Bolden Kadiatou Diallo says her son, like others killed by police, has been misrepresented. Kadiatou Diallo's son is famous in a way no mother would want. In 1999 the unarmed West African man was gunned down in a barrage of gunfire by four New York City police officers. The story of the death of…
Oh c’mon. Like it’s not all about the basketball this weekend
Here are a few programs to look out for in the upcoming week … WEDNESDAY 9 P.M. Crocodile Hunter Diaries, Animal Planet. "Backstage Bedlam." When "Croc Live" went to air during Croc Week 2003, there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than what made it on camera. Witness the backstage mayhem and…
Limitless Life
Petra den Dulk is a personal, professional and wellness coach helping people create the life of their dreams. She was trained at the Coaches Training Institute in California, has a master's degree in organizational development and has worked with international executives for 10 years. Her motto is "Changing your life is very simple, it's just…
That’s Soooo Cincinnati
Ryan Greis If you find yourself strolling along Yeatman's Cove, you'll encounter a historical marker noting Cincinnati's strong Irish roots and heritage. Yes, Irish, not German. The Irish landed here heavily in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and the city hasn't given up Guinness and corned beef sandwiches since (ask anyone at Jack Quinn's,…
Fat Possum rolls over and plays live
T-Model Ford The Fat Possum Mississippi Juke Joint Caravan Thursday · Southgate House For some people, the Blues is an appetizer that they consume with a beer or two (preferably something light), nothing too taxing or distracting, maybe little more than some lame band's umpteenth lame version of "Sweet Home Chicago." For others, the Blues…
