Whirlygig: 102: Out on the Town
Shop 'Til You Drop I hate those moments when I question my own manliness. I had one of those moments when Jen called me up Saturday to see if I wanted to go with her to the Pottery Barn Outlet store. As soon as she asked me, I felt a little bit more excited than…
Blowjobs can slide down easily
My fiancée is having trouble going down on me. She can usually last five minutes before her jaw starts hurting. It's big; what can I do? When we try, she has me lie down on my back while she kneels between my legs. Is there another position that might work better and not cause her…
That’s Soooo Cincinnati
Ryan Greis Yes, Cincinnati has a subway. It never actually operated, mind you, but it exists: Two miles of winding track and tunnels that snake underneath Central Parkway and wind all the way up to "Liberty Street Station." Descend the stairway and you've entered another world, a subterranean concrete cavern with high ceilings, a passenger…
M.A.F.I.A. Takes Over Miami
Brandon Lea acts up in The Matrix: An Untold Story. The Mafia has always been influential in changing the way things operate and three Miami University communications students are shaking things up with their own M.A.F.I.A., the Miami Association of Filmmakers and Independent Actors. Brandon Lea, Sam Mechling and A. J. Rickert-Epstein are the co-founders…
News: Rare Opportunity
Kimberly Nickoson Dr. Evelyn Obeng-Darko says its in the interest of Over-the-Rhine to open up to The RARE Project. Over-the-Rhine is under observation again, but this time it's not media scrutiny into the politics of race or redevelopment. The Rapid Assessment, Response and Evaluation (RARE) Project — a government-funded program previously conducted in cities such…
Words of Wisdom on Election Night
Matt Borgerding Charterites Christopher Smitherman (left) and Jim Tarbell were all smiles on Election Night. New deadlines dictated that, for the first time in years, CityBeat was unable to run day-after election results in the paper. We still covered Election Day and Election Night and posted interviews and photos on the Web (see citybeat.com and…
Cover Story: The Art of Lying
Geoff Raker and Takashi Seida The Human Stain shows how Hollywood loves the lies. The longstanding lie surrounding Anthony Hopkins unravels the moment he tells you he's not the patrician actor and blue-blood Englishman people believe him to be. "Blue collar, that's all I am," Hopkins says calmly, shattering a rock-solid persona built over years…
Writer’s Block
Charles A. Wiley's To God Be The Glory Typically I skip the chopsticks. My hands, so deft at typing, clumsily mismanage the wooden instruments. VICTORIA ABBOTT RICCARDI astutely handles both the delicate utensils and the jumbled keyboard. UNTANGLING MY CHOPSTICKS: A CULINARY SOJOURN IN KYOTO demonstrates her skills at both. Though the book is peppered…
Roxanne Qualls
Vol. 1 Issue 1 Then: At the time of CityBeat's debut issue, Roxanne Qualls was mayor of Cincinnati and presiding over a messy debate: how to ensure the economic revitalization of Over-the-Rhine. During her tenure, city council gave nearly $600,000 for the Recovery Hotel, a home for reforming alcoholics and drug addicts. Restoc advocates…
The Damage Done, State Consumer ‘Advocate’ Quits
The Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) is on the ropes, battered by a barrage of accusations that the group's leader, Robert Tongren, is less interested in protecting consumers' interests than in helping utility companies boost profits. The General Assembly created the OCC in 1976 to act as the legal representative for the state's residential utility…
Locals Only: : Let The Bastards Get You Down
Heartless Bastards Erika Wennerstrom is a woman of few words, unless she's got a guitar on her shoulder and she's singing. In the liner notes of the band's demo, she writes, "I've wanted to be a songwriter and performer since I was born." This is plain to see when she gets on a stage. I…
Not Wisely but Too Well
It's in your hands. The paper's first issue of its 10th volume is mellow momentum. CityBeat is at an impasse with itself. It's a beautiful curse to be simultaneously this young and this old in this game in this city. We're bound to get much better or worse still. We're bound. I've known my editor,…
