Chris Smitherman & Cecil Thomas Should Visit Stockholm

Because maybe it would help them come to their sense. At least Thomas. Maybe.

An excerpt from Friday's Enquirer story:

With... a $20 million deficit ahead, members of Cincinnati City Council now are debating whether to honor the King of Pop with a moment of silence.

Councilman Cecil Thomas intends to introduce a resolution at council's next meeting Aug. 5.

"This is something personal, just for myself... I'm a big fan of Michael Jackson. I grew up with Michael Jackson."

Personal? Just for himself? So taxpayer-funded city government should spend time on something that is personal and just for Cecil Thomas while the city contends with a $20m defecit?

What planet is this guy on?

As I opined before, this grotesque politicization of Michael Jackson for personal gain is so utterly pathetic, so gaggingly distasteful that the only reaction I can have is admiration... admiration of the great restraint Cincinnati's reasonable public has showed in this matter.

Chris Smitherman has made a life out of sinking low but it's hard to imagine even him sinking lower than this. It's obvious that neither Smitherman, Thomas nor the NAACP truly have any love for Jackson's music. If they really did, they would honor him the way he is honored by his true fans. Like this, for example:



So what do you think, Mr. Smitherman, Mr. Thomas and members of the NAACP... if Michael Jackson were looking down upon the world now, what do you think HE would rather see, your politicization of his musical legacy for one minute of silence in city council chambers, or his fans half a world away coming together in flash mob celebrations of his music and dance legacy?

Second Sunday on Main

If your wish is laid-back Sunday diversion then consider the Second Sunday on Main festival. Fun people doing fun things in a fun atmosphere. This month's theme is GLOBAL GROOVE, i.e. the place to be for world music fans.

Here are pics from the last SSOM which featured dog contests.

Lillie shows off her painted nails

Kids having fun

Lining up for the "best dressed" contest

STILL having fun

This pug had enough... sat under a van and refused to budge

And you might see these guys riding around on their crazy bikes

Full Deck Continues to Elude Chris Smitherman

Chris Smitherman, always on the prowl for an opportunity to convince his acolytes that they are oppressed victims of a racist city, spoke today on 1230 AM "The Buzz" (which is little more than a forum for blatant racism, ironically enough). His issue? Let's have fun and make it multiple choice:

A) The importance of teaching job skills to inner city youths.
B) The importance of emphasizing education as the key to success for inner city youth.
C) The importance of promoting good role models for inner city youth.
D) The importance of focusing on Leslie Ghiz's opposition to using taxpayer-funded council time to honor Michael Jackson.

Yes, that's right. Chris Smitherman is righteously indignant that Leslie Ghiz thinks it's a stupid idea (my words, not hers) to honor Michael Jackson during a city council meeting. His reason: Cincinnati is 50% black, and-- please take a moment to relish the irony here-- Michael Jackson was also black. Therefore, city council should honor him, because to do otherwise would be a slap in the face to Chris Smitherman's narcissistic megalomania Cincinnati's black citizens.

Smitherman questioned why council would honor Marge Schott (who lived here, worked here and owned our baseball team) and not Michael Jackson (who never lived here, never worked here, never owned any local business and to my knowledge, never had a concert here).

What a fucking idiot. Seriously.

He said the NAACP plans to demand that council honor Michael Jackson. Actually, I'm for this because it backs up my view that the NAACP is totally irrelevant and does nothing for the people it supposedly represents. What better way to illustrate this than to put on a display of unwitting self-caricature that would be the envy of literature's great satirists? Go for it, Smitty!

I'm not a big Ghiz fan but to her credit she has evolved from a Republican robot to someone who actually thinks about issues. I guess having a child can do that. But she is 100% correct about this. There is no reason-- absolutely no reason-- why city council should spend one nanosecond honoring Michael Jackson. Such an action would serve no purpose other than placating Chris Smitherman's insatiable appetite for self-aggrandization.

Michael Jackson has already been honored by the people that matter: his fans and fellow musicians. Smitherman's politicization of Jackson's death to advance his own personal agenda does not honor Jackson's legacy, it fouls it. He should be ashamed.

(An even bigger bite over at the Phoney Coney)

Fuck You

Long-time locals will remember the venerable Movies Repertory (and for that matter, Mullane's Cafe next door), a small downtown theater that ran classic, indy, foreign and other movies no other theater would go out on a limb for.

What other theater would show an animation festival one night and Abel Gance's 1927 4-hr silent epic, Napoleon, the next?

A favorite moment is the film Mondo New York in which a filmmaker spent 24 hours in NYC talking to odd people, looking for strange things, and generally seeking out the fringe of urban sociocultural normalcy. Needless to say, he found plenty.

The film ended with a live song that almost felled me from my chair. For several years I looked for the soundtrack to no avail. Couldn't find the film, either.

Now, thanks to the blessing that is the internet, I have at last found that song.

And so I present to you, with all the gravitas of a six-and-a-half foot outrageous gender-bending homosexual party animal, the best use of the words "Mary Tyler Moore" in American song history...

A Final to Remember?

That's what I'm hoping.

Federer vs. Roddick, it's all set. Everyone is focusing on Federer and his inevitable march into the record books but let me give Roddick some love here.

Roddick is an amazing player... when he has a coach. Without a coach, he's a one-trick pony whose entire game is built on a gigantic serve and forehand. As it turns out, that's usually good enough to beat 90% of the tour 90% of the time.

But when he has a coach his game gets the extra dimension of tactics. Every time he has hired a coach, his game has gone up a level. And every time he gets rid of a coach, his game goes down.

Now, under the tutelage of Larry Stefanki, he just played the match many of us have been waiting for him to play since... well, forever. It was an epic performance. I think most of us thought it would be Murray who would get through to the final. I know I did.

Roddick beat Federer in 2002. It took him SIX years to beat him again. He is 2-18 against the Fed.

Yes, the money is on Federer. Yes, the fans are with Federer. But I, for one, would be thrilled to see Roddick win the Wimbledon title. He would beat the only man who has prevented him from winning Grand Slam finals. It would be a truly memorable achievement in the context of their rivalry and this particular moment in tennis history.

Roddick always plays big and always plays hard. But now he's playing smart. He's gonna bring it, no question. It's never worked before but if he actually pulls this off, I'll give a standing-O in front of my TV. He'll deserve it.

Biagio's Bistro: Best Chicken Salad

I have promulgated my sandwich theory before which is this: a sandwich is a simple concoction and so really the only difference between a good and bad sandwich is quality and freshness of the ingredients.

I don't know what makes the chicken salad sandwich at Biagio's Bistro so good but I like it better than any other. I would ask Biagio but he's out this week. Maybe he uses pastured chickens, maybe he makes his own mayo, maybe it's just the grapes. I don't know, but whatever it is, it works.

The sandwich is pricey at $8 but it does come with a good side (pasta salad, caesar salad or soup) and a basket of bread and butter (yes, the butter is soft). Service is always attentive and friendly and the place has a friendly, relaxed vibe in general.

It would be a serious omission not to mention the desserts. There are many options on display and you will pass them on the way to your table. If you are on a diet I advise that you do not even look at them. Story: the first time I went to Biagio's it was for dinner and when the server came to list the dessert options, we told him to just cut to the chase and tell us what had chocolate and raspberry. To our delight they had FOUR options. I've loved the place ever since.

While I am only writing about the chicken salad sandwich (because lately I've only gone for lunch), I should mention that I've had pasta dinners in the past and they've been great. This place is an under-the-radar gem.

Biagio's Bistro is on Ludlow Ave. across from Arlin's Bar and the IGA. It is closed on Sunday.

The overview.

Pasta salad: tomatoes, black olives, green olives, red onion (yes!), oregano, parmesanesque cheese (but it's good) and olive oil.

Chicken salad with celery and grapes.

I like the window seat.

Thou Shalt Have No Other Gun-Toting Gods Before Me (UPDATED!)

A Louisville pastor is welcoming gun owners into his church's sanctuary Saturday for what he says is a show of support for the right to bear arms.

Ken Pagano is asking visitors to bring their unloaded handguns in a holster at a late afternoon event at New Bethel Church in southwest Louisville.

Pagano says he got the idea after some members at the Pentecostal church expressed concern over the Obama administration's views on gun control. He says the gathering is meant to promote safe gun ownership.

The "Open Carry Celebration" will include a handgun raffle.

It has prompted a coalition of peace and church groups to stage a peaceful, gun-free event across town at the same time on Saturday.

(from)

UPDATED with priceless excerpts from the NYTimes:

“But for a deep-seated belief in God and firearms, this country would not be here today,” Mr. Pagano declared from the church’s pulpit.

Amens rolled forward from the congregation of about 180 people who were celebrating their ability to bear their arms almost anywhere in Kentucky, including in church.

“There’s a time coming when we may need to protect ourselves from bad things in the world,” she said. “We’ve been hearing the rumors about restricting ammunition so that it all expires, so people won’t have the right to protect themselves.”

Her husband noted that there could come a day “when we’ll need to protect ourselves in church.”

Mr. Frank said that he attended because he loved guns and that he had no qualms about taking them into church, although he left his double-barreled shotgun and bolt-action shotgun in the car.

“I don’t see a thing wrong with having a loaded gun in there,” Mr. Hillerich said. “If the pastor’s in there and he’s got a concealed weapon and somebody comes in and starts shooting people, he can take him out. That’s his right.”

He added: “I think everybody should carry a gun.”

Twittersphere on Gov. Sanford

From MediaChannel.org here are some funny tweets about Gov. Sanford:

pourmecoffee: “I don’t think it’s good that a main takeaway of Sanford’s press conference is how really awesome his mistress is.”

Bagyants: “Sanford turned down one stimulus, accepted another. Flip flopper!“

TeresaKopec: “So instead of walking the trail, he was chasing some tail.“

pandagon: “The next Republican to have an affair will have to outdo Sanford. I predict a tryst ON THE MOON.“

GregMitch: “One day after Obama’s “gotcha” press conf we got Sanford’s “gaucho” press conf.”

JayRodriguez: “Oh my God - The Gov. Sanford story was SOOOOOOOO much better than I thought it’d be. I was expecting a pain killer addiction, tops.”

Spinelli666: “At least Sanford proves that not all #gop members hate all foreigners“

waitwait: “Anyone else feel let down when Sanford finally used the pronoun “she” to describe affair partner? me: *raises hand*”

maxsparber: “None of us are in a position to judge Sanford until we too have had sex with a woman in Argentina. Now who is up for a road trip?”

alanpdx: “The reason the #gop is so upset with #sanford is that he outsourced his hookers to a South American country.“

David_in_Austin: “Sanford outsourcing affair. What a slap to the face of American homewreckers”

flywithelphaba: “Ah-ha! Not surprised at missing SC gov’s escapades. Note to Sanford: South America is NOT a good place to hide! Remember Mengele?”

johnmoe: “I was most surprised when Sanford apologized for calling his son Lamont a “dummy” all those years.“


My picks for winner and honorable mention:

bridoc: “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAAAA HA!!! But its teh gayz that will ruin marriage! #sanford“

michaeljhix: “Revelations of Sanford’s South American love fling brings new meaning to S.C. first lady’s comment this week: “He does this sometimes.”

Best of Porn Spams for June 2009

Brazilian freshy and three boys ploughing.

Latin cheerleader and her boss churning butter.

Dark-haired beginner and three chaps unwinding.

Tramp-stamped chavette and her ex doing pump-n-dump.

Yummy lassie and two guys potting pink.

Beer Fail

I was staying at a cabin in Kentucky one time and I went out to get some beer. Went to a couple country stores but they didn't have any beer. The third one also didn't have any but this time I asked the guy at the counter why no one had any beer. "Largest dry county in the United States," he told me.

But he had some Olympia in the back which he sold me for an unreasonable price. I opened one up later that evening. It was so bad that I could barely swallow it. I've had crappy beer, I thought... I should be able to do this. But all I could manage was a few gulps, that's it. It tasted like swamp water marinated with Godzilla's old, sweaty underwear. Absolutely unpalatable.

I believe that disgusting batch of Olympia has met its match with the inexplicable recrudescence of a bad beer hall-of-famer, Burger. When someone who wants to drink beer won't drink a Burger, it means the line between "brewery" and "chemical processing facility" has gotten a bit fuzzier.

Just walk away.