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Local black community turning on Smitherman?

Christopher Smitherman is the controversial President of the local chapter of the NAACP. He has always been a somewhat controversial figure, but his recent actions as the President of the NAACP has led several prominent local black activists to openly criticize Smitherman and the NAACP. Smitherman’s outspoken opposition to the proposed streetcar system, Mayor Mallory and relationship with Chris Finney seem to be leading this dissent within the black community that is causing them to break away from Smitherman. What does this mean for the local chapter of the NAACP, Mr. Smitherman and his current prominent stances on issues like the proposed streetcar system?

Smitherman and Chris Finney:

Chris Finney is the attorney for the local chapter of the NAACP and the ultra-conservative group COAST. He has been known for his bold stances against minority groups like GLBT and even the black community. This continuation of the relationship between the NAACP and Chris Finney has led many to question Smitherman’s motives.

Smitherman “scaring” senior citizens:

It gets even worse as one local black activist has alleged that Smitherman is “scaring senior citizens” about the proposed streetcar in order to drum up more support for his personal opposition to the project, and he is doing this all while wearing the suit of the President of the local chapter of the NAACP.

The author of the Black Fist Blog states that Smitherman is, “slithering in and out of area Senior Citizen Facilities/Centers and comparing the building of a proposed Streetcar to “The Great Depression”, and to outright tell to our precious senior citizens that to NOT sign the NAACP Streetcar Petition would be something close to signing on to one of the “Greatest Economic Tragedies” since “The Great Depression” is at the least irresponsible, and at the most could be classified as (mental) elder abuse.”

Not much is clear on any of this aside from one thing – Smitherman is surrounded in a lot of controversy and it appears to be clear that he is in no way truly representing the interests of the black community in Cincinnati. What I truly want to know is what the actual concerns are, from the black community, in regards to the proposed streetcar system. A conversation should be had so that they are engaged and involved in the process to help make this system a success.

In the end this seems to be damaging the reputation and credibility of the local chapter of the NAACP for the sole cause of advancing Christopher Smitherman’s political interests. In a time when the economy is in the pits we really need groups like the NAACP to stand up and fight for the equal rights and standing for the black community…and it seems as though President Smitherman is failing at this.

Keep following these stories at the following:
The Black Fist Blog
Cincinnati Black Blog
The Phony Coney

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News

Last chance to see the ’09 Cincinnati Flower Carpet

If you haven’t yet visited Fountain Square to check out this year’s Flower Carpet then you need to hurry up as it will only be on display until Saturday, April 25th.

Cincinnati’s annual Flower Carpet started taking bloom in 2007 and is similar to the Biennial Floral Carpet in Brussels, Belgium. What happens each year is flowers take the form of a massive art project on Fountain Square and act as a “flower carpet” for several weeks until it is dismantled.

View of last year’s Flower Carpet from Carew Tower

This year’s display will be dismantled on Sunday, April 26th. Starting at 8am the public will be able to go to Fountain Square and take home some of the pansies used in the display for themselves – for free.

In the mean time though you should go and check out the display. A great spot to view it from is the Carew Tower Observation Deck. It’s cheap ($2 for adults, $1 for children), offers unobstructed 360 degree views of Cincinnati and a great aerial view of the Flower Carpet and Fountain Square.

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Business Development News Politics

National Dark Sky Week 2009

Tonight, take a look into the sky. Your view will be very different than that of someone a century ago. You will likely see a lot more light, and a lot fewer stars, than our ancestors would have seen.

An unfortunate side effect of our modern industrial society is light pollution. Unlike the contamination of our air or water, light pollution is one type of contamination people may not think about or take very seriously. But over-illumination causes a variety of issues, such as an annoying nighttime glow, unnecessary energy usage, problems for astronomers, and even human health problems like reduced visual acuity and increased fatigue. Like our air and water, our dark night sky is a natural resource that we must work together to preserve.

Today marks the beginning of National Dark-Sky Week (April 20-26, 2009). This annual event encourages Americans to audit their outdoor light fixtures and reduce their contribution to this problem. To help, you can turn off any unnecessary lights and make sure the rest are aimed toward the ground and are only as bright as necessary. Maybe even consider purchasing a directional shade to prevent your fixtures from spilling light upward.

One emerging technology that may help reduce light pollution is LED lighting. Although LED bulbs last longer and use less energy than incandescent or even CFL bulbs, their highly-directional light is typically seen as a drawback. In the case of outdoor lighting, directionality could be a benefit, as less light leaks up to the sky.

Although it may seem minor in comparison to other pressing issues, it’s easy to make a small step toward reducing light pollution and improving public quality of life. This National Dark-Sky Week, take a moment to think about the simple things you can do to reduce your impact.

Photo courtesy of NASA.

Categories
News Politics Transportation

Metro debuts new hybrid buses

Metro will debut the first 6 of their 15 new hybrid buses on Tuesday, April 21st. The ceremony (10:30am) will take place at the Twin Lakes Overlook in Eden Park where Mayor Mallory, ODOT and others will dedicate the new buses that will then be paraded (11:00am) through Eden Park, past Mirror Lake and into downtown via 5th Street to Fountain Square.

The new hybrid buses will have a “unique go*GREEN hybrid design” that will reduce soot and hydrocarbon emissions by at least 90% and use about 30% less fuel that the typical Metro bus. Additional hybrid buses will be purchased next year with some of the $17.5 million that Metro received from stimulus funds in March.

The 6 new hybrid buses will go into service the next day and will be featured in a lunchtime Earth Day event on Fountain Square before officially being launched into service at 1pm. At the Earth Day event, there will be a fashion show of “environmentally-conscience and bike beautiful” fashions. The models will arrive on the new hybrid buses and will use the Flower Carpet, on Fountain Square, as their runway. Visitors will also be able to check out the new hybrid buses and get more information on Metro during the event.

To learn more about Metro’s new hybrid buses check out this interactive diagram.

Categories
News

Mainstay Rock Bar opens downtown

5chw4r7z has reported that Mainstay Rock Bar is now open at the SW corner of 5th & Plum in downtown Cincinnati.

Mainstay Rock Bar (GoogleMap) has introduced a fresh look and feel to the former Poison Room space. The building is now more open to the street and boasts an interesting decor and features that should keep all of our rock-lovers out there happy.

From the owners:

“MAINSTAY takes a plush sexy lounge with brown leather seating and gives it a strong, edgy rock & roll vibe. You’re not gonna hear hip hop, mash-ups, drum & amp; bass, downtempo, or trancey house music at MAINSTAY. Think more along the lines of classic and modern rock with a twist. Framed photos of rock stars line the walls, and the bar mixes up a tasty list of specialty cocktails. MAINSTAY is a new venue with a tribute to all things rock & roll. Dual DJ booths and a stage fit for a rock star, or a band of them, allows for multiple live entertainment options.”