Porkopolis

Radical Body Language

How we look, how we perceive how we look and how others perceive our physical form (as opposed to who we truly are) hardly seem to be dinner conversation material, but how abut a play? The True Body Project is giving it a shot with Body Language: A Radical Truth, a play in the upcoming Cincy Fringe Festival.

According to the Festival web site, the play was created as a collaborative work with “Cincinnati-area teen girls and women” who participated in a three-month research process. Discussions focused on “the complexities of how we experience our bodies and the secrets we might keep related to these experiences.”

Healthy attitudes and perspectives about being female is what the True Body Project is all about. Headed up by Stacy Sims in response to the Pulse Study data (see "The Pulse Is Just the Start," issue of Aug. 9, 2006) and emphasizing the need to “grow strong girls,” the project “proposes to empower girls to identify and stay in their true bodies and maintain and grow their authentic voices.” (See the 2005 CityBeat cover story on True Body Project, "True Body and the Write Stuff.")

GASPing for Openness in Government

In what probably will be one of his last major initiatives while in office, Hamilton County Commissioner Pat DeWine unveiled a proposal today to create a detailed database on the Internet so residents can monitor and track all county spending.

DeWine dubbed the proposal the Government Accountability in Spending Program — or GASP. If approved by the county commission, the Web site would list all county expenditures in an easily searchable database including purchase orders, vouchers, grants, contracts and sub-contracts.

Dann's Out, Edwards Is In and Other News

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann announced his resignation late yesterday, standing next to the state's Scolding Preacher in Chief Ted Strickland. His office scandal will still be fully investigated, but Strickland will choose his replacement and move on. Interestingly, the post will now be up for election in November in order to fulfill the final two years of Dann's term. Three Cincinnatians have been mentioned as possible replacements: ex-Mayor Charlie Luken, UC law professor Sharon Zealey and Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune.

Former presidential hopeful John Edwards finally threw his support to Sen. Barack Obama, appearing last night at a rally with Obama in Michigan. Even though the announcement comes when Obama is clearly the nominee, the feeling is that Edwards can help him appeal to the blue-collar and rural voters Sen. Hillary Clinton is picking up in states like West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. So can Clinton when she drops out of the race.

The Democrats won their third straight special Congressional election Tuesday, winning the 1st District in Mississippi where President Bush beat John Kerry by 25 points in 2004. The Republican Party, headed by House Minority Leader John Boehner of West Chester, is scared shitless about being routed in November.

O.J. Mayo continues to deny he accepted gifts and cash while playing basketball at North College Hill High School and later at USC. NCH won't have to give back its two Ohio state championships won with Mayo. The NCAA says it has new information about the Mayo case and will be investigating. See my CityBeat editorial here and Sports Blog post here for more background.

— John Fox

Gas: It's Only Going to Get Worse

This week's issue of CityBeat examines Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's interest in building an electric-powered streetcar system there and how he proposes to pay for it. Cincinnati and Columbus are just two in a growing number of cities nationwide seriously looking at transportation alternatives in light of skyrocketing gasoline prices.

For people who listen to pundits on TV and radio talk shows discuss the fuel crisis, they might notice the frequent mention of the term "peak oil." The phrase typically is uttered in a context that implies it means the moment when oil supplies are beginning to run out, but that's not the case.

First Woman President (at UC)

Recalling a recent presentation she made, Nancy Zimpher, University of Cincinnati president, says the student shadowing her for the day asked her an unexpected question. (See my interview with Zimpher, "Striving to Improve Children's Lives," here.)

“They introduced me as the first woman president of the university,” Zimpher says. “And he said, ‘Don’t you get tired of that?’ The question stopped me dead in my tracks because nobody had ever asked me that question. And I ended up saying, ‘When it doesn’t need to be said any more, it won’t be. But we’re not there yet.’ ”

An active participant in the Pulse study ("A Study on the Status of Women and Girls in Greater Cincinnati"), Zimpher co-chaired the steering committee and says Pulse was essential research that continues to have an impact on the region. It’s information that she uses regularly. (See "The Pulse Is Just the Start," issue of Aug. 9, 2006.)

“I do use the Pulse data a lot,” she says. “I fall back on that a lot and say, ‘We have got a lot of work to do.’ ”

Got Trains?

The Railway Museum of Greater Cincinnati houses a permanent collection of 37 pieces of historic equipment from the seven railroads that formerly served the Queen City. The four-acre Latonia yard is the site for the museum and host of a May 14 Covington After Hours event (5–7 p.m).

Enjoy a complimentary picnic with beverages and tour the trains at 315 W. Southern Ave., Latonia. But wear good walking shoes and be prepared for the weather. The display is outside and visitors must walk across railroad tracks and unpaved ground.

Reservations aren’t necessary, but if you want more information call 859-581-8974.

— Margo Pierce

Who Is Allowed to Hit Your Kid?

Most parents take issue with anyone striking their child. Partly because many of those same people have already figured out that violence is no more an effective deterrent than it is a way to persuade someone to do what you want them to do.

Violence breeds resentment. Violence in any form might change behavior temporarily, but I’ve never heard anyone say, “I wasn’t going to do what he wanted until he hit me. Now it’s clear to me that he’s 100 percent right and I’ll do it his way because it’s the right thing to do.”

And yet corporal punishment is still allowed in Ohio public schools. More than 600 Ohio public school districts ban corporal punishment, according to the ACLU, which also points out that corporal punishment is prohibited by state law in child care, foster care and institutions for children.

Dann's the Man

The drama in Columbus over Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann is fascinating. I wrote my editorial this week about the scandal that's forced four of Dann's closest associates to quit or be fired and caused the state's top Democrats to call for Dann's resignation or face impeachment ... and the story keeps getting better.

A Republican state rep will be announcing today the steps needed to pursue Dann's impeachment, though Gov. Ted Strickland now seems to be backpeddling about the impeachment thing. The state AFL-CIO union has joined the call for Dann's resignation.

Dann's hometown newspaper, The Youngstown Vindicator, has an excellent micro site devoted to the scandal if you want to catch up on the shenanigans.

LULAC in Town in 2011 ... Maybe

Mark your calendars now for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) national conference coming to Cincinnati in 2011 ... if the Queen City is chose to host, that is.

During the 2008 LULAC National Convention a vote will be held to select the 2011 convention site, and Cincinnati is vying for the opportunity. No surprise the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau is trying to get the gig, and it's encouraging LULAC members to vote for Cincinnati at the July 7–12 convention in Washington, D.C.

“To all my friends of LULAC I invite you to come to Cincinnati,” says Vincente Fox, president of LULAC via the CVB's Web site. “This is the city of my roots, where my grandfather was born. This is a great city that welcomes people. It is dynamic and motherly. Hope to see you here in 2011, please invite me.”

Fox's pitch also comes from a video clip on the site.

FYI, CityBeat's 2007 Person of the Year, Jason Riveiro, heads up LULAC's Cincinnati chapter.

Pop over to the Chamber site at and fill out a quick survey about the potential conference. Your response also registers you for a $300 Macy’s gift card.

— Margo Pierce

Portune: Election Is a Distraction, Job Hopping Not

Never one for beating a dog while it's down, CityBeat has resisted the urge to point out the following until now. Our duty to highlight the inconsistencies uttered by elected officials, however, has won out.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Politics Extra blog reported Monday that Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune says he's been sounded out about possibly replacing Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, if Dann resigns as many Democrats and Republicans are urging him to do.