Cincinnati NAMjA

What I am Reading Now

2011-09-24T13:38:00.008-04:00

I have to say that we here in Cincinnati have one of the best public library systems in the area (aside from my former employer Kenton County Public Library of course).

I have always had a problem reading a traditional book without falling asleep or something and because of this; I took up listening to books on tape of CD's ever since I left college. So imagine my surprise when I happened upon the new choices that our library system has to enjoy our favorite read.

I have heard so much about "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" series that I had to dive in to this book head first. And I was even more excited when I had the option of either downloading the book to my Samsung Tablet OR using one of their new PlayAway devices.

The PlayAway device is essentially a portable book that you can plug your headphones into and listen away. The only thing that you have to do is to provide the ear buds and a AAA battery (it was my luck that there was already a battery in the device when I picked mine up last week).

I have to say that it's an awesome way to read a book! I am already on the fourth chapter of the 1st series and the plan is to have it completed this weekend...while getting all of my other errands done around the city.

Despite the fact that MidPoint Music Festival has been holding my top spot of "things to do" this weekend, I am kind of glad that it's a little crummy outside right now. Great time to curl up with a great book and take a long nap....that is before MidPoint starts up again tonight :)

Being A Triple Threat

2011-09-16T08:59:00.004-04:00

Published on Associated Content on Feb 6, 2011 - Read article here

Generations have been generalized for the past few decades. There were the Baby-Boomers of the 1950's and the hippie generation of the 1970's; more recently, generation has been given a much simpler moniker, Gen-X and Gen-Y. Have we really gotten so lazy as Americans that we have to shorten the names in which we label things down to simply a letter? But I digress.

Harkin back to the olden days when the founding fathers of the United States of America were dutiful enough to bring into existence the Declaration of Independence, stating its emphatic separation from the evil English and their outlandish ways; declaring its vow to forge forward as a land where all citizens would be able to enjoy the fruits of their own labors, giving all who settle here in the United States the ability to live freely, enjoy liberty and pursue happiness without any equivocation. What if they were just as lazy as we are today, The Declaration of Independence would be nothing more than a few sentences saying "You are free to do as you want; just as long as you don't hurt no one else."

In some ways, brevity, for the sake of being quick is not always the best thing to have; which is why I am calling for the return of elongated titles. Being simply called Black is not cutting it anymore. The term African-American, though had taken awhile to become en-vouge, should stand for something again. Calling a gay person a fag or homo seems to be such a shortened term...don't insult members of the aforementioned by degrading their name. At least don't insult yourself by seeming dim-whitted or slow, if you really want to degrade them by showing how smart you are, you would call them "homosexuals" or better yet "a member of the GLBT community (for those who had to ride the short bus in grade school back in the 1970's and 1980's GLBT means Gay/Lesbian/Bi-Sexual/Transgendered).

Today I call for the term "triple threat" to have a brand new meaning. Our society has come to know a person with this term to be talented in acting, singing and dancing or a dynamo in three different sports. Not this inference. I call for the term to be used to describe, African American homosexual youth.

For many different reason's American youth have been ostracized and sometimes misunderstood or generations, mostly for their in-experience and dimwittedness, but also for their fervor. A recent example could be found in the way in which American youth rejected the lifestyles of their parents during the 1960's and 1970's.

Another term that should be elongated is the term Black to describe African American. African Americans have gone through a litany of horrifying trails through out American history. And we have gone through too much to be relegated to just a one word description. Not to discriminate, gays and lesbians need not to be left out of the mix either. Why should they just be called gay. Homosexual men should be called gay and their female counterpart are respectively deemed as lesbians.

Gay and lesbian issues, which have held an underlying presence in American culture for decades, have been recently pushed to the forefront due to debate on legislation pertaining to giving same sex couples the right to be married in the eyes of the Federal Government and about gay and lesbian soldiers being able to serve openly in the US Armed Forces. Though this segment of the population is less discernable than the previous two, their rights or no less important.

Never Too Far Away...

2011-09-06T20:09:00.001-04:00

I know that I have said this in the past, but it has been soooooo long since I have written on this thing. I am surprised that most of you have not been checking the obits to check to see if a handsome Black gay guy was found lying in the gutters of Over-the-Rhine. No that was not me, but over the past I have been hard at work and you will see a resurgence of the Cincinnati NAMjA in the months to come.

One of the things which has been taking most of my time is re revamping of my personal consulting business, BookMark Online. Not only have I redesigned the website, but I managed to know out the first quarterly email newsletter. You gotta love MailChimp!

Due to all this hard work, both at my daytime job and my moon-lighting gig, I will be taking a little siesta in about a week or two. Not sure where I am going or how I will get there, but I will be taking 7 days to catch up on my writing. More on that to come. And I suspect there will be a few good blog posts to come out of that little adventure.

In running with the fashion of living downtown, I have usurped driving my car to work and opted to taking public transportation. Not only does it give me more time in the morning to catch up on my ZZZZ’s as I ride in to work, but at times it becomes my mobile office….and everyone loves to have a mobile office don’t they?

Not only have my transportation habits changed, but a 24hr gym has opend a few blocks away…my dreams have come true! No more driving 5 miles to the gym out in the suburbs or trying to beat the be-withching hour of the YMCA.

Needless to say the world of Downtown Cincinnati is changing and I plan to be a larger part of that change!

Back In Da Habit Again

2011-04-03T09:54:00.002-04:00

Over the past few months I have definitly been lacking on my posts.

Mostly because I threw myself into a number of projects.

In the past week, there have been some starteling life changes that have forced me to reorganize my priorities and focus on personal and professional projects which have been on my Bucket List for quite some years now.

One of them being documenting the life of a Dowtown Cincinnati dweller in the midts of a complete urban make over.

The good news for those who follow this blog is that you will again get an insight of what is happening in Downtown Cincinnati that you would not otherwise read about from other traditional media.

Yeah there are other blogs that give their perspective on the change, but I feel that my take on things will come from a more organic place and show the real possiblities of the area both from a resident, a lover of urban design and as a gay African American man.

If there are questions that you want answerwed about area, feel free to drop you a line and I will do my best to give an unbiased answer.

Otherwise, I will continue to enjoy my cup of coffee from Coffee Emporium while reading the New York Times.

Taking Some Time For Me

2011-03-27T07:59:00.006-04:00

Has it really been this long since I have blogged?

I guess that’s not a bad thing. Over the past several months, I had thrown myself into community initiatives and am now taking a little time for myself.

If you are one of the diligent readers of the sparsely commented-on blog, you know that I have a few different on-going life projects that I have been plugging away at over the past few years. After making my 2011 New Year Resolution, I vowed to finally take most of them off of my plate, and so far had done a pretty good job.

Now I am ready to make the final push to get it all completed, and the “it” that I am spaking of is finally completely at least one of the novels which I have been writing for the past 10 years. I was thinking about taking some time from work and taking some sort of self inflicted writing sabaticle, combining it with a mini-vacation; some place that I have been dying to go, but never seem to quite have to time do get away and do so.

Here are my top few choices:

Montreal, Canada - I have been to the gay Mecca once before and fell in love with its European appeal. Not only was I able to speak French without crossing any major ocean, but I was also able to use my Korean on a regular basis….who knew? There are a few beds & breakfasts there that would be perfect to stay, while completing my novel, and without breaking the bank. Toronto may be another place to look in to as well.

Barcelona, Spain – Never been, but I have a good friend that lives in this city and visits here in Cincinnati a few times a year. Most recently, he was here visiting family during the week of St. Patrick’s Day and emphatically kept taunting me with a free place to stay if I were able to flip the bill to make it across the Ocean. Bad thing is, I do not speak Spanish and never really enjoyed visiting a county which I was not fluent in the language. Spain still tops my list though.

The Netherlands - Similar circumstances as Spain, but I am sure that it would be a lot cheaper once I got there. In this county, I have two different set of friends who live in cities about 20mins from one another (by train…so cool) I would have inexpensive places to stay in two different great European cities.

Of course there are great hideaways here in the States, and even more here in Ohio, but even though Cincinnati is my love, the city is disappointing me right now. I may get over it once I take a little hiatus, but the sore spot that is sticking in my side is the amount of opposition to the city’s street car. I am sick and tired of living in such a conservative city, where even proven economic stimuli is considered too radical….but I digress…this post is about where I will be taking my next sabbatical.

I am sure that there will be more places meander on and off of the list as I do my research, but I would love to hear your thoughts about the cities that I have named so far.

Quote O'The Week

2011-02-22T16:27:00.002-05:00

"I've always enjoyed going back to Cincinnati. When it's one of the places youv'e played, as a coach you say, 'I hope I can go back.' I was elated. It'a a good feeling to coach where you've played." - Billy Thatcher (Cincinnati Reds)

Take Back Your Mink

2011-01-26T15:34:00.003-05:00

I have to take back what I said a few posts ago about my little brother.

I wrote that I was so proud of him staying in school and playing basketing ball for a privet college in Ohio.

As you know, I have my own business where I create resumes and cover letters for those who are otherwise challenged at doing so.

Just last week I get a text from him asking if I could create a resume for him. The first thing I think is great...he is being proactive in looking for a part-time job during the off season of basketball.

In the next text he dropped the bomb on me that he is no longer in school and is now back home.

He claims that his father (we have different dad's by the way) stopped paying for tuition.

To me there seems to be more to the story...I will let you know more soon!

What I'm Reading Now

2011-01-22T07:45:00.003-05:00

by Paul Shipton

Gay Travel in Columbus, Ohio...Where to Eat, Stay and Party

2011-01-20T15:39:00.002-05:00

For gay men, travel in the United Stated for gay men could be a bit daunting. Ever since the horrific events that took place at Stonewall in the mid seventies gay and lesbian issues have been brought to the forefront of the American consciousness.

Even today, gay marriage and other rights of gays and lesbians are being challenged in major political races across the country. Since Stonewall, gays and lesbians have made it a point to nurture and create communities that caters to their needs and wants. Most major cities have gone so far as to establish gay communities to help flounder this, Montreal being one of those cities which has created the largest gay district in North America.

The mid western cities littered though out the United States are starting to follow suit. Columbus, Ohio has a flourishing gay area and here are some places that gays and lesbians traveling to Columbus must see during their stay.

Read the entire article here.

I would love to hear from my readers if anything has changed...

Review of Another Gay Movie

2011-01-18T15:24:00.002-05:00

Another Gay Movie, directed by Todd Stephens (and also the one who wrote the screenplay) and starring Michael Carbonaro, follows the line of Scary Movie films by spoofing, American Pie. This time, as the title leads you to beleive, it takes on a decidedly homosexual theme and does so by incorporating scences from other gay-themed films.

Read the rest of the article here.

Its A New Year.....So Time For A new Car?

2011-01-14T15:40:00.003-05:00

Fat chance...

With my credit score, the only car that I would be eligible to finance could be carting around a family with the last name of Grizzwald.

I know....bad joke, but I digress.

If you are in the market for a new car, the beginning of the new year is the best time for car buyers. Car dealers are chomping at the bit to get rid of their last year inventory to make way for the shiny, brand new boxes on wheels.

I wrote an article about how not to be taken for a ride by a car dealer when you set your sights for a new ride.

Let me know what you think, and if you happen to use my advise, let me know how you fared.

Never Another Brother 2 Luv

2011-01-11T16:15:00.003-05:00

There really is something to say about he placement of your order when it comes to you and your siblings.

I see it exemplified more and more as I get older and I see my younger siblings grow up and become their own person, attempting to navigate the world.

I am the oldest of four boys and from what I can see so far, have definitely had more experience as far as seeing the world and growing up faster than the rest.

That's not to knock the accomplishments of my younger bro's.

The fourth and the last of my clan has exemplified the notion that the youngest gets to reap all of the benefits. He currently in his second year of college playing basketball for a private mid-western school and is the only one of us four who has made it two years in college....straight that is.

The other two have had their ups and downs...and since there is an even number of use, the two middle brothers have shared the auspice of being deemed "the middle child" and each one seem to personify the polar opposites of the definition.

Needless to say, I still love them...all their hard-handedness and and would never trade them for any other brother in the world...

New Year's Resolutions - Revisited

2011-01-09T12:13:00.002-05:00

It’s a new year and yet again we are all revisiting our life goals and re-evaluating the order of the bucket list that we have spent years comprising…inevitably having the list become just that; a list that is long forgotten until the next time that the ball drops in New York’s Time Square.

This year I fought the urge to create yet another set of promises that I will fail to make come to fruition. But then I thought, why should I for-go the time honored tradition of making promises to myself. Not only does it urge you to take an inventory of what you have done with your life and will help you put your life’s goals into prospective.

So I dug out the past several years of New Year resolutions and found that there was an outstanding theme that jumped out at me…and that was to finish a novel that I have been working on for the past several years. So I guess that will be my resolution for this year.

It’s not like I don’t have the problem of beginning from scratch. There are three particular works which I have been toiling over and are very close to completion, so this year’s resolution should not be that difficult to turn in to reality.

10 to 1 (working title)

With a newly unfurled college diploma framed and hanging above the mantle of a small apartment, mystery novel follows Jacob Thompson as he is about to begin his adult life in a major way. In trying to come to out as a gay man to his ultra-conservative, relatives during the midst of a family tragedy, Jacob uncovers a murder plot that has been over twenty years in the planning, and must save the last victim before it is too late.

Triple Threat-Misconceptions of being Young, Black and Gay in America

My first attempt in the realm of non-fiction, where I take on the trials and tribulations of being young, gay and Black in America.

1865 (working title)

Taking a page from history, this novel, originally planned to be a short –story, but has morphed in to a full fledged novel, follows that story of a white, small business owner in the late 1800’s in Northern Kentucky who falls in love with a Black traveling worker.

20+ cool points goes to the one who can predict which one gets completed and published first.

Men's Fitness Fashion

2011-01-08T10:17:00.003-05:00

For years, men with steroid filled veins and paper-thin muscled tee shirts have ruled the gym. Their oversized arms and elephantine legs made many of us men scared to show our face (or should I say our chicken legs and our bird chest) in the gym, in fear of looking foolish in the wake of most of these behemoths.

It has changed greatly from when we were kids and our father’s idea of getting a good workout was mowing the lawn or performing other types of housework. The days of men’s spaghetti tank-tops and using pushing the lawnmower in replacement of a dumbbell is long passed us. In greater and greater numbers, men are taking much more responsibilities for their looks and physical fitness.

Read the rest of the article here.

2010-12-30T13:09:00.004-05:00

But not entirly in a bad way.

Whenever you are told that you are not pulling your weight, its always a hard thing to swallow.

Whether that its in your personal or professional life, espesially when you thought you were doing an alright job.

But settling for just alright should not be what I am happy with, because it never was the case in the past.

Sometimes it does take a kick in the butt to jumpstart your creative juices to make you process at the best of your ability and exceed expectations.

Never the less, there is still a great big "Fuck You!" is needed to be said...but in keeping with my aforementioned diatribe, I am going to keep this one to myself and just think it instead.

The Longest Hump Day of The Year

2010-12-29T13:51:00.002-05:00

The Wednesday separating Christmas and New Year's seems to be the worst hump day of all the year long.

Especially when both of the aforementioned holidays falls on the weekend.

Christmas Eve and half of Jesus' B-day was spent at the family's house of my roommie. Fun times was had by all of course, but I was anxious to return to the sanctity of having to apartment to myself for a few days while he finished visiting with his family for a few more days.

A day after Christmas, I prepared brunch for a few of my own family members who made the trek in to the inner-city to come and visit, which does not happen very often. In fact, my closest family members; that being my three younger brothers and my mother, were not able to attend so I spent the afternoon placating my cousins over services of eggs, potatoes, sausage/egg biscuit's and a plethora of other brunch items.

This coming weekend plans to be a bit more adventurous, only one day being saved to let my hair down and party like it was 1999...oh I mean 2011.

The best part of the weekend will be the Monday following New Years when I have taken off from work to recuperate from the Holiday season as a whole.

Again, today seems to be the longest hump day of the year!

John Legend - Everybody Knows (Cover)

2010-12-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

Too cute...in more ways than one!

Just What Your Workout is Missing?

2010-12-10T17:48:00.003-05:00

I have spent the better half of the past decade attempting to get back into shape…and so far I have done an OK job but I am not nearly at the point in which I want to be. My laisez-fair attitude about getting back into shape and my hopes of losing a few pounds and tightening your love handles have done just that; gone by the waist side.

But I am trying not let the winter cold keep me bundled up inside. Every time I hit the gym, I try and think back to how excited I am when I first begin a workout routine or the first time you walked into the fitness center; membership in hand, with the determination to get back into shape. I try and use this nostalgia as motivation.

For men, gym visits typically comprise of lifting the most weight that we possible can while women tend to focus more on calorie-fighting workout with cardio. The two groups definitely have the correct idea; fostering an active lifestyle from sedentary one in order to stave off such things like heart disease and obesity. Both strength training and cardiovascular training are essential to creating a well rounded workout routine, but there is a third component which many forget. And that is the importance of stretching. By incorporating this component, you will revitalize your workout and begin to see the results which you wanted to see in the beginning of the year.

An easy and effective way to incorporate stretching into your weekly workout routine is take up the ancient practice of yoga. In recent years, yoga has increased in popularity and though many see it as a fad, this ancient practice of stretching, breathing and mediation has been around for centuries. One misconception pertaining to yoga is that is only for women. Though yoga incorporates emphasis on the core and does not include large bursts of energy and motion which is typical of a most men's workouts, its benefits greatly outweigh its mild persona. By adding the following basic yoga moves before or after your workout, your muscles will be more susceptible for healing, in turn creating faster muscle growth.

Standing Thigh Stretch

Standing, place feet directly under your shoulders, squaring your stance. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, slowly reach for your toes, keeping your legs as straight as possible.Lunge Your right leg should be in front of you with your left leg to the back of you. Place your right hand just next to your right foot, palms facing down, shifting the weight of your body so that you feel the stretch in your left hip. Hold for 5 to 8 breaths and then repeat for the other side of your body.

Plank

Taking a deep breath, move your left leg to meet your right (at this point, your right leg should be behind you). At the same time, both your hands should be supporting your weight in a push up position. Hold this position for 5 to 8 deep breaths.

Upward Dog

Slowly lower your upper body to about one inch off the ground or mat. Keeping your lower body as close to the ground as possible, straighten your arms, lifting your upper body to a 90 degree angle (or as close to it as possible). Take 5 to 8 deep breaths looking skyward. Repeat number of breaths rotating your gaze over your right shoulder, than over you left shoulder.

Repeat the previous stretches in reverse order until return to the beginning standing position.Of course this is not the end all and be all of yoga. There are varied positions, poses and techniques which will greatly enhance your performance and stamina. But for beginners like me, by incorporating these few stretching exercise, you will be buying a yoga mat in no time.

Top Momments In Comedy Television....Just My Opinion

2010-11-22T15:28:00.004-05:00

Television has been a major part of most American lives for the latter part of the past century. According to a 2009 Nielson Poll, Americans watch an average of 5.1 hours of television per day. In this myriad of boob-tube watching, Americans are subjected to dramatic dialogue in addition to the reality based television shows which have gained in popularity over the past decade. This notwithstanding, there has been a major part of our television watching history which has been attributed to those comedic shows of ole.

If you are a devout television show aficionado, you would be amiss if you did not know about the success of comedic television and performances which it fostered. Even if you were not alive when The Carol Burnett Show was popular, you have at least been privy to the many times and Burnett and friends broke character during their liver performances and created classic television, This notwithstanding, no one could forget the longest comedic applause during a live television show when Sammie Davis Jr. kissed Archie Bunker on the popular television show All In The Family.

Television shoes such has The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Mary Tylor Moore Show were just a few shows that stick out in the minds of Baby Boomers as being shows which have paved the way for today's Office, Community and 30 Rock to dominate its respective timeslots.

In a totally unbiased account, and in no particular order, the following are the top two funniest moments in television that I have experienced in my few decades of being glued to this medium.

Seinfeld's Description of the Female Anatomy

On the sitcom Seinfeld, a show which follows the lives of four average New Yorkers, affectionately deemed to be a show about nothing. In this episode, Jerry, the show's main character, has been dating a girl for a while, but has seemed to have forgotten her name. In regaling this fact to his three friends, George, Elaine and Kramer, he recalls that her name rhymes with the name of a female body part. At this point, the audience is drawn into attempting to guess the name of Jerry's girlfriend. After a series of attempts, the episode culminates with the woman realizing that he does not know her name and storming out of Jerry's apartment only for Jerry to recall that her name is Deloris.

Whitney and Rosie's appearance on SNL

In 1996, Rosie O'Donnell was at the top of her career. She was hosting one of the most popular day time talk show and she was the love of ever one. On the same note, Whitney Houston was still riding high with the success of her breakthrough acting debut in the film The Bodyguard. So for the weekly comedy show Saturday Night Live, who has a knack for pairing the "it" people in Hollywood. It was a no brainer to have Whitney and Rosie appear on the show together. The two appear together in a sketch with SNL cast member Molly Shannon playing one of her most loved character's Mary-Katherine Gallagher.

In the skit, O'Donnell plays a nun who is the choir director of an all girls school choir, where Shannon and Houston are members. Shannon's character Mary-Katherine is historically know for clumsy displays when she is over shadowed and this is no exemption when Houston's begins to lay her magical vocal pipes for the world to enjoy. Though the sketch would have been hilarious if it were played out the way it was rehearsed, what set is over the top was O'Donnell's and Houston's inability to keep from holding back laughter and breaking character in the shadow of Shannon's shenanigans.

Though there are definitely a myriad of comedic television moments that would warrant being on this list, but these are the two that stand out as some of the funniest moments in comedic television in the past few decades.

The Start 2 A Busy Weekend

2010-11-20T08:57:00.002-05:00

Although the holiday season does not officially begin until later on this week, preparation for the month long eating/shopping bonanza for me begins today.

A good college friend from NYC will be coming into town Tuesday evening and staying with me so most of today, I will be cleaning the apartment and looking for a new couch…good thing Design Within Reach’s semi-annual warehouse sale is going on today.

Not only that; local shops here in my neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine will be participating in the nationwide campaign to shop local. So to support my fellow local chop owners, I will be obliged to begin my Christmas shopping early.

The Holiday season is also the season for giving back, so in the middle of my shopping escapades, I will be stopping by the Butts Family Foundation’s 21st Annual “In The Garage Sale” on 13th street in OTR. It’s a great rummage sale put on each year where proceeds to help feed needy families for Thanksgiving.

Much to do and so little time to get it all done.

Moving N2 The Holidays With A Balanced Chai

2010-11-16T13:22:00.004-05:00

The new job has been stressing me out, but its a good stress if you can believe that. You have to have a little bit of bad and good stress in your life to stay balanced.

I have been working out more to combat the effects of the little bad stress that I have, which has put me in a better mood than I have seen in quite some time.

And despite the stress, of work and the fact that single life is not all that its cracked up to be, I have been in better spirits that I have been in a long time. So much so, that I think I will break out of my usual grumpy Holiday mold and put up a real Christmas tree in the apartment this year, which I have only done once in all the years that I have lived out of my mother's house. I may even decorate it...just kidding.

Of course I will be stringing up pop-corn and purchasing new ornaments for the tree, complete with presents udder the tree. They will mostly be for me due to the fact that I generally never get X-mas presents from anyone else. I may even get a gift for my roommate and cats as well.

In addition to making this year's X-mas as FABULOUS as I feel, I will be reconnecting with the traveler in me ewhich I have let slip away. Though I know the necessity of saving money, life is WAY too short to just sit on your wallet like you are trying to hatch an egg.

Needless to say, with friends and family swarming into town for the Holiday season, and my renewed since of adventure, awesome pics are down to pike to make this blog pop!

Wow, where has the year gone?

2010-10-02T11:49:00.000-04:00

I don’t know, but over the past week, it seems that I have finally gotten back on track with my life’s goals.

The summer has a way of knocking me off track of what I really want out of life. Not having a steady source of income is another way that your dreams can get off track.

Well the summer is gone, so more time indoors are soon to come. Also, I was offered a full-time and permanent position at the non-profit agency that I worked for all this summer. The pay is increased from what I was making so I can finally get back on track with my financial goals.

Last Monday I was offered the position and I treated myself to the good news to buying a gym membership, complete with a new workout plan.

Since my last day at my old position was Thursday, I took Friday off and formulated a one year personal financial plan. I know it sounds cheesy, but I figured if businesses can do it, why not do it for my personal finances.

Things seem to be back on track.

ArtWorks Mural @ 7th and Washington in Covington

2010-09-25T11:41:00.002-04:00

Neighborhood Quote Of The Week

2010-09-03T11:00:00.001-04:00

You always make each day a special day. By just you're being you. There's only one person exactly like you in the whole world. And that's you yourself, and I like you. - Mr. Rodgers Television Show

Save The Date: Walk To Stop AIDS Sept 25, 2010

2010-09-02T22:45:00.004-04:00

Learn more and donate here.

A Family That Laughs

2010-08-26T14:18:00.002-04:00

Family is an odd thing.

In one since, we all have one, despite how dysfunctional yours may seem.

Even when you did not grow up with your family and do not know who your family is, you still have one, whether that is in the form of friends or your extended family. Its very similar to the six degrees of separation phenomenon, someone will be there for you, at times its just hard to find.

I was lucky enough to grow up with a family which was close, but yet had the fortitude to leave us with enough space to feel that I was on my own.
With the loss of my grandmother earlier this year, I thought it would be a great idea to chronicle my family and they whey in which they assisted me during my youth to help me to become the man that I am today.

Here is a snippet from the first few pages which I have written:

Tuesday June 11 1996

Today I was called a nigger. This is the first time that I can remember that I have been called this. People might have called me this behind my back, in fact, I am sure that people have called me this behind my back.

I was in the car with my mom and she was trying to merge into traffic. It had seemed like one driver was going to let her over because he has stopped his car with enough room to let her in, so we pulled out. At the same moment he pulls ahead, leaving us out of traffic and on the shoulder of the street so we had nowhere to go but push our way back into traffic in front of that guy. He honked his horn at us and then came up beside us and said “You fucking nigger!”

I did not feel the rage that I thought I would. I felt empowered. I felt this way because this man was so afraid of us that he almost hit another car while he sped away from us. I guess he was afraid of us. Ignorance will do that to you.

All through my life, I felt as if I did not belong, and the aforementioned entry from my journal is just one area where I never quite fit in. Not in the since that I was shunned, but in the since that I always felt that there was someplace where I was more suited to be, I just had not found euphoric place that you read about in books like Harry Potter or B.F. Skinner’s “Walden”. In the beginning of this realizations, I attempted to mask its reality and live the life in which was supposed to be living; that of an African American hetero sexual male. It was only after the realization of my family’s love, world travel and military life, that I had come to the realization that pretending only spirals into more lies, ultimately becoming an omnipotent aura in your life.

This document of my life is nothing more than an insight, a life lesson for those who are still caught behind the veil of their true self and want so desperately to unmask. I can’t say that the way in which I found self discovery is the right path for all who find these words, in hind sight, I am not even sure that if I had the omnipotent option to bend time and retrace my steps, that I would conduct myself in the same way. But I can say for certain that the path which created the man that I am today was the correct one, for me. Telling my story may help whoever finds these words to locate their own path.

Bad Veins Rock Da Square

2010-08-21T09:31:00.002-04:00

Fountain Square has in the middle of Downtown Cincinnati has down a great job with attracting different parts of the community and creating an inviting public space.

Last night, I hung out with a few of my friends, a virtual boys night out, to listen to the music that was scheduled to play on the Square that night.

I would pretty much listen to any type of music (sans county and very hard rock), but I love ad adore gospel and 90's R&B and generally only go out of my way to see this type of music live.

Ohh, I can't forget show tunes...I am a sucker for them as well.

But last night on the Square, the bad Bad Veins took the stage and I was intrigued. I have to say that I enjoyed them and I look to buy some of their songs in the near future.

Pride Cincinnati 2010

2010-08-07T10:42:00.003-04:00

Before you get your panties in a wad about the lateness of this post, there is some method behind the madness.

In most cities, Pride has become a one stop shop, setting aside only one weekend to celebrate.

But this year, Cincinnati is bucking the trend by having three separate events.

It began with July 4th's celebration in Fountain Square.

It continues with this evening's Pride festivities in Northside.

And later this year, Northern Kentucky throws their hat into the fray with their first Pride Celebration.

These pics are from July 4th's Pride Cincinnati 2010.

The $10 Downtown Experience

2010-08-05T11:50:00.004-04:00

In the 1990s, Main Street which borders Cincinnati’s Pendleton and Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods, between the blocks of Central Parkway and Liberty was a hot bed of vibrant night life, bringing all walks of life together.

Over the past few years, this area is in the process of seeing its economic renaissance which has yet to peak. The community of Over-the-Rhine has historically thrived on community togetherness, fostering a sense of urban unity.

Events like Grapevine, Second Sundays on Main and Final Fridays brings vendors onto the street and people to patron the many shops and galleries which brighten these blocks on Main and the addition of Joe’s Diner will do nothing but make the district that much more appealing.

It is not unexpected to spend a week night in this area for less than $20 and here’s how.

Meet for Coffee @ Iris Café $2

Located at 1331 Main, this small quite coffee shop is a great way has taken the place of kaldi’s, sans the alcohol, by providing a shelves of books, sustenance and a great place to socialize.

Eat @ Joe's ... Diner That Is $8

Move just a block and half east to Sycamore to find burgers which are reminiscent of what you would come to expect from a traditional diner, in addition to extra seasoned fires which are filling yet relatively light and not floating in a sea of grease.

Light Up The Night @ Neon’s $10

End your evening with spirit or two around the corner from Joe’s Diner. A $10 spot will get you a couple of Over-the-Rhine ales, but the outdoor experience is of outdoor social hour is priceless.

Bridging Broadway: They Have Come A Long Way...Baby!

2010-07-31T18:47:00.002-04:00

Over the past six months, Bridging Broadway gone from a sparkle in the eye of Stephen Samuals to being well on the path to becoming its own full fledged non-profit organization. The process will be completed in a matter of weeks when the organization files it's 5013C paper work with the state of Ohio.

As some of you may know, I currently sit on the Executive Board of this organization and have witnessed first hand the transformation and am invigorated at the possibilities in which Bridging Broadway has in store.

Some of the things that we have on the horizon are as followed:We are in collaboration with the City of Cincinnati and LISC (Local Initiative Support Committee) to conduct the most comprehensive study to date of the area around the Broadway Commons site which will include a community outreach efforts in the form of conversations called Bridging Broadway Dialogues, which will be dynamic focus groups aimed to engage feedback from the various stakeholder groups in the Broadway Commons area (land owners, developers, residents and the arts).

Being a non-profit, we are always attempting to recruit like minded individuals from all sects of the community to assist with our mission to connect people and places to promote a new downtown Cincinnati entertainment district.The Bridging Broadway Board and Committee Member FAQ, explains our purpose and activities and describes the functions of the various committees.

The official deadline to accept applications runs through today and the selection process will end by the end of August. After reading the attached, please feel free to complete and return the enclosed questionnaire or pass forward the information.

More info about our organization can be found at our website.

Too Funny!

2010-07-17T13:15:00.001-04:00

Dawg Days of Summer R Here!

2010-06-24T10:27:00.000-04:00

The first week of summer is almost over and boy has it ever been a hot one.
With the temperature consistently being in the 90’s with the heat index reaching the 100’s, the dog days of summer are definitely in full force.

And the city of Cincinnati has actually stepped up to the plate to help keep us cool.

There have consistently declared a heat advisory throughout the city and kept us informed as to notice heat stroke and heat exhausting and the difference between to two conditions.

In addition, there was a considerable donation to The City of Cincinnati for the specific reason to open a few community pools which were slated to be closed this summer. And if I am not mistaken, the pools are fostering longer hours than originally posted.

Good stuff!

The Queen City seems to be glowing brighter and brighter each year!

When Life Gives You Lemons...You Give Them Back

2010-06-10T17:42:00.004-04:00

It is weeks like these which make you really question your purpose in the world.
No I am not depressed or anything, but that past few weeks has definitely tested my work ethic and self worth.

As stated in past posts, I left my job to do two things, help to take care of an ailing family member and to finally take the jump in to the world of self proprietorship and open my own businesses.

For whatever reason, the ending of the school year, the unseasonable beautiful weather, or the resurgence of people’s economic standpoints, customers are not flocking for my services which at the same rate which they were for the first few months of the year.

Needless to say, with concerns with money, things are beginning to become tight.

In situations like these, many fold under the pressure and begin to either steal or turn to other unfavorable things that get people “caught up”.

But I was not raised that way.

Ever since I could remember, when times were rough for my family, it made them work that much harder.

But I was not taught to work hard, but to work smart, but did not realize that was what my mother was trying to drill into my think skull all those years ago until I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

The characters Hank Reardon, the embodiment of this virtue; Dagney Taggert, her independence of judgment gave her the ability to stand by the metal and her railroad in the face of virtually unanimous social opposition; and finally Francisco d'Anconia, whose ability to free those from the shackles of the self-sacrifice ethics, enabling them to recognize the virtue and necessity of self worth.

All of which who pushed themselves to herculean efforts in the ore mines, refusing to acknowledge pain and exhaustion as legitimate grounds to stop working to obtain success.

So today I listen to this book via iTunes, while I work and try to incorporate the virtues of the aforementioned, refusing not to fail in my endeavors.

A Family That Laughs...

2010-05-13T11:38:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lag of posts guys – things have been topsy tervy to say the least.
Not only have I been busy cultivating my new business venture with advertising and actually working on projects. In fact, was had the opportunity to a radio spot on Media Bridges’ Cincinnati Conscience radio program this past Monday.

I have also taken on a few other projects for non-profit organizations. I am organizing my neighborhood’s block party which I do every year and I am dipping my hand into planning the first major event for Bridging Broadway, a non-profit organization which connects people and places to promote a new downtown entertainment district in Cincinnati.

There were a myriad of reasons why I left the corporate world about a month ago, but the reason which topped the list was due to the fact that my grandmother’s health had been failing and with a number of our family members scattered throughout the country, I wanted to be more available to her.

A few weeks ago, she made the hard decision to enter hospice and let nature take its course, which ended this past Tuesday.

Different people handle death in different ways. Some people go into a deep depression, some attempt to recapture the memories that spent with the departed and others go cold.
Our family is one which laughs through both good times and the bad. At Thanksgiving dinners or family graduations, we would spend hours laughing, not in a cynical way, but at the memories of our the way in which we grew up and the times that we spent living below the poverty line and our attempts to make ends meet. And I feel that this time, though we will be sojourning my grandmother, we will celebrate her passing in similar fashion

My grandmother was a fighter, living on her terms until she decided that the fight was too much for take any further.

She enjoyed a passion for music and through her zest for living life to the fullest, endless affection for family and her exceptionally unconditional love for people close to her, she exemplifies a woman who left a “legacy of love” in the path in which she walked.

She loved good food and socializing, and had a wonderful smile that could light up a room. Many will not only remember her as being a mother to her own five children, but a mother and friend of her community. She was “The Rock” in which we could rely on for advice and guidance and she will be greatly missed by everyone whose life she touched.

She will be missed and never forgotten.

Starting You One Biz Is Harder Than You Think

2010-05-06T11:48:00.004-04:00

About a month ago, I took an unimaginable leap of faith and left my fulltime job at a local health insurance company to begin my own endeavor.

Not only am I able to not work for myself and get more benefit out of the time I spend working.
I did have a little help though.

Baltimore County lawyer and part-time author Eliot M. Wagonheim has a great resource entitled, "Business Owner's Pocket Guide" and I finished reading it before I jumpend into my endeavor.

To download a copy or request a hard copy, go to Wagonheim's Web site.

Take Back The Street On Main

2010-04-26T20:24:00.001-04:00

In the 1990’s, the block of Main St., between Central Parkway and Liberty was a hot bed of vibrant night life, bring all walks of life together. I was in college then and Have A Nice Day Café, Bar Cincinnati and Cincinnati’s own Jefferson Hall were all places where you could find me knee deep in libration on weekend nights.

Then there were the Riots of 2001.

The aftermath of the week long unrest placed Cincinnati with a black eye and hit the city hardest in its pocketbooks. Celebrities such as Bill Cosby and Whoopi Goldberg called for a boycott of the city and Prince even cancelled a show which he was scheduled to have in the city. People did not feel safe spending their hard earned money in Over-the-Rhine any longer and the afore mentioned bars closed up and moved elsewhere, leaving Main Street silent on Friday and Saturday nights.

Until now.

Over the past few years, Main Street has been in the process of seeing its economic renaissance which has yet to peak. Historically, OTR has thrived on community togetherness has fostered urban unity.

Events like Grapevine, Second Sundays on Main and Final Fridays brings vendors onto the street and people to patron the many shops and galleries which brighten these blocks on Main.

In keeping with the historically holistic appeal of Main Street, eateries such as Iris Book Café (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cincinnati-OH/Iris-Book-Cafe/169729995076) and Shadeau Breads (www.shadeaubreads.com) offer locally made and grown options. Great if you want to grab a coffee before your trek into the office or a quiet place to catch up on some work away from the office over a great salmon and avocado sandwich.

Though Main Street is re-incorporating is livable appeal to its day time patrons, its night time appeal has not been forgotten. Last weekend, Jack Pots opened in Jefferson Hall’s old space and Neon’s have been opened for a few weeks. Mixx Ultra Lounge (www.mixxcincy.com) offers upscale entertainment without the big city prices. In addition, with the coming to city’s casino and street car, venues such as Neon’s and Jack Pots have promised to re-open to offer additional entertainment options, not un-similar to the old days of Main Street.

And there is word that The Dinner on Sycamore is under new management and will open soon.

Oh Happy Day!

And The Work Continues

2010-04-22T09:02:00.004-04:00

I began writing this blog for a myriad of reasons, but towards the forefront was to get into the habit of creating thought provoking content to elicit feedback to get the juices flowing to complete the books which I have been working to complete.

It has done the trick.

Over the yeas I have published several articles about on a number of different subjects, but most of them have been about living as young gay man here in Cincinnati.

The result is my non-fiction book pertaining to some of the struggles people face for being young, gay, or African American living here in the States.

I am in the process incorporating real-life experience into my book, s if you have any, and would like to see it published, let me know.

Take A Momment and Smell The Flowers

2010-04-20T15:51:00.001-04:00

Most of you already know that I live in Cincinnati’s historic Pendleton neighborhood which is sometimes mistaken for Over-the-Rhine.

Not only does it boast some of the most historically intact buildings in the United States, it’s also in the midst of a revitalization composing of the addition of one of the first casinos in the State of Ohio. Not only that, the city just approved to spend money on the incorporation of a light rail system (which is long overdue) with the hopes of making Cincinnati’s downtown valley more livable.

Today, not only was I able to walk to each of my meetings, I had the opportunity to patron some of the great establishments that are helping Cincinnati’s Pendleton and Over-the-Rhine recovery from the city’s civil unrest which took part in 2001.

After a coffee at one of the neighborhood coffee shops Coffee Emporium, where if you sit long enough, you will see city officials, and high schoolers alike obtain a cup of Joe, I was able to walk to a meeting just blocks away to Boost, an upscale meeting space located in a rehabbed historic building overlooking downtown Cincinnati.

It did not help that the day’s weather has been just about perfect, so maybe that’s why I am in a good mood.

Pics Around Town

2010-04-08T14:15:00.002-04:00

Sometimes you forget how majestic some of Cincinnati's historic buildings can be. This is one example.

More Fairey 2 See

2010-04-08T10:22:00.001-04:00

Now that the weather is gotten a bit warmer, I decided that it was finally time to stop driving my gas eating car the few blocks to the gym or to Coffee Emporium and finally purchase the bicycle which I have been vowing to do for years.

In doing so, I have so much more time to take in parts of the city which I would normally miss because my eyes were always on the road.

I found two more Shepard Fairey murals.

Alley next to Arnold's Bar

The corner of Walnut St. and 6th St.

Cincinnati's Great Casino Divide

2010-03-30T10:17:00.002-04:00

Read the entire article here.

The implementation of gambling centers like casinos and horse racing tracks have had a wide and varied reception from the local communities in which they are placed. Some communities embrace the entry of the new tax payer with open arms while other places attempt to ward off the coming of a looming gambling option as if it were the second coming of the Black Plague.

One thing which makes casinos so controversial is the element of its customers that it may draw; this in addition to monies set aside for its development can bring communities together or tear them apart. There have been several examples around the country of this varying sentiment toward gambling and the type of customers that it attracts.

The State of Indiana, where casinos are a major part of the state's revenue, still comes under controversy from time to time when it comes to placement of their casinos. Most recently, Gary, Indiana has been debating to replace Don Barden's two casino boats with one land-based casino along Interstate 94 just outside of the city.

In 2009, the State of Ohio passed Issue 9, a resolution to legalize gambling within the state's boarders, which made way for cities like Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati to build and operate large scale gaming casinos; with a portion of the revenue to be funneled back into the government's pocket books.

Opinions of the casino were greatly dependant on the proposed placement. Columbus' casino was originally approved to be erected in the city's downtown Arena District but just months after its approval was changed to a location west of the city.

Read the entire article here.

InkTank Explodes With Artistry On Final Friday

2010-03-27T15:45:00.003-04:00

Last nights Final Friday was spectaular.

My plan was to se out and explore the enitre Main Street becase of the great weather that wer were having, but ended up staying in one place.

InkTank has come back alive under new management and last night they held an open mic session, promoting local author, Kommon Knowledge. Until Uhuru is a collaboration of talented local authors who love to write and are great at it.

Pick up thier book at InkTank or order it oline at Amazon.com....I know I will!

Book Review: The Vast Fields of Ordinary

2010-03-25T13:13:00.005-04:00

2009 was not a big year for me in the reading department. Outside of blogs and online newspapers, I did not do much reading. But there was one novel that I picked up due to it being covered in Out.com.

Nick Burd's Vast Fields of Ordinary" is a light-hearted young adult novel for readers 12 and up, where high school senior Dade spends a good majority of the summer after his graduation either high or drunk in attempt to save himself from his mundane suburban life as the only gay teenager in his neighborhood, nothing like my own experience in the last year of high school, but non the less it was a great read.

By the end of the story, he finds out that there are greater experiences to be had outside of is small Midwestern town when he moves away to college. We all know that, but we most likely did not go through as many ups and downs finding out.

Read my entire review of the novel here.

Sometimes U Need A Little Glam In Your Life

2010-03-23T17:48:00.001-04:00

Horray For Health Care!

2010-03-23T09:39:00.002-04:00

Last night, congress FINALLY pushed through a healthcare bill that has been trying to work its way don the pipes for some time now.

Despite this, opposition to the bill are still holding to their guns and attempting to block its passage.

What gives?

Do they think that passage of this bill will lead to Armageddon and the country will go down in history of other socialist counties which of health care for all?

That can't be it. Maybe the opposition is afraid that States will begin loosing their rights. But doesn't Federal Law usually trump State Laws? There are many examples where the Feds had to step in. Look at the case Plessy vs Ferguson or Brown vs Board of Education or even the fact that there is a minimum wage which employers pay to their workers. Its been done before.

Opposition should just let go and move on to other important things, like jobs.

The Queen City Has Never Smelled So Sweet

2010-03-20T13:12:00.001-04:00

The cascading lights of the new Great American tower dominated the Friday night skyline of Cincinnati as a traveled home from the airport last night. The stark contrast of the city’s crispness to the past week’s warmth of the Dominican Republic was surprisingly refreshing.

Despite my absence, I have been keeping up with Cincinnati Shenanigans while I have been away. I am sorry that I missed the city’s celebration of St. Paddy’s Day (for I heard that it was one of the best ever) and the local college basketball team’s first win in The Big Dance (American Airlines does not seem it important enough to show the games on international flights).

Another thing caught my eye when reading over Cincinnati news while on vacation, the fact that PNC Bank announced that National City accounts had been compromised BEFORE they were acquired, AND Cincinnati accounts were the only ones affected.

What’s up with that?

Whatever the case, I hope I get some money back.

Cincinnati's Connection With The Underground Railroad

2010-03-18T14:19:00.002-04:00

Founded in 1788 by John Cleves Symmes and Col. Robert Paterson, Cincinnati sits on the banks of the Ohio River, the official boundary between the Northern and Southern States during America's Civil War. With its close proximity to both the North and the South, during this time the city was torn between two worlds; the latter trying to embrace the ways of the past and the former trying to forge ahead. Incorporated in these two pedagogies was the issue of slavery. Since then, though in turmoil with racial tension and social/political setbacks, Cincinnati has embraced its historic past and is making strides towards the future.

Until the end of slavery, this institution was challenged on many levels, large and small; one of the most notable was exemplified in the legal court case of Margaret Garner. Garner escaped slavery from her Northern Kentucky plantation in 1856 to Cincinnati, located in the free state of Ohio, with her children. At this time...

Read the rest here.

Gone But Not Forgotten

2010-03-16T13:22:00.002-04:00

No I have not forgotten about the Nasty Nati.

Currently, I am sitting on the beach on the Northern Coast of The Dominican Republic, taking in the sun and chillin' like a villin (no pun intended).

Not only is this time on the beach being used for a much needed vacation from opening my company BookMark! Online, but it also is giving me some time to write down on paper the stories which have been swimming in my head for the past few months.

In attempts to keep you wanting more, pictures of the vacation/sabbatical will be posted upon my return to Cincy next week. Needless to say that they will be well worth the wait...cheers!

Bock Fest Overload - Saturday Night's Sausage Queen Finals

2010-03-09T10:35:00.003-05:00

Time 2 Rock Out With Your Bock Out!

2010-03-06T18:42:00.002-05:00

Last night I ventured out into the streets for the Bock Fest and was so surprised at the turnout! I had to miss the parade which originated from Arnold’s Bar because of work, but managed to hit up Bock Fest Hall (the old Hussman Factory at Liberty and Vine) around 9pm where there was standing room only.

Not wanting to miss out on anything, after an hour or so I ventured to Grammer’s just across the street where I was not only met with a German cladden Jim Tarbell, but a second floor speak easy which was turned into a pseudo European discothèque.

As the night prolonged, and shoulders began to be rubbed more frequently, I made my way to Milton’s (your neighborhood bar) just for a nightcap on my way home. Not only did I have more than a night cap, but yet again I was met with a over capacitated watering hole.

Never before have I seen a Friday night in Cincinnati like this. The closest has been Pride Weekend just after the parade, and still it pales in comparison with last night’s shenanigans.

I can only imagine what tonight’s Sausage Queen Final competition will add to the weekend. Whatever the case, I will be ready to rock-0ut with my Bock out!

Fairey's Artwork Not Jus For The Gallery

2010-02-22T16:37:00.001-05:00

Last Friday, Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center snubbed its nose at Vanity Fair's article and hosted the opening to an art exhibit by Shepard Fairey, the famous artist behind the iconic Obama election characiture.

There should be no excuse for you not checking out the exhibit while its here in town. It leaves tow August 22.

If you are not privey to looking at artwork hanging on wals...how about if its handing on the side of a building?

Days be for the openeing, Fairey was sheparded around Over-the-Rhine and Northside as he stenciled some of his artwork on the outside of buildings for the world to see for free.

Here are the locations: 13th and 14th block of Main St, on the side on Grammer's and atop Shake-It Records in Northside.

Pictures are the murals displayed on 13th and 14th streets.

One Thing Not To Do On A Snow Day

2010-01-10T08:17:00.001-05:00

Today Cincinnati had its first major snowfall of the winter. The Queen City really lives up to its name when the white sstuff falls. Let one back country road become un navigable and the entire city shuts down.

So I had to find ways to occupy my time today while stuck in the house.

I made it a point not to pick up my computer so that was out of the question.

I spent the morning in a sea of news braodcasts, gabby ladies and home cooking shows. I was never one for daytime soap operas but still found myself glued to the boobtube trying to figure out how Mr. X's twin brother inpregnated their sister's girlfriend from the grave.

I gave up after 30mins, and took a nap.

Its surprising how much time you can waste staring at television.

Today I Have Been In Cuba-Hell!

2009-12-15T17:26:00.001-05:00

OK, it has not been that bad, but the day has bore on longer than I have wanted it too.

The only thing that has been keeping me going is the faux martini glass that my secret santa gave me today.

Money is not just an issue.

2009-12-14T15:08:00.001-05:00

Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with fmily and friends. Nothing more would please me more than taking a stroll through the park, taking in the sites of the city, maybe stroll through a museum.

But of late, my friends and family have had more important things going on intheir lives, leaving me to fend for myself.

That is were I am getting into trouble.

Despite my goals for saving money this month, I have some how blown right through that several hundred dollars in just a few weeks (but I did make some pretty fond memories while doing so).

Several year ago, I made an effort to save money but soon realized that I am not the saving type.

To combat my spending, I have steped up the number of articles that I publish in addition to adding two more services to my professional consulting business that I do on the side.

No big plans this week, safe for a community event that I volunteer for each year. I may even save a few bucks and stay in to make some cash.

Week In Review: Real Heros and Wanna-Bes

2009-12-12T09:22:00.003-05:00

This week we saw great examples of our nation's hero's take charge and give definitive answer to the safety and purpose of our nation.

And other, so called hero's taught us that we are only human and sex and money still have a way of over riding our mind.

Tiger Woods Turns His Back On The Sport He Loves
President Obama Gives The Best Speech of My Lifetime
Brian Kelly Abandons University of Cincinnati With Just 1 Game To Go
Sexy Legacy gets Voted Off SYTYCD

Breakfast of Champions

2009-12-08T13:18:00.002-05:00

This pictue of a bloody mary was taken at our local French eatery in my neighborhood during brunch with some friends in town visiting from Europe after "a night of 1,000 coctails".

Man I could sure go for one of these right now.

It's been one of those days.

World AIDS Day 2009

2009-12-01T13:10:00.002-05:00

Let's celebrate today by taking 30mins out of your day and go and get tested!

The Brooklyn Bridge's Little Brother

2009-11-30T18:47:00.002-05:00

New York's Brooklyn Bridge was opened in May of 1883. Little do some New Yorkers know that the Brookln Bridge's designer, John A. Roebling created its little brother here in Cincinnati in 1856.

A Weekend For Champions

2009-11-30T12:08:00.002-05:00

First and foremost, after using the methods that I learned in the book "The Gabriel Method", I have lost 6lbs in the past seven days.

I can honestly say it was because of the things that I learned in this book for two reasons; (1) I ate way too much food over the past week to loose it because of exercising and (2), it has been more than a year since I have been down to this weight, despite the intense workouts and dieting.

That being said, I celebrated a little too much.

Friday night, I attended and private party and then went on to, should I even say, a straight club. I have to say, for the past decade, I have avoided straight establishments because I did not want to change the way that I acted to appease other people. Friday, I felt every so comfortable in the presence of straights…in fact, they were sexier their gay counterparts. I was amazed of the swagger and fashion sense that they exuded.

Red and I hosted a small party on Saturday evening that ended very well (wink wink).

Sunday I ventured to a straight bar to watch the Bengals whoop up on some Browns. I did not go just because it was a straight bar, but to meet up with a Bret, a straight acting guy who I have been chatting with for about a year now, but have never had the courage to meet up with him BECAUSE he only goes to straight bars.

It was so much fun to actually watch a football game with other people who are involved with the game. So much better then hanging out at one of the cities gay establishments where there may be only two other people on a Sunday afternoon and you have to bend the server’s arm to get them to even turn on the game.

No big plans this weekend, but I will be working a boat load of over time in order to be prepared for Xmas shopping. Also there has been this cute guy checking me out at the gym. I wonder what will come about that.

Are Gay Men Smarter?

2009-11-27T15:21:00.002-05:00

Just a question. What do you guys think?

I would have to say no, but on the other hand, those who are musically inclined or have a passion for the arts tend to score higher on standardized tests.

Would it be the same for gay men?

What I Am Reading Now

2009-11-24T19:12:00.002-05:00

I am not too big on mind tricks and other mumbo jumbo, but in finding ways to loose weight, I stumbled upon this book and I have to say that it contains some interesting things.

I am loving on Lambert!

2009-11-24T06:33:00.004-05:00

During most of my military career, I was a very closeted and very scared person.

Just a year or two out of high school, I had no idea how to express my feelings for men, or for anyone for that matter.

The weird thing is that it was MTV that help me out during those tumultuous later teen years, and helped me to find myself and let myself become more comfortable with my sexuality.

That is why this morning I am loving on Lambert.

Though it was not MTV and I did not actually watch his Loud and Out performance, music is yet again making me feel more comfortable about being out and proud.

Taking a page from Madonna or Brittany, at last nights AMA's AL strutted the stage with collared men, gyrated his pelvis with dancers and his band members alike and topped it off with a dead on lip lock one of his male band members.

This is a personal note to you AL- Keep doing what you do. You will help more people than they say you hurt!

Hump Day Hottie

2009-11-11T17:42:00.002-05:00

When paroozing Out.com, I came across this Latin heart-throbe. Supposedly, Tamar Novas is the new "It-Guy" in Spain. Check out more info and more photos on Out.com.

The "Beloved" Margaret Garner is Back In Action

2009-11-05T19:01:00.002-05:00

“Beloved”, written by Toni Morrison and published in 1987, won the Pulitzer Prize and loosely follows the story of escaped slave Margaret Garner. Garner’s Medea-like heroics when she was captured in her attempt to escape from slavery threw the city of Cincinnati, OH to the forefront of the Nation’s attention.

Garner made the ultimate sacrifice and instead of seeing her child be taken back into slavery, decided to take the child’s life with her own two hands.

Morrison’s fictional reproduction of this real life drama was so popular; Oprah Winfrey redeveloped it into a screen play in addition to a Michigan Opera house creating a theatrical stage production of the novel in the form of an opera.

I became interested in the story for two reasons; (1) it was a true story and (2) the story occurred in the part of the country where I was from. In my infatuation with the story, I spent years researching all the nuances of the story to even traveling to the farm where Margaret Garner lived (yes it is still there). I even gave seminars on this topic, going over the similarities and differences in the real life story and fictional adaptations.

I have decided to reprise the seminar this upcoming Black History Month. There are few new developments that I have found, and I feel that it would be cool to remind people in this area of Southern Ohio that the Nobel Prize winning “Beloved” came from a story from this area.

View of San Francisco from atop the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park

2009-11-05T13:24:00.002-05:00

The Power of 7-4-0

2009-11-04T18:06:00.002-05:00

While I was in San Francisco a few weeks ago, the style and vice of the city took hold of me in a way that only Rembrandt could describe in one of his paintings. OK….that may be a little dramatic, but I feel safe that you get what I am trying to describe.

During this time, ancient mantras and centuries old though processes exposed them selves to me and I began to take a novice interests, especially of the teaching of Buddha. This passing interest (which has not totally left my mind) opened my mind to the significance of “happenings” such as dreams and numbers.

Just after this realization and on the way back to the dumpy Mid-west, the numbers 7-4-0 kept appearing to me, and not in combination with other numbers and in this particular sequence. For example, 740 was the number of the cab that I took home from the airport. $7.40 was the exact amount that I paid for lunch and 740 was the number that I pulled with I was in line at the deli.

Before I make in predisposed sayings about what this sequence of numbers means and before I let you know how I have incorporated this into my life, I am going to do a little bit of research before I speak out of my ass…as I have done time and time again in the past.
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Stop and smell the flowers

2009-11-03T14:15:00.002-05:00

Taken in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco Oct 2009

"Hello" by Sam Francis (1923-1994)

2009-10-29T19:37:00.002-04:00

Back in da Habit

2009-10-29T09:15:00.003-04:00

(Russian Hill in San Francisco over looking The Golden Gate Bridge taken last week)

I know that I have not been updating ‘da NAMjA’ in the past few months, but just like chicken soup, a break is sometimes also good for the soul.

The break was also due to fact that I just began working in a new capacity at work (I am still in a cubicle though I will get over that) and I am a day removed from a week-long travel up AND down California's Pacific Coast.

Just before the onset of both of the reasons why I have not been blogging, I wasn't in the greatest place, both mentally and physically.

Over the past two months, not only have I been blessed with the opportunity to be transferred to a higher paying, more professional working environment, I have also been afforded to opportunity to experience San Diego beaches, central California's rolling hills and valleys, and also the uber-metropolitan antics that San Francisco nights (and in some case their days) have to offer.

It is a wonder how much a small excursion away from your normal day-to-day living, coupled with a slight change in your working environment, can open your mind and give you more of a reason to, for lack of a less dramatic word...live.

"Boy Party" by Jess (Burgess Franklin Collins)

2009-10-27T17:05:00.002-04:00

It was my favorite painting in the Contemporary Collection at de Young museum in San Francisco.

Week In Review

2009-10-10T18:45:00.003-04:00

10/7/09 No Charges Expected In Bus Crash

10/4/09 Do you Need A Professional Business Plan?

No charges expected in bus crash | Kentucky Enquirer | nky.com

2009-10-07T19:49:00.002-04:00

No charges expected in bus crash Kentucky Enquirer nky.com

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Do you need a Professional Business Plan?

2009-10-04T09:54:00.000-04:00

http://ionconsultants.wordpress.com

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Week In Review

2009-10-03T10:43:00.004-04:00

9/27/09 Cincinnati City Council Wanna-Be's Face Off

9/30/09 500 Ryle Students Call off Sick

10/2/09 What tha...?

500 Ryle High students ill

2009-09-30T19:13:00.001-04:00

UNION - About 500 of the 1,560 students at Ryle High School were home sick Tuesday, many of them with a low-grade virus, according to Superintendent Randy Poe.

Poe said what many of the students are suffering from is similar to what kept about 200 Gray Middle School students home last week. Gray is next door to Ryle, and many siblings of students at Gray attend Ryle.

Poe said attendance was up by about 100 students on Wednesday morning.
Poe said there are no plans to close Ryle, and whether extracurricular events will be postponed this week will be determined on an event-by-event basis.

Cincinnati City Council Wanna-Be's Face Off

2009-09-27T11:45:00.003-04:00

This morning on Channel 12's NewsMakers, four people running for this year's Cincinnati City Council seats squared off.

On today's program, Laura Quinlivan, Charlie Winburn, Bernadett Watson, and Tony Fischer all went tete-a-tete on issues facing the Queen City. From budget cuts to debate on the reamifications of bring a casino to Broadway Commons were all placed on the table.

Though Fisher and Watson made an acceptable appearance, the real fireworks came when Issue 9 and the street car was brought to the forefront.

Quainlivan made a valid and passionate argument about the necessity of an established transportation system, found in the street car, in addition to her publicly denouncing her approval for Issue 9.

This sentiment was also heralded by Fisher and Watson. The only opposition came from Winburn who repeated harped in the violence and crime that was prevalent in the proposed street car route.

In my opinion, here are my grades on the City Council Candidate's Sunday morning appearance:

Laure Quinlivan: A-

Charlie Winburn: C-

Bernadett Watson: B

Tony Fischer: B

If you mised it, form your own opinion by watching what you missed here.

Week In Review

2009-09-26T13:16:00.002-04:00

9/25/09 The Next Winner of 'So You ThinkYou Can Dance', Findley Market: Come Out & Enjoy

9/22/09 Is CIRV Really Worth It

9/20/09 My Recently Published Articles

Next Winner of 'So You Think You Can Dance'

2009-09-25T18:02:00.000-04:00

Findley Market: Come Out And Enjoy!

2009-09-25T18:00:00.002-04:00

http://soapboxmedia.com/videos/0811findlaymarket.aspx

2009-09-22T17:50:00.001-04:00

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Do you need a professional and concise business plan?

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Is CIRV Really Worth It?

2009-09-22T17:47:00.001-04:00

Read the entire article here.

CINCINNATI -- Oralen Buckner was robbed and murdered while waiting for a ride outside the Faye Apartments in June. More than a month went by without an arrest.

So the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence, or CIRV, offered to get involved.

Oralen Buckner's homicide was solved thanks to help from CIRV.
Kenneth Buckner, Oralen’s brother, was skeptical. He didn’t think CIRV’s involvement would make any difference.

“No I didn't,” Buckner said.

But Buckner agreed to let CIRV hold a vigil for his brother, encouraging people to come forward with information about who killed him.

Read the entire article here.

My Recently Published Artices

2009-09-20T09:35:00.003-04:00

Gay Men;s Guide To Fashion: Coats 9/18

How ToSave Money In These Tough Economic Times 9/16

How ToLove The Job You Hate 9/15

How To Stay In Shape While On The Road 9/15

Movie Review: Obsessed (2009) 9/15

A Gay Man's Recipe For Mac & Cheese 9/13

My Newly Published Article 'How To Save Money In This Tough Economy'

2009-09-17T10:04:00.000-04:00

Read it here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2169857/how_to_save_money_in_this_tough_economy.html?cat=9
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Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary dies

2009-09-17T09:59:00.000-04:00

As Reported by The Associated Press

DANBURY, Conn. — Mary Travers, one-third of the hugely popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, has died.

The band's publicist, Heather Lylis, says Travers died at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut on Wednesday. She was 72 and had battled leukemia for several years.

Travers joined forces with Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey in the early 1960s.

The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," ''Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)"

They were early champions of Bob Dylan and performed his "Blowin' in the Wind" at the August 1963 March on Washington.

And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream.

The group collected five Grammy Awards for their three-part harmony on enduring songs like "Leaving on a Jet Plane," ''Puff (The Magic Dragon)" and "Blowin' in the Wind."

At one point in 1963, three of their albums were in the top six Billboard best-selling LPs as they became the biggest stars of the folk revival movement.

It was heady stuff for a trio that had formed in the early 1960s in Greenwich Village, running through simple tunes like "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

They debuted at the Bitter End in 1961, and their beatnik look — a tall blonde flanked by a pair of goateed guitarists — was a part of their initial appeal. As The New York Times critic Robert Shelton put it not long afterward, "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager, Albert B. Grossman, who searched for months for 'the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers."

Their debut album came out in 1962, and immediately scored a pair of hits with their versions of "If I Had a Hammer" and "Lemon Tree." The former won them Grammys for best folk recording, and best performance by a vocal group.

"Moving" was the follow-up, including the hit tale of innocence lost, "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" — which reached No. 2 on the charts, and generated since-discounted reports that it was an ode to marijuana.

Album No. 3, "In the Wind," featured three songs by the 22-year-old Dylan. "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright" and "Blowin' in the Wind" both reached the top 10, bringing Dylan's material to a massive audience; the latter shipped 300,000 copies during one two-week period.

"Blowin' In the Wind" became an another civil rights anthem, and Peter, Paul and Mary fully embraced the cause. They marched with King in Selma, Ala., and performed with him in Washington.

In a 1966 New York Times interview, Travers said the three worked well together because they respected one another. "There has to be a certain amount of love just in order for you to survive together," she said. "I think a lot of groups have gone down the tubes because they were not able to relate to one another."

With the advent of the Beatles and Dylan's switch to electric guitar, the folk boom disappeared. Travers expressed disdain for folk-rock, telling the Chicago Daily News in 1966 that "it's so badly written. ... When the fad changed from folk to rock, they didn't take along any good writers."

But the trio continued their success, scoring with the tongue-in-cheek single "I Dig Rock and Roll Music," a gentle parody of the Mamas and the Papas, in 1967 and the John Denver-penned "Leaving on a Jet Plane" two years later.

They also continued as boosters for young songwriters, recording numbers written by then-little-known Gordon Lightfoot and Laura Nyro.

In 1969, the group earned their final Grammy for "Peter, Paul and Mommy," which won for best children's album. They disbanded in 1971, launching solo careers — Travers released five albums — that never achieved the heights of their collaborations.

Over the years they enjoyed several reunions, including a performance at a 1978 anti-nuclear benefit organized by Yarrow and a 35th anniversary album, "Lifelines," with fellow folkies Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Dave Van Ronk and Seeger. A boxed set of their music was released in 2004.

They remained politically active as well, performing at the 1995 anniversary of the Kent State shootings and performing for California strawberry pickers.

Travers had undergone a successful bone marrow transplant to treat her leukemia and was able to return to performing after that.

"It was like a miracle," Travers told The Associated Press in 2006. "I'm just feeling fabulous. What's incredible is someone has given your life back. I'm out in the garden today. This time last year I was looking out a window at a hospital." She also said she told the marrow donor "how incredibly grateful I was."

But by mid-2009, Yarrow told WTOP radio in Washington that her condition had worsened again and he thought she would no longer be able to perform.

Mary Allin Travers was born on Nov. 9, 1936 in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of journalists who moved the family to Manhattan's bohemian Greenwich Village. She quickly became enamored with folk performers like the Weavers, and was soon performing with Seeger, a founding member of the Weavers who lived in the same building as the Travers family.

With a group called the Song Swappers, Travers backed Seeger on one album and two shows at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared (as one of a group of folk singers) in a short-lived 1958 Broadway show called "The Next President," starring comedian Mort Sahl.

It wasn't until she met up with Yarrow and Stookey that Travers would taste success on her own. Yarrow was managed by Grossman, who later worked in the same capacity for Dylan.

In the book "Positively 4th Street" by David Hajdu, Travers recalled that Grossman's strategy was to "find a nobody that he could nurture and make famous."

The budding trio, boosted by the arrangements of Milt Okun, spent seven months rehearsing in her Greenwich Village apartment before their 1961 public debut.

Travers lived for many years in Redding, Conn.

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Obama scrapping missile shield for Czech, Poland

2009-09-17T09:56:00.000-04:00

By Karel Janicek And William J. Kole, Associated Press Writers

PRAGUE — President Barack Obama has decided to scrap plans for a U.S. missile defense shield in the Czech Republic and Poland that had deeply angered Russia, the Czech prime minister confirmed Thursday.

NATO's new chief hailed the move as "a positive step" and a Russian analyst said the move will increase the chances that Russia will cooperate more closely with the United States in the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Premier Jan Fischer told reporters that Obama phoned him overnight to say that "his government is pulling out of plans to build a missile defense radar on Czech territory."

"The same happened with Poland. Poland was informed in the same way about this intention," Fischer said.

Under the plan, which had been proposed by the Bush administration to defend the United States and its European allies against a possible missile attack from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East, 10 interceptor rockets were to have been stationed in Poland and a radar system based in the Czech Republic.

But Russia was livid over the prospect of having U.S. interceptor rockets in countries so close to its territory, and the Obama administration has sought to improve strained ties with the Kremlin.

A top Russian lawmaker praised the move.

"The U.S. president's decision is a well-thought and systematic one," said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the foreign affairs committee in the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament. "It reflects understanding that any security measure can't be built entirely on the basis of one nation."

Fischer said Obama assured him that the "strategic cooperation" between the Czech Republic and the U.S. would continue, and that Washington considers the Czechs among its closes allies.

Fischer said after a review of the missile defense system, the U.S. now considers the threat of an attack using short- and mid-range missiles greater than one using long-range rockets.

"That's what the Americans assessed as the most serious threat," and Obama's decision was based on that, he said.

In Poland, officials declined to confirm Fischer's remarks, saying they were waiting for a formal announcement from Washington.

Obama took office undecided about whether to continue to press for the European system and said he would study it. His administration never sounded enthusiastic about it, and European allies have been preparing for an announcement that the White House would not complete the shield as designed.

Alexei Arbatov, head of the Russian Academy of Science's Center for International Security, told a Moscow radio station Thursday that the U.S. was giving in on missile defense to get more cooperation from Russia on Iran.

"The United States is reckoning that by rejecting the missile-defense system or putting it off to the far future, Russia will be inclined together with the United States to take a harder line on sanctions against Iran," he said.

The Czech government had stood behind the planned radar system despite fierce opposition from the public, which has staged numerous protests.

Critics fear the Czech Republic would be targeted by terrorists if it agreed to host the radar system, which was planned for the Brdy military installation 90 kilometers (55 miles) southwest of Prague, the capital.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Robert Gates scheduled a news conference Thursday with a top military leader, Marine Gen. James Cartwright, who has been a point man on the technical challenge of arraying missiles and interceptors to defend against long-range missiles.

The decision to scrap the plan will have future consequences for U.S. relations with eastern Europe.

"If the administration approaches us in the future with any request, I would be strongly against it," said Jan Vidim, a lawmaker with Czech Republic's conservative Civic Democratic Party, which supported the missile defense plan.

___

Kole reported from Vienna. AP Writer Monika Scislowska in Warsaw, Anne Gearan and Desmond Butler in Washington and Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this story.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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H&M Comes To The Tri-State

2009-09-16T11:12:00.001-04:00

How did this store sneak under my radar?
The first time that I visited this was in Philly and I fell in love.
It wasn’t until a year ago when I was visiting Indy that I was able to take in their wares again.
Just yesterday, I found out that this ultra hip store has a location in Kenwood AND in Florence Y’all…who knew?

Let’s just say, I will be there for their end of the month sales.

How to Save Money In These Tough Economic Times

2009-09-16T11:09:00.001-04:00

Read the entire article here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2169857/how_to_save_money_in_this_tough_economy.html?cat=9

The last time that our country has seen this much financial distress the American people were getting ready to be thrown into the midst of The Great Depression. It can be proven with the recent nationwide debate on healthcare reform and the all time high in unemployment.

To combat the effects of the Great Depression, this county enacted the National Industrial Revitalization Act by the Federal Government, which completely shut down some financial institutions, in order to change its practices and protocol, leaving Americans with little or no access to the hard earned money that they entrusted.

Now that our economy is multi faceted and so intertwined, the government has power to make small changes in our economic recovery (i.e. Cash for Clunkers and the recent Bailout of some of the major banks), but a far reaching financial overhaul which was enacted in 1933 is almost impossible in this day and age.

This being said, most of the economic recovery responsibility falls on use, the regular citizens. We have to not only rely on our government to spur economic growth, but we must take it upon ourselves to take actions within our own economic situation in order to ensure financial stability and growth.

Read the entire article here:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2169857/how_to_save_money_in_this_tough_economy.html?cat=9

The 'B' Is Buzzing

2009-09-16T11:07:00.001-04:00

Over the past few years, the Ohio River banks have been in renewal mode. Despite the fact that it is still not complete after two decades of progress, it has not dampened the spirits of Greater Cincinnatians.

The latest river side community to take advantage of the renaissance along the mighty Ohio is Bellevue, KY. This city mimics that of a developing 3rd world county in both charm and rate of economic growth (that’s a good thing so you know).

Read the following article to find out more:

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20090916/ENT01/909160343/Bellevue+s+restaurant+row

Movies U Gotta C This Fall

2009-09-14T15:34:00.002-04:00

This past summer was one of the first times in a while that I was excited about going to the movies. Though I am a film buff, I reserve my trips to the cinema for films which have amazing special effects or high in action content.

This summer I was very impressed with G.I. Joe and the last installation of the Harry Potter series. But some of the softer films, I will wait until they come out on video.

This Fall is no exception.

There is a myriad of films in which I am interested in seeing, but right now, I definitely want to see the following in the theatres

Avatar

Surrogates

Where the Wild Things Are

And

I Can Do Bad All by Myself

The latter of the four, I want to see in the theatre just for sheer laugh appeal.

The Last Mac & Cheese Recipe You'll Ever Use

2009-09-13T12:14:00.002-04:00

That is, if you are a single gay man.

Despite our area's great grocery stores like Kroger and Whole Foods, Trader Joe's seems to always come out of my mouth first when anyone asks me where buy groceries.

I have stumbled on the perfect Mac & Cheese recipe which all ingredients can be purchased with products at Trader Joe's

Enjoy!

Week In Review

2009-09-12T14:40:00.004-04:00

9/6/09 25% off Resume and Cover Letter Writing Service

9/8/09 Would You Kick President Obama Out of Your School?

9/9/09 Job Expo Geared Towards Vets

9/11/09 Riverfront Plans To Bring Back Beer

The Riverfront Plans To Bring Back The Beer!

2009-09-11T09:24:00.001-04:00

So who said that Cincinnati abandoned its beer brewing heritage?

As The Banks project trudges along,

Greg Hardman, Christian Moerlein Brewing Company owner announced that he will be heading up The Moerlein Larger House (or should it be Hause) which will anchor the Central Riverfront park Development plans.

The restaurant/bar plans to be located and the bottom of Main Street just on the East side of the Great American Ball Park. It plans to include indoor seating for 500, including a 600 seat outdoor space.

Not only does it plan to be a great place to hang out and have a beer and grub, the building plans to be LEED certified , 3 stories in height, complete with a green roof, balconies and terraces with views of the new Central Riverfront Park, Ohio River, Roebling Suspension Bridge and Great American Ball Park.

Can’t wait to see it come to fruition!

Job Expo Aimed @ Vets

2009-09-09T19:09:00.002-04:00

As repored on nky.com

FLORENCE - An event designed to help veterans of the U.S. armed forces and their spouses find work, start a business or further their education will be held Thursday at Turfway Park.

More than two dozen companies, organizations and schools are expected to participate in the RecruitMilitary Opportunity Expo. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to all veterans and military spouses.

"A lot of civilian employers don't understand quite fully what these veterans can offer them," said John Lundberg, a national career fair representative with RecruitMilitary and a retired Marine. "But they know what they do bring to the table is a great work ethic, the understanding of accomplishing a goal in a timely manner and being able to work with less than desirable resources and coming to work every day.

"Once they realize what skill sets they do have and how it's transferable it makes them then even more valuable."

RecruitMilitary is a Loveland-based firm owned and operated by veterans. It matches veterans with employers and has 68 career fairs scheduled throughout the country this year, Lundberg said. The events are produced in cooperation with the American Legion, HireVetsFirst and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network, according to a news release.

Sharon Cohany, an economist with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, said Wednesday that the jobless rate last month for all military veterans was 7.7 percent. That translates into 933,000 unemployed veterans, she said. The jobless rate was even higher for those who served at any time since September 2001. That figure rose to 11.3 percent, or 185,000 veterans, in August, Cohany said.

Read the full article here.

Would You Kick President Obama Out Of Your School?

2009-09-08T12:39:00.001-04:00

Over the past few weeks, we have heard opposition about President Obama’s speech to the young school children of this country.

Never mind the fact that the United States spends the most money per child in the world to educate them, yet we still fall severely behind the rest of the world in education, does anyone see the necessity of this Presidential proclamation to our schools?

Carter did it.

Bush Sr. did it.

What makes this time so much different?

To put icing on the cake, both the former 1st Lady Bush tagged teamed with Newt Gingrich to question the county’s opposition for the President speaking with the county’s children.

That says it all.

25% off Resume Writing Service

2009-09-06T15:13:00.002-04:00

ION Consultants is offering 25% off resumes, cover letter and business writing service.

Read any of the following published articles and recieve 25% off any of our services.

*Note-Please mention which article you read when ordering.

President Obama’s Best Bet For Economic Recovery

5 Steps To Success On Interview Day

Book Review: ‘The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protectionism’

5 Steps To Closing The Sale

Movie Review: ‘Cowboys and Angels’

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Week In Review

2009-09-05T09:47:00.003-04:00

8/29/09 - Newly Published Article: '5 Steps to Strengthen You Community'

8/31/09 - Report: DJ AM's Death Not A Suicide

9/1/09 - ION Consultants -New Website Announcement

ION Consultants – New Website Announcement

2009-09-01T19:47:00.001-04:00

ION Consultants is excited to announce the release of our new website.

Our site has been redesigned with a fresh new look and has been updated with information about our latest products and services.

A great new comment and question feature has been added to our site for fast and easy communication.

Additionally, with our new blog feature, you now can stay abreast of any news/promotion pertaining to the company.

Report: DJ AM's death not suicide

2009-08-31T11:14:00.000-04:00

As reported on UPI.com:

NEW YORK, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Investigators are categorizing DJ AM's death in New York last week as an accidental drug overdose, not a suicide, law enforcement sources told TMZ.

DJ AM (real name Adam Goldstein), a celebrity disc jockey, was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Friday. He was 36.

An autopsy conducted the following day proved inconclusive. Officials said a cause of death will not be announced until toxicology and other tests are reviewed.

Sources told TMZ Goldstein, a recovering drug addict, developed a dependency on Xanax and other anxiety-relieving benzodiazepines after he and rock musician Travis Barker survived a Learjet crash that left four people dead last year.

Goldstein was taking the medication because he had developed a terrible fear of flying after the crash, but still needed to travel by air for work, the insiders told the Web site.

The prescriptions triggered a relapse, but Goldstein had not been abusing other drugs, namely crack cocaine, again long before his death, the sources said.

One insider emphasized the disc jockey's death had "absolutely nothing to do with his recent breakup" with a girlfriend as has been implied in some media reports.

Newly Published Article: '5 Steps To Strengthen Your Community'

2009-08-29T19:28:00.002-04:00

Read the full aricle here.

'Dancing With the Stars' Pairings Announced

2009-08-24T15:56:00.001-04:00

Get up on the good foot!

ABC has just announced the celebrity/pro pairs for Season 9 of "Dancing With the Stars" (which premieres Sept. 21).

Here's a rundown of who'll be stepping with whom:
- Pop star Aaron Carter and Karina Smirnoff

- Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Season 1 champ Alec Mazo

- "Iron Chef" star Mark Dacasos and Lacey Schwimmer

- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and two-time champ Cheryl Burke (hey, it had to be someone, didn't it?)

- Singer Macy Gray and Jonathan Roberts

- Actor Ashley Hamilton and Edyta Sliwinska

- Actress Melissa Joan Hart and two-time champ Mark Ballas

- Model Kathy Ireland and Tony Dovolani

- NFL star Michael Irvin and last season's pro dancer competition champ, Anna Demidova

- Model Joanna Krupa and Derek Hough

- "Ultimate Fighting" champ Chuck Liddell and Anna Trebunskaya

- Actress Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkoviskiy

- Singer Mya and Dmitry Chaplin

- Reality star Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel

- Singer Donny Osmond and Kym Johnson

- Pro snowboarder Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower

Looking over the group, I think that Chris Carter may appear to have alot of promise, but I think his cockiness may over power his mombo.

Mya's dance background will give Emmy-nominated choreographer Dmitry some good material to work with.

One of the odd pairings is Kelly Osbourne and Louis Van Amstel— wonder if Louis' experience will combat her lumpy facade?

Can you tell that I love this show?
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