28 September 2009

Art Cars

ArtWorks put together this "Art Cars" event last weekend in Clifton. It's new to me but apparently it's done all over... artists select a painting and then paint that painting on a car. The cars are loaned by their owners who then drive them around after their painted. So if you see one of these cars on the road, try not to wreck.














24 September 2009

Virology Victory

Well, it took 25 years and a bazillion dollars to get to this point but it's finally here:


For the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus, a watershed event in the deadly epidemic and a surprising result.

The study tested the combo in HIV-negative Thai men and women ages 18 to 30 at average risk of becoming infected. Half received four "priming" doses of ALVAC and two "boost" doses of AIDSVAX over six months. The others received dummy shots. No one knew who got what until the study ended.

Results: New infections occurred in 51 of the 8,197 given vaccine and in 74 of the 8,198 who received dummy shots. That worked out to a 31 percent lower risk of infection for the vaccine group.

"It gives me cautious optimism about the possibility of improving this result" and developing a more effective AIDS vaccine, Fauci said...

It is unclear whether vaccine makers will seek to license the two-vaccine combo in Thailand. Before the trial began, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said other studies would be needed before the vaccine could be considered for U.S. licensing.

22 September 2009

Streetcar Open House Today

Hoping to build public support for a proposed streetcar line from Downtown to Uptown, Cincinnati city officials have scheduled 10 open houses on the plan this fall.

(Enquirer)

Tonight's open house is 5-7 p.m. at the Aronoff. I can't make this one but I encourage others to go and demonstrate support for progress!

20 September 2009

Oktoberfest Pics

A truckload of goetta is a truckload of good time as the poet Schiller wrote.


I hope this guy is getting overtime pay for this. Also I love that the poop truck has a warning beacon on top.


I do not know who these people are and I did not ask because I had a pretty good idea what they would say.


Kickin' brass with the Zinzinnati Bierband!


These revelers threw sausages at me until I agreed to take their picture.


There's one in every crowd. And this time he brought a friend.


Chicks with chicken hats.


I didn't see smoke or flames but apparently there was a fire at Carew Tower.

19 September 2009

Oktoberfest Celebrity Sighting

Here's "Norm" from Cheers. I presume he's a celebrity host or emcee of some kind.

17 September 2009

Kid's Bike



I saw this bike outside City Hall which seems out of place for a kid's bike. When I was a kid we had a purple girl's bike with a banana seat and the seat had flowers painted on it. I think there was also a basket in front with plastic flowers on that as well. We lived in a big townhouse complex and I rode the bike all over the place, often with my little sister sharing the seat with me since she didn't know how to ride a bike yet. I attached playing cards with rubber bands so it would make a motorcycle sound when the spokes rubbed the cards. That's what separated the cool boys riding girl's bikes from the uncool boys riding girl's bikes.

So there I was, riding a purple girl's bike to see Stephen (rhymes with "Geffen") and Dominic, my childhood friends. Stephen was my best friend but his family moved to California. Dominic had a big afro for a little kid. His older brother had an even bigger one. Sometimes I wonder what happened to those two and I wonder if they sometimes wonder what happened to me.

Before Stephen and Dominic I lived in Kenya and when I was just barely old enough to have a friend I became chums with a kid across the street named Samir. We played together all the time. Then my parents came to America and I forgot all about Kenya (including the Swahili I once spoke) pretty quickly. But I had relatives in Kenya and when I went back to visit them 10 years later as a teenager they told me stories about crazy things I did when I was a kid and how I always played with Samir. They actually tracked his family down and I went over there for lunch. His parents sent him to school in England so he acquired polished manners and an English accent. He didn't seem at all excited to see me again and we didn't have anything in common.

My parents sold that purple bike when we moved into a house. Somewhere in Cincinnati a girl rode it around to see her friends and I wonder if she now thinks about what happened to the friends she rode her purple bike with.

I don't remember Stephen's or Dominic's last names and I doubt I ever knew them. But if I did I'd probably look them up on Facebook. If I had a children I would definitely write down all their friends' names. It's never too early for networking in the 21st century.

05 September 2009

02 September 2009

Unexpected Email of the Week

Did anyone else get this in their inbox? I am trying to figure out if this is a good example of social media marketing or an awkward attempt at it.


My name is Jessica and I work for LasikPlus. As you may know, they are a Cincinnati-based laser vision correction company with locations across the United States.

Despite the economy, Cincinnati ophthalmologist Dr. Vince Marino of LasikPlus continues to see patients for laser vision correction to get rid of corrective lenses, improve their “game” in sporting activities or for professional reasons. Around 70% of his potential clients come to him from recommendations of others in the Cincinnati area, and he has had the pleasure of performing Lasik on entire families – including second generations!

At any time, any interested Cincinnati resident can come in for a free comprehensive eye exam to determine if they’re a candidate. This is a great deal for those who have ever considered the surgery, or are interested in learning more.

With financing available and the ability to use an HSA or FSA, now is actually a great time to invest in Lasik.

Let me know if you’d like any additional information on LASIK, LasikPlus or if you’d like to connect with Dr. Marino. We’d love to connect with Clark Street Blog readers.

Thanks,
Jessica

01 September 2009

Break-In