Showing posts with label Ohio Blogosphere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ohio Blogosphere. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Earthquake In Ohio Blogosphere: Jerid Kurtz Departs Buckeye State Blog
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- He's finishing law school at Case Western Reserve University, moving on in life and is signing off as the primary voice and proprietor at Buckeye State Blog. Jerid Kurtz posted his pre-dawn farewell today, and The Daily Bellwether wishes him health, luck, less stress and success in the journey ahead. His insights and opinions and flair definitely will be missed. Jerid truly is irreplaceable. But change is always out there lurking, and now BSB has new handlers. Welcome to the new crew. And let's watch what they can do at the granddaddy (three years old) of Ohio's political blogs.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Conservative Ohio Blog: Pushes Envelope, Links To Topless Cheerleader Pix
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Weapons of Mass Discussion is a Republican-leaning Ohio blog that has uncovered some salacious Internet links today. In a matter of mouse clicks, the links get to the bare-breasted photo of a 15-year-old Ohio high school cheerleader and her 19-year-old cheerleading squad coach.
[UPDATE: 6:55 pm -- Some of the links have now been pulled off the site and Matt Hurley contends they did not go to the 15-year-old girl. However, somebody might want to recover and comb through the original post to verify what Matt is saying. If there was no problem, as he insists, then why eliminate the links? Indeed, the original post said the links to the pictures were not hosted on WMD's server.]
[UPDATE 2: 7:32 pm -- "Here" and "PostChron" lead to the link that was up earlier and has now disappeared from Weapons of Mass Discussion. It clearly is a few clicks away from something the conservative blog now seems to want in the distance. Obviously, it leads to more than the WMD admits. Perhaps Matt Naugle at RightAngleBlog wants to snapshot before it vanishes again. Or maybe Jerid Kurtz at Buckeye State Blog wants to preserve the evidence.]
Both women are from Goshen, a semi-rural suburb of Cincinnati. Weapons of Mass Discussion carries a warning that the photos are racy. It explains that viewing the 15-year-old's picture might entail some legal risk -- the law limits displays of nudity involving a minor -- because the girl is clearly underage. Linking to the picture was a bold move for a political blog, and may bring flak.
The existence of the photos, and how the coach snapped them at a party, are the subject of disciplinary action by the Goshen schools and a police investigation. The events are making worldwide news. Weapons of Mass Discussion decided to give readers an opportunity to examine what the fuss was all about, an opportunity that readers of traditional news outlets haven't been allowed to have. TV and the newspapers have exercised self-censorship, an editorial restraint based on a custom of not wanting to risk offending anyone, or not wanting to burst the bounds of tastelessness and ill-manners. But the bloggers took a different tack -- let people see for themselves, the pictures are on the 'Net. Why pretend they are not there?
Weapons of Mass Discussion might be accused of pandering to its readers' basest interests by giving them a chance to see topless teens. But the blog didn't sin, at least not by the wide open standards of of free speech that prevail in the blogosphere. The sin would have been knowing there was a news story and not delivering that story, even the part that could make you squirm. And remember, nobody has to click on the links to see the pictures.
[UPDATE: 6:55 pm -- Some of the links have now been pulled off the site and Matt Hurley contends they did not go to the 15-year-old girl. However, somebody might want to recover and comb through the original post to verify what Matt is saying. If there was no problem, as he insists, then why eliminate the links? Indeed, the original post said the links to the pictures were not hosted on WMD's server.]
[UPDATE 2: 7:32 pm -- "Here" and "PostChron" lead to the link that was up earlier and has now disappeared from Weapons of Mass Discussion. It clearly is a few clicks away from something the conservative blog now seems to want in the distance. Obviously, it leads to more than the WMD admits. Perhaps Matt Naugle at RightAngleBlog wants to snapshot before it vanishes again. Or maybe Jerid Kurtz at Buckeye State Blog wants to preserve the evidence.]
Both women are from Goshen, a semi-rural suburb of Cincinnati. Weapons of Mass Discussion carries a warning that the photos are racy. It explains that viewing the 15-year-old's picture might entail some legal risk -- the law limits displays of nudity involving a minor -- because the girl is clearly underage. Linking to the picture was a bold move for a political blog, and may bring flak.
The existence of the photos, and how the coach snapped them at a party, are the subject of disciplinary action by the Goshen schools and a police investigation. The events are making worldwide news. Weapons of Mass Discussion decided to give readers an opportunity to examine what the fuss was all about, an opportunity that readers of traditional news outlets haven't been allowed to have. TV and the newspapers have exercised self-censorship, an editorial restraint based on a custom of not wanting to risk offending anyone, or not wanting to burst the bounds of tastelessness and ill-manners. But the bloggers took a different tack -- let people see for themselves, the pictures are on the 'Net. Why pretend they are not there?
Weapons of Mass Discussion might be accused of pandering to its readers' basest interests by giving them a chance to see topless teens. But the blog didn't sin, at least not by the wide open standards of of free speech that prevail in the blogosphere. The sin would have been knowing there was a news story and not delivering that story, even the part that could make you squirm. And remember, nobody has to click on the links to see the pictures.
Friday, July 13, 2007
Clark Montessori High School: Ohio Has America's Only Public Montessori H.S.
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Clark Montessori is one of the best things in the United States, and it happens to be a state-supported public school in Cincinnati. It is not a charter school, or a private school. It is a public school in the city system, a magnet open to children of all races and incomes, and it is highly successful. Amazingly successful, really. Kids from the suburbs enroll at Clark, even through their parents must pay tuition.
Seldom does a senior not graduate, and it is rated excellent by the Ohio Department of Education. The graduating classes tend to walk away with millions in academic scholarships that help them pay for college, and almost all go on to university.
Two of my kids are Clarkites, and I sent them there because the school is so damn exceptional. Example: They both spent nearly two weeks of their freshman year backpacking on the Appalachian trail. And there were other adventures that introduced them to the world per the philosophy of Maria Montessori. Clark is small -- only 92 seniors picked up diplomas this year.
I'm mentioning Clark because Thursday I proposed positive posts across the Ohiosphere that would promote our state. (And I missed my own 24-hour deadline to get the post up. Why? I didn't originally intend to include myself, but decided what the heck, jump in.)
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has backed Clark and studied it, and calls the Cincinnati public Montessori exemplary.
"The small design promotes opportunities to learn the skills and values involved in teamwork and group decision-making, in long term project management, and in service to the community. These have combined to with Clark's challenging academic courses to proficiency test results that are far above state norms."
This is a public school, a big city school, and it sits there in Ohio defying all stereotypes. It has long been described as America's first and only public Montessori high school, but there may be imitators out there somewhere. And what do they say about imitation -- isn't it the highest form of flattery.
[UPDATE: 5:30 pm EDT: In a comment below, Jill of the always erudite and informed Writes Like She Talks has gently pointed out that purists may not consider the school in Cincinnati a true Montessori. There could be some room for debate because Cincinnati is experimenting with Maria Montessori's philosophy and, so far (more than 30 years) has successfully adapted it to the American standard education model. There is a a lot of additional information in this article about Xavier University's program that produces certified Montessori teachers, (one can earn a master's degree) which is somewhat pioneering and defying of educational conventions in its own right. Xavier is in Cincinnati, and no doubt because of its influence, kids in Cincinnati can start in a public pre-school program and stay with the Montessori philosophy all the way through 12th grade. I suppose Jill is technically correct. Please read what she says below in her comment.]
Seldom does a senior not graduate, and it is rated excellent by the Ohio Department of Education. The graduating classes tend to walk away with millions in academic scholarships that help them pay for college, and almost all go on to university.
Two of my kids are Clarkites, and I sent them there because the school is so damn exceptional. Example: They both spent nearly two weeks of their freshman year backpacking on the Appalachian trail. And there were other adventures that introduced them to the world per the philosophy of Maria Montessori. Clark is small -- only 92 seniors picked up diplomas this year.
I'm mentioning Clark because Thursday I proposed positive posts across the Ohiosphere that would promote our state. (And I missed my own 24-hour deadline to get the post up. Why? I didn't originally intend to include myself, but decided what the heck, jump in.)
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has backed Clark and studied it, and calls the Cincinnati public Montessori exemplary.
"The small design promotes opportunities to learn the skills and values involved in teamwork and group decision-making, in long term project management, and in service to the community. These have combined to with Clark's challenging academic courses to proficiency test results that are far above state norms."
This is a public school, a big city school, and it sits there in Ohio defying all stereotypes. It has long been described as America's first and only public Montessori high school, but there may be imitators out there somewhere. And what do they say about imitation -- isn't it the highest form of flattery.
[UPDATE: 5:30 pm EDT: In a comment below, Jill of the always erudite and informed Writes Like She Talks has gently pointed out that purists may not consider the school in Cincinnati a true Montessori. There could be some room for debate because Cincinnati is experimenting with Maria Montessori's philosophy and, so far (more than 30 years) has successfully adapted it to the American standard education model. There is a a lot of additional information in this article about Xavier University's program that produces certified Montessori teachers, (one can earn a master's degree) which is somewhat pioneering and defying of educational conventions in its own right. Xavier is in Cincinnati, and no doubt because of its influence, kids in Cincinnati can start in a public pre-school program and stay with the Montessori philosophy all the way through 12th grade. I suppose Jill is technically correct. Please read what she says below in her comment.]
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Dr. Strickland Analyzes His State: Ohio Has The Blues
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Gov. Ted Strickland is a psychologist by training -- he holds a Ph.D. And he thinks Ohioans are too down on the state where they live, which is a far better chunk of geography in the American landscape than many Buckeyes seem to recognize. He used a term that means melancholy in nature, or funk.
"We've got a case of the blues. I don't think we're as proud of ourselves as we need to be."
Strickland delivered his diagnosis while speaking at a fundraiser for Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, a fellow Democrat whose reelection plans started to jell at the event Wednesday night at the Westin Hotel. Strickland was the top draw, and disclosed some state aid is going to be pumped into a redevelopment project on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati called "The Banks." The governor offered no details, and said the official announcement will be coming in a few days.
He spoke lively about fighting the blues. He said Ohio has "an infrastructure that most state's would relish to have" -- that means bridges, highways, transit hubs. It also means ballparks, museums, symphonies.
"Ohio has everything it needs to be a growing, thriving, prosperous state," and he said the location is "excellent."
He is right. The climate is temperate, the ground doesn't quake, the winds don't roar off the Gulf of Mexico. We don't have massive fires from drought. And we have water -- in our great lake that fashions the state's northern boundary and in the beautiful river that curls and flows on the southern end. The state has a rich history, and its soldiers and generals were most important in defeating the Confederacy and ending slavery. The colleges and universities are founts of knowledge.
Ohioans do need to shake off the "blues" as diagnosed by the governor.
Now: A proposal for the entire Ohiosphere, right, left or down the middle. Can you all post an item within the next 24 hours that brags about our home state? That sells it to the rest of the world, and to Ohioans themselves.
The temptation, of course, will be to make a joke or take a shot. (A Dem line: Why is Ohio a great place? Bob Taft is gone. A GOP line: Why is Ohio a great place? We hold the state Supreme Court and General Assembly.)
Please resist temptation. Sell our state, lift the blues. Bizzyblog's Tom Blumer consistently posts items he calls positivity, and they are always about something good, or happy, or a happy ending. Think positivity everybody. After all, we don't live in Michigan.
"We've got a case of the blues. I don't think we're as proud of ourselves as we need to be."
Strickland delivered his diagnosis while speaking at a fundraiser for Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, a fellow Democrat whose reelection plans started to jell at the event Wednesday night at the Westin Hotel. Strickland was the top draw, and disclosed some state aid is going to be pumped into a redevelopment project on the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati called "The Banks." The governor offered no details, and said the official announcement will be coming in a few days.
He spoke lively about fighting the blues. He said Ohio has "an infrastructure that most state's would relish to have" -- that means bridges, highways, transit hubs. It also means ballparks, museums, symphonies.
"Ohio has everything it needs to be a growing, thriving, prosperous state," and he said the location is "excellent."
He is right. The climate is temperate, the ground doesn't quake, the winds don't roar off the Gulf of Mexico. We don't have massive fires from drought. And we have water -- in our great lake that fashions the state's northern boundary and in the beautiful river that curls and flows on the southern end. The state has a rich history, and its soldiers and generals were most important in defeating the Confederacy and ending slavery. The colleges and universities are founts of knowledge.
Ohioans do need to shake off the "blues" as diagnosed by the governor.
Now: A proposal for the entire Ohiosphere, right, left or down the middle. Can you all post an item within the next 24 hours that brags about our home state? That sells it to the rest of the world, and to Ohioans themselves.
The temptation, of course, will be to make a joke or take a shot. (A Dem line: Why is Ohio a great place? Bob Taft is gone. A GOP line: Why is Ohio a great place? We hold the state Supreme Court and General Assembly.)
Please resist temptation. Sell our state, lift the blues. Bizzyblog's Tom Blumer consistently posts items he calls positivity, and they are always about something good, or happy, or a happy ending. Think positivity everybody. After all, we don't live in Michigan.
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