Halloween the movie

Ok, the Halloween the movie is getting ready to come out, and who isn't excited about seeing this franchise starting back up?

A new vision for a classic. I'll be honest and say that it has been way too long since I have seen the original, but I think it is time for a trip to Blockbuster (or finally convince my wife that we need a basic Netflix subscription) and get a refresher on it.

I have not been impressed by Rob Zombie as a director as he has seemed to just be about blood, guts, and gore in his past few movies. This one finally looks like he has a real vision though. It seems that he is exploring the psycological side of terror more in this film, which makes for a much better, scarier expereince. It has even been said that Zombie does not care for violence in his movies unless it serves a purpose. I guess maybe he was just the director of the other movies and did not have as much of a hand in writing them. It has even been put out there that he was thinking about doing a western next (something has to be done to bring sanity back to the west after Broke Back Mountain, and maybe Zombies just the man).

My wife, son, and I all love scary movies, so I would not be surprised to see us there for Halloween the movie in the opening weekend.

It’s a record: 100 degrees

Ok, let’s get one thing straight right now. I do NOT believe in man-made global warming. That being said I do believe that we are in a period of general global climate warming, that is natural in occurance. There has been evidence of these sort of changes in the past, and as we look on this decade/century at some point in the far future, anyone who claims that man caused it will be rightly laughed at (the world is flat sort of deal).

There is even evidence that Mars is under going a period of global warming, and the last time I checked there weren’t any big Oil companies building factories up there, or Rich yuppies driving SUVs. So the answer must lie elsewhere.

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Today’s temperature reached a record 100 degrees at 3:34 p.m. at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.

With the humidity, it felt like 105 degrees, said meteorologist Sam McNeil of the National Weather Service in Wilmington. The old record high was 99 degrees in 1941.

Thursday’s temperatures are expected to be in the upper 90s around the region.

Greater Cincinnatians are coping as best they can with the heat and humidity.

"I drink a lot of water, a lot of Gatorade," said Mike Meagher, a member of the street paving crew on Central Parkway near the District 1 police headquarters in the West End.

The hydration helps some, Meagher said, but it’s still uncomfortable working outside.

"I don’t think you get used to this," said the 50-year-old Norwood resident who works for Keesh Construction. "It’s miserable."

The St. Vincent de Paul Fan Drive (513-562-8841, ext. 225) is trying to make it more tolerable. The society’s goal is to collect 500 fans and 100 air conditioners by Aug. 12. Some two dozen people are the waiting list for air conditioners.

Sweat was visible on Jeremiah Tharp’s face as he delivered mail on Hamilton Avenue in Northside today.

"It’s a big deal," Tharp said of the heat. "I’ll have to drink at least four bottles of water or I’ll pass out."

And it’s not like Tharp doesn’t have experience working in extremely hot weather. The Army veteran did two tours in Iraq.

"It’s more of a wet heat here," he said.

Emily Corbin, pool manager at the Cincinnati Recreation Commission’s College Hill swimming pool on Belmont Avenue, says it’s been busy.

Many of the parents are joining their children in the water, she said. Pool employees are taking advantage of the water in order to cool off, Corbin said. "My staff is in there every time they get a break," she said.

The steamy hot weather has resulted an increase sales of fans, coolers and weather stripping, said Bill Dickhaus, owner of Ace Hardware in Northside. Furnace filters for air conditioning systems are also another hot-selling item, he said.

Electricity usage is up but Duke Energy should be able to keep up with the increased demand, spokeswoman Kathy Meinke said. "We aren’t anticipating any problems,’’ she said.

San Francisco Sightseeing

San Francisco Sightseeing includes many grand gardens and parks to be explored. San Francisco is one of the biggest metropolitan cities in the world and it boasts eye-catching and sophisticated parks and gardens. From the seasonal open-air festivals of Yerba Buena Gardens to the biggest urban park around the world, one and all are bound to find the ideal spot to relax and enjoy nature.

Golden Gate Park is the best city landmark worth spending a glossy afternoon in or at the very least a turn through. It is larger than the New York City's Central Park; Golden Gate Park is about 1,000-acres of fields, gardens and made up of wooded paths. Whether you are chartering a row boat at Stow Lake or tentative the over 6,000 plant species at Strybing Arboretum and at the Botanical Garden, the park has something amazing for every nature lover. Highlights of the park comprise Shakespeare Garden, the Conservatory of Flowers as well as the Japanese Tea Garden.

The Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park is residential in a recently renovated Victorian glass makeup and is touted as the oldest public greenhouse in the western hemisphere. The greenhouse is actually open on Tuesday till Sunday. A nominal fee is obligatory for admittance to the greenhouse, but it is waived for the first Tuesday of every month.

The elegantly countryside Japanese Tea Garden of Golden Gate Park is full with cherry trees, shrubs, bonsai and wonderful pools of water. The highlights of this section of the park contain the huge bronze Buddha dating back to 1790, a Buddhist wooden pagoda and the Wishing Bridge.

Another exclusive park space at San Francisco is the Presidio that passed from the U.S. Army to the National Park Service during 1994. The Presidio is one of an awfully few urban national parks to unite historical, architectural and natural world elements in one space. The nearly 1,500-acre park contains coastal dunes, prairie grasslands and other assorted rare plant and the bird life. Founded during 1776 as a military post under the Spanish, the Presidio was a military muscular hold for nearly 220 years before attractive one of San Francisco's most well-liked and historic attractions.

The city of San Francisco and its house have a strong link with nature and it shows with the city's various, one of a type park and gardens. Visitors must be sure to spend some time discovering these wonderful nature preserves.

I would recommend you subscribe to the Trusted Tours eNewsletter for updates for any sort of Tour you may be interested in. I would recommend the Go San Francisco Card 1 day for a single low price for general admission to over 45 top attractions, tours, parks and much more.

Principal moved, not fired

So I was quoted in the newspaper last Thursday (to be fair the actual quote came from my wife, but it was tied to my email address so I was given credit for it). Well, in short the Lockland School Board (which should be under it's own investigation) decided to remove Ralph Jacobs as the principal of the elementary school.

Too little, too late. This man should be fired and never allowed to work with children again. He has no patience, and I think it is a mistake to put him in a position where no only will he be involved with kids, but special needs kids as well. Too many parent around here are just happy that he is not in their school now, but for me that is not good enough. He should be removed, and anytime Lockland is asked about him, they should be required to state why he was removed (all parent complaints should be given).

Now on to the board. This board is a disgrace. The level of nepotism with the Superintendent alone should be enough to raise suspicions. If my son still went to this school, If I didn't actively run for the board I would definatly be working hard to have many of these board members removed. As it is I will make the community acutly aware when they try to ram another "operating" levy down our throats.

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He beat assault charge, board took action

The school board here voted Wednesday to move - rather than fire - a principal who'd recently been acquitted of an assault charge.

The board voted 3-to-1 to make Ralph Jacob a co-principal of the district alternative high school, Arlington Heights Academy.

Jacob, 50, has been on administrative leave from Lockland Elementary since early May, when he was arrested after a neighborhood dispute in which a woman accused him of punching her. A judge found him not guilty, saying the woman had blocked his way.

Jacob, who did not attend the special board meeting Wednesday night, will keep his salary of $68,900, said superintendent Donna Hubbard. The academy's current principal, Barb Griewe, will retain her job and title.

Arlington Heights Academy takes high school students from around the Cincinnati region with behavior problems or other difficulties. Enrollment is expected to be about 55 this year.

The board decision prompted mixed reactions from parents and residents of the district.

Misty Cromer, who helped collect 120 signatures in a petition against Jacob staying at Lockland Elementary, said he sets a bad example for small children, but she doesn't object to him working with high school students.

"I don't have any problem with him staying in the district," she said.

"I think they (parents) wanted him out of the elementary position for the simple fact that all the kids knew about" the incident.

For others, the board didn't go far enough.

"We feel that Ralph Jacob should not be put into any position involving any children," said Brandon Schenz, father of a former Lockland student.

"He had no patience with the elementary students, and I can't imagine that he will have patience for students with alternative needs."

Victoria Few, a Lockland resident and grandmother of two students, said Jacob helped her granddaughter with a conflict and he has always spoken highly of his staff.

"Mr. Jacob was always available to discuss problems and to bring students together for counseling," Few said.

The board was not unanimous.

Janiece Mason voted against the appointment, saying school officials are still investigating at last one complaint about his handling of students.

"I voted with my heart," she said. "My heart was telling me that this wasn't the right thing to do."

She said Jacob rejected the district's offer to buy him out of his contract.

Michele Kipp, formerly an assistant principal at Rapid Run Middle School in the Oak Hills district, will be interim principal at Lockland Elementary and make $75,000 a year.

Fell off the Wagon

I have been doing really bad on my diet here lately. I have been lazy, and have not wanted to cook (let alone clean), so I fell off the calorie counter bandwagon.

I have been really lucky though that through all the fast food, and junk that I have eaten I have not gained anything that I lost using the free calorie counter at myfitnesspal.com. However, I do not feel that luck will continue.

I am vowing to start counting my calories again by next week, as losing about 2 pounds a week is nothing to sneeze at. I still have about 35 pounds to lose as well, as I am in terrible shape right now. Hopefully when I lose that I'll have more energy to do more of the work around the house I have been putting off.