Habitat for Humanity

I worked Saturday at the habitat house.

Hey everyone. Rob here.

Fox19 has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity to help build a home on Lincoln Avenue in Walnut Hills. This is my third visit to the home. I pulled up the floor during the first visit. During my second visit I pulled the siding off the house. This past Saturday I put up siding. Not only was it tough work, it was important work. The siding will protect the home from weather damage. I wanted to be sure I was doing the work right. This house will belong to Nicole. She's a nurse at Christ Hospital with two sons. I think we did a great job. We finished siding about two-thirds of the home on one side. Katy Morgan was right there with me putting up siding with her fiance Tom. Dan Wells, Corey Stark and Jennifer Grove were all there as well helping Nicole build her house. In fact Nicole is half way to the 500 hours of "sweat equity" needed as a down payment.

It was hard work, but it was a lot of fun. We are hoping to get her in by the holidays. I hope that happens.

Not Ides, But Contagion

Frank Here: All the talk this weekend here in Cincinnati was about Ides of March, and yes I saw it. It was good I liked it but the ending not so much so that left a bad taste in my mouth about the movie. I will leave it at that and will talk about the second movie I saw this weekend. Before I started to write my blog this morning I wiped down my keyboard with Lysol wipes, coated my hands in hand sanitizer, and I put on rubber gloves. Yep, I must keep all the germs away, and you would to if you saw the movie Contagion. We have seen movies about disease and outbreak before but this is the first one I have seen that really seems as if it could happen. It has a all star cast of Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lawrence Fishburn, Jude Law, and Kate Winslet. The production is simple and is almost like watching a documentary. The part of the movie that really hit home about how germs and a outbreak of disease could spread, is the way the movie is shot. You will see the infected person drink out of a cup, then the camera zooms into the waiter who will grab the cup, thus spreading the germs. The infected person will open a door then the camera zooms into the door knob as guy and his family touches that same door, spreading the disease. The movie shows how quickly something can spread and once a vaccine is created it takes months to test it before being able to distribute it. In fact in 26 days 2.5 billion people were killed by the disease. So if your very aware of germs this movie may scare ya, however if you are not this movie may make you more aware. I enjoyed it, however it is a bit nerve racking when watching this and then you hear people in the theater start coughing. Have a great day!

The Ides of March - Cincinnati Style

Good Morning - Dan Wells writing, I hope this note finds you well an in good spirit.

Metro Cincinnati is about to get its best national exposure as a film location for a pretty high-profile movie.

"The Ides of March," which opens today, is a presidential primary thriller starring George Clooney and Ryan Gosling and set in Ohio. Cincinnati and the suburbs provided some exteriors and many interiors for a drama saturated in the intrigue of back-room politics. Scenes were shot at local landmarks such as Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati and in the eclectic Northside neighborhood. Sites on the Miami University campus in Oxford also played a key role.

So will you see it? I want to, if only to see the Queen City at it finest.

In this latest movie from George Clooney - he co-stars, co-wrote and directed the picture. If you didn't know, the story is based on the play by Beau Willimon, who worked in political campaigns, it tells a story of politics as seen from the inside.

Here's a bit of the premise. The Ohio Democratic primary is a week away, and the nomination has come down to two candidates, one of whom is a liberal governor played by Clooney. He has two men leading his staff, - a midcareer war horse (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a young brainiac (Ryan Gosling).

Gosling is apparently at the center of the movie, a sleek, tailored, self-assured young man, clearly shrewd and capable enough to handle anything, from logistics to strategy to media relations.

Critics say "The Ides of March" has an effective opening, sags in the middle, then comes back strong in the last half hour. The shifts and turns of the film have all to do with the various political machinations of the characters - including Paul Giamatti at his feral best as the opposing candidate's manager.

Ok, there's no point in revealing any more of the movie or reviews here. I want to see it, so should you and what a perfect night to do it! Happy Friday!

Cheers
Dan

Animal House

Good morning, happy Thursday! Can you believe this weather? It’s awesome! As much as I’m ready for temperatures to cool down a bit, this warm stretch of weather is too nice to give up. With that said, I’m making a list of things to do between now and the end of the weekend. Have you made a list? How about a bike ride on the Little Miami Trail, or long walk around Lunkin airport? Or, an afternoon at the outlet mall? One thing I do plan on doing this weekend is heading out to the Cincinnati Zoo. Just yesterday on the Morning Xtra, we had a segment about “Hallzooween” at the Cincinnati Zoo. You can check out the video here http://www.fox19.com/video . The zoo brought in one of my favorite animals they have in the whole park, Caspian the Eurasian Eagle Owl! If you remember, back in the spring, Caspian was up for the cutest baby award! She’s gotten so big in just 7 months! The zoo handlers say she may gain a few pounds, but she’s full grown now. I’ll have to stop by her exhibit while I’m there.

Whatever you plan on doing, make sure it’s outdoors so you can enjoy this beautiful weather! Can’t beat sunny skies and 80 degrees in early to late October!

Fall At The Zoo

Fall is perfect for a trip to the zoo, and this weekend the Cincinnati Zoo kicks off HallZOOween.

Hi, it's Sheila.
I took Monday off to spend some time with my little boy because I was out of town all weekend, and we headed out to the Cincinnati Zoo. It's one of his favorite places, and our day did not disappoint. He got to see a baby Bonobo (they look a lot like chimps), and the cute little guy put up his foot and waved to get our attention when we tried to leave his exhibit.

Eric fed a giraffe, and we had our first Cheetah encounter. He went crazy when he saw how fast Nia could go (up to 70mph)! We also saw Lana the Orangutan's trainer feed her at lunchtime. Lana holds out her hand for fruit and climbs her tree on command. Eric loved learning that Lana has a "blankey" just like he does. She drags her burlap sack around with her foot, uses it as a blanket when it's chilly, and even uses it as a shelter from the sun and the rain. How smart is that?!

The Zoo has all of its fall and Halloween decorations in place for the start of its HallZOOween weekends. Eric was a little scared of the big spider atop the entrance, but once he figured out it was just a huge stuffed animal, he wanted to climb up there and pet it. It seemed appropriate that we took our first walk inside the new Night Hunters exhibit, and during our day we saw tons of animals which are perfect for the scary holiday -- a vampire bat eating its lunch (looked like blood to us!), pythons and rattlesnakes, even a giant rat. It's all together at the Cincinnati Zoo!

HallZOOween features a pumpkin patch, magic shows, special animal encounters, trick or treating stations, and more every weekend through the end of the month. Don't forget to bring your own trick or treat bag to help the Zoo go green! You can find out more at this link: http://cincinnatizoo.org/events/hallzooween/

Back From Michigan

Sheila and I are back from hosting the Miss Michigan USA pageant in Port Huron.
Good Tuesday morning.
We have been hosting that pageant for about 10 years now.
Believe it or not, it is a lot of fun. Sheila and I get to spend some quality time together hanging out. Those who produce and put the show together are all great at the jobs.
Port Huron is certainly one of the most picturesque sites in Michigan, it feels like a mini-vacation. Saturday afternoon Sheila and I worked as the judges decided who would become the next Miss Michigan USA and Miss Michigan Teen USA. I think they came up with some really great representatives. Kristen Danyal was chosen as Miss Michigan and Courtney Pizzimenti Miss Michigan Teen.
Also this year the show had live music, which really added a lot. The Eric Tepe Band performed. They were not only great musicians and performers. They were a great bunch of guys. They will perform at Miss Ohio USA, another pageant Sheila and I host. Looking forward to that. You can also catch them this Friday at Mainstay on 5th Street. You also sample their music at http://www.etbmusic.com/

Time For Fall Fun

Good Morning Everyone, How was the weekend? Yes it was chilly but that Sunday sunshine was nice and we have more of it over the next 7-days which will be perfect to head out and grab that pumpkin for carving and some fall fun. Over the weekend I had a chance to visit a few fall traditions here in the Tri-State including the Niederman Family Farm in Liberty Twp. near West Chester. This is more than just a pumpkin patch its more like a fall amusement park. My favorite thing about Niederman is the HUGE corn maze. This years maze is 17 acres and from the air it honors September 11th. The maze is made to look like the two towers and then the maze for the little kids is made to look like the Pentagon. In addition to the corn maze the 210 acre farm also includes a hayride that allows guests to go pick there pumpkin out of the patch. They also have a area with some favorite farm animals and many bomb fire pits for hours of family fun. Children of all ages will not be disappointed. Then on Sunday it was time to start to decorate for the season. We headed out to Newtown and the Burger Farm and Garden Center. They by far have the largest corn stalks I have ever seen, and I was told they are a good 4 feet taller this year than last years crop. In fact they were so large I had to tie them to the top of the car. When you add a hay bail to my truck and 4 large pumpkins, I felt as if I was driving a tractor. Do yourself a favor and check it out, plus they have a pumpkin patch for the kids and hay maze fun. Tis The Season For Fall My Friends!