Sound of Ideas: On tap this week: County Treasurer Jim Rokakis joins us for an exit interview Tuesday and on Christmas Eve Day, we'd love to hear from you about what's wonderful for you during this most wonderful time of the year. It may be a special memory, a meaningful gift, even a holiday disaster that you can laugh about now. Listen in and feel free to call with your thoughts.

frank day was the cuyahoga county recorder in the 1950 's and was our low income familys good friend and frank was my mothers best friends gentleman friend as we lived in tremont and as i recall frank talking about politics  the stuff that is illegal today was legal back in those days or as they thought - frank was indicted and or received bad pubicity for a scandal of corruption that he used county employees to do work for him on his home and others as i recall- frank resigned from being county recorder which as i recall he was for many years-

Omnibus spending bill contains scores of local earmarks: Here's a list | cleveland.com

REALNEO has Hixson's and Plantation Home in Lakewood--carrying on the tradition of holiday merry-making. Hixon's is still the crazy, dusty warren of knick-knacks and treasures, I visited as a child with my father.  Please visit and make holiday memories for your little ones.

Is it a surprise to anyone that the suspected "Grim Sleeper," in the L.A. disappearance and murders of possibly more than a hundred women of color, worked in the City of Los Angeles police department?

Did the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Council Representatives violate the Ohio Public Meeting Law or any Ethics when they had their meeting as reported by the Plain Dealer earlier this month? 

See more of catania assaulting menacing guy and yogi -  video here

Entrance to Press Briefing Room and media facilities at the White House (seen in the distance)

On December 15, 2010, Obama administration officials convened the first-ever White House Forum on Environmental Justice, and I felt it was important to attend. As an environmental injustice victim, and activist for environmental justice, I wanted my voice to be heard... and as a media representative of real NEO, where the mainstream media does not cover environmental injustice, I wanted to listen, learn, and help other citizens here and worldwide understand what is being planned in Washington to combat environmental injustice in Cleveland, America, and globally.

While I was covering what was happening inside the White House, I thought I'd share a few snapshots of the backstage workings of the "White House" itself, which is certainly one of the best known and most important places in world history... and a spectacular architectural masterpiece.

Tomorrow, I'll be in DC to cover the following important environmental developments for Northeast Ohio...Environmental Leaders, Cabinet Secretaries to Participate in First White House Environmental Justice Forum.

Please see the agenda below and let me know if there are any specific concerns you would like addressed - you know I'll be focused on lead poisoning, source point industrial emissions in general, and especially industrial pollution from coal and steel-making, so serious in Northeast Ohio. I do not know the format of the forum but there will be some question and answer opportunities. I encourage you to tune in and watch it live at whitehouse.gov (link below). For Clevelanders, this is one of the most exciting developments yet from the Obama Administration. With all the right players at the table at the White House - and these are some very right players - I expect good outcomes for environmental justice in America to come of this. I look forward to covering and learning from it first hand.

Environmental Leaders, Cabinet Secretaries to Participate in First White House Environmental Justice Forum 

WASHINGTON – On December 15, Obama administration officials will convene the first-ever White House Forum on Environmental Justice. Environmental leaders from across the country will attend the day-long forum featuring White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Attorney General Eric Holder, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. 

I am extraordinarily amazed at the highly educated folks who can make the laws, litigate the laws, and benefit from the laws---but who absolutely refuse to protect the little people under the law...

Where were the protective measures, grants, subsidies, and assistance for the low income homeowners along the way? This article is from 1999... It is a system designed to benefit the administrators not the residents.

I just noticed the following at the end of Lily Miller's foreclosure article re Black Friday.

"If you would like to donate funds to assist the now homeless victim, please send checks/money orders to :  Lily Miller, 2220 West 20th Street, Cleveland, OH  44113.  Checks can be made out to : "Freddie" and I will fill in his last name."

On December 13th and 14th the PD story "what kind of leader do we need" and editorial "..disappointing departure" already prime Cleveland to a march down the so old path looking for our next Moses to pick up a nicely polished but incomplete plan to transform education in Cleveland.

Attention first needs to focus on the incompleteness of the plan. 

One good aspect of what proceeded the roll out of the transformation plan was an objective look at schools and teachers.

Missing was the same objective look at administration and governance.

The story that should make international news...

Many foreclosures have been thrown into question [1] because of flawed documentation such as inaccurate affidavits describing a mortgage's history. But three recent court cases point to another type of flaw in foreclosure filings that could place thousands more cases in doubt: false attorney signatures on court documents.

I have no doubt everyone interested in public health, planning, engineering, architecture, real estate development, cool stuff and local foods will find absolutely fascinating the feature and the following three videos from The Economist on vertical farming...

Three views of the vertical farm

GROWING crops in vertical farms in the heart of cities is said to be a greener way to produce food. The idea is that skyscrapers filled with floor upon floor of orchards and fields, producing crops all year round, will sprout in cities across the world. As well as creating more farmable land out of thin air, this would slash the transport costs and carbon-dioxide emissions associated with moving food over long distances. But the concept is still unproven. Does it really stack up? To accompany our article on vertical farming in this week's issue, here are three videos offering different perspectives on the subject.

An original John F. Kennedy Democrat - paid-his-way through college - self-made-rich made Reagan Republican - this interview on 60 Minutes shows Boehner is highly emotional, very proud, business-like, with firm middle-American (Ohio) roots, firmly planted in his world... which is most of Ohio and middle America's dream-world, which has included achieving the American Dream... going en mass to mass EVERY MORNING... growing up one of 12 children in a modest, small house near Cincinnati... nice siblings... nice wife... what's not to like?

I'll find out for myself.

I intend to challenge Boehner on my core objectives for transforming the economy of Ohio and America, and will see where we find common ground.

My #1 priority is reducing harm from pollution here and worldwide. We need impartial science driving effective climate change legislation and environmental justice regulation - world-wide - to address our global environmental crises during our time together on common ground Earth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1UiaqkIsO8

"society sets up the crime and the citizen commits it" china proverb

Another point of concern is that even after learing his fate, Sammy continued to place the blame on Guy and others.  He even stated that Guy was disruptive at a the meeting when he submitted a letter calling for the TWDC Development Director's dismissal.  Myself and others were present at that meeting and no such conduct was displayed by Guy.  He read the letter aloud to the TWDC Board members.  Also, he attended a board meeting after being given the Restraining Order and provided the TWDC staff and board members with a copy of the TRO.

Help me to understand this....

A) The County Commissioners paid GLS/PPTS $50k to research TAX POLICY in Ohio...then  

B) Treasurer Jim Rokakis LOBBIED to establish the ORC chapters like ORC 5721 that would support his Land Bank and Property Tax Certificate Sales to third parties....

A snow storm won't discourage the families of Northeast Ohio from protesting the closure of Huron Hospital by Cleveland Clinic. They will unite today from 12-2pm to show their voice to KEEP HURON OPEN! Activists, Artists, Clergy, Citizens, and Elected Officials are expected to arrive at this rally to SAVE HURON ROAD! 

Participants will meet across from Chicago Deli on Euclid!