For a quick education on how the American people are being taken to the cleaners by Wall Street read Naomi Klein’s article from Rolling Stone.

Klein wrote “The Shock Doctrine – The Rise of Disaster Capitalism,” a riviting expose on how disasters are used to divert the very help that is supposed to aid people right into the pockets of people who helped cause the disaster.

Yesterday, I tried to turn off my thoughts and just LOOK at things. Here are some photos from my sight-seeing tour of Cleveland--specifically in University Circle and downtown.

The Plain Dealer today announces that the Catholic diocese abandons the mission of the church without a tear for those left behind in the city.

I happened to stumble across the Plain Dealer "Cheers and Jeers" feature, today, and was mildly amused by item #2 - "JEERS . . . to anyone with a yard sign still standing. It's been a long, long campaign. Everybody's had enough. Get them down. Candidates, the same goes for the billboards." The PD "Editors" have shown their tacky Republican colors in Day-Glow since they got their asses kicked November 4th, so I'm not surprised to see such petty venting there. I reply "CHEERS . . . to anyone with an Obama yard sign still standing". I still have my signs proudly displayed in my yard, and so do most of my neighbors in East Cleveland and on the East side, in general. Unlike the neo-Cons, who were too cowardly to show any support for their lame candidates, in the first place, and certainly don't want to be associated with them now, people who supported Obama are proud of that and will be forever.

Friends, I need to interrupt my irregularly scheduled blogging to describe an important fundraising activity and hope you can join us. ClevelandBikes is proud to be a part of this great opportunity to raise money for ClevelandBikes and the Cleveland Food Bank.

The October 30, 2008 Sun Press lead cover story article (strangely... not on-line) was: "New Uses For Coventry? Music School Settlement, day care, and charter school send letters of interest". This reported, "The Intergenerational School's proposal also listed several partners: Richard Fleischman Architects, of Cleveland, Star Neighborhood Development, of East Cleveland, Strategic Resource Consultants, of Cleveland Heights, and City Fresh Cafeteria, Fresh Stop and Market, of Cleveland". "Fleischman would serve as design architect, while Star Neighborhood Development and Strategic Resource Consultants would likely be development partners...". "That proposal would also include a 1.5 acre "Urban Farm"...". I submitted the proposal, a public document, highlighted below and attached as a PDF, and can say the Sun Press report is largely correct, but the story is far from complete, and far more exciting than the Sun brings to light.

We don’t have a medical mart or a new convention center but we’re paying top dollar for it anyway.

The quarter-percent sales tax passed by Tim Hagan and Jimmy Dimora without a public vote now totals $35,233,319.51 as of the end of October, according to County Auditor’s records.

Since the start of the Bush/Cheney Regime, and especially since 9/11, I have felt very uncomfortable being personally associated with public "movements" and "organizations" against war and for peace and liberty, much less for "socialism", knowing expressing support for such interests is defined as "unpatriotic" and "un-American", and a trigger for government surveillance, in the neo-Con Era. I'm sure we of realneo have FBI files, and our emails and phone calls may be tracked. I don't care, anymore... none of that matters, now that Obama has been elected and we are within days of throwing the haters out of office and digging into the data they have been tracking. I know we are near enough to the return of free speech that even if we are added to some "Code Red" list now, it will be erased within a few months. And, we shall set people's records straight, and shall determine the extent to which Bush and his team should be prosecuted for violation of our civil rights and liberties.

Appropriate for a new morning- Cinci is moving to urban garden opportunities as proposed by the Green Cincinnati Plan.

Last night, I cried and it was a good cry. With the election of Barack Obama, America elected it's first real Father. The other firsts are so important, but to me, the real breakthrough was a country embracing two people, who love each other, and above all, love their daughters and every child in America. We have cause for celebration, but we also must realize that we, as a nation, have to start understanding the role of fathers and mothers in society.

Welcome to a new day!!

A chance for change has happened, the people have spoken and our elected officials have listened. We now have a future not so certain... a future with potential for good or bad.

I am not sure what is in store for us now. I am happy to see the new day unfold before us all. January will be new year, and a new America.

There were just three other people voting at my polling location in East Cleveland, when I arrived around noon today... as beautiful a day as has ever been. After eight years under the Bush/Cheney dictatorship, today marks the end of a horrible era in world history, and the first day for the world to be as it should be.

I received the following email worth noting and sharing, regarding what to do if you see voting problems today. Immediately call 877-868-3874... and you may need to, from the personal experiences shared below...

I am a firm believer - improve our planet - vote Obama!

Since comments are such a rich part of the REALNEO site, and a common entry-point into discussions, I've added a page listing all comments ~ instead just the last 10 that appear in your right-sidebar's Recent comments block.

Art by Franklin Pierce University Student Christina Altieri... VOTE.

Please see this post at Tremonter. Henry describes the crime. Superman needs help.

Your Voting Rights in Ohio from the AFL-CIO

I have a feeling I know who wrote this post at Cleveland Public Library, but I won't out that person. It's so true. If you are feeling out of sorts at this time of year, try POETRY.

Apparently out of time and ideas (did she ever have one?), DebFEE Sutherland has lost all sense of good taste and decorum in dragging out the race baiting card during the final debate yesterday at the City Club.

Our region's greatest champion of promoting immigration - high-skills immigration - Richard Herman has sent me many progress reports on successes in some areas - most recently Detroit - referenced below. I've been meaning to post these notices from Richard but haven't found the moment (Richard, I believe you have an account). Today, I received the unsurprising update below on a local study discouraging the Fund For Our Economic Future from focusing on this objective in economic development for the region - discouraging attracting high skills workers and entrepreneurs from afar. This seems a seems a good way to introduce the subject... "This Summer, the Plain Dealer editorial board wrote a piece asking why the Fund for Our Economic Future was not involved in efforts to welcome immigrant talent, immigrant entrepreneurs and international capital into the region."

How happy will they be when they find out DebFEE raised fees and cut public safety forces while sitting on an illegal $15 MILLION SLUSH FUND(now down to about $12.6M)?!?!?!

http://www.westlifenews.com/2008/10-22/pickets.jpg

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and all but one Cleveland City Council member (Mike Polensek) thoughtlessly voted to give $1 million cash to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for its induction dinner.

Now that’s what I call absolutely disgusting. The poor feed the rich.