The month of May is always the Month of Lilacs for me.  They have always been one of my favorite flowers because of their great aroma.  As a child, my bedroom window looked out at a hedge of lilacs.  Not only were there the common light purple lilacs, but there was also one bush of deep magenta.

"My Son K.I.A Iraq" is a traveling Activist.  I didn't hear the presentation in the nearby church, so I don't know if the "son" is personal, or a generalization.  The pick up truck ...with a flag drapped coffin, empty boots, ... and the trailer with crutches and crosses  - just the stuff Bush keeps under wraps... is an appropriate follow up to Mothers' Day 2007.

Join the nonprofit organization ClevelandBikes on its annual “Bike to Work” rides, now bigger than ever! ClevelandBikes hosts commuting rides downtown, led by experienced ride leaders, every day during National Bike to Work Week, May 14-18, with rides continuing on the final Friday of every month, May through September. ClevelandBikes also supports a major health initiative, with a “Bike to Work”ride for the Lance Armstrong Foundation (www.livestrong.org) and “LIVESTRONG” day on Wednesday May 16. National “Bike to Work” Week is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists (www.bikeleague.org), which offers bicycle advocacy and support programs for more than 125 years. Here's the summer “Bike to Work” ride schedule:

These photos were shot flying above the town of Barrow Alaska by my friend Katrina as she reach the end of an extraordinary cyber-educational adventure. Over the last 11 days she literally went that extra mile to make distance learning for NEO grade school students exciting and meaningful.

Cleveland is globally important in a way that few cities may be: we are a huge, decaying industrial city. In the post-industrial age, what we now view as blight, like abandoned warehouses and factories, will make Cleveland an international attraction. Already, Cleveland is attracting the world's experts in planning of cities - especially "Shrinking Cities" - into town.

Mothers’ Day in the USA began when Julia Ward Howe instigated a post-civil war movement for peace.  It wasn’t about thanking mothers for bearing and rearing children and keeping house.  Mothers’ day originated as a political movement with the very sane and rationale objective of  keeping every mother’s child – mainly sons - alive by keeping them from the battlefield .

From: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gallery/2007/may/10/1?picture=329825171

STONE LAB SUMMER CLASSES STILL OPEN

Space available for all 30+ science and education courses offered at Stone Lab this summer.

Research Facilities (from: http://ohioseagrant.osu.edu/stonelab/facilities/)

US National Archives & Records Administration Facility,
Waltham, MA. Photo courtesy of Sika Sarnafil Roofing Systems, Inc.

CLEVELAND “BIKE TO WORK WEEK, MAY 14-18 -- PART OF NATIONAL BIKE TO WORK WEEK; LANCE ARMSTRONG FOUNDATION “LIVESTRONG” DAY, WEDNESDAY MAY 16; AND SPECIAL EVENTS FOR THE SUMMER!

How many times in the last 10 -15 years I have gotten off the highway at the East 72nd Street exit of the Shoreway and winced at how depressing this mostly post industrial, impoverished landscape looks.

Two sisters who recently returned from Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York, have begun an asphalt garden in a lot on Stanard, one block south of St. Clair Avenue behind the Goodrich Gannet Center. Map Here’s their plan:

Sometimes, you have to break the rules to see the vast green potential of our region.  Get on a bike and explore.  Can't say where I went, but there are so many great hidden picnic spots in northeast Ohio.  And today was unbelievable.

Toronto in spring is a romantic place. I discovered this when I spent the afternoon of Sunday April 22 on Queen Street West. I know there are many interesting districts in Toronto, for museums, dining, theater, and shopping, but I had been to Queen Street West before and I already knew that if pressed for time this street had more than enough to offer in the way of dining, arts and culture, and shopping. This was the first time I had experienced spring in Toronto. The last time I was on Queen Street it was mid November and beginning to snow. The sky was grey, it was a damp cold depressing day and outside at least, it wasn't much better than being in Cleveland. Mid-April is a totally different story though; the day was warm and sunny, almost like summer. Thousands of people were out, biking, walking, walking their dogs and children, and patios were open for dining. I started out with several objectives – get some good coffee and chocolate, find some birthday gifts for friends (children and adults), and take in some world class art and fashion.

To spare myself from the ever present, I find refuge in the vicarious adventures of other birders.  One of my favorites--Jen Brumfield.  Check out her art work.

And does anyone say, where is the spokesperson for the white community?  What a ridiculous thing to say, as if there is a spokesperson for the black community or the white community.  It is OUR community.  It is not an urban or suburban problem.  It is OUR problem.  We are all living with fear and anger.  How do we teach our children to react?  How do we define ourselves as adults? 

Just thought I'd share a bit of celebration, as I've certainly felt I've faced a somewhat

Crucifying gauntlet of verbal, physical, financial and emotional assails these past weeks...

But no worries, its all Good!

When I was in High School I changed the marquee weekly at 3 of our local theaters.   The ladders I climbed and the gravity exposure I had 40 feet up over the public concrete sidewalk makes me wince now when I think about it.  But one of the job perks was that I got to see Tom Jones 14 times from the projection room. 

A Case student has created a new front-end for RTA's Scheduling interface.  I, for one, think it is a vast improvement over RTA's site.  While I am most impressed by this user-friendly application of technology, I am also intrigued by the Django technology used to create this web app.

 
The women of Ohio, U.S.A., call upon the women of the world, from day- old babies to our most senior elders, to stand with us on May 13,  2007, to save the world. Our project is based on Sharon Mehdi's book The Great Silent Grandmother Gathering.

I went down to photograph the Breuer and the Rotunda Sunday evening, as I have this feeling the Breuer is the best building down there - better than the Rotunda.

While Post was a good American architect, this is actually a relatively minor example of his buildings. It is quite old and inefficient - maintenance and renovation costs will be high - it doesn't seem well suited to the intended use.At 100 years old, the Post is well depreciated, although most raw materials and artistic elements of the building can be reused.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Ms. Daryl Davis, event coordinator
216-631-0557 (day) or daryl [dot] davis [at] sbcglobal [dot] net