Building Bridges Mural Program’s brochure suggests that the program “empowers communities one brushstroke at a time”.  

The internet, especially social network sites like realneo, may just be the glue that will connect the many seeminlgy self-interesed parties in Clevo. 

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Plain Dealer Reporter

A new nonprofit group wants to put a green imprint on Greater Cleveland's big, new developments.

WIND TURBINES SOLD IN BIG BOX STORES

Canadian Tire stores are located in big box mall slots all across Canada.   If you aren’t familiar with Canadian Tire    http://www.canadiantire.ca/index.jsp , they are a hybrid of  tire/battery sales/service, auto parts, hardware and paint, home wares, lawn care, bbq, and sporting goods.   Canadian Tire’s gimmick is their issue of  “Canadian Tire Money” as a premium on every sale to be used against future purchases.  Your kids usually end up with it. 

 I was sad to learn that the Fulton Street Bar and Grill was closing this Spring, as that was an Ohio City institution and great place to stop for a drink or meal in one of my favorite neighborhoods.. within a few blocks offering great locally owned, high quality dining options, from landmarks Johnny Mangos, Hecks, Great Lakes, and Parker's to relative newcomer Le Oui Oui Cafe. But as a destination and neighborhood, Ohio City can benefit from as much great culinary density as possible, and the loss of the Fulton seemed tragic. But what's new in this oldest part of town is definitely NEO and Ohio City's gain, as the fantastic "modern.mex" joint Momocho (slang for small boy, named in love of the chef/owner's son) is unique to the region and will be a major draw that is already attracting crowds in on the buzz. Momocho also comes in through a very friendly transition - the owner bought the restaurant from the owners of the Fulton, and one Fulton owner John McDonnell is well managing Momocho for the new chef/owner Eric Williams, who is busy in the kitchen making the food... well, hot!

On realneo, I recently coined a new term 'burbilly", which Phillip Williams found hilarious. He asked if I made this term up, which I did, and I explained to him the origins of the term, which are very serious.

Burbilly is a term for people who dwell in remote, exurban, sprawl areas. In particular the term refers to residents of exurban Northeast Ohio in the United States. Usage of the term "Burbilly" generally differs from other terms referring to rural people in the United States in that it can be used for sprawl-dwelling people anywhere but is generally not used to refer to rural people in non-sprawl areas outside Northeast Ohio. Further, terms like redneck and cracker, often connote rejection of, or resistance to assimilation into the dominant culture, while burbillies theoretically are merely isolated from the dominant culture, despite attempting to assimilate with the rural culture, for which they are generally not competent. Nevertheless, the term is sometimes considered derogatory depending on the manner in which it is used or the attitude of the target.

No recognition of the arts as important to the world, much less Cleveland, may overlook Derek Hess, who first was widely known for powerful, angst-filled figurative music posters promoting shows he was then booking at the old Euclid Tavern, which became a fine art business for Derek, which allowed him to grow his global impact to a level few artists in Cleveland have ever achieved, all while staying in and investing in Cleveland, organizing the Strhess Tour, and Strhess Clothing, and making Gallery 1300 happen and happening (opening there this Friday, July 14th). Read more about Derek below, visit the links, and if you are smart buy some of his work while you still may.

As an economist, I've always been fascinated by the wealth of value our foundations provide this region, including funding arts and culture, supporting innovation in education, catalyzing the economy and leading government transformation, and most remarkably forming The Fund For Our Economic Future and funding global change leaders America Speaks to lead the Voices and Choices collaboration now poised to revolutionize our regional insight and economic development. As an open source economic developer for the region, I've had significant opportunity to work on many projects funded by local foundations that are truly transformational, including Voices and Choices, so I feel I must speak up in complete support for this initiative of America Speaks.

 With the Ingenuity Fest coming up, I thought we could warm up with this easy to understand video dance by Mimi Garrard. We'll head into the more obsure later.

I have many good friends who work at the Plain Dealer, I've been published there, including a "Quiet Crisis" feature on bridging the digital divide, I considered their now deceased Washington Bureau editor Tom Brazaitis the most enlightened man I've ever know of NEO, and I respect Editor Doug Clifton very much. I do not agree with everything they do and am critical when I feel that fits, but I am much more often impressed with their work than disappointed, and a feature in Forum today, July 8, 2006, provided more value to the people of Northeast Ohio than any printed words I've read in NEO, ever. As it is from the LA Times, it is not published on cleveland.com, so you will need to go and buy a paper, and turn to page B9, or read on below...

Today's Plain Dealer has an editorial about the selection process for the new President of Case University that I find very exciting - partly because it shows great progress with Case, partly because it promotes a concept for the selection process that I initiated on realneo in March, and mostly because I agree completely with the PD position - "Lessons learned? - Case trustees' chairman is making the right moves as the search for a new president gets under way", and I support that "Linsalata also promised to allow the university community - both alumni and those on campus - ample opportunity to provide input on the search this fall."

A few days ago I took my children to meet one of Cleveland's finest artists, Herb Ascherman. While many parents have taken their children to photographers to get a few photos taken for use in holiday cards, or to hang on the wall. Herb Ascherman will not only take a photo, he will truly deliver to you a piece of art. My children, 7 and 8 years old, sat for the their photos with a clear sense of their purpose, to allow me have a memory of their visit of the 2006 summer.

I am really appreciative, this morning. After posting what was certainly the saddest news I can imagine, about the hardship my staff has suffered as a result of a lack of appreciation from my former business associate, Peter Holmes, I opened up this week's CoolCleveland and found that their crew had featured TWO postings from REALNEO. I am very touched and thankful to Thomas and his team for noticing REALNEO and taking an interest in the thoughts posted here - thank you. Please show appreciation back to CoolCleveland... if you are not a member, see what you've been missing... subscribe at CoolCleveland - all free - this is a real NEO must,  and send feedback to CoolCleveland letters at the links below, and supporting the upcoming CoolCleveland/Tech/Ingenuity party at Fat Fish Blue, July 13, and the Ingenuity Festival, as described below... but first, here's the nice write-up about REALNEO from CoolCleveland today, July 5, 2006:

Sometimes here in Cleveland we just don't appreciate what we have, Then we bitch and moan about not having this and that and the great stuff unsupported just drifts away. How often have I heard artists say, "no one buys my work here, so I have to market in location X"? and "I do great there..."

Sometimes late at night I watch dance online...
Like this 5 minute except from Leeds, UK http://www.article19.co.uk/06/video_gravityandlevity.php
You need quicktime... enjoy this when you have 5 minutes

‘Arresting and inventive work’

In a really fascinating development, the Plain Dealer attempts today to structure a deal whereby Cleveland citizens accept the idea that the former press secretary to the very dubious former Mayor Mike White, highest-level PR-statute Nancy Lesic is now under contract with the President of the Cleveland City Council, for $48,000, while also being PR-statute  to the Port Authority, and the Clev

Today's article in the PD distills the core revelations from the first in a series of City Club forum sessions on housing revitalization in Cleveland. Some of the important revelations included one by Thomas Bier of CSU's Levin school declaring that an influx of middle-class homeowners will be critical over the coming years to sustain the city tax base. Mitigating this has been an urban sprawl problem problem that has 1500 city housing units evacuated annually. "Cleveland's growth is crucial to Cuyahoga County", he said. Any regional approach, he added, should hinge on the city's development. Bier also stated that efforts to implement comprehensive housing strategy for the city would likely be undermined by the divisiveness characterized by the 21 city council members with ward-centric interests.