“Mr. Dan Gilbert's accusations, expressed in an open letter to LeBron James after his announcement that he will play next year’s NBA season for the Miami Heat, have legal and social implications for the league, its union and the character of LeBron James. By saying that he has gotten a free pass and that people have covered for him way too long, Gilbert suggests that LeBron has done something illegal or illicit.
He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers. His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship--between business partners--and LeBron honored his contract.
He must know the Curt Flood suit, which changed plantation rules and created free agency; and the Spencer Haywood suit that changed eligibility rules.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 07/11/2010 - 14:45.
I am not a professional sports fan or expert in professional sports regulation but it is obvious the professional sports teams are all owned by a small number of astoundingly rich and powerful global cut-throats - in many or most cases monopolists in extremely socially repugnant fields like banking, ticketmaster, cable, loans, waste management, and cruising - and they each always get their way, one way or the other. They control a select set of GLOBAL monopoly franchise, licensing and ticketing system that restrict all free trade in their industry to the point of making both players and fans slaves to the owners collective, greedy, collusive antitrustful whims.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 07/10/2010 - 12:10.
It is my understanding, confirmed by many people on the inside of the real Cleveland community, that LeBron has good reasons for not wanting to play with the Cavs in the future, and there are good reasons the teamwork was off during the playoffs, and LeBron has a right to privacy about that. However, it is equally clear to me that the reasons for LeBron's departure are known throughout the Cavaliers organization, Northeast Ohio, the basketball world and by the media as well, and there seems to be a blanket agreement that LeBron's personal business is LeBron's business. I am certain Dan Gilbert and everyone at the PD know all this very well. Which makes me wonder why Gilbert and the Cavs are not respecting this apparent global social contract, which largely benefits the Cavs, as my impression is that Dan Gilbert is to blame.
Gilbert has the responsibility to set the moral fiber and focus of the Cavs team and enterprise and while he has been obsessed with gaining personal wealth, glory, gratification and GAMBLING at any risk, he failed to make his team and enterprises better than himself - better than the empire he built and operates. Dan Gilbert has made the Cavs immoral.
I conclude: "As I am seeking real, good outcomes for here - elimination of physical harm from Mittal and other excessive polluters in this region - like being realized through real environmentalism in Texas, my role in this community is not Mr. Nice Guy. I am the uncompromising polluter-killer who makes the Sierra Club seem like a breath of cool fresh air on an astoundingly dangerous Cleveland July afternoon, like today..."
Right on cue, like a breathe of fresh air, I recieved copies today of correspondence from the Sierra Club addressing this very issue, and I asked permission to share that on realNEO as public information and motivation for citizens to engage the government on these issues
While I know the unreal NEO media and many citizens will attack LeBron for his decision to continue his professional basketball career with the Miami Heat, next year, I'm thrilled to see an exceptional young man from my region succeed at such a huge level, and with so much of his life ahead. Regarding LeBron changing teams now or ever, that is how the game is played - and often it is teams sending players packing - so it is not like the sports playing field is local, fair or level. LeBron seems to have made a smart, tough career and life decision - one described by an ESPN commentator as the greatest experiment in basketball history.
And, the life in hell lived by real environmentalists.
Consider what is necessary to clean up the air in environmentally-compromised Texas, where "Environmental groups say Exxon Mobil refinery violates U.S. air law" - "The environmental groups' legal maneuvers are part of broader accusations by the organizations and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Texas regulators are failing to properly monitor, control and enforce federal emission standards."
You think it is any easier to deal with the greatest corruption on Earth - the corruption of our environmental laws - right here in highly corrupt, polluted, old-economy Northeast Ohio?
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 01:49.
When my daughter Grace arrived from Austin Texas for a visit to Cleveland this Summer, her first request was for Hot Sauce Williams BBQ ... her second request was to eat at Melt Bar and Grilled.
Though Grace lives in what many people (including myself) consider the BBQ capital of the world, Grace still considers Hot Sauce Williams the best BBQ on Earth.
And, word on the street in Valley City, where Grace hangs with friends, is that Melt is the best thing in Cleveland since sliced bread...
One thing is for sure - Hot Sauce Williams and Melt are as real NEO as food may be.
Seems the Travel Network's Man vs. Food agrees, as host Adam Richman featured Hot Sauce Williams and Melt on a recent episode filmed in Cleveland.... airing tomorrow, July 9, at 8 PM E/P.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/08/2010 - 00:47.
07/08/2010 - 00:00
07/08/2010 - 13:59
Etc/GMT-4
Now in our sixth day of high temperatures, high humidity, high levels of air pollution harm and considerable human suffering, the Cleveland-Akron-Lorain area of Ohio now has the distinction of being on the U.S. EPA's Forecast list of 5 worst pollution locations in the county for July 8, 2010 - and our pollution monitoring equipment is not working consistently in the region, so our air pollution is likely worse than recorded and/or reported by the EPA. So, if the EPA finds real NEO #2 in America for pollution, I'm quite sure we are in fact #1.
Not a reason for LeBron to remain in Cleveland. Definitely a reason to stop burning coal in Northeast Ohio and world-wide.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 07/07/2010 - 00:28.
07/07/2010 - 00:00
07/07/2010 - 23:59
Etc/GMT-4
By all standards, the environment in Northeast Ohio this week is harmful for all citizens. In addition to daytime temperatures in the 90s, there are high levels of pollution in the air - the region has been under air pollution advisory conditions since July 3 and the crisis is far from over. While our temperatures are not as high as some parts of the Eastern United States, the pollution is worse in few places in the country... only conditions in southern Ohio and parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky are as poor or worse right now. And much of our regional pollution monitoring equipment is broken right now, so our conditions may be far worse than reported.
...and who are interested to help the Sierra Club with preparations for an upcoming EPA hearing on the renewal of the permit for the MCCO plant to continue burning coal in our neighborhood - August 10, 2010, 4:30-6:45 PM at the MLK Branch of the Cleveland Public Library...
...you are invited to join Sierra Club Campuses Beyond Coal field organizer Matthew/Mattie Reitman for an informal planning session at 1894 Roxbury Road, East Cleveland, Ohio, tomorrow, July 7, 2010, from 8-9 AM.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 07/06/2010 - 06:54.
07/07/2010 - 00:00
07/07/2010 - 23:59
Etc/GMT-4
I'd like to make a suggestion to all the "environmentalists" in Northeast Ohio - the sustainabillies as well - Celebrate A/C-Free World Day and make a pledge to not use any air conditioning tomorrow, July 7, 2010, at all anywhere or at any time of the day - from 12 AM until midnight. No A/C at home - not in your car - not at work. If you live, commute, study, play or work in air conditioned places where you cannot control the temperature, realize you are a de facto prisoner of an excessively air polluting culture and environment harming the Earth. If you are able to be free of air conditioning air polluting, realize how polluted the natural air around you has become in this region, and how unhealthy this region is for those unable or unwilling to afford A/C, whether from poverty or higher consciousness. And realize very few Americans will make the "sacrifice" to live without A/C, as much as they may bitch and moan about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and other environmental catastrophe now omnipresent in this failing world. Now, know your right to air conditioning has expired, and you and your children and grandchildren had better get used to a globally warming world without relief for eternity. Burn baby burn. About "Losing Our Cool":
In Losing Our Cool, I show how indoor climate control is colliding with an out-of-control outdoor climate. In the United States alone, energy consumed by home air-conditioning and the resulting greenhouse emissions have doubled in just over a decade; energy used to cool retail stores has risen by two-thirds. Air-conditioning is approaching 20 percent of year-round electricity consumption by U.S. homes, the highest percentage in history. But air-conditioning has shaped human life in other, sometimes unexpected ways that go far beyond the monthly utility bill.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 07/04/2010 - 00:44.
As an Independence Day "Happy Birthday America" tribute to all immigrants, on the 4th of July, meet Griet, a South African immigrant to Northeast Ohio who has certainly done her part to grow the American economy... and Boerboel population. Long story short, Griet has come out of retirement and is expecting a litter of baby Boerboels around July 8th... in the middle of a heatwave.
I guess it may remind her of the weather in her native Africa. She is the real deal.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 07/03/2010 - 00:11.
Brightest Greenest Reason LeBron James Should Seriously Consider Staying in NEO - We Are Going To Legalize Cannabis in EC this year - Ohio-wide in 2011.
Then, everyone may live like a king, in real NEO.
Join us, King James, as real NEO becomes the Cannabis Capital of the World. We shall be the Champions!
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 21:53.
07/03/2010 - 00:00
07/04/2010 - 23:59
Etc/GMT-4
Air Quality Advisory Issuedfor Northeast Ohio
Saturday and Sunday, July 3 and July 4, 2010 due to Ozone
Northeast Ohio - High temperatures this weekend are likely to produce ozone in Northeast Ohio. An Air Quality Advisory has been issued for the counties of Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit. In addition, there will be some particulate matter formation related to fireworks locally.
If you are in a sensitive group, including older adults, children, and those with heart or respiratory conditions, please enjoy your holiday weekend carefully, reducing your effort during the hottest hours.
Location
Northeast Ohio
Sensitive groups Older adults, children, those with heart/respiratory conditions
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 01:54.
Northeast Ohio's Brightest Greenest New Economy Competition: Next Generation Seed Company - Made in Canada.
Through them and their Canadian growers, Canada exports $ billions in Canadian-grown marijuana to the United States each year.
In 2001 it was reported, in "BC Marijuana Industry Approaching Critical Mass, DEA Not Happy", that British Columbia "boasts 15,000 to 25,000 marijuana grow operations employing (at six persons per grow) between 90,000 and 150,000 people. The agency estimated the annual wholesale value of the pot crop at $4 billion. At $2,000 per pound, that is about two million pounds of BC bud each year, much of it headed south. The agency estimated that as much as 95% of the crop is exported to the ravenous US market."
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 07/02/2010 - 00:02.
Figure 4. Hemp Products Flowchart. Processing to End Product Groups.
Industrial Hemp as an Alternative Crop in North Dakota - A White Paper Study of the Markets, Profitability, Processing, Agronomics and History David G. Kraenzel, Tim Petry, Bill Nelson, Marshall J. Anderson, Dustin Mathern, Robert Todd The Institute for Natural Resources and Economic Development (INRED) - North Dakota State University Agricultural Economics Report No. 402 - July 23, 1998
Abstract: This report is in response to a national and state interest in the potential benefits of industrial hemp as an alternative crop. Industrial hemp has many uses which can be categorized into nine submarkets. North Dakota may have a comparative advantage in producing industrial hemp seed for oil because of the multi-oil processing facility in Carrington (AgGrow Oils) and the established infrastructure. Industrial hemp is currently legally produced in 22 countries with Canada being the closest and is recognized as a legal and legitimate crop in both the NAFTA and GATT agreements. The main obstacles for legalization of industrial hemp appear to be 1) law enforcement officials are concerned about the regulation, 2) no domestic facilities currently exist to process hemp stalks, although Canada will have such facilities shortly, 3) there is a lack of current production and processing technology, and 4) lack of research on the production potential and quality aspects of the crop. Since very little is known about the potential yield and quality of industrial hemp fiber and seed that would be produced in North Dakota, it is recommended that controlled experimental production and processing be allowed. Necessary baseline production, processing, and marketing data could be collected and analyzed, and law enforcement concerns could also be addressed.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 21:43.
Map 7.1: Potential Energy Distribution among Ohio Counties (in Billions)
Joe Koncelik's Ohio Environmental Law Blog recently reported "Benefits of Biomass Power Questioned - Implications for Ohio", about a renewable fuels permitting issue that has surfaced with a FirstEnergy coal powerplant being converted to biomass, which offers great insight on the development and future of our biomass industry, and links to valuable source material for those considering the economic and environmental future of energy in Ohio, America and worldwide. In this excellent posting, Koncelik points out, "
Ohio's best hope for reducing its overwhelming dependence on coal for electricity generation is biomass. While wind and solar have significant benefits, it is unquestioned that current technology does not allow these renewable sources to be forms of base-load power generation.
Biomass does have that potential in Ohio, as is evidenced by the recent announcements of the conversion of 312-megawatt First Energy's Burger coal-fired power plant to biomass generation. Now that proposal is meeting opposition by environmental groups. As reported in Biomass Magazine."
In fact, environmentalists and regulators are demanding that FirstEnergy identify what biomass they intend to use from where to power their proposed-to-be "renewable" fuel plant - that is good economics and environmentalism. The dynamics of the Burger plant application are interesting and important for the future of the biomass sector in Ohio - while Ohio has a bright biomass renaissance ahead, we are still in the dark ages of its development.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 07/01/2010 - 05:29.
07/16/2010 - 09:00
07/16/2010 - 18:00
Etc/GMT-4
The WHO, WIPO and the WTO are jointly organizing a Symposium at technical level on Access to Medicines: Pricing and Procurement Practices on July 16, 2010 at the Centre William Rappard in the WTO in Geneva.
The purpose of the symposium is to learn what international and regional agencies have experienced in the pricing and procurement of medicines as important determinants of access. It will also provide an opportunity to discuss where to obtain information on access to medicines, their prices and their availability. The core questions are about drug procurement, pricing and relevant intellectual property issues. The discussions will be technical, serving as a forum for participants to share information, views and practical experiences.
Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 06/30/2010 - 07:29.
Last month, the The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association released the first ever comprehensive third party assessment of the economic impact of the 28 renewable fuel plants in Canada and renewable fuels investments in Canada. The assessment conducted by econometric firm Doyletech Corporation, concluded that, “the grand total of the annual positive economic impact of renewable fuels is $2.013 billion”. Most interesting, from the perspective of developing this industry in Ohio (and it is developing here) is the report finding that: "All levels of government gain from renewable fuels plants. In light of the net benefits to governments at the provincial and federal levels being in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and many millions at the municipal level, it would seem that incentive programs to encourage biofuels production and use in Canada have been a wise investment."
