From DDR Website at http://www.ddr.com/center_intro.php

Driving into the Future: The Innerbelt Project

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Day two filming "The Man With The Magnetic Brain", and the economic impact on NEO is adding up. There's the dozen or so people running around town (gas and RTA), and the meals (Rascal House and the grocery store), film and processing (Dodd's), and a hat at Mike-The-Hatter - so, it's only hundreds of dollars, but that's more than would have been spent without the film industry happening here, today. And we had fun, scared a few cops, and entertained a homeless couple on E. 19th - I'd say... all that makes Cleveland a better place to be... and if you're cruising around E19th and Superior tonight, stop by and be in pictures...

 It is extremely important to control all dust in and around any home where there is a lead risk. Unfortunately, research shows that where there are lead risks dust control alone has little impact in reducing lead poisoning - the reduction in elevated blood lead levels is measurable and worthwhile but not sufficient to have an overall benefit to the child, or surface a solution for society.

Lots of people know that lead poisoning played a role in the fall of the Roman Empire (lead pipes) but in December 2005 it was learned that Beethoven died of lead poisoning - probably from a combination of pipes, lead seals on wine and documents, crystal, ceramics and paints - they started outlawing lead in Europe at the end of the 19th Century... it took America nearly a century longer...

This just in, from Greater Ohio... these economic incentives are important to historic preservation - perhaps it's not to late to save the dozens of historic buildings in and around the Flats and downtown Cleveland that are currently doomed to demolition by community planners... at least folks seem to care about preservation in Columbus... anyone care here?

Historic preservation tax credit passes Ohio House

Am Sub HB 149 passed the Ohio House with a unanimous vote Tuesday morning, May 16, marking an important victory for Greater Ohio and other groups supporting redevelopment of older communities. It now goes to the Senate where a companion bill, SB 60, has been considered but not passed. The Senate will take up the House version. (Compare the two bills.)

While I'm not a pro sports expert, I was very pleased to see today, having coffee at A. J. Rocco's, a friendly table of local sports experts including at least one of the Cleveland Cavliers - probably the only one I'd recognize out of uniform (and I don't mean King James). I asked if they minded me taking a picture but they weren't dressed for the press. So, if you want to hang out with the Cavs, in their hangouts, you'll have to come downtown to A.J. Rocco's yourself. Or, you could reach out to them...

Join volunteers with the Lance Armstrong Foundation to focus attention on heath, medical research and saving lives and “Ride to Work” with the Lance Armstrong Foundation on Wednesday May 17th.  Be a part of nationwide activities right here in Northeast Ohio, raising the issue of medical research and therapies and talking about solutions for people with extraordinary challenges.

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Thanks to all those who helped propel Cleveland into visibility on the 43 things and 43 places websites, our new version of the 43 places site is now online! It has a local emphasis on neighborhoods, venues, restaurants, and other places to go and things to do. Cleveland was second to get a local site, after only Seattle (which is the hometown of the Robot Coop, a small group of programmers who have developed the interconnected sites called 43places, 43things, 43people, allconsuming, and listofbests). 

I wanted to share what I wrote about the Global Night Commute which will take place tonight in downtown Cleveland and in cities around the world with all the readers of RealNEO.

When I heard Rebirth Brass Band was planning a second line jazz parade in Cleveland, to raise awareness of the Tri-C Jazz Fest, I was thrilled - not only is Rebirth awesome, but living in NOLA gave me a real appreciation for the energy such an event can create. I certainly expected Cleveland music fans, and promoters of a more enlightened community, would turn out in droves to support this great band, this free parade, and a good time. Well, 100s of fans and lucky by-standers lucked out, and the rest of the region missed out - but here are some shots in appreciation to Rebirth Brass Band and the organizers of the Tri-C Jazz Fest - I hope more people make their way to the other events scheduled in the coming days.

WHAT’S IN A BRIDGE ABUTMENT?

Keep a bridge abutment without the bridge…why? A pile of rocks or a concentration of feng shui? That’s the question the Cleveland Landmark Commission will consider TOMORROW: should the remaining  Central Viaduct bridge abutment in front of the Broadway Mills Building be committed to the historic register?

On Thursday April 13 Ed Hauser, with support from the Gilotta family, made a presentation before the Cleveland Landmarks Commission, nominating the old Broadway Mills building, now homebase to Gilotta Fuels, for landmark status.  Hauser nominated both the building, built in 1894, and the remaining portion of the old central viaduct at the building’s base.  Motivated by a communication from ODOT, sent at 5:33p.m. on the evening before the hearing, a majority of  Landmark Commission members voted to table the nomination until ODOT could make a presentation at the Commission’s next meeting. That’s right, the Commission that is supposed to protect Cleveland’s landmarks decided not to even begin consideration of potential landmark status because of ODOT’s request.

For so many reasons, University Circle and its institutions and the surrounding neighborhood are core to what I value in NEO, and I look forward to seeing all that continually expand in significance to me, the region and world. But, University Circle is a small geographic domain, which must be optimized for 21 organizational stakeholders, and their 1,000,000s of stakeholders, including everyone associated with Case, University Hospitals, the VA, CIA, Cleveland Museum(s), Institute of Music, Orchestra, etc., and all others in the community.

In visioning for a better region and future here, consider a broader interpretation of University Circle from the small cultural, healthcare and university center of Cleveland to the center of the entire University Community of NEO.

I'm going to try one more time, since my previous call for help only yielded two responses (thanks, you two!), and since there is some recently posted information on what is coming down the pipeline out of Seattle in terms of developing local sites based on 43places.
Here's what to do:  create a free account on 43things, add this goal to your list of 43 things to do, and make an entry under that goal with "Cleveland" in the title. That will get us on the list of the first 15 cities to receive local sites in the next iteration of 43places.

Here goes: 

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Northeast Ohio is about to see an explosive, high profile, living, learning and enlightening force hit the scene and landscape, as area filmmakers, learning institutions and the public come together to create NEO Central - a bleeding-edge collaborative media arts center for NEO now and the future.The center will be based on like-minded initiatives around the world, and will provide shared film/media education, incubation, production, distribution, business and technology resources, and facilities, which are currently located in the historic landmark Gillota Building at 300 Central Viaduct (Carnegie) and will be expanded significantly as part of an area economic development plan. More on all of this is found in the links below, which will grow...

See http://www.case.edu/artsci/bakernord/humweek/ataglance.html for more information.

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Greater Cleveland has a higher percentage of elevated blood level children than the national average, and many neighborhoods have significant lead poison problems. This book shares insight generated in the effort to eradicate lead poisoning in NEO, including initiative of the Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council... GCLAC.

The grand theater of the Cleveland City Hall rotunda was the perfect setting to see NEO filmmaker Laura Paglin's acclaimed documentary "No Umbrella – An Election Day In The City". Thanks to Mayor Frank Jackson "Arts and Cultural Initiative", probably 100 citizens clearly enjoyed the free showing immediately preceded the city council meeting. The "star" of the documentary, long-standing and much-beloved councilwoman Fannie Lewis, was the star of the screening as well, as she and filmmaker Paglin answered questions following the show.