Entrepreneurs for Sustainability (E4S) has
been collecting information about its members and who is in their
networks. At the April 19 E4S meeting, social networking expert Valdis
Krebs will unveil what this network looks like. And EcoCity Cleveland's
David Beach will discuss the potential for a GreenCityBlueLake Network
- a new network identity to provide context for sustainability in
Northeast Ohio.
5:30 - 8 p.m. Great Lakes Brewing Co. Tasting Room on Carroll Ave.
Click here for updated information or to register (free).

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The growing visibility of sustainable development
creates new opportuinities for NEO. We have a strong foundation of
organizations committed to sustainability. We have a thick network of
committed civic entrepreneurs who know a lot about these issues. We can
move forward with an aggressive sustainable development agenda in NEO.

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Date and time:
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
4 - 6 PM
Levin College Atrium, Glickman-Miller Hall
1717 Euclid Avenue.

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Work on your finance, marketing or business plans
twice a month at the E4S Study Hall Night. Working on your business is hard to
do when the demands of working in your business overwhelm your work day. Why not
commit to working on your business plans two nights a month with your friends at
E4S. You can work alone or bounce ideas off your peers. We will invite local
business development experts to be on hand to help answer your questions.

E4S Members in the Start-up, First Growth or Established Business categories
who are interested in finding time to work ON your business not just IN your
business.

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How do personal characteristics such as
intelligence, education and wealth contribute to disparate health outcomes?

Linda S. Gottfredson, Ph.D., professor
of education at the University of Delaware, and co-director of the
Delaware-Johns Hopkins Project for the Study of Intelligence and Society, will
discuss this and related issues at the next program in the lecture series,
"Prescriptions for Change: Reducing Health Disparities in Our Community,"
presented by the Roundtable Community Council, a program of the Greater
Cleveland Partnership, and the Center for Health Disparities, a collaboration
between MetroHealth Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University.

The program will be held from 7:30-9:30 a.m., Wed., April 13, at The
City Club of Cleveland, 850 Euclid Avenue. It is sponsored by the St. Luke's and
Mt. Sinai Health Care Foundations. Tickets are $15 for City Club members and
nonmembers.

Register
here.
Dr.
Gottfredson has written extensively on the impact of general intelligence on
personal functioning in different life domains, including in school, on the job
and in health self-care. Among her recent publications is an article in Current Directions in Psychological
Science,
co-written in 2004 with Ian J. Deary of the University of
Edinburgh (Scotland), examining the theory that intelligence (as measured by an
IQ-type test) enhances individuals' care of their own health, because it
represents learning, reasoning and problem-solving skills useful in preventing
chronic disease and accidental injury and in adhering to complex treatment
regimens.

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In 1999, a journalist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer named Tom Brazaitis published an article asking what his readers thought about his paper? I was intrigued - it never occurred to me newspaper journalists cared what readers thought. I called him and left a voice mail message to comment - he called back to discuss my thoughts and he asked me to email them to him - I sent back a lengthy assessment of that Sunday's publication. Not only did he care what I thought, but he published some excerpts of my message, along with other readers' perspectives.

Knowing Tom cared about his readers, I grew to care about his work and paper, and him, and I realized his columns were always right on. He taught me journalists are normal people, doing normal jobs. He taught me being a "socialist" is not a crime. He taught me to speak my mind and write my peace. He
inspired me and changed my life.

With Barbara Byrd Bennett's recent "State of the Schools" presentation at the Cleveland City Club it became clear NEO is ramping up for a community-wide activation of all leaders to support Cleveland public schools, now showing significant success rising from the ashes, while facing daunting financial prospects resulting from diminishing state funding and city property tax revenues. Between now and the voting of the public on a levy to increase city taxes for schools, likely in November, 2005, we will be inundated with efforts to raise citizen awareness of the importance of education to the future wherewithal of the regional economy - and it is absolutely essential area schools are successful. As the levy will likely coincide with the Cleveland mayoral election, expect passionate debate on this issue.

All parents should read the following article found on the Organic Consumers Association website. The FDA and the American Cancer Society have largely failed to protect babies and children who are much more vulnerable to carcinogens than adults by pressuring the cosmetics industry to use readily available alternatives to the toxic ingredients they now use. Parents must be vigilant because the FDA and the American Cancer Society have long preferred to protect the interests of the powerful cosmetic industry rather than our children. After a quick survey of the skin and hair care products and makeup that I use regularly – many which I considered high quality, natural and healthy – I found most of them to contain one or more of the toxins listed in the article.

Friday, April 01, 2005 12:00 PM
Civil Rights Enforcement: The Bulwark of Opportunity
R. Alexander Acosta
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights

The first Hispanic to serve as an assistant attorney general at the Department of Justice, Alex Acosta will give remarks concerning the Division’s accomplishments during the past four years and the future of civil rights in the 21st century. The Civil Rights Division is responsible for enforcing federal civil rights statutes, including those statutes that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin in education, employment, credit, housing, public accommodations and facilities, voting and certain federally funded and conducted programs.

Acosta previously was a member of the National Labor Relations Board and served as principal deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division. A native of Florida, Mr. Acosta earned his law degree from the Harvard Law School. After graduation, he served as a law clerk on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and then worked at a law firm, where he specialized in employment and labor issues.

He is a 2004 recipient of the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee Michigan’s Distinguished Leadership Award, the 2003 Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund's Excellence in Government Service Award and the 2003 DC Hispanic Bar Association’s Hugh A. Johnson, Jr. Memorial Award. He has also taught several classes on employment law, disability-based discrimination law and civil rights law at the George Mason School of Law. 

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The 03.22.05 Tuesday@REI is focused on the topic of creating Arts Districts as "Economic Engines�. Four presenters will discuss specific initiatives already showing great value in the region. Lots of people think of arts districts and think of Playhouse Square – a commercial district – but today we are looking at neighborhood based districts – linked to residents that live in the area. We hear a lot about silver bullets around NEO – half billion-dollar projects like convention centers – but research finds these projects don’t necessarily do it – there may not be a “downtown� solution – “downtown� may just be another neighborhood. The jury is still out on the broader “Richard Florida Creative Class� concept, but it is certain that making neighborhoods desirable with arts districts is valuable – that has been a fact all through history.

Clearly there is great interest in education in Cleveland, as the Cleveland City Club 03.22.05 State of the Schools presentation by Cleveland Municipal School District CEO Barbara Byrd Bennett was an overflow event with attendance as diverse and inspired as any in memory. In his introduction of Barbara Byrd Bennett, City Club President Kevin J. Donahue praised her renowned career in education and uncanny ability to work collaboratively with all school stakeholders, all in the interest of improving area education. When Barbara Byrd Bennett was named the Cleveland Municipal School District’s first CEO, six years ago, she challenged the community to rally around the schools and our children. Since then, student performance, attendance, graduation, Internet access, immunizations, and bond funding have all increased significantly. Now, the question is, can these successes be sustained as state funding and property taxes have been dramatically reduced.

The 03.16.05 Community of Minds get-together featured Jurgen Faust, Chair of TIME (The Integrated Multimedia Environment) at the world-class Cleveland Institute of Art. Community of Minds is the longest-standing and most innovative entrepreneurial networking initiatives in NEO, providing attendees highly valuable, free, bi-monthly insight sharing meet-ups at the Case University Dively Center, held with support from the Center for Regional Economic Issues (REI) and Thompson Hine law firm. At this March meeting, Jurgen Faust offered important insight on developing NEO as a "Future Center" of design excellence.

Exploring Community through Technology - Notacon is the second iteration of a yearly technology, arts and music event held in Cleveland, Ohio.
This year's focus is on how technology and community intermingle. The event itself hosts
speakers, events, games, live music and a whole lot more.

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Could cultural consciousness icon David Byrne truly " PowerPoint"? Co-founder of the groundbreaking and fascinating Talking Heads, Byrne is known for creating globally relevant music and art, making it surprising he would go on tour championing the close-minded "Office" anti-intellect of big brother champion Microsoft, the icon of anti-culture. Yet, as Byrne posts to his website, I have been working with PowerPoint, the ubiquitous presentation
software, as an art medium for a number of years. It started off as a
joke (this software is a symbol of corporate salesmanship, or lack
thereof) but then the work took on a life of its own as I realized I
could create pieces that were moving, despite the limitations of the
"medium." Before the talk, attendees were treated to some of
Byrne's EEEI PowerPoint art project, which was striking.

The 3/18/05 City Club High School Debate Championship
offered attendees exposure to exceptional debating (which we rarely see in life), provided
informed, considered, diverse perspectives on an important issue (separation of
church and state), and broadened awareness of how much we all stand to learn
from the youth of the world. Undeniable conclusions are that the City
Club of Cleveland is of great value to this community, we have much to learn from
considering diverse, bright perspectives from young intellectuals, and the
separation of church and state is an even more complex issue than most
inquisitive minds realize.

Seasoned Entrepreneurial Panel Discussion

The CAAO Minority Access to
Capital Program. The mission of this
program is the thoroughly educate minority entrepreneurs on all their funding
options and to aid in building relationships between the funders and minority
entrepreneurs of Northeast Ohio.

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Go to for futher info  http://www.cuyahogavalley.net/event.html

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Clevelander's last chance to hear Latina artist-provocateur Yolanda Lopez speak is tonight, Wednesday March 16, 7 pm, Ford Auditorium in the Allen Library (Corner of Euclid and Adelbert).