I had the bad fortune to need to drive around NEO this afternoon, so I was exposed to some of the dumbest people on Earth, all over town, and their socially repugnant Hummers and other gas guzzlers, and the poor behavior of many NEO drivers in general. The First Hummer was some jerk cruising around town at probably 8 MPG, yacking away on his cell phone... probably busy trying to rule the world...

LifeHacker had a great posting showing a USDA resource to find farmer's markets all across the country.

One of the defenses of the paint and lead industries against litigation over lead poisoning is the paint companies claim there is no way to identify which paint company made which lead paint - they claim is is all one big public nuisance and deny any responsibility.

Nicholas Negroponte, chairman of the One Laptop Per Child non profit announce gave an update recently on his initiative to produce inexpensive laptops running Linux with some form of power generation device, such as a pedal. The association hopes to distribute 5 million to 10 million of the systems to children in India, China, Brazil, Argentina, Thailand, Egypt, and Nigeria in the first quarter of 2007. For more info, visit here.

 The following story with its links ran in CASE Daily (Case's online newpaper) today. Do feel like you have entrepreneurial genes? I think I do! Please post your thoughts
"Do genes influence who will be entrepreneurs?"

ABC News (Reuters), June 5, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2041245

Knowing I was having a child, I moved from a Cleveland apartment that had significant peeling paint in the window wells and dust in the yard to a "Certified" apartment in Shaker Heights (costing twice as much), where property is inspected regularly and tends to be well maintained. Now that my son is one, and I understand there is not a safe level of lead exposure, and I know blood testing for lead poisoning conducted by my pediatrician is not accurate enough to measure low level lead exposure, I'm looking more closely at my immediate environment and finding many causes for alarm.

The Northeast Ohio Area Coordination Agency's (NOACA) 7th Annual Summit, "Exploring Our Region's Potential," will be held Friday, June 9, 2006. The Summit will focus on transportation, economic development, and air and water quality issues in Northeast Ohio. Lee Fisher (D) and Representative Tom Raga (R), candidates for lieutenant governor, will present their plans for economic development in Ohio and the region. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The Summit begins at 9:30 a.m. and runs to about 2 p.m.

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ODOT wants us to live with this for 20-50 more years - Afterwards replace it for over $1 Billion.  Why isn't anyone questioning this nonsense?

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When you look at the sites of all Wolstein Developers Diversified Realty projects they are low quality big box strip centers, located at major highway interchanges. In the case of the interchange above, the highway ramp off I-271 literally feeds right into the DDR WalMart development.

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

Driving into the Future: The Innerbelt Project

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The ODOT Cleveland Innerbelt Project's- Project Development Process (PDP) & Public Involvement Process (PIP) seem to be in limbo since the last public meeting on November 17, 2005.  ODOT's and City of Cleveland's PDP & PIP Schedule has not been followed and appears to be five (5) months behind schedule.  The "Alternatives Report" and the "Economic Impact Analysis" were scheduled to be completed in December 2005, for public review and comment.  THE REPORT AND ANALYSIS - DO NOT EXIST AT THIS TIME.  Even though the general public has been effectively removed from the public processes, a lot of activity has been going on since November 2005.  Below is a brief update on some of those activities.  Please visit www.neobridge.net to participate in this community discussion and to get the latest updates on OUR Cleveland Innerbelt Project.

 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...

While looking for lead testing kits and information in East Cleveland, at Silvermans, I slipped into paparazzi mode as I spotted three future leaders of our NEO new economy, chilling on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. They let me snap their pictures, which will be worth a fortune when these guys are famous. It can happen, when we keep our kids lead free.

 Celebrate the Region's Newest Waterfront Park - Wendy Park at Whiskey Island

CLEVELAND, OH—Kevin Phillips, a former GOP strategist, will speak about his newest book American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century at noon on Friday, May 26, 2006, at The City Club of Cleveland.

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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...

Saturday and Sunday, April 29 & 30, 2006, the Tri-C JazzFest took the spectacular stage at the East Cleveland Public Library, custom built for jazz by world-class library leader Greg Reese, for two major FREE concerts that drew full house crowds to a community few know and so most don't appreciate. After this weekend, many more people understand East Cleveland is the coolest city in NEO.

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.