Workforce Development

Climate Progress: Life-cycle study: Accounting for total harm from coal would add “close to 17.8¢/kWh of electricity generated”

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 02/16/2011 - 15:13.

Life-cycle study: Accounting for total harm from coal would add “close to 17.8¢/kWh of electricity generated”

Posted: 16 Feb 2011 07:30 AM PST

Epstein coal2

In a groundbreaking article to be released this month in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Dr. Paul Epstein, associate director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, details the economic, health and environmental costs associated with each stage in the life cycle of coal – extraction, transportation, processing, and combustion.  These costs, between a third to over half a trillion dollars annually, are directly passed on to the public.

In terms of human health, the report estimates $74.6 billion a year in public health burdens in Appalachian communities, with a majority of the impact resulting from increased healthcare costs, injury and death. Emissions of air pollutants account for $187.5 billion, mercury impacts as high as $29.3 billion, and climate contributions from combustion between $61.7 and $205.8 billion. Heavy metal toxins and carcinogens released during processing pollute water and food sources and are linked to long-term health problems. Mining, transportation, and combustion of coal contribute to poor air quality and respiratory disease, while the risky nature of mining coal results in death and injury for workers.

That’s from a news release for the important new study, “Full cost accounting for the life cycle of coal.”  Dr. Epstein is the lead author, and there are 10 coauthors, public health and environment experts.

Barking Spider w/Charlie Mosbrook

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 02/15/2011 - 06:08.
02/15/2011 - 20:00
02/15/2011 - 23:00
Etc/GMT-4

I'll be out of town, but strongly recommend Charlie Mosbrook - and know there are many people looking for ways to share their love for the Barking Spider - so share some love...

Come join me at the Spider for the early show. This whole month at the Spider is dedicated to the memory and celebration of Martin Juredine's life, legacy, and contribution to this areas music scene. I hope everyone can make it out for this one. Martin was an important role model and mentor to me. His daughter Jenna now runs the place. Please show your support for her and visit often.

Location

Barking Spider Tavern
11310 Juniper Rd (Behind Arabica)
Cleveland, OH
United States

VA in a difficult position - 300,000+ brain-damaged veterans may NEED to use illegal marijuana to treat stress, anxiety and PTSD

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 02/14/2011 - 06:06.

Cannabinoid

Cannabidiol - 2-[(1R,6R)-6-isopropenyl-3-methylcyclohex-2-en-1-yl]-5-pentylbenzene-1,3-diol

I was talking to my drug-dealing father, the other day, about the future of a class of drug he has never been allowed to deal - Marijuana, and its derivatives - cannabinoids patented by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, in 2003.

As a physician, in the psychiatry field, my father has prescribed 1,000,000s of doses - $1,000,000s worth - of scores of pharmaceutical toxins - many which certainly proved ineffective, over the years, and may be addictive and fatal - to humans who were not born to take such drugs... in a society now being torn apart by the consequences. But, he has never had the opportunity to prescribe one dose of natural, safe, non-addictive, organic, God-given, freely-available marijuana or a derivative.

While marijuana has consistently been found to be safe and effective for 100s of medical concerns, for over a century, and is increasingly being made legal at the local level, by enlightened communities, the use and abuse of pharmaceutical drugs has become one of our Drug Czar's greatest and most fatal crises across America... and getting worse daily.

This self-inflicted American healthcare crisis was driven home by the February 13, 2011, New York Times, which reported that well over 300,000 troops have returned from Iraq or Afghanistan with P.T.S.D., depression, traumatic brain injury or some combination of those.... and, when doctors diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder, they prescribe powerful cocktails of psychiatric drugs and narcotics, which are proving largely ineffective and often fatal - whereas safe marijuana is considered a valuable treatment for P.T.S.D..

United States Patent 6,630,507 - Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants - Assignee: The United States of America

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 02:45.
United States Patent 6,630,507
Hampson ,   et al. October 7, 2003
Cannabinoids as antioxidants and neuroprotectants - See at USPTO Here

Abstract

Cannabinoids have been found to have antioxidant properties, unrelated to NMDA receptor antagonism. This new found property makes cannabinoids useful in the treatment and prophylaxis of wide variety of oxidation associated diseases, such as ischemic, age-related, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The cannabinoids are found to have particular application as neuroprotectants, for example in limiting neurological damage following ischemic insults, such as stroke and trauma, or in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and HIV dementia. Nonpsychoactive cannabinoids, such as cannabidoil, are particularly advantageous to use because they avoid toxicity that is encountered with psychoactive cannabinoids at high doses useful in the method of the present invention. A particular disclosed class of cannabinoids useful as neuroprotective antioxidants is formula (I) wherein the R group is independently selected from the group consisting of H, CH.sub.3, and COCH.sub.3. ##STR1##

Inventors: Hampson; Aidan J. (Irvine, CA), Axelrod; Julius (Rockville, MD), Grimaldi; Maurizio (Bethesda, MD)
Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services (Washington, DC)

TheDC Interview: Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske on Mexico, pill mills, and the medical marijuana stalemate

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 02/13/2011 - 01:50.

All Americans should have a great interest in the actions of our Drug Czar, Gil Kerlikowske, as he impacts all our lives and $ billions of tax dollars. Always AT WAR WITH AMERICANS and in denial of healthcare (and our national debt) - disrespectful of the medical profession - killer of innocent Mexicans - his job has become more complex and urgent, in the last few years, as his failed war on drugs has continued taking turns for the worst... turning Mexican pot fields into killing-fields and suburban America into a pharmaceutically-poisoned waster-land - as his entire credibility in battling God-given marijuana is undermined by effective medical legalization efforts America-wide, and by his own Federal government... as far more significant crises have surfaced with pharmaceutical drugs that fail to provide healthcare, but do kill - which marijuana does not.

As America is bankrupt, and going down the toilet - along with all Gil Kerlikowske's pills and poison piss, poisoning our natural resources, wildlife and all humanity - the following thorough interview by The Daily Caller of our Drug Czar is required reading:

TheDC Interview: Drug Czar Gil Kerlikowske on Mexico, pill mills, and the medical marijuana stalemate

 
Mike Riggs is a staff writer at The Daily Caller. He has written and reported for Reason magazine and reason.com, GQ, the Awl, Decibel, Culture 11, the Philadelphia Bulletin, and the Washington City Paper, where he served as an arts and entertainment editor.
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy, speaks during a press conference in Washington, DC, on May 12, 2010. Kerlikowske spoke on the Obama adminstration's drug control strategy. AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad

Across the Cannabis Divide - A bill that might have outlawed edible marijuana in Colorado was pulled for revisions Thursday

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 01:39.

Cannabis bakers at Taste My Yummees booth at KushCom2 - yummy brownies
Cannabis bakers at Taste My Yummees booth at KushCom2 - yummy brownies

February 11, 2010 - The Colorado Independent reported "Colorado edible marijuana bill not a brownie killer - Bill expected back in March, but probably won't ban most ingestibles".

This is good news for mom and pop Colorado businesses that have invested to develop the cannabis economy in Colorado. Pro-medical marijuana organizations like the Cannabis Therapy Institute had warned “House Bill 11-1250 will outlaw all medicinal cannabis edible products in the state, overturning the licensing scheme for Infused Products Manufacturers that was created by the state legislature last year.” 

This is even more important news for MMJ patients, who seek a variety of products containing MMJ in treatment of their medical conditions.

"Prior to the bill being pulled for revision, Shan Moore, the father of a teenager who uses medical marijuana to control seizures, told The Colorado Independent that his son relies on ingestible medical marijuana to control his condition. Due to other health issue and also due to the fact that his son does not want to get high, smoking is out of the question for him."

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials are making plans to reschedule natural THC as a Schedule III controlled substance

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sat, 02/12/2011 - 01:27.

Daily Caller: “Is The DEA Legalizing THC?”

February 10th, 2011 By: Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director
Share this Article Share This Page on digg Share This Page on Reddit Share This Page on del.icio.us Share This Page on Stumble Upon Share This Page on Facebook Share This Page on Twitter Share This Page on Technorati Get the Feed to this Blog

Reporter Mike Riggs at The Daily Caller has an important story online today revealing how U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials are making plans to reschedule natural THC under federal law.

Under the plan, THC derived from the marijuana plant would be classified as a Schedule III controlled substance, while the plant itself would remain classified as a Schedule I illegal drug. Sound fishy? It is.

Request from EPA for public comment on a CONCEPT PAPER FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER - perfect for NEO

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 02/10/2011 - 10:34.


Environmental Justice Community Representative speaking at First White House Environmental Justice Forum

Please find below a fascinating request from the U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) OFFICE OF AIR AND RADIATION (OAR) for public comment on a CONCEPT PAPER FOR AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTER. The OAR is taking the lead in developing a learning center or institute for environmental justice community members to increase community awareness and understanding of environmental risks stemming from pollution and related environmental justice concerns. This effort will build communities’ capacity to participate in the protection of their air, water, and land resources. This represents Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice that EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has made one of EPA’s key priorities under her leadership.

Regarding the challenge being addressed... from Administrator Jackson, in releasing this concept paper for public input:

Many minority, low-income, and indigenous people have been historically underrepresented in environmental decision making, while at times experiencing higher levels of environmental pollution and other social and economic burdens that result in poorer health outcomes. Many members of these communities have not been able to participate effectively in environmental decision making in part because they lack the background and information they need for meaningful participation. As a result, EPA does not always benefit from important community input.

It is my strong belief Administrator Jackson's statement perfectly describes Northeast Ohio - these are the words that should have been said by Cleveland's Mayor Jackson, as citizen and community leader... for decades! These are the words citizens of Northeast Ohio must hear from our leaders for the future.

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson's Opening Statement about Chairman Upton’s draft bill to eliminate portions of the Clean Air Act

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 02/09/2011 - 11:23.

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Opening Statement Before the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Power

As prepared for delivery – Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me to testify about Chairman Upton’s draft bill to eliminate portions of the Clean Air Act, the landmark law that all American children and adults rely on to protect them from harmful air pollution.

The bill appears to be part of a broader effort in this Congress to delay, weaken, or eliminate Clean Air Act protections of the American public. I respectfully ask the members of this Committee to keep in mind that EPA’s implementation of the Clean Air Act saves millions of American children and adults from the debilitating and expensive illnesses that occur when smokestacks and tailpipes release unrestricted amounts of harmful pollution into the air we breathe.

Last year alone, EPA’s implementation of the Clean Air Act saved more than 160,000 American lives; avoided more than 100,000 hospital visits; prevented millions of cases of respiratory illness, including bronchitis and asthma; enhanced American productivity by preventing millions of lost workdays; and kept American kids healthy and in school.

EPA’s implementation of the Act also has contributed to dynamic growth in the U.S. environmental technologies industry and its workforce.  In 2008, that industry generated nearly 300 billion dollars in revenues and 44 billion dollars in exports.

The First Fair Trial In Cuyahoga County History? Knotek said she was "quite surprised" at the holes in the prosecution's case!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 02/09/2011 - 09:24.

As we learn that Cleveland City Council, Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries and the Cleveland Police Department have dedicated their extensive resources to the persecution of Father Henry and shutting down St. Hermans home for the most disadvantaged Americans on Earth... we should assess their past performance addressing crime in the most impoverished, lead poisoned, broken-down, polluted city in America... besides ignoring nearly a dozen rapes and murderers by a friend of Mayor Jackosn's family, for years... today the Plain Dealer reports "Jurors so upset about case brought against 19-year-old that they will give the defendant their jury pay".

Highlights:

Jurors are so convinced that a Cleveland teen should not have been charged with assaulting another teen that they've gone beyond acquitting him. A few are writing angry letters to police and intend to donate their jury pay to him.

Jurors said the case against McCloud on charges of kidnapping and felonious assault quickly evaporated in the courtroom of Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Michael Astrab.

Most of the jury could not be reached for comment, but three members complained of a "sheer lack of evidence."

"He seemed like a decent kid who was falsely accused," Nagin said.

Boe said she will mail letters today to Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath and Fourth District Commander Deon McCaulley about the lack of a thorough investigation. Other jurors said they also will write to the police.

Ohio Daily Impact in the Global Spotlight - “The clock is ticking. This lake is dying.” - "OHIO IS GOING OUT OF BUSINESS"

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 02/08/2011 - 18:13.

Char Richtmyer, a Grand Lake St. Marys resident for 16 years, pulls a dead fish off the beach to toss it back in the water.
For the second year in a row, the lake has been plagued by a new and potentially toxic form of algae that is killing fish,
creating foul odors and driving away tourists at the height of the summer season. Staff photo by Jim Witmer

Ohio was in the news for incompetent environmental planning, last week, in The Daily Impact - Chronicling the Crash of the Industrial Age - "Ohio Lake “Dying”: Governor Applies Lipstick" - what does this say about our future? Thank God for outside media coverage of Ohio... the truth is sometimes told...

The government of the great state of Ohio demonstrated last week, with laser-like precision, exactly why we do not have a chance of avoiding the multiple catastrophes bearing down on our supplies of food, energy and water. In unveiling what was universally described as a “plan” to deal with one of the state’s biggest pollution problems, the governor and his fellow politicians also demonstrated the new first principle of government: it is far, far better to appear to be doing something than to actually do something.

Former Detroit Lead Inspector Sentenced for Fraud - three years and 10 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 02/08/2011 - 16:56.

A press release I received today from the Environmental Protection Agency reports: "Former city of Detroit Health Department lead inspector Donald Patterson was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release on wire fraud charges stemming from an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation. In July 2010, Patterson pleaded guilty and admitted he accepted cash to provide a clean bill of health to homes in which he had either done no inspection or provided fraudulent lead removal training". Which makes me wonder how much time Cleveland "Environmental Leaders", CDC directors, building inspectors, the Mayor, and Councilpeople should spend in jail for the lead poisoning of 1,000s of children in Cleveland, with contempt.

Perhaps Ohio does still need the death penalty?!?!

WASHINGTON — Former city of Detroit Health Department lead inspector Donald Patterson was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in prison and 24 months of supervised release on wire fraud charges stemming from an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) investigation. In July 2010, Patterson pleaded guilty and admitted he accepted cash to provide a clean bill of health to homes in which he had either done no inspection or provided fraudulent lead removal training. Lead is a serious public health issue causing a range of health effects from behavioral problems and learning disabilities, to seizures and death. Children six years old and under are most at risk.

Plain Dealer Posts "Da Bomb" NEO Story of 2011: "Pot Sauce Williams, aiming to be the Heinz of medical marijuana BBQ sauces"

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 22:16.


BBQ Chef Extraordinaire Greg Williams (standing), with his father LeMaud "Hot Sauce" Williams and a satisfied customer

I'm excited to see the Plain Dealer picked up the story of development of an MMJ BBQ Sauce by Greg Williams, of Cleveland's Hot Sauce Williams, and OrganaLabs, of Colorado. As was posted to Cleveland.com, today - Pot Sauce Williams, aiming to be the Heinz of medical marijuana BBQ sauces - great coverage by Evelyn Theiss and Diane Suchetka, who interviewed me for their story - some highlights: "We hope to make it the Heinz of medical marijuana sauces," said Norm Roulet, a Cleveland business consultant who got the idea off the ground - Heidi Morgan, co-owner with her husband, Ralph, of OrganaLabs in Denver, confirmed that the company developed and tested a recipe for Pot Sauce Williams - "There is a huge market for this," she said. "People are sick and tired of brownies - Especially, she said, people who have illnesses like MS, HIV, or other autoimmune disorders -- "They'll say, 'I don't want 100 milligrams of sugar when I eat this'"- So what's Pot Sauce Williams like? - Kohn, who has a referral for medical marijuana, loves it - "It packed just about the right size wallop you wanted," he said. "It made you merry. It gave you positive body sensations, good tingles, it was as good or better as any edible product I've tried - and I've tried a lot. It's da bomb" - "Their model is to have a number of sauces out, and they are looking at even doing some of their bakery products," Roulet said. "They have a sweet potato pie and a pecan pie - "One of the things they are looking at is creating some products to appeal to the urban marketplace" - "They are being innovative."

Hot Sauce Williams Shows The World What's Hot In Cleveland With Release Of Pot Sauce Williams MMJ Infused Sauces In Colorado

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 02/04/2011 - 10:30.

Hot Sauce Williams ribs with Pot Sauce Williams MMJ Infused Sauce

On October 27, 2010, I published on realNEO Understanding The Cannabis Divide, where I wrote "I've been exploring the growing cannabis divide in America, which increasingly offers affluent whites the right to legally prosper and use marijuana while poor blacks go to jail for minor marijuana charges. I've been traveling out west, meeting with associates and exploring economic development opportunities in specific regions that offer synergistic benefits to stakeholders in NEO, interested to participate in the cannabis economy now, legally. To offer Ohio businesses legal access into the cannabis economy, I am working with folks in the Denver/Boulder area to put in place what we call Grohio - a cooperative facilities-based cannabis think tank, advocacy organization, political action committee, venture capital fund, research and development institute and enterprise incubator, designed to help drive innovation at the bleeding edge of cannabis commerce world-wide, and allow Ohio entrepreneurs to fully participate in the cannabis economy locally in Colorado."

The first market outcome of Grohio Colorado is development of a first-on-Earth line of Cleveland-soul sauces infused with cannabis concentrate, for medical marijuana patients in Colorado (and eventually worldwide), based on original and world-renowned sauce recipes of Cleveland's Williams family, of the historic Hot Sauce Williams Bar-B-Q restaurants... loved in real NEO and worldwide for around 50-years... soon to be available as Pot Sauce Williams sauces infused with MMJ, where legal.

The Pot Sauce Williams sauces are the result of a collaboration between the Grohio team in Cleveland and Denver, working with cannabis concentrates experts at OrganaLabs, of Colorado, and Hot Sauce Williams Special Projects Manager Greg Williams, of Ohio... and taste tests by qualified medical marijuana consumers are all raves!

EPA Seeks Applicants for $1.2 Million in Environmental Justice Grants - Must Acknowledge Environmental Injustice to Apply

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 15:58.

The EPA Environmental Justice grants announced below would fit nicely with lead poisoning eradication needs and objectives in Northeast Ohio, as funded by HUD. The Federal Government wants to attack environmental injustice at the core, through collaboration among Federal agencies, like HUD and EPA, with environmental justice organizations in local communities, like in the overly-lead-burdened Cleveland, so proposals to build EPA environmental justice programming to leverage impact of HUD Lead Eradication funding would make sense and likely appeal to grant review committees. Unfortunately, a community must recognize it is victim of ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE to apply for this grant money, and Cleveland has not yet made that recognition. We're the Green City by the Blue Lake.

Let's see if any local Environmental Justice organizations (are there any?) apply for and receive funding from this Federal EPA program for environmental justice, developing programs addressing lead poisoning here, in leverage of the $4.5 million just provided by HUD for lead poisoning eradication, as Obama has determined is a priority here. Let's see if anyone admits we have any environmental injustice here and applies at all.

From the EPA:

Environmental Justice Mailing List

EPA Seeks Applicants for $1.2 Million in Environmental Justice Grants to Address Local Health and Environmental Issues

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is accepting grant applications for $1.2 million in funding to support projects designed to research, educate, empower and enable communities to understand and address local health and environmental issues. Eligible applicants from non-profit, faith-based and tribal organizations working in the community of the proposed project are encouraged to apply.

Cuyahoga County gets $4.5 million to curb lead in homes - Coverage on Cleveland.com - Comments Below for Protection

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 01/28/2011 - 02:09.

I'm pleased to see the Cleveland Plain Dealer giving coverage to HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims presenting a $4.5 million Federal Grant to Cuyahoga County to Protect Citizens from Lead Poisoning... on Cleveland.com, at least. Here is their advance story... Cuyahoga County gets $4.5 million to curb lead in homes. Especially insightful, from this coverage: "HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims is traveling to Cleveland on Friday not only to present the grant to Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald but also to formally announce the nearly $127 million HUD will spend for the communities nationwide with the highest rates of lead poisoning. Cuyahoga County and the city of Cincinnati received the largest of six grants awarded in Ohio. The city of Lorain is getting $2.1 million."

Most alarming, in coverage on Cleveland.com, is the feedback of trolls and readers registered there. As the parent of lead poisoned children, I now know what it is like to be a rape victim blamed for being raped. I have corrected some of the misinformation of truly despicable posters there - at least until Cleveland.com for some reason FROZE MY ACCOUNT.

I will say, for any poor behavior on realNEO - at the user and Admin level - it does not begin to compare with the wretchedness of life on Cleveland.com. I've posted below the comments up until I was blocked access, to protect them and save me the effort of rewriting my thoughts for you... I guess they own my voice and words on Cleveland.com now, and they don't want the world to know the truth about lead poisoning in their fair city.

And that is why there is such serious lead poisoning in their fair city...

 jmsullivan  January 27, 2011 at 11:06PM

I don't care about being an ignoramus about lead paint. I will venture to guess that over 90% of us were raised in homes built prior to 1978 which means they had lead based paint in them. My mom did not allow me to chew on the window sills, the house was meticiulously maintained and I have never known one person, not one, have any problems with lead poisoning. This is about common sense. For those that think we are ignorant, have you paid $13,000 on your personal dwelling to eliminate lead paint. If not, then why are you expecting us to spend our money on something that we thing is just plain STUPID and a WASTE

In YouTube's "Ask Obama" Contest, Drug-Legalizing Cop Comes in First - Obama says "entirely legitimate topic for debate"

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 14:03.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 27, 2010
CONTACT: Tom Angell (202) 557-4979 or media//at//leap//dot//cc

In YouTube's "Ask Obama" Contest, Drug-Legalizing Cop Comes in First Place

Obama Previously Laughed Off Marijuana Questions, But Can He Ignore a Cop?

WASHINGTON, DC --  A video question about legalizing drugs from a former deputy sheriff has come in first place in YouTube's "Your Interview with the President" competition, where users submitted and voted on questions to be posed to President Barack Obama.

Obama is scheduled to answer the top-voted questions today, Thursday, Jan. 27, at 2:30 PM EST in an interview that will be streamed live online at http://www.youtube.com/askobama

2011 realNEO Annual Report - Who really reads it anymore? Update on site statistics

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 01/27/2011 - 04:40.


Google Analytics of weekly realNEO visits and pageviews from December 01, 2008 to January 26, 2011

As I've reported over the past year, while sharing realNEO site statistics with members - most recently, in November, marking our 7th year - realNEO traffic demonstrates very consistent month-to-month and year-to-year growth for visitors, visits and pages viewed. Where there are dips, like each Christmas holiday season, there is year-to-year growth - we've always had strong, consistent, steady performance as illustrated above, since December 2008 (the first month we had reliable Google analytics).

Can realNEO be improved, or even saved? (you do not have to log in to vote)

Submitted by westward on Wed, 01/26/2011 - 14:06.

Secretary Chu Hosting Online Town Hall Today 12:45 p.m. EST

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 01/26/2011 - 10:52.
01/26/2011 - 12:45
Etc/GMT-4

Secretary Chu Hosting Online Town Hall Today 12:45 p.m. EST

January 26, 2011

Today at 12:45pm EST, Secretary Chu is hosting an online town hall to discuss President Obama’s clean energy and innovation agenda. We’d like you to join the conversation.

Location

Online
United States

Marijuana Policy Project Strategic Plan 2011 - Build support for the first-ever bill to de-federalize all marijuana laws

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 22:37.

Marijuana Policy Project 2011 Strategic Plan

As you can see in the strategic plan below, this year is an ambitious and bold one for MPP

LOBBY STATE LEGISLATURES

  • Enact medical-marijuana laws in Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, and New York. (If we don’t succeed in some of these states in 2011, the progress we make will bolster our efforts in these states in 2012.)
  • Expand Vermont’s existing medical-marijuana law by authorizing the sale of medical marijuana through dispensaries.
  • Enact marijuana-decriminalization laws in Rhode Island and Vermont.
  • Assist our allies in Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, and Washington state to protect and expand these five states’ existing medical-marijuana laws.
  • Implement the new medical-marijuana laws in Arizona and the District of Columbia.
  • Assist our allies in Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin with building support for medical-marijuana legislation, with the hope of passing bills in some of these states in 2013.

LAUNCH STATEWIDE INITIATIVES FOR THE NOVEMBER 2012 BALLOT

HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims Will Present $4.5 million Federal Grant to Cuyahoga County to Protect Citizens from Lead Poisoning

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 15:56.

The Greater Cleveland Health Homes Advisory Council (formerly the Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council) has announced a press conference, January 28, 2011, at 1:30 PM, at Cleveland State University Levin College Atrium, where HUD Deputy Secretary Ron Sims will present a $4.5 million federal HUD grant to Cuyahoga County to "conduct a wide range of activities intended to protect children and families from potentially dangerous lead-based paint and other home health and safety hazards". The press release states the "grant funding will clean up lead and other health hazards in hundreds of homes, train workers in lead safety methods, and increase public awareness about childhood lead poisoning.  Lead is a known toxin that can impair children’s development and have effects lasting into adulthood."

The obvious objective of this press conference is to encourage the MAINSTREAM MEDIA OF NORTHEAST OHIO to provide better information about lead poisoning prevention to the people of Northeast Ohio, to protect public health and improve our community. Encourage your favorite Media representatives (and politicians) to attend and serve the region better.

Also expected to attend will be Congresswoman Marcia Fudge,  Congressman Dennis Kucinich, and various other elected and appointed officials.

Celebrate Lunar New Year 2011 (Year of the Rabbit)

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 01/24/2011 - 11:16.
01/29/2011 - 11:00
02/06/2011 - 23:00
Etc/GMT-4

Celebrate Lunar New Year 2011 (Year of the Rabbit)

FYI, more events will be available shortly and we will have it distributed,
here are some events happening in town to Celebrate Year of the Rabbit (2011):

Location

Asia Plaza
2999 Payne Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113
United States