It recently came to my attention that one of the most serious sources of pollution in Cuyahoga County is literally in my back yard. Less than two kilometers upwind from my home are the coal and natural gas fired external boilers at the power plant shown above, at University Hospitals, operated by Medical Center Company (MCCo), polluting the surrounding neighborhoods since the 1930s.

For the 30+ years of my life spent in Northeast Ohio, in childhood and as an adult, University Circle has been at the center of my universe. What Place is at the Center of Your Universe?

Thanks to REALNEO's lmcshane for pointing out one of the most interesting developments in the American "sustainability movement" ever - what appears to be Chicago's real news source, The Chicago Reader, broke the news, September 4, 2009, that "The Green Mayor's Green Policy Maker Leaves for Vancouver". This is the story of former Cleveland and Chicago area sustainability guru Sadhu Johnston, now set to become the deputy city manager of Vancouver.

If nothing else, today proved to me the power of magic realism.  Nelson Cintron is a good man, a kind man and a man gifted with the power to transform.  He is not a perfect man, but like all of us, when he tries, he can perform magic. 

In an effort to un-depress myself, I am trying to conjure in my mind the most charming places in NEO to go to when you want to watch people and feel hopeful about life.  Now, I know I can go to the middle of a forest somewhere and meditate, but I need to hear laughter and watch boats bobbing on the water. 

Why is it so hard to make it happen here in NEO?  Do you have a favorite place to share???  Please post your thoughts here.

Max Eternity - While it's not advisable that we create a clean energy "monoculture", research does show that with a small amount of land mass devoted to harvesting solar energy, all the energy needs of the entire planet can easily be met. 

Click here to see enlarged chart(s) and to read more.

I am very excited that Cleveland Public Library is participating in the National Endowment for the Humanities Picturing America program.  I have always felt more comfortable explaining concepts visually and, lo and behold, today--a wonderful man contacted me today with a visual explanation of Web 3.0.  Enjoy.  Transform.

"O mio babbino caro" - Gianni Schicchi - Puccini - performed by Amy Irvine (August 9, 2009)

Many beautiful worlds collided the evening of Sunday, August 9, 2009, at "OPERA IN THE ITALIAN CULTURAL GARDEN", a free outdoor evening concert of favorite Italian opera classics, beautifully performed by Opera Per Tutti (Opera For All), held in the spectacular Italian Cultural Garden, in one of the greatest public parks in the world, The Cleveland Cultural Gardens, presented by the Italian Cultural Garden Foundation, Northern Ohio Opera League, and the Cleveland Cultural Garden Federation.

Guy, this quote of Sir Winston Churchill - July 1952 - is for you... and is featured on a new service of the UK National Archives website, releasing UK UFO files. From the UK National Archives website:

The files contain a wide range of UFO-related documents covering the years 1981-1996.
Find out more about close encounters, stray satellites, bright lights and Britain’s very own Roswell – Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk.

The US Marine Corps decision to ban social media, citing concerns for operation and mission security, is an issue every employer wrestles with, but banning social media is on excessive response, one that forfeits important value for social media, including military recruiting.  Employers, military or otherwise, should develop fine-tuned policies on social media, not comprehensive bans or unqualified endorsements. 

How will the 2010 census define our country? Is it time to change the way we census the United States?

I often leave Cleveland's great classical music radio station WCLV on while I work, and have been enjoying the Cleveland International Piano Compeition live, most of this week.

Right now (10 PM, July 31st) is a stunning performance by a 19 year old Chinese student - second round!... tune in if you read this around now... WCLV, Cleveland FM 104.9... Here is WCLV live on the Internet

 From August 12-14, Mayor Frank G. Jackson will host a three-day summit, bringing together a diverse group of people vested in and dedicated to Cleveland to use their vast knowledge and imagination to create an action plan for building a green economy for Cleveland’s future. This summit will be facilitated by Dr. David Cooperrider of the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value (my teacher, advisor, mentor and friend) at Case Western Reserve University, my alma mater (x2).

Sometimes there's no bigger impact than hearing from City leadership itself.  There is no excuse not to apply and attend - to have your voice heard, and to make a difference !   Come help us.

I wish I could put this book in the hands of every American.  

Since our founding, in 2004, REALNEO has become a groundbreaking free, open source social network of global interest – recently recognized as one of the top networks of our type in the country, by the Knight Foundation.

In 2008, the members of REALNEO.US formed REAL COOP, an Ohio legal cooperative, which now owns and operates REALNEO.US and REAL.COOP. We are unique in the world of social computing, and a global innovator in the evolution of information systems.

From the REALNEO.US homepage:

Thanks to Laura McShane for posting this morning a comment linking to Will Allen's "Good Food Manifesto" on his Growing Power blog. I, and millions of other people, became aware of Will last Sunday, when he was featured in the New York Times Sunday Magazine article "Street Fighter", but folks who follow local foods best practices surely knew of Will long before.

As I've mentioned previously, many of my six years with REALNEO to date have been spent in pursuit of a core research question - that economic development and community development can become equated under a frame of quality of life and place enrichment.  This has been proposed previously and backed by many of my theoretical pieces.  Now, as I shift to operationalization of the theory, it becomes more important to request feedback and input from the variously communities