Something to have fun with - I'm happy with the results

Glenn Greenwald @ Salon - Criminalizing cancer and AIDS patients for using a substance that is (a) prescribed by their doctors and (b) legal under the laws of their state has always been abominable. The Obama administration deserves major credit not only for ceasing this practice, but for memorializing it formally in writing.

Confessions of a bibliophile:  I read the Plain Dealer every Sunday for the book section and I am so grateful that the Plain Dealer understands the extreme regional importance of the BOOK.

Follow Karen Long here and please note that the PD has twitterized their site for the readers, so you will have to register to become a follower :)

The Glass City Jungle blog in Toledo seems to be the only media outlet to have picked up on a TruthPAC poll with results showing, as Dave Betras, Chairman of the Mahoning County Democratic Party, says, “It looks like Issue 3 is going down.” Wonder if and when the Plain Plan Dealer will share this insight with its intentionally misinformed readers... hopefully, they read REALNEO as well...

I'm pleased to see a candidate for East Cleveland City Council has joined REALNEO... finally, someone to talk with about politics on the East Side. Welcome, Ephraim Abdullah, Candidate For East Cleveland City Council, Ward 3 - Tell Us Your Vision.

Welcome to REALNEO, new REAL COOP member and recent Cleveland transplant Bill Botkin. Thanks for joining our real NEO community.

Bill's REALNEO member bio reads: "I am a transplant from Columbus as of 2 years ago. My career has spanned 20 years in the copier/mfp industry and I recently made the change to the Office Supply/Furniture Industry where I discovered Sustainability. I am looking to become more involved in the Cleveland area." Bill came to the right place!

Because Bill filled out his REALNEO user profile with useful information about himself and his employer, I found reasons to learn more about Bill and spent some time visiting his employer's website - Today's Business Products - where Bill "discovered Sustainability"... and Today's Business Products seems to have a good interest in sustainability - they list many "green products".

Common Dreams - Americans are still debating whether to roll up their sleeves for a swine flu shot, but companies have already figured it out: vaccines are good for business.

Best party in town for the price--and certainly the coolest. 

The Big Bash/Splash is on Saturday, November 7, 2009

SPACES
2220 Superior Viaduct
Cleveland OH 44113
216-621-2314

Mayor Jackson, The Consulate of Italy in Detroit and the Cleveland Public Library invite you to a showing of the Award-winning documentary

inside BUFFALO

October 17, 2009

Show times 12 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.

Cleveland Public Library
Louis Stokes Auditorium
325 Superior Ave.

http://www.cpl.org

Free and open to the public

I have noticed, in the reader comments at Cleveland.com to their coverage about the great "Crisis at FirstEnergy" Lightbulb rip-off scheme, that many people in Northeast Ohio don't quite grasp this is an example of extreme monopoly corporate corruption of government - big, bad corporation using corrupt lawyers, lobbyists and politicians to steal $ millions from hard working citizens. That is not the work of Tree Huggers. Yet, the tone of Plain Dealer readers is to shoot the environmentalists, and Obama.

I realize there are many people of NEO who will blame even the worse corporate corruption, like this, on the most innocent people, like environmentalists, and have wondered why.

The pro-gambling-interested Cleveland Plain Dealer announced today that "Cleveland's City Council passed a resolution this week endorsing state Issue 3", which changes the Ohio constitution to give a monopoly on casino gambling to Cleveland Cavaliers owner and overnight "Don" Dan Gilbert. Councilmembers Brian Cummins and Zack Reed did not sign the resolution supporting Issue 3. The support of the other council members follows the endorsement of Issue 3 by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. As these endorsements show support by these specific people for gambling in our community, and all the ills that go with that, it is time to set in place the names of these people as those accountable for addressing all the harm that is caused by expanding gambling here from now until they are dead... these are our advocates for gambling addiction in Cleveland.

For the next three weeks, one of the most important things the people of Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Ohio in general may do is fight Issue 3, which changes the Ohio constitution to give a monopoly on casino gambling to Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and other financial and gambling interests.

Over the past four years, since I became involved with the Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council, I have been astounded by the lack of concern about childhood lead poisoning among our largely DINK and empty-nested, baby-boomed, sprawled, childhood-lead-poisoned suburbanite sustainabilly Illuminati, who view today's lead poisoning issue as a poor, urban, peeling-paint code enforcement problem of little societal importance, other than proof the poor are pigs. They think old, suburban farts are not harmed by lead poisoning, and lead is not of long-term interest to them.

In coverage of truly depressing news in our region, the Cleveland Plan Dealer today reports "Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port authority passes on grant for Dike 14 preservation". The Plan Dealer reports:

"It is more prudent to allow for the Dike 14 planning to mature along the time frames anticipated for the lakefront projects as a whole," wrote port attorney Joel Pentz in a letter to a group of environmental agencies working to rescue and preserve the area as a wildlife refuge.

Pentz is absolutely correct. The Port Authority is working with these same environmental groups to plan the relocation and development of facilities so disruptive to the local environment and Lake Erie that it would be entirely foolish to spend a penny on any environmental initiatives within miles of the planned port relocation - especially along the lakefront. If we are seriously allowing over 1/2 billion dollars to be spent reconfiguring our lakefront for container traffic, do not spend a penny on anything not container port related around there until done - for the next 30 years or so.

If we are going to have zoos and aquariums at all, we should use them for more than entertaining the masses... like for real education, including for enhancing real early childhood development, including having a preschool at the zoo! Sound too innovative for NEO? Yes... this is in Real NWO... Toledo, Ohio...

Friday is a great day of the week.  There is a promise of relaxation and some time to reflect on the past and the future.  After dental work today, I was transferring buses at the Westside Market and found a hopeful sign of life in Cleveland--a tourist!  A young, leatherclad uber-chic, Dutch?/German? lad on bicycle and in search of a Library!  

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi:  2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and spiritual le

"This is not the time to desert us. This is not the time to be the representative for the private health insurance industry. We need you to stand up!"

MetroHealth Medical Center presents...

Living Life After Stroke: Recovery, Support and Resources
Stroke Education Conference for Stroke Survivors and Their Families

Location: MetroHealth Medical Center Rammelkamp Atrium
Conference is Free of Charge
 

Location

The Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on amendments to add a choice of a public health insurance option to Max Baucus's bill on Tuesday. Even though your Senators aren't on the Senate Finance Committee, it's urgent that you call your Senators right now and tell them where you stand on a public health insurance option.

Location

CityMusic Cleveland provides world class musical performances in world class settings. 

Experience the Old World in the New World, especially at the concert scheduled at the Shrine of St. Stanislaus--

From the CityMusic site:

A song for the day to our failed and disgraced leadership of Northeast Ohio, and those who want to be... "The Dope Show", by Canton native-son Marilyn Manson:

There's lots of pretty, pretty ones
Who want to get you high
But all the pretty, pretty ones
Will leave you low
And blow your mind