Two weeks ago, City Fresh's Maurice Small met with friends in East Cleveland to discuss City Fresh, urban farming, and how we may convert a typical urban convenient store, Brown's Market, into a pilot City Fresh local foods market. During our discussions, Maurice mentioned that a dedicated urban farmer may earn more than $30,000 per year from sales of food grown on one typical urban lot (say 1/10th an acre). That being the case, and considering our ever-growing need and realigning demand for locally grown food, and the fact food may be grown locally as cost effectively as elsewhere in the world, it occurred to me that the highest and best use for most of the land now cleared, abandoned, blighted and wasted in our urban neighborhoods is for urban farming. So that is a use we are now planning to be core to redevelopment of the Star Neighborhood. Intrigued? Discuss and plan for this reality with Maurice and friends this Tuesday, from 6-7 PM, at that house on Roxbury, in East Cleveland. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

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It’s always difficult to talk critically about the dead, especially the recent dead.

However, the incredible outpouring of glowing tributes by the news media over the sad death of Tim Russert forced everyone to genuflect to a media celebrity and ignore all faults.

So it’s up to someone as Alexander Cockburn in his Nation column “Beat the Devil” to bring some reason to the Russert sanctification by his fellow journalists.

Cockburn starts with “The delirium in the press at Tim Russert’s passing has been strange. As a broadcaster he was not much better than the average, which is saying very little. He could be a sharp questioner, but not when it really counted and when courage was required.”

With all the adulation, I think Cockburn brings some reality to the elevation of Russert to journalistic sainthood.His full column can be found here: http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080707/cockburn

THIS AIN'T YOUR GRANDMAMMA'S WIZ!!!

The preview is this Thursday, June 19th at 8:00.  Tickets for the preview are only $10.  Tickets for opening weekend (June 20-22) are only $13 for the entire weekend (compared to $22 for the rest of the show)

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Martha Stewart rewards dreamers (sorry guys, this only applies to gals).  Deadline is July 11th.

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Maurice Small is the most economically and ecologically sensible planner I know.

Joe Stanley, Sudhir Kade and I have been brainstorming with City Fresh's Maurice Small about "I GRO EC" - Independent Green Republic Of East Cleveland. City Fresh already operates a Fresh Stop at Huron Road Hospital - which Maurice reports is doing great - and is active in community farming in East Cleveland. Recently, we've been discussing City Fresh having an involvement converting Brown's Convenient store into a pilot City Fresh Market, which could offer a paradigm-shifting model for bringing local food, farming and their economies into very needy urban neighborhoods, in very innovative and important ways.

Take your knitting needles and rise up America!!

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My friend and all-around pundit, Lissa (she speaks Italian), pointed this out to me--the Cultural Gardens are alive with song this summer.  

Here is Bill Moyers this weekend at the FreePress Convention in Minneapolis.

No one can say it better, no one can say it with as much knowledge, no one can say it more inspirationally.

Give yourself 40 minutes to hear about telling the truth to power and where the news media are  today and our responsibility for its future.

Come join us for an afternoon filled with the history of our neighborhood and our city.
Find out--

• who was known as “the King of Celery”
• which one was the model for the Moses Cleaveland statue that stands in public square
• what does that dove on Aunt Sophie’s grave really mean
• how one of them through tragedy made our lives safer today
• how an inventor born in Brooklyn Centre gave us our YMCA and Deaconess Hospital
• and where will the vintage car be located?

The Old Brooklyn Historical Society will share an array of vintage photos. They could use your help with identification of people, places, and things. Friends of Big Creek will show the progression of our neighborhood through the years with a map display. The Metroparks Zoo will be on hand selling ZooDoo for all of you gardeners. A local genealogist will answer questions on how to get started with your “pedigree tree”

Continuous walking tours will be conducted throughout the afternoon until 4:15 p.m. Refreshments and musical entertainment will be a part of the experience. The book “Reflections from Brooklyn Centre” will be on sale.

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Chiefs meeting in Cleveland

That's right--the time is upon us, again.  Mark your calendars for June 26th!

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And, I am not talking cigarettes, here.  I am talking this year's
Cleveland Arts Prize: recognizing men in aprons--Michael Symon and Michael Ruhlman.

Kids like to tell stories.  You hear them every day and, sometimes, we call them lies.  Why not tap into that energy and make an artist?  Here is a shout out to Bobby Norfolk. I would call him a genius.

East Cleveland does not have a historical society like Westlake or a popular annual home tour like Ohio City, but it should. So for now, I am founding the online East Cleveland Historical Society on Realneo. Please feel free to join. There is no membership fee. Membership only requires that you share your knowledge and research.

My father always said that the Catholic Church put on the best show in town, but after Vatican II, he migrated to the second best show in town the Anglican/Episcopal church.  Father Tim delivers his epistle to the diocese.

Join your neighborhood community ARTS center for costume-making, dance & music that will be presented for thousands at the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Parade the Circle Celebration! Special guest artist, Trinidad Carnaval artist, Michael Guy James, leads the group, and is joined by artists from around the world and around the corner--including the Passport Project Global Dance & Music Collective.

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Celebrate knowledge with music, poetry and a wealth of reading choices.  

THIS SATURDAY, May 17th--AFTER SHOPPING FOR BODY FOOD AT THE WEST SIDE MARKET--SHOP FOR MIND FOOD!!!

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Passport Project is thrilled to announce that we have been selected to host a group of Women Leaders from Korea on Tuesday, May 6 th from 2:00 - 3:30pm . This project consists of six visitors (accompanied by two State Department Interpreters) who are invited to the U.S. under the auspices of the State Department's International Visitor Leadership Program (http://exchanges.state.gov/education/ivp/overview.htm) , and will spend three weeks traveling around to different U.S. cities, Cleveland being one of them.

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Does bread become the new luxury item? April's  Northern Ohio Live talks dough.

All species, all races, everywhere, we all must eat, frequently, so we humans may as well eat well. I prefer to eat at home, food I prepare,  of ingredients I know, in a kitchen I trust... there are few restaurants in the world that make me happier than homemade. But I certainly turn to experts for advice on food selection and preparation, and many of my favorite books - the ones I read over and over, and can't do without  - are cookbooks. I find all types interesting... international, ethnic, historical, regional... and consider many required reading. I'd be interesting for other foodie realneo members who share an interest in cooking to share their favorite cookbooks... some of mine are the header for today...

As we begin a new Spring - a new beginning - what are you doing to green your republic?

Join us for the biggest gathering of cycling interests and activities ever in Northeast Ohio as we celebrate, educate and collaborate for a stronger cycling community. Whether you bicycle for transportation, recreation, health or sport, did in the past, or want to again in the future, we have something for you. Come join us for week-long activities during the month of May, national Bike Safety Month, including:

...just something I found on the web, from a person who is writing a book.

“I’m writing a book on magic,” I explain, and I am asked, “real magic?”