When the op-ed from today's PD becomes available to link, I will post it here. Meanwhile, let's all play the finger-pointing deflect blame game. It worked when you were a kid and it still works today!

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Are YOU registered to vote?
You are able to register if…
1. You will be over the age of 18 by November 4th, 2008
2. You are a US citizen
3. You will be a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days by November 4th
4. You are not currently convicted for a felony and behind bars
You must re-register if you have…
1. Moved and not registered at your new address
2. Legally changed your name

If an apple a day keps the doctor away, what is the economic value to Northeast Ohio of bringing fresh, local fruits and vegetables to poor, unhealthy, underserved inner city places like The Star Neig

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Last Sunday, at St. Ann's Catholic Church, in Cleveland Heights, I saw the first McCain bumper sticker I can recall. Perhaps I've simply overlooked the tiny, militaristic, white-on-black branding on all those massive suburban Suburbans and Hummers. But this one star general caught my eye. Seeing this brought me understanding... so this is where the McCain community lives... although I didn't see any other McCain stickers in the lot, which mostly contained simple, spartan, sensible, socially conscious vehicles. I thought, "at least one bible-thumping Republican practices the preach". Then The General left the service long before it was over... before anyone else left the church... and I realized The General had been in church not for a shared community experience but drive-through religious self-service. Probably escaped right before the offerings basket was passed.

I've used the Cleveland Heights library on Lee Road since the 1970s, and can say with confidence the recent Studio Techne reinvention of this facility transformed the space, site, and surrounding neighborhood for the better. Featuring a dramatic, high-art bridge over Lee Road, and two reused buildings - one signficantly modernized - with crisp, fitting site improvements, this is one of the best library facilities and urban redevelopments in Northeast Ohio.

Thanks to Sudhir, I had the opportunity to check out the Flobots at Peabody's, Sunday night. If I'd browsed the Cleveland Scene Magazine concert preview, beforehand, I probably wouldn't have bothered going. The 100s of fans who enjoyed the show agreed that would have been a mistake.

What's your vision for Cleveland?

Enter to Win $1,000

10,000 Visions of Cleveland Event

Date: September 6, 2008

I've always loved sunflowers, but the bright, sunny blooms glowing in our front yard this Summer are special. The seeds were from the work of art below, in the "To Masumi" memorial exhibition, held last October, in celebration of the everlasting, peaceful, sunny spirit of Masumi Hayashi, the great photographer killed a year earlier, in Cleveland, with other great Cleveland artist John Jackson. The Masumi Sunflower seeds distributed in Tremont may have been planted anywhere on Earth, and I wonder where else such Masumi Sunflowers are growing today, from this one showing of love for love and art received and lost.

Today 8/3/2008, Chris Ronayne gets a front page editorial on the Forum page of the Plain Dealer.  Chris lives in Cleveland and drives to work every day.  I know his commute, because I made a similar commute when I worked at Metrohealth Hospital in the eighties.*  My drive time?  Ten minutes from University Circle to Metrohealth Hospital. Sure, sometimes, it was 15-20 minutes, if traffic held me up, or, if it took forever to get out of the parking lot, but I literally made the commute every day with my eyes closed.  It scared me so much to realize that I was driving in a trance, that I committed myself to public transportation. 

Jessica, Aladeen, Mohammad and Mustafa rode their bikes to see the kids perform in Lincoln Park under the stars! 

EXPLORE YOUR FAMILY ROOTS

Friday & Saturday, September 12 & 13, 2008 – Fall Genealogy Conference sponsored by the African-American Genealogical Society

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The Cuyahoga County Fair.
August 4-10th

Old-time family fun.  Take your bike on RTA and ride back.

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CIty Fresh "Fresh Stop" at Huron Road Hospital, July 22, 2008

Graphics speak louder than words, but, of course, the kids know that!!!

Brookstock - A Celebration of Music & Nature
Saturday, July 12
4 - 10:30 p.m.
Brookside Valley Event Site
Brookside Reservation • Cleveland
Free!

PLEASE WALK or RIDE your bicycle to the event!!!

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I was thrilled to receive news today that one of my favorite NEO artists, Pamela Dodds, a REALNEO artist of the Day, has been awarded a $25,000 Individual Support Grant from the Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation. The Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation was established by American artist Adolph Gottlieb (1903-1974) and his wife Esther.  The foundation provides large grants to ‘serious, fully-committed artists,' ‘regardless of their level of commercial success.'  This year the foundation received 482 applications from which twelve artists were selected to receive awards. I'm proud to say Evelyn and I have one of Pamela's inspiring and impressive linoleum cut prints in our collection... "Drift", above... perhaps it is time for more area collectors to seek out her work... website here!

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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