NEO Zone

realNEO Word of the Day: Scheme - [skeem] - Unfavorable overtones (selfish, devious) began to creep in early 18c.

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 09/21/2010 - 10:28.

scheme
   [skeem] noun, verb, schemed, schem·ing.
–noun
1. a plan, design, or program of action to be followed; project.
2. an underhand plot; intrigue.
3. a visionary or impractical project.
4. a body or system of related doctrines, theories, etc.: a scheme of philosophy.
5. any system of correlated things, parts, etc., or the manner of its arrangement.
6. a plan, program, or policy officially adopted and followed, as by a government or business: The company's pension scheme is very successful.
7. an analytical or tabular statement.
8. a diagram, map, or the like.
9. an astrological diagram of the heavens.
–verb (used with object)
10. to devise as a scheme; plan; plot; contrive.
–verb (used without object)
11. to lay schemes; devise plans; plot.

We need NEW LEADERS committed to a 0-waste 0-harm P2 2020 vision - willing to stand up to the big polluters and SHUT THEM DOWN!

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 11:04.

Greenversations, the official blog of the EPA, has some excellent postings and is worth following - I subscribe to that and all the EPA email updates as they are excellent - dozens a week. Today, Greenversations highlights The Pollution Prevention Act Turns 20, suggesting "If companies, communities and consumers make a concerted effort at eliminating wastes at the source, then perhaps the theme of P2 Week in 2020 can be the arrival of the zero-waste society, one where greenhouse gas emissions, toxic exposures in the home and workplace, waste disposal in landfills and underground wells, and nutrient dumping in our nation’s waters are all a rapidly fading memory."

It is the responsibility of the citizens to make that happen through our actions, VOTING and choices today. In Northeast Ohio, with an EXCESSIVE SHARE of toxic release point sources, and pathetic EPA performance, we need NEW elected officials committed to a 0-waste 0-harm P2 2020 vision - willing to stand up to the big polluters and shut them down - shut down Mittal for real.

realNEO Words of the Day: Blue Blood [bloo bluhd] - pa·tri·cian [puh-trish-uhn]

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 09/20/2010 - 07:17.

Definition of special note:

Patrician - adjective: 7. befitting persons of very good background, education, and refinement... as in:

PATRICIAN POLITICIAL CORRUPTION ONLY REALLY ENRICHES BLUE BLOODS

blue blood [bloo bluhd]
–noun
1. an aristocrat, noble, or member of a socially prominent family.
2. aristocratic, noble, or socially prominent lineage or relatives: They boasted a lineage of pure blue blood.

Origin:
1825–35;  trans. of Sp sangre azul. See sanguine, azure

A detailed look at climate sensitivity - Debunking the dangerous anti-science fantasy of the 'lukewarmers'

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 20:44.

From Climate Progress - A detailed look at climate sensitivity - Debunking the dangerous anti-science fantasy of the 'lukewarmers'

The amount of warming we are going to subject our children  and countless future generations to depends primarily on three factors:

  1. The sensitivity of the climate to fast feedbacks like sea ice and water vapor (how much warming you get if  we only double CO2 emissions to 560 ppm and there are no major “slow” feedbacks).  We know the fast feedbacks are strong by themselves (see Study: Water-vapor feedback is “strong and positive,” so we face “warming of several degrees Celsius” and detailed analysis below).
  2. The real-world slower (decadal) feedbacks, such as tundra melt (see Science: Vast East Siberian Arctic Shelf methane stores destabilizing and venting and links at the end).
  3. The actual CO2 concentration level we are likely to hit, which is far beyond 550 ppm (see U.S. media largely ignores latest warning from climate scientists: “Recent observations confirm … the worst-case IPCC scenario trajectories are being realised” — 1000 ppm).

Given that the anti-science, pro-pollution forces  seem to be  succeeding in their fight to keep us on our current emissions path, it’s no surprise that multiple recent analyses conclude that we face a temperature rise that is far, far beyond dangerous:

The fall of a few mafioso politicos is far from the end of the house-cleaning needed in Northeast Ohio and Ohio

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 09/19/2010 - 07:00.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer pimped the Opportunity Corridor into existence and has greatly disrupted our economy over that - the St. Louis-sourced publisher Terry Egger is the leader of the Opportunity Corridor whorehouse and bulldozing committee - flightless queen-bee-designee Terri Hamilton Brown exists for the Opportunity Corridor - ex-Con made Concilman Jeff Johnson pimps for it - RPM Prince Randell McShepard and Most-Made-Handmaid-to-the-Rich Ronayne Pimp for it - Gund top-gun Abbott Pimps for it - flabbergasting Cleveland Foundation flops Richards and Kuri pimp for it - and the usual suspects that profit from it pimp for it... Cleveland Clinic, all organizations UCI and all local universities, some churches and non-profits, the CDCs and their sponsors, the architects and contractors and their trolls, the unions... the web of crooks who have fucked up everything in this region for decades, and are the enablers of all the corruption now being dismantled with County and city government here, by the FBI. The state, county and city levels of government have failed and are being dismantled here, along with the entire statewide mafioso Democratic party regime and their networks of funders, contractors and colluders.

So when the incompetent, sell-out, paid-to-pimp Cleveland Plain Dealer proclaims in their latest pimping for the Opportunity Corridor that "The project is a top priority of elected, business and neighborhood leaders", I'd like to know EXACTLY who are the elected, business and neighborhood leaders that are not corrupt and benefiting financially from the Opportunity Corridor and are willing to step forward today, with the degree of corruption at all levels of leadership here, and say the Opportunity Corridor is the top priority for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio today.

I want to know, before the next election, which candidates for any offices are pimping that the Opportunity Corridor is the Top Priority of the region.

We as a community have much more to learn, share and discuss about the take-down of local government finally upon us

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 09/16/2010 - 06:05.

Jimmy Dimora reacts after arraignment in federal court

We as a community have much more to learn, share and discuss about the take-down of local government finally upon us. From current reporting on Cleveland.com, it appears there are innumerable sitting judges, Cleveland city officials and other county officials, employees, appointees and contractors still to go down, along with a massive web of area businesspeople.

I proposed positive change to some of the officials who appear to be going down, and I was disappointed by my experiences working with them. So I have long considered the "County" corrupt... the "Democrats" corrupt. Based on my observations from the outside, we are just seeing the very beginning of the FBI actions against public and private parties here, and it seems things will get far worse before they get better - Jimmy DiMora and his goon squad will see to that, as demonstrated in the video above.

TruthDig - Do Not Pity the Democrats: Our Menace is Unrivaled Corporate Power and the Decay of Our Democratic Institutions

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Thu, 09/16/2010 - 04:52.

Chris Hedges  September 13, 2010 - TruthDig

There are no longer any major institutions in American society, including the press, the educational system, the financial sector, labor unions, the arts, religious institutions and our dysfunctional political parties, which can be considered democratic. The intent, design and function of these institutions, controlled by corporate money, are to bolster the hierarchical and anti-democratic power of the corporate state. These institutions, often mouthing liberal values, abet and perpetuate mounting inequality. They operate increasingly in secrecy. They ignore suffering or sacrifice human lives for profit. They control and manipulate all levers of power and mass communication. They have muzzled the voices and concerns of citizens. They use entertainment, celebrity gossip and emotionally laden public-relations lies to seduce us into believing in a Disneyworld fantasy of democracy.

The menace we face does not come from the insane wing of the Republican Party, which may make huge inroads in the coming elections, but the institutions tasked with protecting democratic participation. Do not fear Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin. Do not fear the tea party movement, the birthers, the legions of conspiracy theorists or the militias. Fear the underlying corporate power structure, which no one, from Barack Obama to the right-wing nut cases who pollute the airwaves, can alter. If the hegemony of the corporate state is not soon broken we will descend into a technologically enhanced age of barbarism. 

Gov. Strickland Uses Ignorant Science Against Marijuana to Condemn Citizens to Pharmaceutical, Petrochemical and Police Control

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 09/15/2010 - 07:09.

There are few intelligent, informed, unbiased people still walking the Earth so ignorant or corrupt as to publicly preach against Marijuana, hemp, and their health and industrial benefits to society and the Earth, but the State of Ohio is ruled by such a Neanderthal - Ohio Democratic Governor Ted Strickland - who is likely to lose his position of power to a Republican in the upcoming November election because he is such a cowardly, industry sell-out. His Lieutenant Governor, Lee Fisher - thinking he had some success in his work with Strickland that he should build-upon - seems positioned to hand an Ohio Senate Seat to a Republican for similar display of cowardice. And they certainly deserve to lose.

According to the Marijuana Policy Project, about the progress of Ohio to join the civilized world allowing the sick to use marijuana to live better, our Governor is already a loser, and deserves to lose re-election... “The governor feels that the predominant opinion of the medical community is that there are existing medicines available that provide appropriate patient care,“ said a statement issued recently. “So based on that opinion and the current research, he feels this type of legislation doesn’t seem necessary or warranted.“

As Ohio is so contaminated by pollution - especially from the heavy mining and industry Strickland and Fisher have supported here - the citizens here live unhealthy lives and die young, horrible deaths. To deny citizens access to any medicine to help comfort them - especially a medicine that may be grown for free - is criminal. Below is more from MPP about the pathetic leadership of Ohio, and what citizens may do about them - followed by a recent article by a doctor about the medical benefits of Marijuana - Andrew Weil: Medical Marijuana's Tremendous Potential for Curing Ailments - Cutting through all the government misinformation - and some of the politics around denying those benefits to citizens, as is perpetuated by sell-out mis-informers like our Ohio Governor Ted Strickland...

Air pollution may shorten lives in real NEO by 14+ years - reducing power plant pollution will have almost immediate benefits

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 09/10/2010 - 03:32.

 

The chart above shows citizens of Northeast Ohio have the worst level of mortality from coal fired power plants in America - based on an online risk assessment tool accompanying the September 2010 Clean Air Taskforce study The Toll From Coal - An Updated Assessment of Death and Disease from America’s Dirtiest Energy Source. As the introduction states: "Among all industrial sources of air pollution, none poses greater risks to human health and the environment than coal-fired power plants – perhaps most consequential of all from a public health standpoint – fine particle pollution."

Fine particles are especially dangerous because they can bypass the body’s defensive mechanisms and become lodged deep in the human lung. Indeed, research also indicates that short-term exposures to fine particle pollution is linked to cardiac effects, including increased risk of heart attack. Meanwhile, long-term exposure to fine particle pollution has been shown to increase the risk of death from cardiac and respiratory diseases and lung cancer, resulting in shorter life-expectancy for people living in the most polluted cities compared to people who live in cleaner cities. And although research suggests fine particles reduce the average life span of the general population by a few years, the life of an individual dying as a result of exposure to air pollution may be shortened by 14 years.

The hopeful news for Northeast Ohio in this science is:

Because most fine particle-related deaths are thought to occur within a year or two of exposure, reducing power plant pollution will have almost immediate benefits.

The worst news is, considering the greatest harm to human health comes from fine particle pollution, and Northeast Ohio has many more sources of fine particle pollution than just the 500 major coal power plants considered in the data of this study (think Mittal), it is an understatement to say the air pollution situation in Northeast Ohio is far worse than it appears in this Clean Air Taskforce report, and there Ohio is ranked the second-worst America gets... and the Cleveland-area is the 8th most toxic metropolitan area in the county...

Word of the Day: Mortality - [mawr-tal-i-tee]

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 09/10/2010 - 03:15.

mor·tal·i·ty
   /mɔrˈtælɪti/ [mawr-tal-i-tee]
–noun, plural -ties.
1. the state or condition of being subject to death; mortal character, nature, or existence.
2. the relative frequency of deaths in a specific population; death rate.
3. mortal beings collectively; humanity.
4. death or destruction on a large scale, as from war, plague, or famine.
5. Obsolete . death.

"And that’s what the American people expect of us today -– Democrats, independents, and Republicans." - President Obama

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 20:24.

Dahlia in Evelyn's garden - East Cleveland

President Barack Obama gave a personable and hopeful speech to an invitation-only Democratic booster-club crowd of 1,300 smiling faces, at Tri-C West College, in Parma, Ohio, today - showing how concerned the National Democratic party is over under-performance and downright failure by leaders of their party here

Appropriate to the weak local platform on which he stands, the President expressed humility, flexibility and openness to change local and national focus within his economic policy. This was not a commanding speech, but one seeking broader coalition. In fact, the speech acknowledged failure under his administration and the role of Independents in the future.

I have long been aware that realNEO content and search activity is obstructed in many illegal ways, as is seen with Digg

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 09/08/2010 - 12:34.

There is an important story on AlterNet about how evil industrial political operatives known as Trolls corrupt social media to influence public knowledge and so behavior - in this report, addressing scum polluting free speech worldwide via a conceptually and functionally defective Internet content management and rating system called Digg.... read Massive Censorship Of Digg Uncovered. In brief (full posting below), "A group of influential conservative members of the behemoth social media site Digg.com have just been caught red-handed in a widespread campaign of censorship, having multiple accounts, upvote padding, and deliberately trying to ban progressives. An undercover investigation has exposed this effort, which has been in action for more than one year."

Of course, we've had extensive problems with Trolls on realNEO posting inflammatory or misleading content and comments, via accounts established to inflict harm - a crime I have asked County Treasurer Rokakis to have the State Attorney General investigate, as Rokakis was party in one of these crimes, with Roldo and Oengus - I do not believe Rokakis ever initiated the investigation as promised, and I will investigate that.

Start Fresh in September at Cleveland Public Library

Submitted by Cleveland Publi... on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 11:27.

September is an opportunity to “Start Fresh” at Cleveland Public Library (CPL) to allow patrons the ability to return overdue books and materials free of fines for the entire month.

“These are difficult economic times and this initiative gives our patrons an opportunity to bring their overdue books back without embarrassment, and encourages them to come back to the library,” said Felton Thomas, executive director of CPL. “Library books that are not returned cannot be used by others in the community.”

The slate of County Executive candidates is excellent, I must say... especially when taken en mass

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 09/07/2010 - 06:27.

The slate of County Executive candidates is excellent, I must say... especially when taken en mass.

I know many of the people running for country executive and the ward seats and consider some of them the finest people in town, so the reform of county government has brought out a very good group of new leaders - or I'll say leaders who want to lead in new ways - and that is excellent

I especially like the range of independent candidates and the green candidate... and having those options.

Word of the Day: Retribution [re-truh-byoo-shuhn]

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Sun, 09/05/2010 - 20:03.

ret·ri·bu·tion
–noun
1. requital according to merits or deserts, esp. for evil.
2. something given or inflicted in such requital.
3. Theology . the distribution of rewards and punishments in a future life.

realNEO Word of the Day: Corrupt [kuh-ruhpt]

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 09/01/2010 - 16:26.

Explore the Visual Thesaurus »

cor·rupt  [kuh-ruhpt]

—Synonyms
1.  false, untrustworthy. Corrupt, dishonest, venal  apply to one, esp. in public office, who acts on mercenary motives, without regard to honor, right, or justice. A corrupt  politician is one originally honest who has succumbed to temptation and begun questionable practices. A dishonest  politician is one lacking native integrity. A venal  politician is one so totally debased as to sell patronage.

Case Study: Modus Operandi of Illuminati... Fabricate Crisis and Fear... Switch Idols on Braindead Citizens... Leverage Racism

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 11:27.

Case Study: Modus Operandi of Illuminati... Fabricate Crisis and Fear... Switch Idols on Braindead Citizens... Leverage Racism.

Witness!

If you ever come to question the intent and modus operandi of the Illuminati, just witness how they fabricated a crisis in the trading of LeBron James... creating instability and fear among millions of loyal Ohioans and Americans... and then witness how they just switched idols on hate-programmed braindead zombie Citizens of Northeast Ohio, fabricating broad public outrage against a talented, young black man to stir racial hatred against an entire class of new leaders, in an important swing election year.

Cleveland Plain Dealer Reports, On-Line ONLY - Tremont West Development Corp. development director charged with assault

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Fri, 08/27/2010 - 19:26.

I'll preface any praise of "Tremont West Development Corp. development director charged with assault" - coverage in the Plain Dealer of the assault of Guy Templeton Black, by Sammy Catania - by posting reporter Mark Gillespie's comment on his own blog about his own work - Mark Gillispie, The Plain Dealer - August 27, 2010 at 1:13PM - "xxoo: Thanks for commenting. I understand your concern, but this is not a news article that will appear in the print edition of The Plain Dealer. It is an item that has been posted solely to my Inside Cleveland Hall blog. Reporters who have blogs use them to post items that might not hold much interest to our broader readership but might have relevance to some Cleveland.com readers. That's the beauty of the digital age. Thanks again for reading and commenting".

Mark is responding to a TROLL on Cleveland.com that set up an account to post "xxoo August 27, 2010 at 1:01PM - So much ado about nothing. Is this really worthy of a news article - or is this just a gossip column?"

That is what is pathetic about poor use of technology in the digital age... it allows corporations and special interests to use TROLL accounts places like Cleveland.com to post anonymous diversions of public knowledge from fact to fiction, and to temper public response to news that is in fact deserving of outrage.

"Cleveland, it seems, is populated not by outspoken visionaries, but by many who suffer in silence, fearing ostracism..."

Submitted by Norm Roulet on Wed, 08/25/2010 - 03:09.

Scene writer Michael Roberts provides the world a great service with his August 25, 2010, summary overview of the corruption and evil that has defined the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority, Cleveland city hall, the Cuyahoga county commissioners, and "failed leaders in almost every quarter of the community", including at the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Cleveland Foundation, throughout the 21st Century - anyone interested in real NEO must READ "Port in a Storm - How years of bungling and self-interest robbed Cleveland of its future".

If you have ever doubted the most extreme claims of the failure, incompetency and corruption of our Mayor, County commissioners, and their appointees and co-conspirators in crimes, as expressed throughout the decade by Citizen Hauser and so many other honest real Northeast Ohio visionaries, on realNEO and elsewhere in the free-speech world...  read Roberts' excellent article on the Port in a Storm and realize the following observations are direct reflections on all leaders and citizens of the region, and we are pathetic:

"The real tale of the waterfront is one of conflict, greed, wasted public money, and sheer incompetence on the part of the port board, city hall, and the county commissioners."

It is such a sensitive situation that many sources with ties to it have requested anonymity for this story. Cleveland, it seems, is populated not by outspoken visionaries, but by many who suffer in silence, fearing ostracism or political and civic retribution.

In a way, it is a sad tale of a city adrift with failed leaders in almost every quarter of the community, people who have squandered the dream of a world-class waterfront and a better place to live.

Without Jackson's thoughtless indulgence, the fiasco would not have flowered. The Greater Cleveland Partnership stubbornly supported the plan and in doing so demonstrated its lack of business acumen; the venerable Cleveland Foundation funded a portion of the effort, displaying its lack of common sense.