Just a quick review of the Transportation for Liveable Initiatives Communities Plan for Pearl Rd. to be submitted tomorrow on the same day as the fate of Ward 15 is decided by Cleveland City Council, reveals more of the same old sh_t.

Never in my memory has there been such a scramble as the mauling going on over the $1 billion in public funds sitting out there for a Medical Mart.

Are you concerned that your children's health is affected by pollution?
Do you want some answers about your industrial neighbors?
Do you want to build your environmental campaign skills?

Location

Irish Eyes were smiling across downtown Cleveland for a beautiful St. Patrick's Day parade 2009... 67 in the shade! Please enjoy my favorite photos below, and from the annual St. Patrick's Day St. Baldrick's head shaving here...

 It’s good that Tom Haley lived a long life. He expressed the fear that he would not.

 Boy, how the profiteers will fight over a $1 billion. Forest City will not go into the night quietly.

Tonight, approximately 200 residents of the Ward 15 neighborhoods of South Hills, Brooklyn Centre and Old Brooklyn took the time to protest the divisive redistricting of Ward 15.

Just in time for St. Paddy's Day, a Drupal site worth noting.

And, an invitation from another Cleveland Drupal site.

Post your photos here :)

Erin go bragh REALNEO!

(What happened to the leprechaun photo of Cleveland's Daniel Ray??)

Once a year, during the brief run of the Cleveland International Film Festival, Cleveland feels like one of the great cities of the world. For a little more than a week the grand space of Tower City is filled with life; diverse crowds of art lovers flow in and out, steadily buzzing with excitement for what they are experiencing. Because it only happens once a year, it is easy to overlook The Cleveland International Film Festival as one of Cleveland's greatest assets.
 

A buddy of mine – I'll call him DC - just had a rough couple of weeks. One of DC's friends had his house invaded by gunmen... another friend went ballistic and killed five family members, and himself... and DC was denied a job because he is “colored”. This last problem is the most serious, because it causes the first two, a million times over each year in America, and seems all too commonplace here in real NEO.

Here is a copy of the BOZA resolution denying Bodnar-Mahoney's request for a zoning variance to add a crematorium to their site.

 While some people are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and feed and clothe themselves and their children too many are living too high in these desperate economic times.

 It’s pretty discouraging when you have to depend on the greedy to save you.

The Plain Dealer announcement of Dan Gilbert’s casino proposal looked very much as a free front page, glitz-up color ad for gambling: $1.8 billion in annual revenue, 20,000 jobs and $60 million in tax income.

Anyone who watched Jon Stewart’s dissection last night of Jim Cramer, of CNBC - and really all “conventional” journalism - got a lesson in why newspapers and TV news simply cannot – or will not - serve the American public.

I thought it rather amusing that the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) listed its priorities for stimulus money from Washington recently as the Plain Dealer quoted Sherwin-Williams CEO Chris Conner, GCP’s chairman. Just the guy who would know what the ordinary Cleveland resident most needs. Laughably, three pages over the PD by happenstance reports Conners’s annual income. A measly annual rate of $6,203,510.

 Just another regular guy telling us what to do with our public money.

Channel 19 was following the money trail of J. Kevin Kelley, Bill Mason, and others involved in deals with the City of Parma. Channel 19 targeted the Campaign Finace report of J. Kevin Kelley over the years. It had pointed out expenses of over $4000.00 spent at Lockkeepers.

 You can imagine why this country – and especially this county – IS (and should be) going down the drain. I return to Cleveland to find our wonderfully generous politicians are giving Eaton Corp. more than $90 million in gifts. Or should I say you and I are giving Eaton, which had sales of $15.4 billion and earnings over $1.1 billion last year, the gift.

From Brooklyn Centre artist and musician Darren Hamm..click on image for more details

The money continues to roll in – into the County – and out of your pockets.

Well, wouldn’t you know it?

Its amazing to me to watch all the corruption. Building & Housing has been a real problem for years. I wonder how much it cost the destroy the Giglio household?

Journal of a frustrated but energized Councilman…

 

After meeting with Council consultants on Thursday late afternoon, I had to prepare for a Councilman's report for a 60-year old civic association that serves the eastern portion of Brooklyn Centre named Southwest Citizens Area Council.

I had an hour to calm down from my anger in realizing that the neighborhoods that I currently serve have been targeted to be cut-up, divided, and distributed to two additional Wards.