empty storefronts, and ralphy's solution to bring more people into the community.

One of the first planning meetings with Richard Fleischman... December, 2008

The US Marine Corps decision to ban social media, citing concerns for operation and mission security, is an issue every employer wrestles with, but banning social media is on excessive response, one that forfeits important value for social media, including military recruiting.  Employers, military or otherwise, should develop fine-tuned policies on social media, not comprehensive bans or unqualified endorsements. 

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How will the 2010 census define our country? Is it time to change the way we census the United States?

I often leave Cleveland's great classical music radio station WCLV on while I work, and have been enjoying the Cleveland International Piano Compeition live, most of this week.

Right now (10 PM, July 31st) is a stunning performance by a 19 year old Chinese student - second round!... tune in if you read this around now... WCLV, Cleveland FM 104.9... Here is WCLV live on the Internet

 From August 12-14, Mayor Frank G. Jackson will host a three-day summit, bringing together a diverse group of people vested in and dedicated to Cleveland to use their vast knowledge and imagination to create an action plan for building a green economy for Cleveland’s future. This summit will be facilitated by Dr. David Cooperrider of the Fowler Center for Sustainable Value (my teacher, advisor, mentor and friend) at Case Western Reserve University, my alma mater (x2).

Sometimes there's no bigger impact than hearing from City leadership itself.  There is no excuse not to apply and attend - to have your voice heard, and to make a difference !   Come help us.

This will be a fantastic opportunity to meet a great local leader and our district's representative in the House, Marcia Fudge.   Held on the first night of the City Sustainability Forum, at the cozy confines of my own Alma Mater, Case Western Reserve University.  This will be a special time for Cleveland, indeed.  RSVP early!

Just a photo to lighten the mood--wouldn't it be great, if NEO became the first city in the world to reduce energy costs by actually observing interfaith sabbath on Friday, Saturday and Sunday?  No cars, just bikes and pedestrians :)

I wish I could put this book in the hands of every American.  

Late on the 4th of July, there was a big fight in my neighborhood. Thankfully, I wasn't there. A friend who was there described it as around 100 people - some from East Cleveland and some from Cleveland - who just plain wanted to fight. No gang or drug issues - no girl in the middle - just a bunch of people so stressed and freaked out by life that they needed to pound somebody. On that night, those folks settled for pounding each other, and little harm was caused.

In observing what has been planned for major infrastructure and private developments and strategic investment initiatives in the Greater Cleveland Area, with a focus on high dollar, high roller plans for downtown Cleveland and especially the lake and river fronts, when there are no current economic indicators projecting high income growth in Cleveland or the region, my only conclusion is that the "smart money" has been riding for a long time on the easy money of driving casino gambling downtown, in a big way, in the near future.

So I went to see Food, Inc. at the Cedar Lee with a full house of foodies on Monday night. I recommend the film. It features Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser and Joel Salatin and other well known (to foodies) folks. I had received an email invite from Brad Masi and I went with my farm collegues. After the show there was a panel. Brad was on it and some guy (who's name I cannot recall from Whole Foods) and Warren Taylor of Snowville Creamery in Pomeroy, Ohio. Warren was awesome.

There are certainly places in Cleveland where people very much enjoy our greatest natural resource, Lake Erie. To the East or West, rich or poor, it offers pleasures and potential, as filthy as it may be and shall remain.

Do the Port Authority and their planners from New York City have a clue what is the potential of our Great Lake and lakefront? Have you seen any good plans?

Are we doing anything close to what we should to protect the environment of Lake Erie? Is this the Bluest Lake possible, for this brightest greenest place?

Yesterday, I happened to be off (I work Saturdays), so I got to take it easy and enjoy the sights and sounds of Cleveland.  Here are a few images from the Ingenuity Festival, to Tregoning Gallery (featuring the wonderful Matt Dibble), and, finally, to Sokolowski's University Inn.  A great day in the city.

Since our founding, in 2004, REALNEO has become a groundbreaking free, open source social network of global interest – recently recognized as one of the top networks of our type in the country, by the Knight Foundation.

In 2008, the members of REALNEO.US formed REAL COOP, an Ohio legal cooperative, which now owns and operates REALNEO.US and REAL.COOP. We are unique in the world of social computing, and a global innovator in the evolution of information systems.

From the REALNEO.US homepage:

Thanks to Laura McShane for posting this morning a comment linking to Will Allen's "Good Food Manifesto" on his Growing Power blog. I, and millions of other people, became aware of Will last Sunday, when he was featured in the New York Times Sunday Magazine article "Street Fighter", but folks who follow local foods best practices surely knew of Will long before.

What You Say We Mean to You

I was analyzing the lay of the land around the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Sunday and thought I'd visit the region's most valuable real estate, along the blue shores of Lake Erie. Driving down MLK, I went through one of the few ugly mouseholes under the Freeway and traintracks thal block almost all reasonable public access to the lakefront, and chose to not go right, to where millionaires live, in Bratenahl, but left, where lunatic leaders have failed to extract a red cent of real value from our greatest natural resource...

Nominate a Woman of Worth, someone making a REAL difference in your community.  Win $25,000 towards your cause :)  Hello Gloria--I am nominating you!

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