Friday, October 31, 2008

What Would Bono Do? (WWBD?)

Blundering Mayor Jackson and City Council REALNEO for all--Roldo points up the fact that The Rock Hall is now a welfare recipient, in competition with the truly needy. I'd encourage each and every rock star involved to boycott the event. Seize the moral high ground! Apply this litmus test: What Would Bono Do? Then, do it.

This is not what you do with a tax dollar, boys and girls of city council. Take back your vote. Take back the money. So you got all excited and gave away the store. You're allowed a mistake every now and then. Now go get the money back. (Think: If we had to recapture it from all of your paychecks, how long would it be until you ate, after the induction dinner? Could you go over to Polensek's if things got really rough? Could you get a ConAgra microwave dinner from the welfare office?)

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is not a charity, despite the fact that they cloak themselves in the tax structure of the truly needy. They have a balance sheet. They try to show a profit and yet not pay taxes back to the community. Let's end this charade.

And for my friends over at the Cleveland Clinic, I hope you're taking this to heart. It's time for PILOTs, before you have to give it all up entirely.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Blog Link: For all Linked In users

TypePad - Features - Blog Link If you use Linked In, you'll probably want to add this Blog Link to your profile. It works with most other blogging platforms. It shows your blog posts as well as those of your Linked In contacts. It installed in a few seconds.

Whether you're searching for someone to hire, or for someone to hire you, you're likely gathering information both from LinkedIn profiles and also from personal and professional blogs. You've worked hard to establish your personal brand via your blog, so it makes sense to showcase it right on your professional profile. The TypePad team that brought you Blog It has created an application to bring your blog and your LinkedIn profile together: Blog Link powered by TypePad.


Blog Link is a free, easy-to-use application that allows you to connect your blog to your LinkedIn profile. The application displays a feed of your latest blog posts right into your profile, so you can extend your personal brand even further by sharing your thoughts and insights with your professional network on LinkedIn.


One of the best aspects of LinkedIn is the network you can build, and Blog Link has you covered there as well. The "Your Network" tab in the application shows the most recent blog posts of people in your network, automatically finding their blogs as listed in their “Websites” list on their profile. And as more of your contacts add the Blog Link application, your own latest posts show up in more places. It's another great way to broaden and enhance your network on LinkedIn.


Blog Link is powered by TypePad, and it supports all blog platforms, including TypePad, Movable Type, Vox, Wordpress.com, Wordpress.org, Blogger, LiveJournal, and many more. To learn more, visit typepad.com/bloglink and add the application to your LinkedIn account today.For a demo and more details on BlogLink, watch the video with David Recordon. David's our Open Technologies Lead, who's known for leading efforts around OpenID and OpenSocial, which powers LinkedIn Applications.

A Vision of Change for Northeast Ohio

The last guy named Mike who had visions for Cleveland wound up down in Klan country around New Philly, raising yaks or llamas or ostriches in a revisionist version of Neverland Ranch. We wish this Mike better fortune.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Ken Duncan: "Creative Capitalism" reformatted in Windows Live Writer

26.10.08

Creative Capitalism

In the free market country club,
being deemed “too big to fail”
insures a corporation against
the mistakes of poor managers.

No wonder those saved
by bucket-wielding taxpayers
avoid making needed loans
and acquire other banks.

Ken Duncan: serpents, and snakes

23.10.08

Ancient Wisdom

Conservative and Liberal,
unlike words early man used
to describe groups of stars,
are creative, but inappropriate.

Republicans who cut taxes,
increase spending, wage wars,
claim deficits don’t matter,
call themselves Conservatives.

Democrats claim to be Liberals
while promoting welfare reform,
higher prices for imports,
conservation and more rules.

Perhaps it’s time we use
old time imagination and look
for similarities. Call one party
Serpents, the other Snakes.

Ken Duncan sums it up

Politry Plus » Blog Archive » Creative Capitalism -- Ken Duncan wraps it up, all in one tight little package. Is there much more to say?


26.10.08
Creative Capitalism


In the free market country club,

being deemed “too big to fail”

insures a corporation against

the mistakes of poor managers.


No wonder those saved

by bucket-wielding taxpayers

avoid making needed loans

and acquire other banks.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

having faith in politicians is like casting emeralds into the sewer

I got an email this morning from Matt Furey, writing from China, where he's visiting. This guy has a way with words:

No politician, regardless of how slick, is going to give me or anyone else health, wealth or witticism.

They can promise all they want - but placing your faith in them is sort of like casting emeralds into the sewer. It's a rare day on earth when modern day politicians propose change for the better - and this year, despite all the rhetoric, is no exception.

So I'm in China right now - watching capitalism grow by leaps and bounds while the U.S. races sphincter-first into socialism.

It's quite an amazing view. From the outside China is often depicted as nothing but a bunch of commie totalitarian thugs. Yet, from the inside, there's no better display of the glories of capitalism, team work and creativity.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

from cousin Wm. Daniel, out west in Washington

clip_image001So, where do we find a kid too lazy to go out and trick-or-treat?

Friday, October 24, 2008

open-sourcing birthdates: Bruce Perens' is today

Meet the Bloggers » SourceLabs’ Bruce Perens VP and author of “The Open Source Definition” -- Outlook alerted me this morning that it is the birthday of one of our favorite young people in the Brooklyn Centre neighborhood, and she shares it with the Open Source guy, Bruce Perens, whose MTB interview is extant here:

http://www.meetthebloggers.net/2007/04/17/open-source-definition-author-bruce-perens/

Blue Fish Red Fish : Couture First, Fashion First

Our friend DAM (David Allen Moss) (FKA Baba Dam Moss, apprentice of Baba Ram Dass) alerted me to this new fashionista offering over at Blue Fish Red Fish, and I must say, I agree with the sentiment. I think this country would be a lot better off if we all paid more attention to our attire and perhaps even started wearing ties again on a regular basis, as was the practice in parochial schools. And, as they at BFRF point out, we are all in the same pond or, to tweak the metaphor a bit, the same kettle of fish. This all has something to do with the definition of "progressive."

Here are a few links to tie things, and don't forget to tie one on with Mike at your earliest possible opportunity, for the ultimate sartorial experience short of spending $150,000 in one swell foop.

http://www.vineyardvines.com/index.cfm

http://www.capitalties.com/

http://www.beautiesltd.com/

Thursday, October 23, 2008

SCENE Magazine: our friend Mike Lang helps us tie one on

Since he first moved into our neighborhood, Mike Lang has always been humorous, irreverent and fun to be around, a refreshing counterpoint to those who take themselves too seriously or are constantly fearful or bummed. Laughing in the face of massive government destruction of private commerce and industry along Euclid Avenue, Mike keeps lobbing those ads and quips.  This is his latest ad from SCENE Magazine, page 22.

2008_10_23_12_48_33

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

That Tim Ferris is so Damn Smart!

That Tim Ferris [sic] is so Damn Smart! « Experience Experiment -- Hey, it's not my place to tutor them in spelling. I like the headline. It resonates with me. I couldn't pass up the chance to exploit it.

At the link, as well, is an interesting profile of a modern office arrangement in Holland. It reinforces what we learned with Meet.The.Bloggers: Online is fine, but you have to get everybody together face to face regularly as well for the synergies to work.

And while I'm talking about it--I realize that the Meet.The.Bloggers site is still biffed and crippled, and that George only has so much time. However, if you have dead links or if any of your favorite interviews or transcripts haven't reappeared yet, why not drop him a note and see if he has time to get around to recovering content on a per-request basis. We all have a lot invested in the project, and we can ill afford to waste what gives value and depth to a community dialogue.

Monday, October 20, 2008

YouTube - Gloria Ferris: Citizens&CityPlanning

My Google Alerts came in this evening, and look what they had in them. Neither Gloria nor I knew this was up on YouTube.  As usual, she finishes with a smile.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Bennie's back!

Here's a note I got today over at LinkedIn, from our old friend Bennie D'Agostino. We're glad he's back. Years ago, he was one of Cleveland's finest assigned to the Archwood-Denison area, and we remember him as giving 110% and always being fun, and entertaining. He ran for City Council against Merle Gordon, and we still wish he had won--all the others are still so boring.

Check the link. I'm writing his recommendation as soon as I get done here. If he were in council now, you wouldn't want to be reducing the number of seats.


Hey Tim....


I've been back on stage for a while and wanted everyone to know about this New Act.... Disco Deee-LITE and 80's NITE.... also Jersey-Boy-$oprano.. Lot's of Fun Music and Tunes from the Jersey Boys Shows.. It's a FUN and Polished Act...featuring all the material I've been doing as a Single... Plus the Costumed addition to the 70's-80's and Mob Hits Music.

I'm sending this to ask you for a brief recommendation of my work that I can include in my LinkedIn profile. If you have any questions, let me know.


Thanks in advance .... seeking some Cleveland area Performances... Used to do lot's of Corporate including the Convention Bureau...Slowed down to fully recover from all the injuries received as one of Cleveland's finest....and Out with a NEW show in addition to my yearly " Little Italy" gig....


Thanx, and Luck in the Old-Brooklyn area... ( I tried to tell them the truth) Not the Best Politician...or Method of Politics.... Wish Gloria and the Family well....


Thanx again !


-Bennie D'Agostino

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

What to Watch for During the Final Debate - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com

 What to Watch for During the Final Debate - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com -- I think we'll be logging onto the office computers tonight (dual monitors for each of us, y'know) to see what sort of communications dynamic they crank up at The New York TIMES. We'll be doing this in preparation for our own blogger-reappearance at WKYC Channel 3 this coming election night.

CoverItLive is getting most excellent, and it's been around only about 10 months for general consumption. What I'm using now to compose this post, Windows Live Writer, could also work well if you would just re-post the same post as the action progressed.

These platforms are getting really easy to use, and efficient, too.

Monday, October 13, 2008

instant gratification: Columbus Day clarified in Wikipedia

Columbus Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Who's open, who's closed, who's more laid back than usual today, and are those truants, the assured future for the welfare system, standing on the corner? I needed instant clarification, which I found with Wikipedia. It's so handy. Where do I go to find out if there's a parade downtown today?

"Since 1971, the holiday has been commemorated in the U.S. on the second
Monday in October, the same day as Thanksgiving in neighboring Canada. It is
generally observed today by banks, the bond market, the U.S. Postal Service and
other federal agencies, most state government offices, and many school
districts; however, most businesses and stock exchanges remain open."

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

I like living on a bus line

I just saw the 807 circulator go by in the rain and realized how much I liked living on a bus line. I see the lit buses go by in the early morning and in the late evening, symbols of our quiet neighborhood's connectivity to things more cosmopolitan. I see them whoosh by all day, reminders of the to hustle and bustle of the extended workday going on elsewhere. It's comforting to have them around. They're my connection to my local civilization.

If it weren't for the demolition of the Fulton Road Bridge, I might never have had the experience of having the buses run by my house. They used to run on Pearl and on Fulton, the spoke streets radiating from the downtown hub, but the older connectors, like Denison, were largely ignored. The emphasis was not so much on functionality among neighborhoods as it was on commuting through them, on bypassing them in an express fashion.

Denison originally had a trolley line running down its middle, and one lane either side of the trolley path for cars. We have a lot of storefronts on and adjacent to Denison, as Sandy Rozhon's chronicling at the Brooklyn Centre WIKI will attest. It is still a main connector to Newburgh Heights and the east side of the valley via Harvard, to the freeways (176 and 77), to Tremont and to the new developments down at Steelyard Commons. The bus line suits it well.

I'm thinking that with this next round of revisions of bus service, we need to become our own best advocates when it comes to requesting bus service as a critical driver for a thriving community.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

advocacy kicked around at Midtown Brews last Thursday

This past Thursday, October 2nd, we had a productive confabulation in our Midtown Brews monthly, this one being held at Insivia in The Tower Press Building, site of some of our original Meet.The.Bloggers productions. The topic this time was "advocacy." Betsey Merkel asked that I share some of my notes, so here they are:

Michael DeAloia, Tech Tsar, in a blinding flash of genius or a stroke of blind genius, kicked off the proceedings even though he was not there--he had Betsey, who was in charge of the kickoff, read his regrets statement into the record, which is both in video and podcast format. This was the second anniversary of Midtown Brews, and Michael fondly recalls how he kicked things off a scant two years ago, and how his love of tech and dialogue and connectivity and beer seem to have informed all events since.

Dennis Coughlin of I-Open and formerly of REI at CWRU (how about them abbreviations...) pointed out that I-Open is the parent of Midtown Brews and of Midtown Mornings and that, "like a parent, you can't really tell anyone what to do." Like Topsy, Brews just grew.

Gloria Ferris was moderator, and spoke to the reason why she was replacing George Nemeth as moderator, this time around, so that George could participate more fully in a discussion that is close to his heart. He spoke briefly of Brewed Fresh Daily being his main claim to fame thus far, and how it has led him down the paths of exploring social networking, as it is termed today.

Next up were John Eckerle, the Realtor, and he is also the relator of how we can all be connected on various levels. Then there was Ken Warren of the Lakewood Public Library and Jim O'Brien of The Lakewood OBSERVER, a print takeoff connecting the blogosphere with the rest of the more traditional print media, and advertising, and and the great expanse of  never-connected masses who still have no computers or PDAs, the heavenly fellowship of those who do not yet Twitter. John and Ken and Jim promote the OBSERVER as a bridge and a financially sustainable means of promoting community organizing here and now, until everybody has a laptop, a PDA, a Kindle, or a fancy cellphone.

Marnie Urso spoke of Audubon Ohio; Ed Hauser spoke of broken, broken, completely broken public processes and his sometimes lonely roles of advocate, warrior, and defender of the public interest, and how the Port Authority has failed to serve those same interests on a number of occasions, in contravention of their mission. Marc Lefkowitz of Green City, Blue Lake, and formerly of The Hotel Bruce, mentioned the journalistic tools he has and the writerly roots we all have; he gave an brief idea of how he came to focus on sustainability. Michael Lehto of the CIA faculty introduced himself to the group, and about this time my notes start getting more sparse as I began listening more and writing less. The content is good--you need to listen and watch the content.

Sean Gesing, Mike's son, introduced himself as a college student from Lorain Community College; Bill MacDermott, whose energy-efficient house is on display today, told us of his 1970s persona and Spaceship Earth following on the heels of the ruination of the planet, ending with the quote, "I would rather have been wrong." Stephanie Spear spoke about her work with EARTHWATCH OHIO; Eric Purcell revealed that he was in fact "a little worker bee" of Andy Halko's at the Insivia hive; Jim Herget, son of the '60s gave a quick and incisive preview of his current ACT III project, which involves post-age-60 repurposing and demarginalizing of the leading edge of the boomer wave; his friend Julie Morris told of her CIA and CWRU roots.

Jeff Schuler pointed up the fact that he is an absorbing and integrating influence, in that he is somewhat a son of the '60s, when he was minus 15 years old, a traveler on Spaceship Earth as an embryo, and a potential fixer of Ed Hauser's things that are broken, anytime at all. Susan Miller related to being visionary, arts-based, feeling older than Herget, and seeing how the life phases are working through as she soldiers on with RealNEO. Rich Brhel told of the library connections of Chancellor University (formerly Dyke College) with the advocacy process and reinforced the commonality he shared with Ken Warren and MidTown's dialogues these past few years. Laura Wright of Insivia spoke eloquently to the need we all have for good design and beauty (and by extension, goodness and truth); Evan Wilhelms talked of Creative Commons and Natural Resources Commons; Toni Chanakas related design to community to BFD (Brewed Fresh Daily).

As I careened into my second page of notes, Bruce Lessig spoke simply of simple ways to make simple things; his friend Susie mentioned that Shaklee approaches were noted for their simplicity as well; Lee Chilcote talked about his work with Keith Brown's Progressive Urban Realty and the Cleveland Colectivo advocacy group; Mary K. Holmes told about her work with the Farmers Market over at Shaker Square and wondered how George Nemeth and others might show her how to kick off and drive traffic to a new enterprise, www.bountyofthewesternreserve.com. Scott Sanders of The Earth Day Coalition made a leap from sustainable design to the critical distinction of talking now of "regenerative design." Susan Altshuler of I-Open gave a jam-packed explanation of "neutral open spaces" as well as the bestowing of hope; legacy building and leaving our children better off rounded out her concerns.

Our Answer to Miss Brooks, MaryBeth Mathews, reminded us of the 54,000 students in the Cleveland Public Schools and her perspective as a teacher in that system for nearly 30 years, and a blogger about the kids for the past few years; her reminder, "It's about the kids," should resonate every time we hear about the self-dealing machinations of a crippled board appointed by a third-world politicians with regard to a grossly mismanaged school system (my words, not hers--she's a nice lady and still works there). Peter McDermott of Entrepreneurs for Sustainability used phrases like "advocate for what's possible," "this new economy," "purpose-driven network," and "local food I-can't-read-my own-writing." Orgnet.com's Valdis Krebs told us about human networks and mentioned how E4S and June Holley are so good at connecting others, seeing where the nodes are, and aren't. John McGovern of The Earthday Coalition told us about working with fleet managers to explore cleaner fuel options.

Steve FitzGerald spoke for longer than I've ever heard him talk, about facilitating more than advocating, union work, the City of Lakewood, the United Way, Lakewood Buzz, nonprofit newswire, and publishing Roldo Bartimole. Jenny with NoLastName told us about school in Wisconsin, environmental studies, New Zealand organic farms, and her current incarnation at EarthWatch. Kevin Cronin the attorney and advocate for Cleveland Bikes spoke for less time than I've ever seen him do and left us with the snappy, pithy: "When Cleveland bikes, Cleveland benefits."

Eric Krause (?) introduced himself as one of the new-bees at Insivia, up here by choice from Athens, Ohio. Bill Callahan told us about his background in energy programs, in community organizing, how we all still do it so horribly up and down the social ladder, the reason he pays attention, and the Foreclosure Action Coalition. Mike Gesing previewed the new NE Ohio Citizens League and told of his history with Richard Shatten, REI, and Ed Morrison. Andy Halko interjected the perspective of the businessperson and how to bring economic change about economically. Betsey Merkel emerged from behind the camera and pertly delivered something that made me note "footsoldier" and "relentless" with regard to Ed Hauser.

In the general discussion that now followed, O'Brien talks of the huge disconnect, turning blogs and websites into print, and how at 53 years old he's seen print making a bit of money. Callahan reinforced seeing "where the nodes aren't." Krebs pointed out that one way to strengthen a network is to diversify the network; we need to be uncomfortable to grow, to get out of the comfort zone. (The idea of "dis-ease"?) Twittering. Computers. PDAs. Cellphones. Access for everybody. Science-cartoon web rings as a pleasant memory to be revived?

My hands hurt. My notes ran out. I need to quit. Listen to the whole podcast; view the whole on You-Tube or Mogulus; it was a good session. Here's Betsey's parting shot on RealNEO:

* Watch "The Changing Landscape of Public Advocacy: Citizen-Community Priorities and Web 2.0" Oct 2 Live Show on the Midtown Brews Broadcast channel or on You Tube

Pass this information along freely. All welcome.

Questions? Contact: Betsey Merkel, The Institute for Open Economic Networks (I-Open), 4415 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44113 Ph: 216-246-2447

from Coexist: a reprise of The Death of Common Sense

Coexist: The Death of Common Sense: Diane Ferri, our friend who appears to have lent the additional "s" to Tim Ferriss (we suspect we are all one big happy family, you know, but it's just that the "s" keeps shifting and slipping and sliding around), resurrects something that has circulated on the internet for a good while now, but struck me as more cogent than usual this morning:

"Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Trust and Truth; his wife, Discretion; his daughter Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three step-brothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame and I'm a Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone."

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Brooklyn Centre Wildlife Meeting

Hello Blogger-

Here are the details for our Next Brooklyn Centre Habitat Restoration Meeeting

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008
2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Where: Brooklyn Centre Public Library
3706 Pearl Road

Topic: GOALS and TIMELINE of Project

Sharon has compiled a Goals and Timeline survey that we will be using to guide our conversation. Tom will be conducting the meeting. If you would like a survey to fill out before the meeting contact Sharon at magicgalATsbcglobal.net or call her at 739-1522. She will get a survey to you.

If you would like to become a member of our habitat team please contact Gloria at Gloria.ferrisATgmail.com or call her at 216-351-0254.

--
Gloria
Brooklyn Centre National Wildlife Community Member

P.S. I apologize if you have received more than one invitation to the meeting.

As always, please forward the info to anyone and everyone you think may be interested in any aspect of our initiative.

And again, if you do not wish to receive the notifications about our meetings please let me know and I will delete your name from our list.