Tuesday, September 30, 2008

from the PD: how dare you say no to our big accounts!

The Plain Dealer editorial board inveighs against politicians who voted against a congressional give-away to some of the PD's major advertising accounts.

The irony is that, if the PD had had the guts to "just say no" in the first placeto the influencers behind the tainted advertising dollars, we might not all be in the pickle we're in today.

This "just say no" idea applies not only to the foreclosure mess but also to the MedicalMartConventionCenter sellout. The PD has not been an advocate for this community for a good long time, and it shows.

When it comes to advertising, they do not discriminate, except against the best interests of the majority of the public.

the unshockable P.J.

Extensive pornography found on Patrick O'Malley's computer - Cleveland Metro News - The Latest Breaking News, Photos and Stories from The Plain Dealer:

Having been involved in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County politics for most of his adult life, it seems that nothing much fazed P. J. Let's hope this case does not make history with what might be termed the O'Malley Weird Worksite Mitigation Defense: "Please, your honor, my work environment was so weird I thought this other stuff was kinda regular."


"The government found images of bestiality, bondage and other acts of sexual deviance on a computer seized from the home of former Cuyahoga County Recorder Patrick O'Malley in 2004.


A sentencing memorandum filed Monday by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan details the wide assortment of pornographic images and text that led to O'Malley's recent conviction."

Sunday, September 28, 2008

alternative business stationery: advertisements for yourself

The Crane Insider: The Amazing Calling Card Phenomenon -- I got some gentleman's calling cards from Crane's earlier this year. They're a welcome counterpoint to the traditional business card, which for me has gotten too cluttered, too hidebound, and obfuscated by disclaimers and clarifiers.

With a calling card, I don't have to get anybody's approval about how I present myself to the public. I used to use the calling card as an augmentation to the business card, and now the trend has reversed--the business card is the exception, and the calling card is the standard. It also takes away the appearance of my soliciting business or importuning financial opportunity.

The stock and the engraving are so much better quality as well.

At the link, read what Crane's Insider himself has to say about the phenomenon as it manifests among the generational segments.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

RTA afternoon report for the 79, in the twitter fashion

Bad public relations on the 79 bus, from downtown out Fulton to Denison. Had to wait downtown forever. Seemed as though 1 bus were missing. Going out of town, bus was packed. On Fulton, starting at Lorain, we were so packed we had to leave people stranded--probably 10 or 15 were not picked up.

No air conditioning.

Need more buses, more frequent pickup. Ridership cannot increase given the current packed conditions. It's impossible to run a business this way--no room to expand when expansion is sorely called for.

Need to confiscate sales tax increase earmarked for MedMartConventionCenter?

I now need to launder one shirt and send one suit for dry cleaning. Riding the bus today was a false economy.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

shedding a little light: in case you were wondering

10,000 Little (micro) Ideas to Keep You Believing in Cleveland -- The prize-winning idea announced 11 days after the Galleria Gala event for 10,000 (((micro))) ideas has to do with improving lighting, and not many details of the suggestion appear. I wonder if improving lighting means reducing lighting, creating atmosphere, and conserving power?

We need to remember that automobiles, buses, and business establishments have their own lights, and street lighting is largely superfluous. At 3 in the morning, it's downright wasteful.

Tactically, the less artificial light there is at night, the safer we are. In the dark, you control your own domain.

A case in point: Since I took the overhead lighting, my own mercury-vapor streetlight, out of my back yard, I have had no further trouble with uninvited visitors. If I want to invite somebody, I'll turn the localized lighting on for them--the porch lights, the garage lights, the landscape lights. I don't use motion-sensor lighting because that, too, can be used by an intruder to his advantage, especially if you're not around.

Lights invite; they should be intentional, thoughtful, and voluntary. Businesses use lights to attract. Public lighting dilutes or negates that ambient effect.

I sincerely hope the prize-winning idea called for less, not more, in the way of the application of night-time lighting.

Bathing the streetscape with artificial night lighting merely sends the bad guys the message that we are afraid and makes it easier for the drug boys to make change.

Friday, September 19, 2008

in NEWSWEEK, Rokakis gets pithy about FRB

Callahan’s Cleveland Diary » Blog Archive » Newsweek: Rokakis saw what Greenspan didn’t -- One thing I noticed about the commentary spewing from some of the less accountable media this week was a muddling of the distinction between the Federal government and the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB). On his blog, Bill Callahan points to Newsweek and a pithy, trenchant quote about the FRB from Jim Rokakis:

“Here’s what I learned about the Fed: They do wonderful lunches. Their cafeteria is really good,” says Rokakis. “But the Federal Reserve Bank is not there to protect us. It’s there to protect the banks.”

Friday, September 12, 2008

Callahan nails it again--add your 2 cents

Callahan’s Cleveland Diary » Blog Archive » Battlegrounds and bailouts -- Go to Callahan's and add your two cents. If you want to find a few other talking points on these topics, call me at 216-255-6640, and we'll kick things around a bit. Not everything belongs on a blog.

The dialogue could be very interesting and productive these next few months, if we talk about what we as stakeholders critically need to talk about, not what "they" want to promote as the issues with which to manipulate and polarize the public prior to the election.

I'm not sure that our interests are parallel with "theirs."

ready, willing, and what's the other part?

Palin says she is ready to assume presidency - The Boston Globe -- In a related story, Tim Ferris has declared himself ready to stand in as pope.

Saturday, September 06, 2008

#9,999 little (micro) idea, for Visions of Cleveland, today at the Galleria

With the imposed space constraint on ideas, here is my second micro idea in 100 words, or less, using the 5/7/5 syllabic constraint of the haiku structure to kick things off:

Cleveland nonprofits say,

"Don't give where it does no good."

We stare back at them.

Start a business, nonprofit or LLC, to terminate nonproductive nonprofit entities in the Cleveland area. Pay a bounty-type fee. Figure out a way to name the business with the acronym of NINJA. Live long and prosper as a community. The business eventually works itself out of a job when the mission is accomplished.

Simultaneously, establish a similar business to specialize in trimming the government sector. Name this one something like GINSU, or GEEHAW.

These are simple ideas. Why haven't we implemented them yet?

My other micro idea today appears at http://save-our-land.blogspot.com/2008/09/of-10000-little-ideas-this-one-is-for.html.

Friday, September 05, 2008

Ken Duncan reports: Conventional Conventions

Politry Plus » Blog Archive » Conventional Conventions -- At the link, find insightful reporting/commentary framed as poetry.

Rhetoric that rained on Republicans

reminds me of the Democratic deluge.

Both performances triggered emotions,

without leaving any evidence of ideas.

A burdened nation has a choice

of artificial columns or a slide show ―

the only real substance behind

either convention’s winsome words. (more)

Thursday, September 04, 2008

secession may provide the solution to what the PD wants

Callahan’s Cleveland Diary » Blog Archive » PD: Cut Council in ‘09, we don’t care how -- Callahan points up the fact that the local paper is calling for a reduction in council, regardless. I'd like to accomodate them. If Brooklyn Centre secedes, there will be at least one fewer council salary.

It's been difficult, over the years, watching our neighborhood be back-leveled through a denial of service. Before we reach the same level as Mayor Jackson's frames of reference of what a neighborhood ought to look like, we need to pull out and declare our independence, and take our money and our assets with us. From my point of view, the city has not been our friend.

All wards may have equal rights, but that doesn't mean a government must degrade prosperous areas to bring them to the same low level as failing wards.

A population size of 25,000 lives, give or take, more than puts us on a par with other suburbs in the coming regionalization craze. The suburbs are going to try to make every little podunk mayor Jackson's equal, and I don't see them getting much resistance. It's time for us to become re-individuated, as it was 200 years ago. Please don't preach me about economies of scale--show me the numbers, if you can.

Brooklyn Centre News

Dear -

You may have heard about this latest endeavor of making Brooklyn Centre a National Wildlife Habitat Community..  We are asking for everyone who wants to come be a part of this fun and exciting project.

The time is right, the time is now.  The things that need doing will begin right here, right now.  All we need to add is you.   Here are the details for the first two meetings:

What:  Brooklyn Centre Habitat Restoration initiative Planning Session

When:   Saturday, September 13th & September 27th
            2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Where:  Brooklyn Centre CPL Library
            3706 Pearl Road  (across from Riverside Cemetery)

Join us in making OUR neighborhood the FIRST urban community wildlife neighborhood in the NATION!!


If you can't make it face to face in September, don't worry.  We will be setting up an on-line space to keep everyone up-to-date.   We will have October meetings as well.


Sharon, Daryl and Gloria

P.S.  If you receive more than one email, we apologize.  Please pass this on to neighbors that may not have email or are not on an email list.  Look for updates in the Old Brooklyn News as well.



Monday, September 01, 2008

bloviate

Op-Ed Columnist - Obama Outwits the Bloviators - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com -- If I had to look this one up, I'd suspect some of you may have to, too. Here it is.

And I'm resisting the temptation to make some totally immature, scurrilous remark, to coin a new catchphrase for the next 2 months, and then to do ecstatic pirouettes, verbal permutations, and semantic combinations around the adolescent coinage, rolling on the floor laughing. God help me with this Tourette's of the keyboard, and the near-total editorial freedom of the blog format.