Mike Lang finally in the PD, after he throws women's clothes into the booze equation

Euclid Avenue construction nears completion - Cleveland Metro News – The Latest Breaking News, Photos and Stories from The Plain Dealer -- A few weeks ago, I wrote here about our friend and neighbor Mike Lang and his survival epic that's played out on Euclid these past few years. Now, yesterday, he gets some front-page billing in the PD, and its for adding women's clothes to an aggressive mix of liquor and men's sartorial splendor. I understand he had a minor marketing epiphany recently listening to that song that has the refrain, "Show me, where's the dress?"

Good luck, Mike. I'll be teetering down to 1275 Euclid soon, as quickly as I can get used to these new heels.

caveat emptor: Narrin's, stall #E-11 at The West Side Market

NarrinSpices.com -- We just got back from paying $5.00 apiece at Narrin's, stall #E-11 at Cleveland's West Side Market, for two things we use from time to time: Pickapeppa Hot Red Pepper Sauce (3 oz.) and Try Me Tiger Sauce (5 oz.). We felt as though somebody was taking advantage of us on the pricing, so I checked it out online.

They charged us 100% more than regular retail on the Tiger Sauce, normally $2.50, and 66% more than regular retail for the Pickapeppa Hot Red Pepper Sauce, normally $3.00.

So. Caveat emptor: Let the buyer beware, at Narrin's, stall #E-11, The West Side Market, 1979 West 25th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113.

We also paid Narrin's Market Marauders $5.00 for two containers of kimchee, each of which is about 8 oz. Taking this pricing of $5.00 per pint forward, I guess that if 8 pints comprise a gallon, then Narrin would charge me around $40.00 for that amount, probably with a slight quantity discount. When I started relative pricing against Narrin's opportunistic pricing, I found this, which is going to be quite useful:

Homemade kimchi can be purchased at Kim’s Oriental Food at 3700 Superior.
Owner, Jong Kim offers the freshly-prepared salad every Wednesday; a factory
prepared version is always in his dairy case. Although kimchi is always a good
seller with his regular customers, recent publicity has increased sales
enormously, he says. “I have new people coming to my store from greater
Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown,” he says in halting English.

“They are first discovering what we have known all along. Kimchi keeps
your blood flowing and makes you healthy. I cannot live without kimchi; it has
so many nutrients and can prevent colds and flu.”

Kim’s kimchi sells for $7.99 for one half gallon and 11.99 for one gallon.

in the new-to-me category of "Strange News"

cleveland.com: NewsFlash - Armed Miss America 1944 stops intruder: Just today, on www.cleveland.com, I noticed a category named "Strange News." Here's my one I couldn't pass up, once I read the part about balancing on the walker and the snub-nosed .38. Don't miss the link at the end--it adds a lot of depth to the story, depth you don't have room for in a print edition of the news. As it turns out, this is actually an amazing lady--

"WAYNESBURG, Ky. (AP) — Miss America 1944 has a talent that likely has never appeared on a beauty pageant stage: She fired a handgun to shoot out a vehicle's tires and stop an intruder. Venus Ramey, 82, confronted a man on her farm in south-central Kentucky last week after she saw her dog run into a storage building where thieves had previously made off with old farm equipment.

Ramey said the man told her he would leave. 'I said, 'Oh, no you won't,' and I shot their tires so they couldn't leave,' Ramey said.

She had to balance on her walker as she pulled out a snub-nosed .38-caliber handgun. 'I didn't even think twice. I just went and did it,' she said. 'If they'd even dared come close to me, they'd be 6 feet under by now.'

Ramey then flagged down a passing motorist, who called 911.

Curtis Parrish of Ohio was charged with misdemeanor trespassing, Deputy Dan Gilliam said. The man's hometown wasn't immediately available. Three other people were questioned but were not arrested.

After winning the pageant with her singing, dancing and comedic talents, Ramey sold war bonds and her picture was adorned on a B-17 that made missions over Germany in World War II, according to the Miss America Web site.

Ramey lived in Cincinnati for several years and was instrumental in helping rejuvenate Over-the-Rhine historic buildings. She returned to Kentucky in 1990 to live on her farm.

'I'm trying to live a quiet, peaceful life and stay out of trouble, and all it is, is one thing after another,' she said.
___
On the Net: http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1940/1944.asp "

like a tumor

Clinic, city consider new Euclid Ave. traffic plan--Like a tumor, the Cleveland Clinic just continues to spread and to grow, now wanting to take out a chunk of Euclid Avenue itself. It's already been the urban renewal shill to take down a whole neighborhood, and now it wants to become a "campus" and sprawl across and overlay the existing grid of streets. ("A Clinic spokeswoman would not comment on specifics, but said the hospital wants to calm not only traffic but also the patients, employees and other pedestrians who now face an unfriendly swath of cars and concrete. "--how ghastly!)

I view this as the height of arrogance and a clear signal that they just have too much money. It's time for a redistribution. We want our money back.

The Clinic already has its own bus system (RTA's not good enough for its employees) to shuttle Clinic commuters who opt to drive to work from remote parking to their jobsite.

It already has constructed enclosed walkways from building to building (like those things we had for the kids' hamster habitat) so that Clinic commuters need never set foot on a Cleveland city street, yet alone be breathed upon by a native Clevelander, one of those quaint figures down on the sidewalk.

It's figurehead has the hyper-preppie name of Toby.

It just has too much money, and not enough sense not to press it's luck. It's grown fat on us, and now it wants to take yet more. Let's start saying "no" to any more incursions from the Clinic into our public spaces and our public purse, and let's start taking back our money, and our heritage. We've had our pockets picked long enough.

yet now here comes Steve with his own iPhone

This is an interesting way to collaborate, given the evidence of the previous post. Read the whole article, from the New York TIMES today:

Apple chose the name iPhone even though Cisco Systems, the network and consumer wireless company, has recently introduced a Wi-Fi-based phone with the same name. Mr. Jobs had been negotiating with Cisco executives over the trademark in recent days.