Brewed Fresh Daily

Please mark your calendars.

Thought I’d elevate this comment by Mike to a post:

I’m a reporter at the Plain Dealer and an occasional writer of comic books (Phantom Jack, Tales of the Starlight Drive-in). Time is running out and I need some local help. Don’t worry, it’s free.

I’m a finalist in a comic writing contest called ZUDA. The contest ends in two days, Wednesday to be exact. All you have to do is go to the website and vote. I’m tied for first place.
I need folks to vote NOW. Please don’t think about doing it and lay aside. You’ll forget. Please vote ASAP.
1) Please go to http://www.zuda.com
2) Click on the “sign up” button (top right) and register (takes a sec)
They’ll send a password to your email address.
3) Then, copy the password and click on the link to go back to ZUDA.
4) Sign in, click on the word “competition” and scross down to the words SCREAMING EAGLES.
A new page will open, look to the right of the big picture where there will be a smaller version of the big picture. THAT”S WHERE YOU VOTE. Fill in the stars (five, please) and click the “add to favorites” button.
Then click the vote button.
You’re done!
THE STARS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
THANKS,
MIKE at mikesang@aol.com

WVIZ-PBS to re-air Citizen Hauser as a tribute to Ed.

Here are the dates and times:
Tuesday the 25th at 7:30 p.m. (pre- empting Wild Chronicles)
Wednesday the 26th at 11:00 p.m.(pre- empting the BBC News).

spread the word-

I’m excited about being part of this. It’s going to be extremely valuable for getting the word out about what your organization is doing when marketing dollars are tight:

“TELLING YOUR STORY: Nonprofits and the Media”

Thursday, December 11, 2008
8 a.m.-Noon
Cleveland Sight Center
1909 E. 101 St.
Cleveland, OH

8-8:20 – Registration/Networking
8:20 – Welcome, Introductions

8:30 – 10:30
Part 1: “Social Marketing—Supplement or Substitute for Traditional Approaches?”

Blogs. Websites. Twitter. LinkedIn. MySpace. FaceBook.

Social Marketing. It’s not just a whole new world of communication possibilities. It’s a whole new vocabulary and way of thinking!

How can nonprofit organizations make good use of, and benefit from, social marketing? What does it involve? Is there a down-side? What resources are needed to do it well? How do you know whether it’s appropriate for you? What are practical steps to get started? Does it replace or supplement traditional approaches? How do you balance the two strategies?

Presenters:

• George Nemeth, BrewedFreshDaily.com
• Claudia Timmerman, American Cancer Society, Ohio Division, Inc.
• Karen Malone Wright, ODYSSEY Creative Communications Consulting

10:30-10:45 – Break

10:45-11:45
Part 2: “Meet Northeast Ohio Media”

• Stan Donaldson, reporter, The Plain Dealer
• Kim Hill, producer, “Basheer Jones & Company,” WERE
• Frank Lewis, editor, Scene Magazine
• April McClelland-Copeland, philanthropy reporter, The Plain Dealer
• Tom Mulready, editor, Cool Cleveland
• George Nemeth, Social Media Specialist, Optiem/Founder, BrewedFreshDaily.com

11:45-Noon
Conclusion

More details on CommunitySolutions.com

From my friend Larry at City Buddha:

Many of our neighbors have lost their jobs and are faced with choice of paying the rent or buying food this holiday season. Foodbanks everywhere are struggling to keep up with increased demand. That is why we are partnering with the Cleveland Foodbank to fight holiday hunger in northeast Ohio with the 30 day “Buddha’s Bowl” Food Drive.

Beginning November 24th through December 24th, when you bring a nonperishable food item to City Buddha you will receive a 5% discount on your purchase and we will match that discount with a 5% donation to the Cleveland Foodbank. Only nonperishable food items will be accepted. The following items are preferred: peanut butter, tuna fish, canned vegetables, canned soup, cereal and beef stew.

(from a weekly e-mail blast)
Baltimore Green Map

This week, Janet Felsten, Project Director of Baltimore Green Map, talks about building a stewardship ethic into the culture of the city by charting local resources. To read her audacious idea and participate in the discussion, visit www.audaciousideas.org.

Audacious Ideas is a blog created to stimulate ideas and discussion about solutions to difficult problems in Baltimore. Each week, we will ask individuals to think candidly and audaciously about what can be done to promote opportunity, achievement, health, and prosperity in our city. Open Society Institute-Baltimore believes that discussion and debate are critical to making positive, lasting changes. We see this as a testing ground where ideas can be considered and discussion can be fostered.

The PD’s reporting on the regional economy is getting better. It still has a way to go to catch up to the national leader in regional economic reporting: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Ohio’s job outlook: Ready work force helps, but rust-belt image hurts

Pittsburgh’s renaissance holds lesson for Cleveland

The Ohio could benefit from the perspective of the New Economy report issued by the Kauffman Foundation last week. You can download it here.

The Cleveland story starts a useful comparison to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh began to accelerate past Cleveland in the early 1990’s, and the gap is widening. Cleveland’s economic development strategies have not been keeping pace with Pittsburgh for about 15 years.

Speak up:

[A]t one (or both) of two public meetings to gauge public sentiment regarding proposed legislation to relax the current restrictions on the keeping of chickens and bees and other small critters in the City of Cleveland. A copy of the proposed legislation is attached for your reading pleasure.

This is an opportunity to have your voice heard regarding the relaxation of rules which currently hinder or prohibit local animal husbandry. If you wish to support the production of more fresh, local food, for yourself or for commerce you should weigh in on this legislation. Come speak for the ducks, geese, goats, rabbits and their cousins as they can’t speak for themselves.

If you have some questions regarding the proposed changes give me a call; preferably on the weekend or weekdays after 9:00 P.M. (free cell minutes).

I’d encourage you to forward this public meeting announcement to all the local food supporters you know.

2 Public Meetings regarding new legislation in Cleveland regulating animal husbandry; including chickens, ducks, geese, goats, rabbits, bees and more.

Tuesday, November 25th at 6:00 pm
Public Meeting (East) for Ordinance 1562-08 Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees
Hosted by Cleveland Councilman Cimperman, Planning Director Robert Brown, and Morgan Taggart, OSU Extension

St. Martin de Porres High School’s Social Room
6111 Lausche Ave. Cleveland, OH 44103

Enter building through gymnasium entrance off Lausche Avenue, Social Room is on the right.
FREE Parking is available at lot bordering St. Clair Avenue and Norwood, enter on Norwood

Wednesday, December 3rd at 6:00 pm
Public Meeting (West) for Ordinance 1562-08- Restrictions on the Keeping of Farm Animals and Bees
Hosted by Cleveland Councilman Cimperman, Planning Director Robert Brown, and Morgan Taggart, OSU Extension

Franklin Circle Christian Church, 1688 Fulton Rd.
Cleveland, OH 44113

Enter building off Fulton Road
FREE Parking is available at lot south of Church building off Fulton Road

Personally I love to have a chicken coop and a bee skep, so I need to get to one of these meetings. Join me?

Here’s an update from the web site Save National City Bank.

Kudos to Dan Moore for showing some business leadership. For background, read his PD OP-ED here.

The Greater Cleveland Partnership seems invisible on this one. It’s self-absorbed leadership seems too busy with an obsession to save Tower City with the Med Mart scheme.

Why doesn’t the business leadership mobilize, as they did with Cleveland-DFAS?

(Tip of the hat to Terri Martin.)

Jay Miller at Crain’s told us about the failed efforts to start a Med Mart in Birmingham.

Promoters of Cleveland’s medical merchandise mart proposal believe they have a winner on their hands, but the early-1990s failure of a similar venture in Birmingham, Ala., and comments from national medical marketers suggest the local project isn’t a slam dunk.

In 1992, Birmingham opened the Medical Forum, a 10-story building created to help raise the southern city’s profile as a prominent medical center. But the concept of using most of the building as a one-stop shop for medical equipment makers to display their wares quickly was abandoned, and the building now is used as traditional office space.

“The medical industry proved to be totally different than what we expected,” said Jack Fields, who at the time was charged with filling the new building for the Birmingham-Jefferson (County) Convention Center.

“We found that buying decisions were not made by the medical professionals but by purchasing agents,” said Mr. Fields, who now is executive director of Birmingham’s convention center complex.

Now Roldo uncovers the failed efforts for a Med mart in Baltimore.

By 1997 it was forgotten dream in Baltimore. Nothing ever happened to the wonderful $600-million idea born in 1991.

“They could never make the project work,” said Heywood Sanders, Professor of Urban Studies in the Department of Political Science at Trinity University at San Antonio.

Read more.

Seems to me, we need a business plan from Sam Miller, Albert Ratner, Tim Hagan or Joe Roman, the prime promoters of this untested idea to rescue Tower City.

(That follows the logic of Congress, which recently told the automakers to come up with a plan before we invest public money: Congress wants business plan from automakers.)

Markets don’t lie, and past experience tells us that a passive Med Mart (aka medical showroom) will not work.

Where is there any evidence supporting this idea? (Aside from web sites, artist drawings, press releases and salesman’s puff from Fred Nance.)

At the same time, developers in NY are preparing to test a far more sophisticated model of a multi-functional medical facility.

World Product Centre facilities will include state-of-the-art permanent showrooms, conference and educational facilities, media centers and traditional office space. The building will also feature a Consumer Health Pavilion open to the general public, including students, tourists and other healthcare consumers. The Pavilion will offer guided tours, interactive forums, and a wealth of information supporting health literacy, prevention and wellness, and those considering careers in healthcare. Hewlett Packard (HP), the world’s largest technology company, is designing a vendor-neutral technology infrastructure that will, as Tom Tillar, HP Principal for WPC, describes, “support one of the smartest and technologically advanced buildings ever developed.”

Current plans call for over 120,000 square feet of education and conference space that includes a two-story, 499-seat, fully digitized auditorium. Medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, healthcare associations, and WPC itself will offer events of all kinds, including accredited professional and medical education courses. ”

How will the proposed Cleveland Med Mart stack up to this multi-functional facility? Will Cleveland be building a Medical Mart that will be out of date the day it opens?

It’s hard to say without a business plan.