Lisa Chamberlain:

There are very few public figures whom I would mourn more than Jane Jacobs. She died this morning in her adopted home of Toronto, where she moved with her family from New York City so that her son would not be drafted during the Vietnam war. Of course, her life and letters are well known by most anyone reading Polis, but her impact has been so personal for me and many others. Reading a magazine interview with Jane Jacobs many years ago led me to The Death and Life of Great American Cities (her seminal work published in 1961, although it reads as if it could have been written last year), which then took my journalism career in the direction of urban planning and design, economic development, and all the concomitant issues of city life…

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German Chocolate Ladies posted a photo:

Chilling at Dunn Bros. today after a 4 mile run and found out the beauty of a huge mug, I think it is 20 oz. mmmm yummy. Just what I needed to boost my spirits in the middle of the day.

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Along with Pavana:

inside/outside by many people at this tremont gallery on west 14th. i have hundreds of photos from art shows/rock shows, breakfast potlucks and whatnot, many of those photos can be seen here.
erin kray & r.a.washington aka rafeeq put in a lot of time at the inside/outside and viva libre books & music and their hardwork made the inside/outside my favorite tremont art-gallery. i believe the I/O was a must-see on tremont artwalks and was the only tremont art gallery that regularly had live original music via rock, punk, rap, r&b, free jazz, etc…

What’s going on here, Cleveland?

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Blogging and low-cost online marketing tactics work if you do it just right. Want some proof? Check out my latest blog marketing experiment. The key is in the delivery and message. My advice? Take a chance and get creative. You may just strike gold. It CAN be done, but only if you try.

Boston, April 19th, 10:45 am. It’s a packed room here for the online public relations panel at Webmaster World. A few minutes ago, the owner/founder of PRweb.com showcased my latest blogging experiment to a packed room of promotion hungry Internet marketers.

Now, not only do I know that Mark Cuban hates me, so do plenty of other people.

Listen to the podcast here.

From Kyle Kutuchief:

Today marks how far into the year the average woman must work in order to earn as much as a man earned by the end of the previous year.

In other words, in order to earn as much as the average man did from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005, the average woman has had to work from January 1, 2005 to April25, 2006…

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Brian blogs that it’s not just the Republicans that are campaigning against gays and lesbians.

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UPDATE: Tim Russo is calling for Dems to contact Bill Ritter and demand an apology. Eric Vessels posts his call.

Solar panels on the roof. Hybrid car in the garage. Organic-cotton clothes in the closet. Today’s envrionmental radicals vote with their dollars, and punch up their politics with style. By Daniel H. Pink from Wired magazine.

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OIC. Lou writes:

as i described in this entry what a asset the inside/outside was to the tremont community and how much it will be missed.
that statement is a fact but not totally complete. the I/O had their lease expire and was given short notice but enough to acquire a decent storefront (the place where the hispanic church vacated at 2891 w.14th) across the street from the old spot, the new gallery is now named “the church”.

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—-Original Message—–
From: Reese Butler [mailto:reese@hopeline.com]
Sent: Tuesday, April 25, 2006 9:48 AM
To: frank@docdel.com
Subject: Thanks to All!

Dear Frank,

Ten days ago, when you shared my message on the PostSecret Blog that the HopeLine needed urgent help, the most amazing thing happened - over 600 people responded with donations totaling over $30,000!

At our darkest hour, days from filing for bankruptcy, all of you saved us…

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How would it feel if after all the time you’ve put in on your blog, it suddenly disappeared from google altogether? And loaded at a crawl if someone actually did know where to find you and wanted to read your posts?

How would you like to pay more money for slower internet?

If that sounds good to you, say, $60 a month for dial-up speed access then DON’T click the link below and sign the petition. If you liked TV better when there were only 2 or 3 channels, DON’T click the link. DON’T sign the petition. If you wish that the only businesses you could shop at were big box stores, DO NOTHING. Because it’s easier to ignore stuff and wait for it to go away. A smaller internet will certainly be easier to keep track of. We won’t need to worry about googlejuice, technorati rankings or SEO if Congress passes this bill…

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Federal funding for research aimed at cutting industrial energy use faces the knife in Bush’s 2007 budget…

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From Adam Harvey:

The GMMC met for the final time in this funding round last night at the Cleveland Foundation. We had delicious Eastern European food from North Coast, recommended by Sokolowski’s. I particularly liked the stuffed cabbage. And I hate cabbage. Bob Brown from the Cleveland Planner’s office spoke to us about the update to the city plan and gave an overview of the types of activites that the office focuses on. It seems that they have input in a lot of different areas like safety and permitting, but not as much power, except in their own little fiefdom. A representative from Voices and Choices also spoke for a bit about their plan.

This was a tough crowd for her to speak to. Twenty community activists who’ve spent the last six weeks sniffing out the pr…

Wish I would have known about it. I would have had it recorded to post to Meet The Bloggers.

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Check out Scott Bakalar’s endorsement.

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Ohio is one of many states that gives low-interest loans to agricultural businesses. According to the Ohio Treasurer’s office: In order to apply and be considered for a reduced interest rate Ag-Link loan, a farmer must have a farm that is headquartered in Ohio, maintain 51 percent of the land and/or operating facilities in Ohio and be organized for profit…

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I’m not sure who Mark Chesler is, but apparently he doesn’t like Josh Rosen (who periodically comments here @ BFD, which I why I’m posting this) very much, enough to write this opinion piece, email it to me, the call me asking to get it publish. Hopefully, well get a few more details in comments to this post, then just Mark’s thoughts on it:

SCA�??s failure to properly vet potential vendors is a classic example of the inevitable pitfalls of delegating substantial operational control of a major development project to irresponsible, inept neophytes. This is the Rubicon where the insufficient rubber check meets the incandescent yellow brick road. Last time I inquired, despite legions of tree-huggers, Oberlin wasn�??t blessed with a biodegradable bond rating. SCA�??s profligate, pedigreed opportunists treat Oberlin�??s municipal reserves like Paris Hilton�??s trust fund..

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William Bryson (a guy who’s IT services I’d recommend after having a long talk with him about how he does business) has started a blog focusing on IT for the SMB healthcare provider:

US Congressman Phil Gingrey, MD testifies before Congress regarding the ADOPT HIT Act. The pending legislation proposes to accelerate the adoption of Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) measures through tax incentives that relieve some of the financial burden.

UPDATE: Forgot the link. Sorry!

Next up at AIV@ 5700 GalleryAIV@ 5700 Gallery—ARABELLA PROFFER

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Thanks, Jill.

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In vote largely along party lines, Democratic politicians lose effort to have FCC regulate “neutrality” on the Net.

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• Resonance: A Festival of World Music
  Performers in the Resonance Festival include Polis�?�
  (tags: Music)
• Cleveland is getting a spot on Monopoly
  I am still in warm San Antonio, Texas. I’ll be bac�?�
  (tags: Cleveland)
• Peirce for Governor Campaign to Reach Signature Goal
  We have now obtained more than 9,000 signatures�?�
  (tags: Ohio Politics)

OOOOOOH. F2TH.

Blog: Roughly 936 communities in 47 states have access to fiber networks that extend directly to people’s homes to deliver broadband…

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With gas prices near all-time highs, telecommuting is becoming a win-win for companies and their staff—leaving workers paying less for gas and offering hidden benefits for employers…

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rosieposiesmiles posted a photo:

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Do you realize that, so far, nothing that you’ve earned at your job this year is yours?

That’s right. Since January 1, you have been sweating your ass off working to satisfy the demands of greedy politicians and their cronies.

According to the Tax Foundation, April 26th is “Tax Freedom Day”, when you’ve officially paid off your debt of federal, state, and local taxes. Every day you’ve work from New Year’s day to April 25th went straight to the politicians. Today, you begin to work for yourself…

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From Bill Callahan:

Rep. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Ted Strickland voted for the final bill.

Yes, the bill that effectively wipes out community oversight of the cable industry. The bill that will allow nationally franchised video/Internet providers to redline neighborhoods and create “tiers” of Internet service. The bill that undermines net neutrality and threatens to “end the Internet as we know it.” That bill. They voted “yes”.

It’s no secret that I really don’t like Sherrod Brown. This just reinforces my opinion of him. Strickland? I’ve gone from being neutral on him, to seriously questioning his integrity. In both Meet The Bloggers interviews, when asked about technology, he talks about the conferences he convenes in his district. Guess what? For all the conferences he’s convened, he doesn’t understand much about the internet. Bottom line, Sherrod never had my vote, and Strickland just lost it.

UPDATE: Tim Russo wonders about the broadband that Strickland wants in rural Ohio. How do you think the telco providers are going to behave there if they can segregate bandwidth. That’s right, I said segregation. No one wants to talk about economic injustice�??so it’s safe to assume they don’t want to talk about digital injustice.

When is a landmark not a landmark? Let’s hope the answer isn’t when it stands in the way of progress:

Motivated by a communication from ODOT, sent at 5:33p.m. on the evening before the hearing, a majority of  Landmark Commission members voted to table the nomination until ODOT could make a presentation at the Commission’s next meeting. That’s right, the Commission that is supposed to protect Cleveland’s landmarks decided not to even begin consideration of potential landmark status because of ODOT’s request.

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Most of you BFD readers know that it really wasn’t until last year that I became deeply involved with politics, er politicians.

So, it’s with fairly new eyes that I look at what politicians are saying.

Make sure you look for the podcast of Lou Stokes shortly @ MTB.net.

Cory Doctorow: Frank Zappa sent a long, fascinating letter about the “Parental Music Resource Center” (a mid-80s music censorship outfit) elaborating on why he objects to censorship. The scanned letter, including its hand-addressed envelope, is available on Flickr…

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Scott Bakalar withdraws his endorsement of Ted Strickland over his vote against net neutrality.

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A couple of Telep’s cronies, err, campaign volunteers, have to wave at the traffic on 90-East from the overpass with a huge yellow sign. Two mornings together with all the rubberneckers braking from 55-20mph snarling auto movement. Oooh, look! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Telep!
Who was the genius behind that idea?

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DistractedMind posted a photo:

Even if I agree with the sentiment, I can’t condone scrawling on someone else’s bumper stickers.

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From Henry Gomez:

Thanks to George Nemeth and Chris Geidner for traveling to Youngstown (from Cleveland and Columbus, respectively) for yesterday’s annual Press…

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As if Net Neutrality isn’t enough to oppose COPE, there’s this:

This week, Congress could deal a serious blow to some of the few remaining checks on corporate domination of the media landscape.

The House Commerce Committee is debating proposed legislation called the COPE Act (or the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act). Critics point to two significant problems with the bill:

�??Community TV: Public access, government and educational (PEG) channels offer a rare opportunity for the production of local, noncommercial, community-oriented television. But the proposed bill, in a bid to allow phone companies access to the cable TV market, could undermine the ability of local communities to negotiate with cable companies to maintain these channels, or to expand their public interest space in the digital age…

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Draven_Stele posted a photo:

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Not posting this so much because of what it’s about (though that’s worth reading too), posting because of the allusion. Maybe Scott will spot me some PhoPoints to give to the knowledgeable person who can tell me where 27BStroke6 comes from.

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• Lost Ferret 4/26/06
  (tags: General)
• Adjustable Hot Sauce Turns Up the Heat
  Cool.
  (tags: chiles)
• Blog Reaction To Brown and Stricklands COPE Act Vote
  I can’t wait until Russell writes about this. Nice summary.
  (tags: Tech)

TechRepublic has posted a big old article offering 200 ways to revive a hard drive.

These aren’t your average software-related solutions - in general, we’re talking about some serious cross-your-fingers-and-hope-the-voodoo-works type situations. My favorite solution is giving the hard drive some good time to think about what it’s done in the freezer…

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From Michael Meckler:

Although Republican activists are drooling — and Democratic activists dreading — the prospect that the estimated $2 million Cafaro is dumping into the campaign will enable her to win Tuesday’s primary, I strongly suspect Cafaro’s future does not lie in the halls of Congress. After listening to her interview with Meet the Bloggers, I’m convinced Cafaro has a bright career ahead of her … on television.

Cafaro reminds me of no one more than Tori Spelling, whose mock reality series So NoTORIous is current running on VH1. Cafaro seems to realize how bizarre her life is compared to those of much lower net worth, and although she does not mock herself to the degree that Spelling does (or, for that matter, Paris Hilton), it certainly seems possible Cafaro could develop this self-ironic pose. And even if Cafaro often comes across as clueless, she also displays an innately disarming charm…

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From Hannah Fritzman:

Sure, Spiderman was being filmed on Euclid Avenue, but Spiderman wasn’t what made the street feel vibrant…it was the PEOPLE. There were more people on the streets than I have ever seen along Euclid Avenue. Where did they come from?! They came OUT OF THEIR OFFICES! Clevelanders, it shouldn’t take a Hollywood movie being filmed outside of our front doors for us to come outside, enjoy our surrounding and interact with others. Sure, the Hollywood movie is interesting to watch, but why can’t we come outside EVERY Wednesday? Why can’t we take a break from our work day and walk down Euclid Avenue to meet old friends?

I challenge each and every downtown employee and resident to take a moment out of every Wednesday to come outside and look around. Talk to people on the streets and before we know it, it will seem like a Hollywood movie is being filmed in Cleveland every day.

Fellow bloggers, how many of you would meet me @ Star Plaza and have lunch nearby at least one Wednesday a month? Who else will join me?

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Steve Goldberg is ready to move to Holland over COPE.

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“Ohio�??s economic prospects were weakened this week as Congressman Ted Strickland joined the Republican leadership in support of the Communications Opportunity, Promotion and Enhancement Act (or COPE) in a vote in the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The COPE Act which could dramatically limit open and unrestricted access to the internet by providers, is a unnecessary barrier to not only consumers but to entrepreneurs and small business. It will slow technological innovations, which would allow Ohio to become more competitive, and it will further discourage the adoption of the Internet in our poorest and least connected communities. It is also the latest in a growing list of anti-consumer votes that should have Democratic voters of Ohio wondering who Ted Strickland would represent if elected Governor…”

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A new economic impact study unveiled today shows that Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh provides quantifiable economic benefits to the region and is the Pittsburgh area’s most visited regional asset. The study was conducted by the Carnegie Mellon University Center for Economic Development…

What’s the economic impact of our libraries? Here we are wasting time studying the impact of casinos…

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Jeff Chester writes:

A sharp, very public, debate over network neutrality is greatly needed. That’s why we hope everyone will also speak out by sending word to Congress on where you stand on the issue (see SavetheInternet.org). Members of Congress need to make it clear. Are they for the handful of cable and phone giants who are engaged in a digital power grab of the Internet in the U.S.? Or will they side with Internet users and the general public?

But the entire Barton-Rush “Telco/Cable Broadband Monopoly Enrichment Act of 2006” has been written to ultimately benefit a few special interests. It’s not really a forward thinking broadband bill. It does nothing to address equitable access by the poor and low income Americans to the Internet; fails to protect online privacy; and undermines local accountability…

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I hope some of you will join me contacting Betty Sutton’s campaign regarding the copyrighted image they lifted from fellow blogger Scott Bakalar.

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Tim Russo is back @ DG:

If Ted Strickland can’t act with conviction in a situation where he pretty much has a completely free hand, how can anyone expect him to act with conviction when there’s trouble, when he’s got pressure from all sides?  When all the bettors have covered all their bases, when Ted’s got this PAC donor over here, that PAC donor over there, and somewhere in the middle are the people?  I guess Ted wants to keep them all guessing, to keep them all covering their bets.  What a fine display of leadership.

I’m pretty convinced COPE is the best way to completely fuck up the internet that’s come down the pike.  And that’s a big deal.  But what’s more troublesome to me is what this sorry episode says about our democratic process.  This is why voter turnout is pathetic.  It’s why people leave the Democratic Party.  It’s why people lose faith in their democracy. 

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• How to exercise your eyes
  Need this…
  (tags: How To)

What he said.

Don’t forget to contact your congressperson.

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I wanted to share what I wrote about the Global Night Commute which will take place tonight with all the readers of BFD. I hope any readers who are able will consider participating. If you can’t attend the event, in Cleveland or in your nearest city, you can at least write a letter to your Senator or to President Bush.

Thanks, George, for being so generous with your virtual megaphone!

Steve Goldberg shares an email of action steps to take if you oppose turning a distributed, shared service (you know, a PUBLIC service) over to private interest.

Gosh, that sounds like the definition of privatization, doesn’t it?

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Bill Callahan links to Neil Young’s Living with War.

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“WrongAgainKen.com–GREAT SITE paid for by Citizens for Jim Petro. Enjoy.”

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Betsey Merkel posts:

“Imprisonment is the new slavery for the black community. On average, states spend over three times as much per prisoner
as per public school pupil. What does that say about what we value?” excerpt The Covenant Statement of Purpose by Marian Wright Edleman, Executive Director, Children’s Defense Fund

On Friday, May 19, 2006 beginning at 8:00 p.m., Deuteronomy 8:3 Café Books & Music proudly joins communities throughout the nation in celebration for the Covenant with Black America, by hosting a “Covenant Conversation”…

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From the
About page:

Nine years after registering the notion for Restoration Source, I shopped storefronts for its first venture, Deuteronomy 8:3 Café Books & Music. I knew that it was to be a space greater than a bakery for “Fellowship Bread,” but rather a space that would sustain the entire notion of the restoration of communal mind, body and soul. A space where bread could be baked, bought and eaten, yes - but also a space where our intellectual and spiritual lives could be fed as well…

Campbell is coming back to Cleveland to start a business, Jane L. Campbell Consulting.

She said it will be a one-woman company for now, focusing on technology in government and economic development.

Huh? Technology in government? Economic development? Does she have significant accomplishments in either of those?

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UPDATE: Tim Ferris: “We don’t think we’ll be tripping all over ourselves to engage her consulting firm; judging from the PD article, she has one skill that sets her apart from and above all the rest, and this is what could be showcased in her new business’ name: BlameShifters. Or, should it allude to the mystery, the allegory, swirling around The Red Room ? What IS Cathy Panzica up to lately?”

Bill Callahan: “White West Side voters thought Campbell was too tight with Black people… so they went out and voted for the Black guy. What a bunch of racists.”

Tim Russo: “Today’s PD story about former mayor Jane Campbell’s Harvard ruminations on why she lost last fall is stunning. Simply stunning. Jane claims she was kicked out because of her race. Starting with Jane’s own mother, who drops this little bomb…”

spongepad posted a photo:

Every friday this advertisement greets commuters as they leave downtown Cleveland.

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From the actual �??recent comments�?� section at BFD Saturday 4/29/06 4:40 PM:

The scene: a booth table at a diner. 4 friends sit around the table talking about nothing:

Daniella: Mr. Ferris Quite right, I can be so rude as to use language that is quite objectionable but I won’t apologized because…Tim, This is totally gross…yuk, I am going back to paint.

TimFerris: derek– Whose ass you talking about there, junior?

Bill: George, you’re linking my name to the PD story, not my blog.

scottbakalar: no more Eggo’s? damn!

I could see it…

• Have a Cuppa Joe at The Ugly
  The Ugly Broad (the name of the bar, silly) in Brooklyn is now serving Phoenix Coffee
  (tags: Coffee)
• EMILY’s List and their Sticky Virtual Fingers
  Scott on the Emily’s List ad with Scott Bakalar’s image of Capri Cafaro
• Betty Sutton, Emily’s List: Do the Right Thing
  Excellent post from Jill.
  (tags: CreativeCommons)

Remember all those claims about how Iraqi oil reserves would pay for the invasion and reconstruction of Iraq? Yeah, me too.

I guess that was just another far-flung fantasy…or deliberate deception…of the Neocon war crowd.

Iraq Oil Outpust Lowest Since Invasion

If you check out End of Suburbia, it explains that oil reserves were magically inflated in the 70’s, when OPEC pegged production to the amount of reserves the country had…

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