Financial Times magazine article on the impact of foreclosures in Youngstown. Download.

Yesterday, the Department of Education released the 2007 National Report card on reading and math for 4th and 8th graders.

US students score sweeping gains on tests

You can access Ohio’s results from the project web site. Ohio’s scores did not change significantly in reading or math at either grade level. Ohio’s students, however, scored higher than the national average.

Ohio students top national average on tests

In Europe:

Similar to recent stories from Germany and the Netherlands about life in Youngstown and the 2010 plan, France has now jumped into the mix with an article in Challenges, France’s largest business magazine…

i will shout youngstown: a smarter youngstown, plus propre, plus petit, plus vert

Is there a diff when it comes to your privacy?

Wired’s Jennifer Granick has a chilling editorial on what a new decision out of the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on cell-phone records means for you: law enforcement can now gain access to the record of where you’ve taken your cellphone, because “stored data” doesn’t get the same privacy protection that “live data” does…

Police can retroactively bug your phone for your breadcrumb trail - Boing Boing

From Mark Lefkowitz:

Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change, a study by the Urban Land Institute finds that people who move into compact, “green neighborhoods” are making as big a contribution to fighting global warming as those who buy the most efficient hybrid vehicles, but remain in car-dependent areas…

Go there for more and the links.

Do more, drive less in cool cities | GreenCityBlueLake

“Anyone have any experience they want to share re: living downtown?”

Really Bad Cleveland Accent: Where Would I Live? Part Whatever: Downtown

Sandy has a list up at About.com, but there’s probably more she could add…

Volunteering in Cleveland — Finding Volunteer Opportunities in Cleveland

I am not as down on Cleveland as Jeff is with all this public urination stuff, because I have seen other cities. There is a war going on in most cities in America between homeless people and the municipal government. In Atlanta, they have a team of lawyers working on ways to make it illegal to be poor. In Las Vegas and a few cities in Florida, they have decided that feeding people only makes more people poor and so they outlawed the distribution of food on the streets. Cincinnati, Austin, and Los Angeles are all developing ways to make it difficult to exist if you do not have a home. I would not be surprised if all these cities were meeting on a regular basis to compare notes on the best strategy to make their homeless population disappear through law enforcement…

clevelandhomeless: Interesting Post on Public Urination

Join us for next week’s Midtown Brews…with Habitat for Humanity and Meet The Bloggers

Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007
Time: 5:30 P.M - 7:30 P.M.
Place: Webtego
2530 Superior Avenue, Suite 600
Cleveland, Ohio 44114
Phone: 216-248-8700
Map link

Habitat for Humanity’s dynamic leader, Jeffrey Bowen, will join us for an open conversation about ReStore, GCHFH’s program to REuse, REcycle and REsell functional building materials and tools with proceeds to benefit Habitat’s mission to eliminate poverty housing throughout our community. Program info.

I sure wish they’d come under better circumstances:

Leaders of inner-city community organizations from nine cities in six states gathered this morning at Ernest Gardner’s house on East 113th St. to announce their new “Campaign to Save the American Dream” from predatory lending and foreclosures.

Callahan’s Cleveland Diary » Blog Archive » National lending reform campaign kicked off on E. 113th

• One Laptop Per Child - give one, get one
  (tags: Tech)
• Terra on being Car Free for a day
• No CEOs for Cities from Cleveland?
• Creativity and innovation happens at the intersection of fire and ice
  Economic gardening via CoolTownStudios
• UH to lay off 126 at Heather Hill
  (tags: News)
• Ohio Businessman Scammed By Nigerian E-Mailers: Court Deletes His 3-Year Prison Sentence
  Huh?
• Clovis Heald’s Slacker Exotica MP3s
  Ambient electronica from disquiet.com
• cleveland in oprah’s mag
  via cleveland foodie
• First Franchise Opportunity Search Engine
• DailyOM - Spirituality In The Workplace
  (tags: Spirituality)
• mark at eatingcleveland.com gets roasted
• WHY CLEVELAND IS FAILING
  from jeff buster
• How to Clean Your Sinuses
  Via instructables.com
• Working Mother Top 100: only 2 in Ohio
  Via writeslikesshetalks.com
• Low Rent Art Space
  from Dave Ruller’s Kent 360 Blog
• What makes a city sound good?
• Sage Lewis video re: facebook
  via cheezhead.com
• Carnival of Ohio Politics: Carnival Number 84
• Clerk of council files sexual harassment complaint with Ohio Civil Rights panel - cleveland.com
• “Hey, earthling I forgot one more question”, he said…
  From Pat Perry @ ERC
• Tech Czar Exit Interview
  Video excerpts from Mike Gesing
• Great Lakes Guy: Buffalo Ponders Potential of Innovation Economy

Got a limited number of comp tickets that Thomas gave me for BFD readers, so if you don’t have plans after work on Friday (or you feel like canceling then), drop me an email (use georgeATcoolcleveland.com) with you and your guest’s full name, company, and email address if you’d like to attend.

More questions:

I’d been worried that I’d have to find a job downtown, because my ability to get “just anywhere” would be limited. And with limited jobs downtown, I’d been double-worried. However, if I lived downtown, I could work practically anywhere.

Some concerns.

1. De facto pedestrian-friendliness. Yes, I know there’s a public square and ample sidewalkage, but Louise’s comment here scared me. Especially in light of this Cleveland+ YouTube video I watched a while back (skip ahead to 1:56, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. I’m not sure we should be promoting Cleveland as a place for New Yorkers with personal space issues to come and drive their cars.)

2. Food buying opportunities.

Really Bad Cleveland Accent: Backwards Cleveland, or, Downtown, Part II

Pittsburgh City Councilman Bill Peduto (well, Justine is there too) talks to the executive/artistic director about the research and development lab for artists, asking:

What role are cultural institutions playing in redevelopment of neighborhoods in Pittsburgh? How do art, culture, and history combine to create experiences that are unique to our city…?

Reform Pittsburgh Now » The North Side Part 1 of 2

Put up a few new videos at www.neohio.org:

Dorothy Baunach (CEO NorTech) speaking at the Ohio Venture Association luncheon on 9/14. Good overview of just how the NEOhio tech landscape looks.

Michael DeAloia’s MidTown Brews “Exit Interview” in 12 parts so you can browse by topic. The full audio interview is at Meet The Bloggers.

Entrepreneur Bert Gray gives his elevator pitch on his new biz: sort of a low-cost “OnStar” emergency service. Very innovative. Check it out then open your checkbook to support a local guy.

I’m really grateful for this. Nice work, Tim. Thanks for the link, Jill.

Today’s Plain Dealer in a Post

• Violent Crackdown Launched in Myanmar
• Councilman Brian Cummins on Airport Police
• CRIA takes down BitTorrent tracker
  (tags: Tech)
• A City in the Clouds
  From Smart City Radio
• Full-Soul-Ahead: Top Ten Reasons to Love Cleveland
  From Michelle O’Neil
• True that
  Via Jeff Hess
• JACK WHITE ON ROCK & ROLL STORYTELLING
  Via Austin Kleon
• TED Talks: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo
  Much as I try to avoid M$, this is amazing…
  (tags: photos)
• FCE’s work elsewhere
  Via Scott Suttell
• Joe Roman on the site selection process « Cleveland Medical Mart
  Uh, yeah. Thanks for that update, Joe.
• Writer wanted to co-author local historical/environmental book

An email from William:

I volunteered today for the first day of the fishing tournament. 100 fishermen are in Cleveland and loving it! The waters were really rough today. Some of the fishermen came across 5 ft waves. Even with the rough waters one of the fishermen got a weight of 37 plus pounds for 5 fish he caught. This is a great start.

The fish caught in this tournament will be clean and sent to the homeless shelters. Some of the fish will be tested by the Ohio Department of Wildlife to help determine the status of Lake Erie.

This has not been confirmed yet but Cleveland could possibly get an opportunity to host a tournament in the future that will bring $1 million dollars in prize money!

This tournament is predicted to have an economic impact of $5 - $9 million for Cleveland.

Tell all your friends and family to come down to the Convention Center for the free events. We need to show the FLW that Cleveland appreciates their business.

Greater Cleveland Sport Fishing Commission ~ FishCleveland.com

Real stories about struggling to grow a business here in Cleveland:

During this past graduating season we had found two very talented individuals that were originally from Ohio. Both had not given Cleveland much thought for their job searches. We got them to come up to our offices and also gave our pitch on the region. Both progressed to the point that they were going to get offer letters. They then let us know that they were picking up and heading to Chicago. This has become a trend with graduates that we are interviewing. One of the individuals didn’t have a job yet but was going and the other only had a couple month internship. They were going because their friends were going….

Recruiting to Cleveland: Steering the herd

• Radio Nowhere
  Via Bad American
• The perception that there are no jobs in Cleveland for recent college graduates
• Surveillance Cameras in Highland Square
  Via Pho
• Lila Hanft on Facebook affinity groups

Vermont is focused on building a creative economy based on entrepreneurship.

Download the Vermont report here.

In Cleveland, are we looking at our creative economy as an amenity or as a driver of economic transfromation?

Where is the proposed design district heading?

Does it still have momentum?

I haven’t been looking, but is anyone seeing news coverage of this?

Charlie Evans, CEO of FLW Outdoors did a great job at the City Club of Cleveland today. Charlie told the audience to get ready for the phones to ring off the hook in Cleveland. He is making it his personal mission to tell the world about Cleveland and its great fishery. He said Cleveland is sitting on gold. Charlie’s speech can go a long ways to assisting the Cleveland Plus marketing campaign for the region. CD’s of his speech can be purchased at the City Club of Cleveland. Once Charlie got back to the Convention Center, he met with a CAAO member who owns her own business. He is going to help her connect with some of the major sponsors of the FLW for business opportunities.

The FLW is also considering, in partnership with the Greater Cleveland Sports Fishing Commission to bring its #1 tournament to Cleveland, the Forrest Wood Cup. This event will bring thousands of fishing fans from around the US to Cleveland. The prize money for this event is $2 million dollars.

Please come out to the Convention Center this weekend. Cleveland needs to show the FLW that we want the Forrest Wood Cup in Cleveland on an annual basis. Tell your friends and family to come out! The Family Fun Zone opens up from 12 noon - 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Love my local libraries. You?

Seriously, folks, I can’t stress this enough: public libraries are starting to focus on circulation numbers at the expense of maintaining a broad, well-rounded collection. In this regard, Cleveland Public Library is an enormous, increasingly rare asset.

Really Bad Cleveland Accent: What Did I Tell You About Cleveland Libraries?

An email from Mati:

Hi, George - this wasn’t in this week’s CC, so I’m hoping you can blog/calendar it.

Eight women tell powerful birth stories of choice and coercion, joy and regret, empowerment and disillusion.

The play is awesome and I’m proud to be embodying one of the real women whose story was selected from over a hundred interviewed by the playwright.

This single performance, one of 35 presented throughout the country and the world as part of the BOLD (Birth on Labor Day) initiative, is a benefit for the Ohio Midwives’ Alliance. As many of you know, the midwifery model of care offers better outcomes with fewer injuries and greater satisfaction for mothers at a lower cost than conventional obstetric care, yet American midwives still attend far fewer births than their European counterparts.

If you’d like to see more mother- and baby-friendly birth care in the United States - come be inspired to speak out for normal birth. There will be a talk-back session afterwards and I’d love to see you all there!

BIRTH…
a play by Karen Brody

gather your girlfriends, daughters and mothers to join you for the BOLD (Birth On Labor Day) experience!

Saturday, September 29th
7:00 pm
Lakewood Masonic Hall Ballroom
15300 Detroit Ave
Lakewood, OH 44107
www.lakewoodmasonic foundation.org/findus/ htm

“Birth on Labor Day is an exciting, uplifting, and empowering answer to our nation’s childbirth crisis.”

Christiane Northrup, MD, author of Mother-Daughter Wisdom, The Wisdom of Menopause and Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom

Tickets:
$12 - advance
$15 - at the door

http://www.birthonlaborday.com/

• Social Media Newsroom
• In a conscious world, everything is alive…
  via jackzen.com
• The Daily JDA · What’s wrong with NEO?
  I’m not sure what to say about this…
• The Tech Czar on the Hanna Tech Hotel
  No, I haven’t been…
• Rosentraub steps down?!

This month, AlphaMicron will debut its new liquid crystal, color-changing garments and the first high fashion eyewear with AlphaMicron digital lens…AlphaMicron is working with Kent State’s School of Fashion to integrate fashion and technology through specialized courses.

Ohio Polymer Companies Launch Revolutionary Products

There may be lessons for Cuyahoga County in Toledo…

Sensing collaborative momentum in Toledo

Lucas County Goes Wiki

WikiLucasCounty.com

Reinventing Lucas County Goverment: Report of 21st Century Government Committee

The reporter, David Knox, uses a helpful device of story-telling to convey the message of census statistics.

Meet the family: Census data form American portrait

Roldo emailed this article:

The Shadow of Debt
Slavic Village Is Fast Becoming a Ghost Town. It’s Not Alone.

By Jim Rokakis
Sunday, September 30, 2007; Page B01

CLEVELAND

Let me tell you about a place called Slavic Village and the death of a girl named Cookie Thomas. You’ve never heard this story before — talk of housing markets and hedge funds, interest rates and the Federal Reserve has drowned it out.

Twenty years ago, the Slavic Village neighborhood of Cleveland was a tightly knit community of first- and second-generation Polish and Czech immigrants. Today, it’s in danger of becoming a ghost town, largely because a swarm of speculators, real estate agents, mortgage brokers and lenders saw an opportunity to make a buck there.

You could say it was because of them that 12-year-old Asteve’ “Cookie” Thomas lost her life on Sept. 1, shot in Slavic Village when she stumbled into the crossfire of suspected drug dealers. The neighborhood wasn’t always a haven for criminals — not until hundreds of foreclosures destabilized the community. Houses (800 at last count) and then entire streets were abandoned. Crime increased as vacant properties offered shelter to people who had a reason to hide…

The Shadow of Debt - washingtonpost.com

From this week’s PostSecret, fuck

Yeah, so do I.

• Geoffrey A. Landis
  Just finished “A Walk in the Sun” in “The Hard SF Renaissance”
• Jeff Hess calls on the Dali Lama to stop praying and to start marching

In the 21st century, there are only two kinds of people. Not Black or White, or rich or poor, or foreign or national. The two kinds of people in the world today are those who are educated and those who are not.

Will Globalization Destroy Black America?

While the specialty coffee industry seems monopolized by big chains like Starbucks and Caribou Coffee, it’s really still an entrepreneur’s business. Of the 23,900 specialty coffeehouses in the United States, 57% are independent operations with one to three shops.

Globalization in a cup

If you had a program that would shut down commenting after a certain number of days, would you use it? Why? How many days would you set it to if you did?

North Olmsted School Superintendent Cheryl Dubsky is another good candidate for a Meet the Bloggers interview.

“We need to talk together about 21st century learning and how to collectively help young people achieve the skills and attributes that will allow them to survive and thrive in the new global economy,” she said. “Teaching and modeling the skills of leadership, work ethic, collaboration, communication and problem solving are within the power of every individual and institution within a community and within this room.”

Dubsky: Globalization changing education

From Alexander:

That day, Rumsfeld announced a major initiative to streamline the use of the private sector in the waging of America’s wars and predicted his initiative would meet fierce resistance. “Some might ask, how in the world could the Secretary of Defense attack the Pentagon in front of its people?” Rumsfeld told his audience. “To them I reply I have no desire to attack the Pentagon; I want to liberate it. We need to save it from itself.”

The next morning, the Pentagon would literally be attacked as American Airlines Flight 77—a Boeing 757—smashed into its western wall. Rumsfeld would famously assist rescue workers in pulling bodies from the rubble. But it didn’t take long for Rumsfeld, the chess master of militarism, to seize the almost unthinkable opportunity presented by 9/11to put his personal war— laid out just a day before—on the fast track…

Watchdevil: Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, by Jeremy Scahill