Brewed Fresh Daily

While not obviously ED related, it is worth considering the following study linking high fat diets - especially those high in trans-fats - to learning problems. My conclusion - stay far away from trans-fats, and keep NEO kids trans-fat free, for the sake of a better learning workforce for the future... and there is clearly opportunity for any region and foods related business to lead and prosper from excelling in the healthy food sectors...

Inspired by the blogger driven audio recroding of Lawrence Lessig's book Free Culture, Alexander Kjerulf initiated a project earlier this year to produce a free audio version of Harrison Owen's latest book, The Practice of Peace. Thanks to the folks at Human Systems Dynamics Institute, the book is now available for download in all its mp3 glory. Readers from around the world contributed to the project, all of them (I believe) Open Space Technology facilitators. The Practice of Peace is the latest journey in Harrison's work with Open Space Technology. Since the book came out in 2003 it has spawned a variety of gatherings, projects and activities around the world. Have a listen.

"We shouldn't be so admiring of the factory jobs of yore. They were dreary, low-paid and repetitive and gave rise to strikes for a good reason. The safer course is to admire the machines that were made, but be thankful that today Americans have better jobs designing phones and selling boom boxes. "

A new retail study for a Chicago neighborhood discovered that for every $100 spent on an independent business, $73 went back into the local community. However, for every $100 spent on chain businesses, only $43 went back into the local economy. The study, completed by Civic Economics, the leading firm in the country for conducting these kinds of analyses, found that independents had 26% more of their staff locally, bought more than twice as much of their goods and services locally, kept more profits locally, and spent more on local charities. Check out more studies on how independents contribute more to you than chains here, and through a dedicated news resource at New Rules' Hometown Advantage reports.

Nathan Kelley, who graduated DePaul University in 1999, went to graduate school for a year. He then saw money being made in high-tech and joined a software startup in Chicago. When the company was bought by Accutel Inc. after six months, Kelley and five friends started up another software company � just as the tech bubble was bursting. His company soon shut down. "At that point, the bottomless pit of money had dried up," Kelley said. "When we went back to the well, it was dry." Kelley had no income, no health insurance and no way to pay living expenses � it was time to move in with his grandmother in Cleveland. For a humbling six months, Kelley searched for a job in consulting. When he finally found one and moved out, he cut corners wherever possible. "On any day, I could tell you the beer specials anywhere in the city," Kelley joked, adding, "I became a nicer person � that sense of invincibility disappeared." To survive the workplace now, many young people have had to start over on the bottom rung � not exactly the position many expected to be in five years after graduation. According to Alexandra Levit, a Northwestern University graduate who recently wrote the book "They Don't Teach Corporate in College," her age group has aspirations that are "way out of whack with reality." "They're very innovative, very entrepreneurial. ... There's a bit of a clash with managers, who are much more bureaucratic," she said. Kelley admitted that the last few years have been sobering. He now works at the Hospital Association in Cleveland, and is planning to make a down payment on a house soon. "It'd be nice to be sitting on a pile of cash right now," Kelley said. "But that'll happen eventually." Michael McCullough, a 1999 graduate of Appalachian State University, is also in the process of buying a house, but only after living with his parents for the past five years to survive pay cuts. It's a strategy Goodman said is common among today's young people. "There was no money to support living on my own," McCullough said. "I lived meagerly � didn't take on anything, didn't have credit cards." Home ownership remains out the question for many twentysomethings, though, especially those that live in big cities. Goodman noted that while mortgage rates are on the decline, down payments are often unmanageable for young people who haven't been working long enough to save.

"Wireless networking will drive adoption of advanced automated meter reading that reduces water, gas and electricity costs by up to 25%, according to a research study by ON World. With utility costs rising by as much as 10% per year, conservation is becoming increasingly important. ON World projects that fixed wireless endpoints will increase 52% annually until 2010 when 33 mln units will be shipped worldwide."

Hi George, Hope all is well with you. Thought I'd share an interesting little connection made courtesy of BFD. While perusing your blogroll one day I stopped on virtuallori.com. Checked it out and realized it was a high school classmate of mine. Turns out, she did the same with Creative Ink. We live down the street from each other (me in Bay, she in Avon Lake) and are meeting for coffee next week. Very cool. And just in time for the Berea High School Class of 1985 20th reunion, which Lori is chairing. Thanks for all your work on behalf of creative Cleveland. Best, Wendy Hoke

1. Vote! 2. Do the nitty-gritty work of supporting democratic elections 3. Give money 4. Read and write. 5. Listen and talk to people you don�t agree with. 6. Share the good news. Celebrate the positive. Thank your elected representatives when they act with courage. 7. Create community 8. Make a firm commitment to what you are going to do. 9. Don�t be attached to results. Persevere.

Cities identified as "cool" or creative by Richard Florida have more bloggers, according to Rob Goodspeed's analysis. These cities also have robust local online communities like Craigslist and Upcoming. Florida says the cool cities are those with more of what the creative class. He defined this class in a Salon interview:

The creative class is composed of two dimensions. There is the supercreative core, which are scientists, engineers, tech people, artists, entertainers, musicians -- so-called bohemians that are about 12 percent of the workforce, up from well less than 5 percent at the turn of the century. And subsequent analysis by Robert Cushing suggests that the supercreative core is really the driving force in economic growth. In addition to the supercreative core, I include creative professionals and managers, lawyers, financial people, healthcare people, technicians, who also use their ideas and knowledge and creativity in their work. I don't include people in service or manufacturing industries who use creativity in their work.

Would you say we have robust online communities? Do you have a blog? Do you use Craiglist or Upcoming? What about Ryze or Meetup?

posted by George Nemeth  # 10/25/2004 11:45:00 PM

"As I watched the seagulls, I thought: 'That's the road to take; find the absolute rhythm and follow it with absolute trust.'' - Nikos Kazantzakis

The natural world teaches us that life has a tendency to self-organize. Whether it's a measure to ensure longevity or an act of self-defense, finding order is a pretty useful tool for any species to overcome the adversity found in the wild. And it's no different in Cleveland, with arts entrepreneurs being the most adaptive bunch of all. While numerous plans are in the works to conquer our region's challenges, the people already putting pieces into place are those self-employed cultural pioneers who aren't paralyzed by the thought of change - or action. This is not surprising, given that most artists are notorious for trying new things...

"Regional Economics Action Links North East Ohio [REALNEO] is the optimal virtual social network for economic development and entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio (and the best in the world)."

"Last night we attended the opening concert of Red{an orchestra}'s third season. The Masonic auditorium in Cleveland hummed with sublime acoustics, and held us in its worn, yet undeniably beautiful embrace. The concert was entitled Franz Schubert: Unfinished/Refinished, and included Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony," some of his hauntingly romantic songs, and offerings by Luciano Berio, a soul brother of Schubert's in the arena of melodic composition. The final selection of the night, Berio's Rendering, was a captivating patchwork of Schubert sketches and Berio innovations, or as artistic director, Jonathan Sheffer writes, 'renovations.'"

SOCIAL ARTISTS are individuals who continually work on themselves so as to be humanly skilled to provide consultation, leadership, and guidance changing paradigms, values, legislation, laws, and structures of their societies.

"The mission of the Living Legacy Project is to transform the lives of individuals by having them examine their personal, family and cultural histories. Through the use of a powerful, comprehensive Core Program, which combines oral history research, creative writing and theater arts, individuals are empowered to make better choices that will build stronger lives and legacies."

"I advise CEOs to personally craft their company strategy. My favorite way to do this is not to write a 20 page document that no one will ever read, but simply to make a list of all the press release headlines they hope to issue during the next two years. What key announcements do they hope to make? Partnerships? Key Hires? Revenue Growth Announcements? Funding Events?"

At the Cleveland Ryze mixer tonight, I did an Open Space piece on Appreciative Leadership and the emerging conversation was compelling enough to inspire me to want to start a new version of AA. In Appreciative Anonymous, people suffering from deficiency perspective will attend weekly meetings where they declare their powerlessness over their empowerment in the presence of their AA sponsors who are dedicated to 24/7 support for folks slipping back into obsession with their deficiencies.

: "Personally I would be delighted to see the Mayor make a second-term campaign issue out of raising the incomes of low-income Clevelanders. That's the only way to get a mandate from the voters to do something significant. But look, if we want immediate action instead of talk, here's a proposal: Let's ask the Mayor to lead a high-profile campaign to pressure heavily subsidized private employers like the Marriott Corporation (the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton, still tax-abated after all these years) to raise all their employees' pay to the City 'fair employment wage' of $10 an hour. I guarantee that would lift hundreds of city residents across the poverty line. (Maybe some civic-minded organizations that are in the habit of holding conferences at these hotels could add their voices and rental fees to this effort.) And while we're at it, we could work to get Council to extend the Fair Employment Wage Law to major subsidized retail employers (who are currently exempt) before the city starts handing out abatements and loans to new malls and big-box stores."

"A third Poverty Summit is coming in December... I wonder if I can get a team from Case to go, to talk about how our university might be able to help."

"We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions. We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame. In the same way all disrespect for life, all hard heartedness, all indifference, all contempt is nothing else than killing. With just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is flowering every- where, but we only see a small part of it and step on much of it with our feet..."

The main problem was that the speakers were referring to the initiatives and efforts that were years old and they were complementary to an extreme. Taking nothing away from the efforts of the dedicated folks that have worked hard in these programs, to call these successful and pump up the mild achievements as progress is ridiculous. If they were, in fact, successful, then Cleveland would NOT be number one poverty city in the nation. Apparently, to our so-called leaders, "it coulda been worse" is their criteria of success. No surprise with that as their aspiration we are in this situation.

My good friend Paul, who I count as one person that has had significant impact on my outlook on life, writes a short passage on why he rode 121 miles in one day on his bike... he's addicted. And frankly, the addiction isn't one of substance abuse but of pushing himself to the limits and farther

The longer I bike, the more I realize that I am learning with each ride. I learn about limits, possibilities, heartbreak and accomplishment. And I learn about suffering. More and more lately, cycling to me has become about suffering -- where the real pleasure comes in the rebuilding of your mind and body, after you have torn everything down. Over a distance of 121 miles, the suffering comes as a battle between the physical and mental self. Using fuel where it can find it, the body begins the systematic process of deconstruction. First carbohydrates. Then fats and proteins. Eventually the body attempts to shut down muscles when there is nothing left -- the brain is literally, subconsciously attempting to preserve life. But there is something else between the shots of gel and sports drinks that pushes you forward -- a human element deep inside that does not let you quit. Even at mile 113, with your personal best beaten -- you pedal on, because you set the goal of 120 miles. You've come too far to stop now. So you turn the cranks. Pedal over pedal. Your mind wonders to places you rarely go -- facing the past, embracing the future and even contemplating parallel universes where little aliens ride bikes. Ultimately, this day, you have lived through an encapsulated journey that is symbolic of something bigger - a microcosm of life. The full spectrum of emotions well up as the body fatigues, until at times you are on the verge of breaking down, tears in the corners of your eyes and simply want to quit, but you don't. You continue. Always moving forward until that moment. The moment you step off the bike -- a moment of serenity where it's just your ragged body, a swift machine that shows no signs of wear and the sound of rushing air entering and exiting your lungs. The next day you are sore. Tired. Satisfied. And happy. Not to mention a few pounds lighter. All while filled with memories of blood racing through your heart at 196 beats per minute as you strained up a climb you had no business taking a bike up; floating through the day on the knowledge that you accomplished something you had never done before: 121. That's the joy that comes from suffering. The joy of being a cycling addict.

Cleveland resident and businessman Andre Morrison showed up ready to get to work on a plan to help Cleveland's poor. But he left Public Hall frustrated that he had no clear directive what to do. 'I know there's dialogue that has to take place and there's a process to go through, but at this point there has to be some kind of action plan along with timelines,' he said. 'I haven't heard any of that yet.'

Just about seven years ago I happened to find myself in San Francisco with a very pleasant man who was then an Office Assistant to the Secretary of Defense. We got along well, and he introduced me to several new ideas (mainly the "netwar" paradigm of warfare, which is genuinely a new paradigm in the Kuhnian sense, and which I'll return to in a later post). I came away feeling highly optimistic about, of all things, the US military. He'd assured me that "NO MORE VIETNAMS" might as well be carved above the West Point gates as Prime Directive, because "asymmetric conflict with amorphous networks of terrorists, who repurpose civilian technologies to terrible ends" was going to be where it was at from now on in -- and that Vietnam was always going to be what you got if you stuck with the old paradigm. In the days after 9-11 I often took comfort in thinking of this man and the ideas he represented. When asked what I thought the United States would or could do in response to the attacks, I surprised friends by saying that I believed the US military's intelligentsia already understood the true nature of the conflict better than the enemy did. And I still imagine that I was right in that. But the creative intelligence of my friend from the DoD, and so many others like him, prevailed not at all -- in the face of ideology, cupidity, stupidity, and a certain tragically crass cunning with regard to the mass pyschology of the American people. One actually has to be something of a specialist, today, to even begin to grasp quite how fantastically, how baroquely and at once brutally fucked the situation of the United States has since been made to be.

I'm asking you to peer pressure me. If you find the subject matter interesting, and you find the content worth reading, please visit the blog on a regular (or semi-regular) basis. If I know people are visiting, I feel more obligated to keep up the posting. And that's precisely what I want to do.

The fact that [Issue 1] is hateful and homphobic is enough of a reason to defeat it. Denying civil rights to anyone -- gays and lesbians, the poor, people of color, women, or anyone whom our culture has deemed marginal and expendable -- is unacceptable. Words attributed to a pastor in Nazi Germany in 1945 keep playing in my head. I've heard them more times than I can count, but I am hearing them today in a new and fresh way. They are a mantra to me as I renew my commitment to the cause of justice. "First they came for the Communists, and I didn�t speak up, because I wasn�t a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn�t speak up, because I wasn�t a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn�t speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me." - Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

"in ethiopia, coffee is not something you just go and grab, or something you get and go out on the highway and drink as you drive to work. . .it's for people to get together and talk about the community, about politics, about life."

"The ceremony is a daily part of life in Ethiopia, where coffee originated. The fresh beans are roasted in a metal pot until brown, then finely ground and brewed with boiling water in a clay decanter... coffee was served Saturday with a loaf baked bread, sliced by an Ethiopian elder who recited a blessing in Amaric

Friends, As you all know, I�ve been working this year with a team of Northeast Ohio�s leaders, including Lou Tisler of First Suburbs Development Council and Brad Whitehead of The Cleveland Foundation, to shape, fund and launch the Regional Buying Network. I am thrilled to share with you that First Suburbs Development Council has formally engaged Regional Purchasing, Ltd. (a new company I formed for this endeavor) as the project manager for a 9-month pilot project funded by The Cleveland Foundation. We are now officially underway!! During the course of the pilot project, we are committed to achieving the following objectives: Engaging a minimum of 5 FSDC communities to participate in the Buying Program. Offering at least 2 products/services to those communities for joint purchase through the Buying Program. Benchmarking consortia and buying groups across the country. Reviewing alternative approaches for structuring the relationships between FSDC, the vendors and the participating communities. Developing recommendations for how to launch this project region-wide. A short summary of the Buying Network vision follows: OBJECTIVES: Regional Purchasing, Ltd. proposes developing a mechanism that enables the Local Governments to easily work together to achieve cost savings, providing them with an economic incentive to collaborate and creating a greater level of trust and cooperation amongst local governments. To that end, we propose creating and operating a regional network (the �Network�), with the objectives of: � Achieving efficiencies in the operation of Local Governments. � Enhancing collaboration and trust between Local Governments. � Generating a pool of funds that can be utilized for regional economic development activity. UNDERLYING PHILOSOPHY: The basic thinking is that Local Governments provide a range of services (from plowing streets to police protection, collecting garbage to issuing permits) and house a broad array of operational activities (from staffing service departments to accounts payable, purchasing to fire protection). Some of these activities (e.g., zoning and police) may represent the core capabilities and responsibilities of the Local Governments; however, others do not. If those services and activities that are NOT core to a particular Local Government (the �Functions�) were optimally designed and aggregated from a broader perspective, not limited by existing geo-political boundaries, we would find that each Function could best be delivered within specific geographic areas (the �Zones�) ranging in size from the smallest township to the entire 13-county Region, depending upon the particular Function. PROPOSAL: Form a Network that identifies the Functions, those activities that are not core to the Local Governments. The Network would then determine the optimal Zones for each Function across the Region. For example, it may make economic and political sense to purchase road salt across the entire Region while coordinating dispatch or building inspection services across just three Local Governments. The Network would be charged with: � Identifying the Functions. � Determining the optimal Zones for each Function. � Negotiating the best deals for each Function within each Zone. � Engaging the maximum number of Local Governments to participate in the regional Network. The activities of the Network can be divided into 1) collaborative buying groups (�Buying Groups�) that secure volume discounts through the collective buying power of the Local Governments, 2) consulting services (�Consulting�) to recover overpayments, make cost-saving recommendations and provide highly skilled expertise in areas such as IT vendor selection, and 3) collaborative outsourcing efforts (�Outsourcing�) that pursue favorable pricing and terms for non-core Functions (from payroll services to garbage collection). Many thanks to each of you for your guidance and support during this incubation period. Thanks also to FSDC and The Cleveland Foundation for believing in the vision of this project. Also, I�m pleased to share that my wife Susan recently gave birth to our third child, Adrienne (Andie) Sarah Akers, who entered the world slightly ahead of schedule. Mom and daughter are doing well. For those who must know J, Andie was 17.5 inches long and 6 pounds, 1 ounce at birth.

If you are downtown on Saturday, Phoenix Coffee on Superior Avenue will be OPEN from 12 noon until 3 PM for a special event for MoveOn.org. LIVE MUSIC by PRS (hard core folk) on our new patio at 2 PM! Hope to see you there! I'll be working the counter, so come watch me screw up orders!

Yesterday evening, I attended an event at Key Tower called the Connection Series with three of the Senior Class officers from Max Hayes. The evening involved networking, discussion, and a hands on activity creating a collage/mural. The topic was future visions of Cleveland, and the participants were Clevelanders with civic concerns and entrepreneural spirit. I love being able to give my students the opportunity to interact with community leaders in activities where they are participants as opposed to observers. I was so proud of them. They dressed professionally, conversed easily and made a great impression. Although they were young, they did not seem out of place. I felt just like a parent at a child's coming-out party. These kids have a very bright future ahead of them.

In leadership there are three don'ts: when there is much to do, don't be afraid: when there is nothing to do, don't be hasty; and don't talk about the opinions of right and wrong. A leader who succeeds in these things won't be confused or deluded by external objects.

Bizarro's PolitiComedy-A-Go-Go AT the B Side Liquor Lounge - Coventry - Cleveland Heights Monday, Oct. 18 8:30 p.m. $10 at the door Dan Piraro, New York-based creator of the newspaper comic, BIZARRO, has assembled a quartet of liberal wisenheimers to reach out to voters and take shots at Genghis Dubya and his Millionaire Marauders. Not the sugar-coated, corporate-approved drivel you�re used to seeing on TV, but an evening of unrestricted freedom of speech from some of America�s brightest comic minds. Touring the nation since April, their final push before the �election� is through Ohio in mid-October. Comedy club favorites Brian Malow and Michael Capozzola from San Francisco, and Jeff Kreisler, also from New York City, join Piraro in this honest, hard-hitting, liberal slamdance in the tradition of political comedy of the sixties.

Hard hit by globalization, it's lost almost 250,000 jobs in the past four years, many of them to China. Unemployment is above 15 percent in some counties, and Cleveland is now the nation's poorest big city. But the President's still in a dead-heat with John Kerry, and Ohio's being called an essential "swing state." In tomorrow's final debate on domestic issues, what do Ohio voters want to hear? If it's not just the economy, what about homeland security and social questions, like abortion and gay rights? Warren Olney finds out, in a conversation with journalists, economic experts from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Case Western Reserve University, and a steel worker displaced by outsourcing.

For years, the Economic Development Administration focused on infrastructure projects as a way to spur economic development. This strategy is rooted in the Depression-era roots of the organization, no doubt. Now, however, the EDA's leadership is focused on the core issues facing our long term competitiveness: innovation and workforce skills. As David Sampson, head of the EDA, recently told an audience in Tucson: "Innovation is the only sustainable source of economic prosperity."

2. We want to do business in a way that supports abundance rather than scarcity. 4. We want to base our performance on what we appreciate rather than what we fear 7. We want to trust in our happiness as a more sustainable motivator than our unhappiness. 8. We want to spend more time measuring that which we want to increase than what we want to decrease. 11. We want appreciative leaders who seek the optimum rather than maximum or minumum 12. We want to respect the profound differences between leadership and management in the growth of an organization. 14. We want to fill leadership positions with people who have leadership capabilities. 19. We want to understand our "weaknesses" as strengths used at the wrong time 27. We want to help everyone understand that they already have what it takes to succeed. 28. We want to understand that success is about alignment. 36. We want organizations designed to allow everyone to share in networks of leadership. 45. We want leaders who are more passionate about collaboration than hierarchy. 53. We want organizations known for creating entrepreneurs. 57. We want to create learning organizations.

"The thing that is really hard and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself." -Anna Quindlen

Can I just tell you how much I love my house? I totally don't get it when people move to a mcmansion in the suburbs. I mean I can walk to dinner and a bazillion different places, the library (which btw has totally righteous hours), and I have about a 10 minute commute (to the 'burbs). Of course I was living in a condo in the same city for the past 6 years but home ownership is so awesome. I mean I can change the plumbing, take a hammer to anything I don't like, and learn all about the past century of electrical wiring. My friend told me about Lakewood Alive this weekend. Get involved!

My city � Cleveland � is a fascinating place to wander about. It is a nitty-gritty, diverse sort of place with quirky old buildings full of charm and hidden patches of overgrown weedy lots waiting to be reborn. Her neighborhoods are ethnic conclaves, some trendy, some decaying, waiting with gifts for the savvy fl�nuer who knows how to look.

A new form of anarchy has evolved in the current period -- one that involves not only the absence of a highest authority but that also encompasses such an extensive disaggregation of authority as to allow for much greater flexibility, innovation, and experimentation (Rosenau, 1995).

There are some core principles necessary to an understanding of Panarchy. These key dynamics provide the foundation from which a discussion of the individual components of Panarchy can emerge. Panarchy's core principles are as follows: * Communicative, or network, effects * Relational identity * Replication and recombination * Absolute gains * Transparency

Cleveland needs to build a skilled workforce in order for it to maintain or attract business. The mission of Max Hayes High School is to build a skilled workforce. We have been working very hard to develop new programs, and raise academic acheivement levels. This year, the district is broke. By now you are all familiar with the stories. Fewer teachers, bigger classes, no money for textbooks, materials, transportation, substitutes, field trips. You name it, we don't have it. To fix the problem,the district is running a levy in November, pinning all of their hopes on an issue that begs more money from the poorest population in America, the residents of Cleveland. I recall an old saying my grandfather usd to say, "You can't get blood from a turnip". So what will happen to the great programs we've begun at Max Hayes without the money to sustain them? Hmmm...How does the private sector solve this problem? They raise the money. I've been to many benefits for various arts organizations and charities. These organizations seek patrons and ask for support. Why can't we do that at Max Hayes? The Cleveland School of the Arts does it. What if we could get financial help from the corporate, business, and manufacturing community? I've decided I would like to organize an event or benefit which would taget the business community and raise money for tools in the shops and materials for academic classes. We desparately need money for things like nails and lumber in the construction classes, and gas and metal for welding. Money is needed to replace broken tools, and pay for paper and copying. We also need to replace missing textbooks that cost $60-$100 apiece. Trouble is, I've never done anything like this before, and I could use some advice. If any of you have some experience with event planning, or know someone who does, and wouldn't mind spending a little time sharing your expertise, let me know. I am sure the community would support a fundraiser like this, and I really want to do it right. Any suggestions?

Why does Athens have such a strong sense of community? The business manager of Athens Weekly News, a popular local political paper, answered this question last week while in a focus group of the community's creative leaders - "Because nobody's trying to get rich at this table."

"[W]e want to invest in the creative, innovative jobs of the future."

People feel like they need to compete for time, energy, space and money when they feel like there "isn't enough". When people feel like there "is plenty", they are more likely to want to collaborate.

"Starbucks is now teaming with Jim Beam to create a line of Starbucks-branded liquor to be sold at retail and in bars."

Budweiser is rolling out BE beer which contains caffeine, guarana and ginsing. Now, those who choose to get drunk on beer can now do it wide awake while experiencing caffeine-induced heart palpitations.

We now as a community have established committees to study what to do about poverty in Cleveland. Again. After the embarrassing news that Cleveland ranks No. 1 in poverty, Mayor Jane Campbell and other political, civic and corporate leaders jumped all over the issue. They launched a new examination of poverty and what to do about it. Haven�t we done this before? Haven�t we done this in some form a thousand times before? Does anyone remember the U. S. Civil Rights Commission hearings of 1965 in Cleveland to examine poverty, its causes and its consequences? Does anyone remember Mayor Carl Stokes 1968 Commission on Welfare in Cleveland? Or the 1990 study, �An Analysis of Poverty and Related Conditions in Cleveland�s Neighborhoods?� Or the 1992 Cleveland Foundation Commission on Poverty report on the long-term strategy for eliminating poverty? I don�t think we need another committee of muckity mucks to study or examine poor people and tell us what to do. We�ve already had too many examinations. What we need is a community-wide study of wealth, racism and greed.

It may be a relatively new technology but local councils believe Wi-Fi has huge potential to improve the delivery of traditional services and regenerate deprived urban areas. In a move designed to find the best ways for local authorities to roll out wireless broadband networks in cities, the government is backing a major new initiative by Lewisham council to introduce real-time wireless access across the borough... The council's vision is that new wireless networks will provide efficient support for the likes of social workers, who will be able to carry out real-time assessments by remotely accessing files stored on back-office systems. And on a wider basis, officials feel the new network could play an important role in economic regeneration, by encouraging new IT businesses to be based in the area... One of the attractions of wireless networks for financial directors is that mobile working gives councils the opportunity to generate considerable savings by reducing and selling expensive traditional office space.

"Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life." - Bertolt Brecht

I am not a systems thinking expert but my view is that 'closed' systems [tend] toward mediocrity. My view is that Ohio is a closed system, meaning the vast majority of people who live here were born here. Coming from Chicago this was a new environment to me, I was used to more transient residences. (a non-closed system) I think one of the key ways to enable change is to bring as many new elements into the system as possible.

The RTA's new station is believed to be the first �green-built� rapid transit station in the nation and perhaps the only one of its kind in the world. The result of a collaborative effort by neighborhood residents working with planners from EcoVillage, Detroit-Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO) and the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), the station has many environmentally friendly features and construction materials. The $4 million �green-built� station is considered a centerpiece of EcoVillage, the neighborhood within a five-minute walk of the station.

The world is upside down because there is so very little love in the home. We have no time for our children; we have no time for each other; and there is no time to enjoy each other. That is why there is so much suffering and so much unhap- piness in the world today. Everybody seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for what is bigger and better and greater, and mothers and fathers often do not have time for each other, let alone their children. In the home begins the disruption of the peace of the world.

"Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man." - Francis Cardinal Spellman "What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts, and experiences otherwise than we do�?" - Friedrich Nietzsche

"My formula for greatness in man is amor fati: that a man should wish to have nothing altered, either in the future, the past, or for all eternity. Not only must he endure necessity, and on no account conceal it -- all idealism is falsehood in the face of necessity -- but he must love it." - Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo

An advocate for the arts, and a fan of coffee shops, cell phones, "Sex in the City" and martinis, I must certainly fall into that classification of "creatives" Jim referred to. It is true...we do think, we are hip, yes we are sexy, and Jim is absolutely right, we won't save the city. Read carefully what Jim has to say. He is not attacking what we do, simply offering a reality check. The arts are essential to the quality of life. They add the flavor, the spice. Jobs, education, and safety are the meat, the potatoes, and the vegetables. Although I am an art teacher, I am fully aware that if Johnny can't draw, or paint, or sing, he might still be successful. Without reading, writing or math skills, he will certainly fail. Jim is reminding us that as a city in crisis, we cannot afford to lose sight of what our priorities should be.

This morning I woke with a hunger for spiritual reflection, and found my way from Reverend Lois' blog, Heart at Work, to the Cassandra pages which are in Rev. Lois' blogroll to a reflective article by Sister Joan Chittester on her recent journey to Japan. Finally my mind alighted on her invitation to practice lectio divina on three quotes with the shared theme of kindness. I will spend time today and ever after meditating on becoming one with these words.

How many times have we worried about outcomes and hedge our bets with partial efforts or splitting concentration with finding angles to spin the results? The "white" lie, the manipulation of people to support us ...or to take the fall. The "managing" of risk before committing, or even out and out waiting on the sidelines and cheer for the team that is obviously going to win. The metaphors to civic or entrepreneurial efforts are obvious in our community.

"Hey do you want to see the homework I finished for my MEMS class tonight?" "Of course." "What's a MEMS class?" a boy at the table asked. "It's a class Ms Matthews told me about. It teaches us about Microsystems, tiny little parts for computers." "Night school? With homework? You fail something?" "No, you idiot! It's about learning something new so I can get a good job, and it's really cool. They're even going to give me $75 dollars to pay for the bus to get there. My mom drives me though, and she's going to let me keep the money." "Ms Matthews, I want to be in MEMS" the boy at the table pleaded. "Keep talking to Shenandoah. She can tell you when the next session will be starting." The smile that started on my face was spreading through my entire being. I just wish that Bob Schmidt, Colin Drummond, and Fred Lisy could have seen the excitement on Shenandoah's face, and heard the pride in her voice. I wish they could see the interest on the faces of her classmates. These men are not only growing a specialized workforce for their companies right here in Cleveland, but they are changing lives. Three of my students are attending the fall session of the Microsystems Academy.

A century ago, Cleveland�s leaders didn�t think much about being cool. They thought about becoming rich and powerful. They single-mindedly built business empires, and they created thousands upon thousands of jobs. After they became rich and powerful, they bought themselves art and culture, and spent huge chunks of disposable income repackaging themselves as civic philanthropists and art patrons.

Let�s start with reviewing and then restricting tax abatement, producing living-wage opportunities for the working poor, and offering free job training and affordable higher education to all qualified residents. On the ownership side, we must help small manufacturers modernize, actively support urban-based retailers, and grow clusters. In all this, we need to act regionally.

Cleveland recently received the staggering news that it was the poorest major city in America, a place where 31 percent of its people lived in poverty and median household income was last among cities. As Clevelanders were still reeling from this news, the Cleveland Plain Dealer posed some intriguing questions aimed at suburbanites: "Does poverty matter if you are not poor? Does urban poverty touch life in Bay Village, Hudson and Chardon? Does a sinking Cleveland drag down Northeast Ohio?" The answer: Yes, but in ways that are difficult to describe. Some interviewed by the newspaper thought that Cleveland's image problems would rub off on the suburbs, making it harder for them to attract highly educated people and companies from outside the state. Others said social problems, like teen pregnancy and failing schools, would seep outward. "When a hub like Cleveland begins to decline, the problems don't stop at the border," warned one expert. "They tend to have larger ripple effects." But the greatest effect may be on the self-image of the region. People in the suburbs derive much of their identity from the city and its institutions (cultural institutions, sports teams, entertainment districts, etc.), and when the city does poorly, it hurts their view of themselves. This was expressed by several people the newspaper interviewed at a swanky nightclub in Cleveland's hip warehouse district. Said one man, who lives in suburban Willowick, "People hear, 'You're from Chicago? Holy smokes, that's a cool town,' " he said. "I want them to say that about Cleveland." Said a teacher from Mayfield Heights, "When I go to another state, I don't say, 'I'm from Mayfield.' " She says she's from Cleveland. "This is my city," she added. "How can you not care, really?"