Brewed Fresh Daily

Ever hear of the Ithaca Hour? Believe it or not, it's a local currency, printed in Ithaca, N.Y., accepted by about 400 local businesses and is, apparently, completely legal. (Taxes must be paid on goods bought by Hours, just like those bought by dollars.) The Hour is the brainchild of Paul Glover, who printed his first batch in 1991 as a way of boosting the flagging local economy. (To learn more, visit the Ithaca Hour web site by clicking here.) Slowly, the idea has caught on. Local currency boosters say there are now about 20 other cities around the country passing around some kind of home-grown greenback. Latest to consider it: The Cleveland suburb of Lakewood, where city council member Denis Dunn is pushing for a currency he'd like to call "the Kirtland," after a prominent 19th century resident. What's the benefit? Local currencies are intended to keep money circulating locally, and the more times a dollar "turns over" locally (that is, is used to buy local goods and services rather than stuff sold by out-of-town companies), the wealthier the community becomes, economists say. "Since this is money with a boundary around it, it bounces around," Glover explained. "It shakes more hands than dollars do." What does it take to start a hometown currency? Basically, a "bank" to exchange dollars for local scrip (a bookstore pays the role in Ithaca, Lakewood promoters want to use the chamber of commerce), a respectable number of merchants willing to accept it, and citizens willing to spend it. Nice side benefit, said Glover, is that people get to know their hometown businesses. "It helps weave people together as fellow community members," he said. Footnote: So what's an Hour worth? $10. It's also available in Quarter Hour and Half Hour denominations. Why called Hours? In 1991, it was thought that most people's hourly wage would be about $10.

Virgina Postrel's The Future and Its Enemies suggests that people interact along a continuum between dynamism and stasism - people who thrive on change and learning and people who thrive on predictability and repetition. I'm now seeing a new hybrid in the civic space, pseudo-dynamists. These are people calling for new projects and changes that further strengthen the status quo. Examples: industrial age convention centers, agrarian public hearing events, and stone age economic protectionist policies.

Amidst all the darkness, all the sorrow that has visited me lately - I found this posted on a blog where I now have the honour of being mentioned. Brewed Fresh Daily - a blog about NE Ohio. This was one of the recent posts there... The reason why *I* decided to post this myself is because last year, right before the holiday season, when I was 'finding out' about what my husband had done to me - to us - to himself - to our marriage, a friend of mine (and a Yoga student of mine) sent me this link...I have now come full circle to that, and so I have put this up to remind myself and all of you out there - all the people I love, all the people I have problems loving, and everyone in between - that there is hope. There is always hope. There is always love and kindness deep within each of us - we just have to know where to look for it. And while I don't want to get cheesy or corny I felt that this link conveys that message beautifully. I will post more later - but I want you all to think about this message from this link. Be thankful. As a friend of mine said to me recently; paraphrasing a 'prayer' he had heard - we should be thankful not only for what we are given, but for what has been taken from us as well. It's all an opportunity for learning, for healing, for forgiveness, and most of all for grace. May you all find the grace in your lives that will help you to live each day you have here on this earth to the fullest. You are exactly where you need to be right now.

Ranging from international trade to community kitchens, the common thread woven through all these projects is the desire to feed people well in all senses of the word, do business more justly, provide opportunities for dignified employment (whether as a farmer, a food artisan, or in restaurants), bring people together, and ultimate transform food culture.

"There are two types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells come from an embryo -- the mass of cells in the earliest stage of human development that, if implanted in a woman's womb, will eventually grow into a fetus. When the embryo is between three and five days old, it contains stem cells, which are busily working to create the various organs and tissues that will make up the fetus. Adults also have stem cells in the heart, brain, bone marrow, lungs and other organs. They are our built-in repair kits, regenerating cells damaged by disease, injury and everyday wear and tear. Adult stem cells were once believed to be more limited than stem cells, only giving rise to the same type of tissue from which they originated. But new research suggests that adult stem cells may have the potential to generate other types of cells, as well. For example, liver cells may be coaxed to produce insulin, which is normally made by the pancreas. This capability is known as plasticity or transdifferentiation.

At least around these parts, it's fairly well understood that some of the best job referrals come from friends, family, and past colleagues. In other words, the good job leads come from your social network. This is not new--at least in the tech world. I've seen many examples of folks who got jobs because of contacts they made on e-mail lists, in newsgroups, and at technical conferences. And it's common around here to see groups of people who've worked together in previous jobs. For example, there's a group of engineers who all left SGI in the same timeframe and ended up at Yahoo. This happens quite often--especially with startups. I also know of folks who are in their current jobs because of things they've said to largish audiences. They build up an audience by writing for a magazine, trade publication, or maybe by writing a book. In doing so they established their reputation and people began to see them as thought leaders in a particular field. That made them more valuable to the publication and more valuable to potential employers. Traditionally, this type of publicity and opportunity has been limited to a much smaller group of people. There are fewer slots available and the barriers to entry are higher. The interesting thing about weblogs is how they are able to enable both of those while lowering the barriers to them at the same time. By starting a weblog and sticking with it, you find yourself knowing more people who you'd have otherwise never met. But more importantly more people will come to know you. And at the same time, you're writing and writing frequently. If what you say is interesting to enough people, that reputation builds quickly.

It went great! I was so proud of my staff and of our customers, both of whom understood the spirit behind the whole promotion, which was shopping local and keeping money here in Cleveland rather than sending it out of town with the national chains. I would strongly encourage other local business owners to come up with other oddball, interesting promotions to do for next year so that we can promote Unchained America day. We have had some sales bounce at both our Cleveland Heights and our Lakewood stores, so that has been nice as well. I think Clevelanders do want to support us locals, they just need encouragement to do so. As a result of this promotion, one of my brilliant baristas, Marcie, came up with a travel mug promotion which we are planning for January. We are getting travel mugs printed with the attached graphic on them. And when customers bring in mugs from a national chain and trade them in, they can get a Phoenix travel mug for half price. Then we are going to do something funny with the old Starbucks, etc, mugs, such as spray painting black Xs over the starbucks logo and putting them in a trophy case or something like that. Haven�t figured out that detail yet. But we are definitely going to do the trade in thing.

A successful leader will:

• communicate his or her vision and values and come across authentic;
• demonstrate genuine concern and understanding for others in the organization;
• foster a sense of coherence and community in the midst of complexity and constant change;
• create confidence and enthusiasm so that individuals will want to do what's difficult;
• give people what they need to succeed, including criticism and support, while also encouraging them to exercise their own best judgement;and,
• accept the mantle of leadership, recognizing that advancing the organization, not the leader, is fundamental.

For 24 hours, millions of people around the world do not participate -- in the doomsday economy, the marketing mind-games, and the frantic consumer-binge that's become our culture. We pause. We make a small choice not to shop. We shrink our footprint and gain some calm. Together we say to Exxon, Nike, Coke and the rest: enough is enough. And we help build this movement to rethink our unsustainable course.

Check out this article from Women�s eNews about the mothers' fight to feed her baby in public. After writing a post this summer on the infamous breast-feeding protests at Starbucks, it�s sad to find that the lactating ladies are still having a hard time. Despite the breast-feeding campaigns that have been spreading across the nation, and although over 30 states already have laws protecting breast-feeding in public, women are still continually being violated of their rights by being asked to cover themselves up. Are there really so many people concerned with this �public indecency� of a woman, or does society have a hard time accepting the breast�s natural function due of its over-sexualization, as Mary Lofton of La Leche League International suggests? Both seem pretty evident to me. After you check out the article, take a peek at La Leche International�s website. La Leche International is an advocacy group for breast-feeding. Very interesting stuff.

• Dott Schneider: "I'm thankful that... I'm surrounded by extremely talented and intelligent friends."
• Jack Ricchiuto: "[T]oday is the best holiday because it's simply about gathering, feasting, and storytelling. It's the celebration of this sacred trinity that sustains us.
• Lois Annich: "In this last year I've witnessed a number of happy, surprise endings to perplexing, even heartbreaking, situations. Thank goodness we are not in control, that our dire predictions don't always come true, and that we don't get what we deserve or expect. It really isn't over 'till it's over...."
• Sandy Piderit: "This year, I feel like my cup is overflowing. For the past week or so, I have been in a place where I have recognized the merits of slowing down, noticing the beauty around me, and allowing me to hold my sense of wonder in the center of my focus for a moment, before moving back to the unending to-do list. Will I remember how to get back to this place next week, when I go back into a grueling work schedule? Will I take the time to buy some extra food at Zagara's and drive it down to the Cleveland Food Bank? Only time will tell. At least for today, I hope to stay centered in this feeling of gratitude and wonder. Life is good, and I am profoundly grateful."

We had a small victory in East Cleveland this week. Some days ago, Vic Voinovich and I met with representatives of GE and Nela Park. Although they expressed concern about the long term trends in the city, their most immediate concern was far more mundane: fixing the traffic light at the end of their driveway. Yesterday, Alfred Miller sent around an e-mail to let us know that the light had been fixed. After nearly six months of GE trying to get the light fixed, it's done. The light had become a symbol of how desperate East Cleveland has become. The City is simply stressed beyond limits. Day to day functioning cannot get done. We can easily find problems and excuses. But on this day of Thanksgiving, we should set aside some time for deeper questions. What are our shared responsibilities, especially to the children of East Clevleand?

You won't read about Web Pods and Vital Video in The Plain Dealer because, quite frankly, they are embryonic and unstable. There are so many nascent businesses like them that I couldn't justify them as news over any others. But every now and then, we need a reminder they exist. If things break the right way, you will read about these guys in a year or two or 10 when they make big news.

Kanter argues that effective leaders have a deep belief in the effectiveness of other people. They generate reinforcing success cycles within their organizations. She goes on to point out that "Losing streaks are associated with autocrats who cling to control even as events spin out of control." These insights apply, as well, to civic leadership.

[T]he music for the entire class could have come from my own collection: it was a blissful afternoon of all the brian eno/harold budd/john cale you would want to listen to while standing on your head.

As it says on the "What's Next" page on the Appreciative Leadership site, this will be an Open Space book whose evolution will be inspired by questions I collect online and in daily conversations. If you want to add questions you're like to see the book address and ponder, post them here, send me and email, call me or buy me a beverage that works for you - or post them on the What's Next page.

Over the long haul, the key to regional sustainability is the diversity of its ecosystem. A metro must be able to innovate, start, grow and attract new firms continually to augment the diversity of its economic ecosystem and replace larger, older firms that may stagnate, exit or even disappear. Entrepreneurial capacity and behavior are prime drivers of economic growth and job creation. Entrepreneurs are necessary visionaries of the economic potential of new technologies and how to apply them to business concept innovations. Regional economic dynamism is epitomized by fast-growing, entrepreneurial companies. For a metro area to be successful over the long haul, it has to have capable entrepreneurs. The very foundation of the theory of clustered economies rests upon the dynamic rejuvenation capability of the cluster. Over the long-term, cities with strength in entrepreneurship will be among our Best Performing Cities � large and small. Capital Access: "[M]etros that develop deep private capital markets are poised for expansion." Human/Creative Capital: "A successful metro will develop, nurture and support a growing knowledge-based economy." Innovation Capacity: "Investment in R&D strengthens local research competency and attracts further investments by the private and public sectors in a process of dynamic feedback loops. Access to the latest innovations is attractive to companies because it provides them with an important source from which to create a competitive advantage over businesses without such proximity. It�s not just about the research, but what is done with it that counts." Globalization/International Integration Attributes: "Regions must link to the global economy. Clusters linked to the outside world offer access to an industry�s best practices and latest developments. A metro area�s global orientation ensures expanding markets for its firms. Each city�s network of public and private institutions plays a key role in determining the locale�s competitiveness - maximizing the rate of return on assets. A 'best performing city' values and nurtures all of these ingredients."

The New York Times reports on the rise of Hispanic women launching businesses:

Hispanic women are opening businesses at a rate far higher than the national average, a new study shows. To Tina Cordova, a Hispanic entrepreneur, the reason is obvious: economic desperation. While white women in the work force make about 77 cents to every dollar earned by white men, according to data from the 2000 census, Hispanic women are paid 53 cents.

Hi George, I was just going through my notes from attending the REI Future Forum last week. One note caught my eye, and I thought you might find it a worthwhile discussion topic: �Northeast Ohio is a leader in stem cell research. Received $25 Million in grants from the NIH last year.� Well, here�s something to tout about Cleveland. If we don�t, who will?

This article from Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal stresses the need in family business to foster a multi-generational entrepreneurial spirit in order to successfully pass a family business from one generation to the next, stating:

"For family-owned businesses that want to grow, the entrepreneurial philosophy can mean the difference between basic survival and prosperity. If made a part of the family and business culture, it can infuse new life into the business, invigorate the senior generation, and inspire the successor generation to perform at higher levels, ensuring the growth and continuity of the family business."

Commercially-biased (Cisco) but interesting-topic'ed interview, "VoIP and the Cleveland Municipal Court" here, [f]ound on the Knowledge@Wharton email list. An excerpt:

Doug: What were the strategic challenges you faced with your communications infrastructure? Kim: The major strategic challenge was our inability to manage our own system. The phone company would take several weeks to a month for moves, adds, and changes. We also wanted more advanced features that would enable our users to be more efficient. Our Centrex system predated 1977. Doug: Did your users ask for a change, or did the IT and telecommunications groups decide it was time? Michael: We are a separate branch of the city government. We order through the city and our billings come from them. It wasn't unusual for us to get bills for long distance calls months after the calls were made. Tracing who placed the calls and figuring out which calls were personal and not to be reimbursed was difficult. We had no control over the city billing process. IT came up with this idea. They told us that we could become independent of the city's Centrex system using VoIP technology. We'd also get better accountability in terms of our phone usage. That's what influenced our decision.

Thoughts?

posted by George Nemeth  # 11/18/2004 04:51:00 PM

FRONTLINE offers two starkly contrasting images: one of empty storefronts in Circleville, Ohio, where the local TV manufacturing plant has closed down; the other--a sea of high rises in the South China boomtown of Shenzhen. The connection between American job losses and soaring Chinese exports? Wal-Mart. For Wal-Mart, China has become the cheapest, most reliable production platform in the world, the source of up to $25 billion in annual imports that help the company deliver everyday low prices to 100 million customers a week. But while some economists credit Wal-Mart's single-minded focus on low costs with helping contain U.S. inflation, others charge that the company is the main force driving the massive overseas shift to China in the production of American consumer goods, resulting in hundreds of thousands of lost jobs and a lower standard of living here at home.

Cleveland seemed finally to outlive its bad image a few years back when it was hailed as America's comeback city--based largely on the success of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Jacobs Field ballpark, and the Flats, a stretch of trendy bars along the once-flammable Cuyahoga River. But the comeback didn't stick. The Flats appear to have washed out as an entertainment zone. As nice as Jacobs Field is, it only brings life downtown on summer nights. And the Rock and Roll Hall is an island apart from the city, rising between the lake and a waterfront freeway. Tourists can pop in to see Jimi Hendrix's guitar without setting foot anywhere else in Cleveland. Glitzy Las Vegas will always attract throngs of thrill-seeking newcomers, but I believe Cleveland can thrive in a different way: by inspiring its own residents to pitch in to revitalize neighborhoods, boost small businesses, and create great places that make local folks proud once again. I met an interesting array of Clevelanders who were doing just that--revitalizing the Slavic Village neighborhood, creating a new school for ghetto kids based on the principles of citizenship; establishing a network of local entrepreneurs committed to environmental principles; opening new shops and an inviting public garden at Trinity Cathedral in a part of town that hadn't seen any significant commercial development for thirty years; launching a jam-packed web magazine covering all that's happening in arts and culture (see coolcleveland.com). That's why I hope the national media took some notes on what was happening around town before clearing out after John Kerry's concession speech. I'm rooting for Cleveland. It's a gutsy, real place that can show the world the only mistake would be to give up on this city by the lake.

Ohio's working poor need more assistance, according to a study by Columbus-based Community Research Partners. According to the study, one in five jobs in Ohio pays less than poverty-level wages as industrial jobs are being replaced by low-wage retail jobs, illustrated by the emergence of Wal-Mart and Kroger as the state's two largest employers. Retail employment is expected to keep pace with broad employment trends in the near future.

When advertising the city of Cleveland kids are typically left out of the marketing mix. They aren't shown what makes Cleveland so great. And people are surprised when our college students leave upon graduation. Sure, they go downtown for sporting events or take field trips to museums. But those aren't truly unique. Other cities have sports teams and museums. It's time to show them what makes Cleveland different. Meet Moses the Downtown Dog � Cleveland's new canine ambassador, named after the city's founder. His goal is to educate young Clevelanders (ages 12 and under) about what makes his town so great. Ads would feature Moses in various locations throughout the city (not merely tourist attractions.) Signs would mark locations where Moses has already been, cluing people into something they may not have realized about our city.

For the August issue of Cleveland Magazine, five local advertising agencies were invited to create a mythical three-ad marketing campaign for the city. Readers were asked to vote for their favorite on the publication's web site. The poll received the most votes of any in the history of Cleveland Magazine. And Moses the Downtown Dog, the creation of Liggett-Stashower, was the winner. Our campaign features Cleveland's new canine ambassador, named after the city's founder, Moses Cleaveland. His goal is to educate young Clevelanders, ages 12 and under, about what makes his town so great. The colorful ads show friendly, eager Moses front and center in various locations throughout the city and not just the tourist attractions. Signs mark the location where Moses has visited (a paw print is the Moses Seal of Approval) cluing people in to something they may not have realized about the city.

"Before I comment on the Browns game this week, let me attempt to cheer up all of our readers: 1. The Cavaliers still have Lebron James--the best player in the NBA. Kids living outside of Northern Ohio buy his jersey! He has multiple national commercial campaigns! This is groundbreaking in Cleveland history. 2. The Indians have the best General Manager in professional sports. Eric Wedge kicks his share of ass too. But (and that's an extremely large 'but'), the Browns had not embarassed themselves so greatly since their 43-0 shellacking by these same Pittsburgh Steelers in 1999 on opening day. The new Browns have always had sub-par offensive lines, but I have never been so embarassed as a fan to watch those five losers attempt to block.

On Thursday I emailed Anita Campbell over at Small Business Trends to see if she�d consider The Tinbasher for a Powerblog review. Not only was she kind enough to say yes, but she also informed me that she was from Cleveland. Not only was Anita from Cleveland, but she passed my details over to George Nemeth of Brewed Fresh Daily - another Cleveland blogger of some note. George kindly wrote a little piece about The Tinbasher and sent me an email to tell me about Marte Cellura - a Cleveland based metal sculptor that he thought I might be able to have a chat to. Now if that isn�t a canny spot of networking, I don�t know what is. And nobody�s had to pick up a golf club, buy a drink, or do lunch. Well, not yet anyway.

NEOBEAN is a network of individuals and organizational representatives who share a commitment to increasing breastfeeding rates and exclusive breastfeeding duration in Northeast Ohio. The co-facilitators of the network from CASE�s Weatherhead School of Management want to help participants in the network to become more intentional about using their connections with others in the Northeast Ohio area to make our individual and joint efforts at breastfeeding education and advocacy ever more effective. Our goal: To increase the rate of breastfeeding initiation and the duration of exclusive breastfeeding among new mothers in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. As participants in this network, we will invite each other to share our stories of our efforts, our small wins, our triumphs and frustrations. We will share our ideas and resources. As a learning network, our aim is not to centrally coordinate projects in any way that implies that we can control the activities of network participants. Instead, we will explore ways to provide the minimal coordination required to support the initiation of new collaborative efforts among members of the network. Our aim is to create a learning space within which our members can get to know one another and can pursue ideas for joint action on projects of interest to them. Our belief: That babies were born to breastfeed, and that portraying breastfeeding positively and supporting mothers� desires to breastfeed wherever their babies are hungry is a key to sustaining our residents� long term good health. The following pages include some partial answers to frequently asked questions about NEOBEAN and breastfeeding. If you have a question that is not answered below, recommendations about how we could answer these questions more thoroughly or convincingly, or an interest in joining or supporting the network in some way, please call Professor Sandy Kristin Piderit at 216-368-4642. We welcome your assistance!

When putting product in your hair, make your 'do look like the Heat Miser's first. That way, the product goes on evenly.

People who complain there aren't leaders in Northeast Ohio fighting each day to improve our economy and quality of life are themselves ignorant and to blame for the problems in this community. Innumerable exceptional, dedicated, capable and effective leaders fight day in and out to improve everyone's lives here, every day - it is the people who do not participate actively in this process who are our region's �quiet crisis�. Each day we have opportunities to be solutions - visit the REALNEO calendar frequently to get up to speed and learn where, when and how to make differences in the future of this community, participate in forums on-line, find and share insight with our community leaders, and take personal responsibility, now.

"[T]here are no excuses for being ignorant, feeling isolated, or believing there is a quiet crisis.

We get a great deal of interest from America regarding our stainless steel planters and water features, but the price of shipping can be quite prohibitive. In some cases it would be as cheap for me to fly over with them myself. We�re looking at three possibilities when it comes to opening up our little American operation. We can ship over container loads of the planters in one fell swoop, ship them over in smaller numbers, in parts, then source a sheet metal fabrication firm to weld them for us, or just source a stainless steel fabrication company to manufacture the whole planter from start to finish. Personally I favour the second option as we�ve designed and invested in specialist tooling to be able to produce the bends that our planters require. Everytime I�ve gone on one of my fact finding missions/conjugal visits I�m increasingly taken by the similarities between my native part of Lancashire and my adopted North East of Ohio. They are both depressed economically, having seen the best days of their respective former industries - Lancashire built on cotton and Cleveland built on steel. They are also surrounded by fantastic natural beauty - Colne overshadowed by Pendle Hill and but a stone�s throw away from Bronte country and Cleveland on the banks of Lake Erie. They also boast some of the worst haircuts known to man; both areas sport the mullet as freely and unashamedly as Kerry and Bush sport a fake tan.

From a UK perspective it interesting to note that I would say that this view is not reflected with UK entrepreneurs. Far from it, being an entrepreneur myself I feel that when submerged in large city/town with many different businesses around us it encourages entrepreneurship and provides a good base for business activities. People in rural areas in the UK (like the US) probably find that indeed they do have to find some kind of self employment as there is not enough work to go around like in the city but the numbers are small and of those that are based rurally I would guess that many of them do not rely on key services found within citys.

When you hear the word "entrepreneur" in the U.S., do you immediately think of someone working in a cramped office suite in Silicon Valley or Boston or Seattle? If you do, you may be overlooking the vast majority of entrepreneurial ventures in the United States. Entrepreneurship is more prevalent in rural America, compared with urban areas. One-fifth of the U.S. workforce in rural areas and small towns is self-employed. Entrepreneurship is a key part of the fabric of rural life in this country. In cities a much smaller percentage of the overall workforce is self-employed.

Jonathan J. Harris is an information designer whose latest work describes the intricacies of global networks and media. His infographics work for Princeton's International Networks Archive includes visualizations of the coming water wars, transportation technologies worldwide, and the global arms trade (like Mark Lombardi, if less opaque). While in residence at Fabrica communications research centre in Italy, Harris developed 10x10�, a picture of recent world news presented as a gridwork of images. Updated hourly, 10x10� currently pulls its images from RSS feeds of Reuters, NYT International, and BBC World...

Ed Morrison posted this to realneo and I believe many of your readers would find the session at REI/Case of interest: Building a creative industry base in Northeast Ohio requires us to think in new ways. We're lucky, in that a number of other regions -- mostly in the U.K, Australia, and New Zealand -- have been moving in this direction. Last month, I made a presentation to the Akron Arts Alliance, where I reviewed the development of creative industries as an economic development framework. You can access my presentation and the background materials from this site . You can also go through the presentation on line from this site On Tuesday@REI this week (November 9), I will be going over this material in greater detail. Come and join us at 4PM at the peter B. Lewis Building. Jim at the front desk can tell you which room.

1. A willingness to listen 2. A strong economy 3. A strong visual connection 4. A region-wide commitment to, and participation in, the revitalization of the urban core 5. A region-wide and a city-wide comprehensive development plan 6. Building and planning departments, along with updated zoning, that encourage rather than hinder revitalization 7. Broad-based amenities 8. Most importantly, an open & honest government

"I stuck with Doc Martens when everyone seemed to cast them aside and the shoe stores near my home cut back their stock. Over dinner one night, a friend glanced down at my scuffed pair and made a crack: 'Going to check some gas meters later?' I chuckled, but I knew the loss was his. He didn't understand. Doc Martens were not just a shoe but a symbol of stability in an unstable world. Or so I kept telling myself as I bought one pair after another, enduring the raised eyebrows of friends and family. By last year, when worldwide sales had dropped to five million pairs a year, half of what they had been in the late 90's, something had to give. The company introduced a new line of shoes and boots this year to attract younger buyers and, it hoped, keep the loyalists. The name of the new line alone, Comfort Tech, made me wince: Doc Martens are not supposed to be overly comfy or tech."

While the heavily scrutinized touch-screen voting machines seemed to produce results in which the registered Democrat/Republican ratios largely matched the Kerry/Bush vote, in Florida's counties using results from optically scanned paper ballots - fed into a central tabulator PC and thus vulnerable to hacking � the results seem to contain substantial anomalies. In Baker County, for example, with 12,887 registered voters, 69.3% of them Democrats and 24.3% of them Republicans, the vote was only 2,180 for Kerry and 7,738 for Bush, the opposite of what is seen everywhere else in the country where registered Democrats largely voted for Kerry. In Dixie County, with 4,988 registered voters, 77.5% of them Democrats and a mere 15% registered as Republicans, only 1,959 people voted for Kerry, but 4,433 voted for Bush. The pattern repeats over and over again - but only in the counties where optical scanners were used. Franklin County, 77.3% registered Democrats, went 58.5% for Bush. Holmes County, 72.7% registered Democrats, went 77.25% for Bush. Yet in the touch-screen counties, where investigators may have been more vigorously looking for such anomalies, high percentages of registered Democrats generally equaled high percentages of votes for Kerry. (I had earlier reported that county size was a variable � this turns out not to be the case. Just the use of touch-screens versus optical scanners.)

Bob Shaver taught his daughter about entrepreneurship by helping her start a business when she was 8 years old.How are you helping to prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs?

have you seen this? cleveland is looking to build two more skateparks with total input from skaters - doesnt get much more community style than this! congratulations to the very organized skaters who've also demonstrated their web design skills - check out that shot of public square!!

"The first meeting of the Cleveland Skatepark Forum went down on Saturday, Oct 2nd. We had skaters from all over northeast Ohio and had a great first meeting. Parks and Rec Director Natalie Ronayne kicked off the meeting and reasserted the fact that Mayor Campbell is in full support of pursuing more skateboard parks for Cleveland! For the next 2 hours, skateboarding and skateparks were discussed - what makes a good park, what people like to ride, why wood and steel don't make a good park, etc. In the end, it was decided that we should pursue TWO separate world-class skateparks. Two different locations, two different styles. One skatepark will be focused on street skating and will be designed as an urban plaza style - no ramps or transition. And the other will be a world-class transistion park (no 'ledges on the edges' - just concrete transitions and flow!) Both will be designed by skatepark design/build companies and both will be designed to help bring an economic impact to the area. A small committee was formed of skaters and citizens to aid in researching sites around Cleveland. Matt Lokay, a landscape architect with the City was assigned to head up the research of the sites."

The secret art of inviting happiness The miraculous medicine of all diseases Just for today, do not anger Do not worry and be filled with gratitude Devote yourself to your work. Be kind to people. Every morning and evening, join your hands in prayer. Pray these words to your heart and chant these words with your mouth

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." - John Wayne

Today we look around at the bare bones of an educational system in the poorest city in the United States and wonder, what else can be cut? Rumor has it, hundreds more teachers will be laid off in the next couple of weeks. From where? Class sizes are already huge. We have had no money for supplies or materials or programs. We understand how this happened, what we don't understand is why it continues. How can the rest of Ohio, the rest of the country continue to look away? Is it because these 70,000 children are the children of the poor? If their parents had been more ambitious, they would be in a suburban district. If those parents would have stayed off of drugs, would have gotten a good education, would have kept a job, would have not gotten sick, would have married the fathers of their children...then they could send their kids to private schools. Then they could move away from Cleveland. Why should anyone who has worked hard to become successful have to support the children of those who did not? We have been abandoned

"I have the feeling the Republicans are way ahead of the Democrats in getting out the vote. I have the feeling that many Democrats are not very strong in their convictions. At least as not as strong a conviction as many Republicans have. I suppose this comes partly from weak feelings about John Kerry. There is less messianic fervor for Kerry than there seems to be for Bush. I can think of changes to improve the situation. I have no idea if these ideas would work given the realities of lack luster interest in voting, or time to vote, by many Democrats who neglect to vote, or people who probably would be Democrats if they registered. The Republicans get up in the morning, go out, and vote. Many Democrats seem to forget to vote or have employment schedules that make it nearly impossible to vote on Election Day. Standing in line for hours to vote is not possible for many people working two jobs. Will four more years of pain spur the Democratic side on? I wonder how Democratic morale will be built for the next presidential election. Can Democrats learn from their mistakes?"

REDMOND, Wash - November 1, 2004 - Microsoft� Game Studios today announced the five finalists in the Zoo Tycoon� 2 America's Favorite Zoo contest. The finalists were selected from a pool of 15 semifinalists by zoo lovers across the country who logged on to cast their vote at the official Zoo Tycoon 2 Web site. The contest winner will not only boast the title of America's Favorite Zoo, but also earn a $25,000 grant to fund its animal and habitat care...

"The weakness of us all lies in seeing only our side and not seeing that of others � in the lack of openmindedness." - Yamaga Soko Shu

One of the biggest assets you can have as you pursue your passion is a network of people who like and respect you, and are consequently willing to help you out here and there. Unfortunately, for many people the idea of networking is a close second only to getting a root canal. Part of the reason for this is the baggage hanging on the word networking. Some people have an impression of it as a sleazy, what-can-you-do-for-me activity. But nothing could be further from the truth. Good networking isn't about you. It's about the other person... For years, one of the things I have loved to do is connecting people, being a catalyst for relationships, partnerships, business ventures, etc. Years ago, the question I would always get from people was, "Yeah, but how do you make money out of that?" I could never come up with a good answer. It was just something I did for free, because it was fun, because it felt good. Now I realize the answer is, I don't. At least not directly. But I truly believe that my focus on helping others ultimately creates an environment that is conducive to my own success.

On the Ohio provisional ballots, the issue is, first, how many provisional ballots there are; how many are valid; how many are for Bush and how many are for Kerry. And how will they count them. There is some history there [for counting the provisional ballots]. The open question is: Will they also ask for a recount of all the ballots? Since most were punch cards, we could be looking at chads again.

In a resounding, coast-to-coast rejection of same-sex marriage, voters in 11 states approved constitutional amendments Tuesday limiting marriage to one man and one woman. The amendments won in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, Utah and Oregon...

It is the human experience to carry around all sorts of odds and ends of truncated thoughts, unanswered concerns, unacknowledged prejudices, lingering denials and observations of the work place that are rarely expressed in the work place. And the positive side often is overlooked. One's business acumen, among other things, depends on how good you are at shepherding your bundle. In a civilized society there are places to take such dis-affections and turn them into affections. Ryze Cleveland is one of a few event stagers in Cleveland that provide a crowd with inspiring insight-into-self through others.

consider that cleveland's public school infrastructure is being rebuilt and both CSU and CASE are expanding their roles in the community. this combined with the work of one-cleveland and the new TOD seems like a no-brainer. consider the potential in a neighborhood like glenville.....

Hey Phoenix Fans� Unchained America day is coming up. This is a national event sponsored by the American Independent Business Association� SATURDAY NOV 20th. On this day, Americans are encouraged to shop at Independent Businesses rather than national chains, since studies have shown (referenced on above listed website) that $ spent at locally owned businesses generate 3 to 3.5 times the amount of local economic activity as compared to $ spent at national chains. And we all know that Cleveland needs all the local economic activity that it can get right now! (Given that we were just ranked as the poorest city in the nation). So at Phoenix we�re making this event a big deal. On that Saturday, when a Phoenix customer brings in a friend who would have otherwise shopped at a national chain, both of you get a free pound of coffee. Yes, that�s right, BOTH of you get free pounds of coffee. I wrote it twice just to make sure you got it. So bring in a friend, share the Phoenix love, and let�s generate more local economic activity. We are doing this at all three Phoenix stores: Cleveland Heights, Downtown and Lakewood. The Phoenix baristas are really looking forward to your stories about how you recruited your friends, so make the stories good ones! You didn�t think we were going to make it easy to get the free coffee, did you? Oh no, you�re going to have to really ham it up for this one J

"No road leads the way. The road follows behind." - Takamura Kotaro

Over the past few weeks I have been researching urban neighborhoods around the country that have turned around. Contrary to the idea prevalent in the thinking of many planners, new housing (affordable, or otherwise), the �proper� retail mix, new streetscapes, or a strong Community Development Corporation, while important, were not the primary factors in a neighborhood�s revitalization.