One of the big pleasures I have is engaging people and finding what interests them. 

Most days I meet many more people who have important stories to tell than I have time to write up on this blog.   So I take their photos, don’t get around to writing the story, and then the next day dawns and immediately I am swamped with more important reports which I can’t get down in Word and Photoshop and onto Realneo.   

Today I met this quad-control Revolution kite guy and attempted to explain what the theory (as I believe it) behind realneo is.  

The theory is the Ed Morrison/REI “quality connected place” theory.  That theory, in its simple form, is that a vigorous economy is founded directly on the vitality of life:   That a place where the population is well connected (networked) and where the quality of art, environment, education, equality, and recreation is thriving, is a place  where the economy will also thrive.  And in that order, chronologically.

The kite guy’s name is Steve Polansky.    As he was pausing from his kite flying and pulling and stretching and tuning the linkages on his kite, and I was rapping about realneo’s purpose, he responded with his understanding of "regional economic action links" – that the linkage was “bottom up” – not top down. 

Mr. Polansky has it right. 

 Our economy relies on the appreciation and connection of many people.   The more people who are appreciated and connected, the more our economy is instilled with energy and vigor.   

Perhaps Mr. Polansky is an example:   his vocation is smoking cessation but his avocation is flying quad controlled kites.  

 So, here is the quality connected place theory equation in action:  if a community offers convenient quality park space for kite flying, that community will attract and retain people, like Steve Polansky, who, in turn, work to improve the health of the community with entrepreneurial programs such as Cognitive Quitting . 

And, with more and more quality, healthy aspects to a community, more and more individuals will stay there and move there – and each will build the economy step by step, person by person, dollar by dollar. 

Improve a park, appreciate an artist, plant a community garden, expand a bike path…bottom up, one person at a time, is the only way to build the economy – the Cleveland theory of 900 billion for a concenter and med mart is a fraud from the start.

And the medmart concenter will fail...and leave NEO even further behind than it already is.  

Kite flying will improve Cleveland faster than a concenter ever can...

PS  I also understand from Steve that Discover Presque Isle, near Erie, PA has a Revolution kite fest the last week end in July.   If you like kites, put this on your calendar.  Contact DPI for more info and to confirm dates.