The Nature - Nurture debate Harvard's Steven Pinker weighed in on as Case's first Distinguished Lecturer last month, has rich meaning for innovation and entrepreneurship:  Comparisions between NEO and California's Bay Area are illustrative.  

       A half- century ago, NEO's furnaces, mills and factories were churning out the goods that made it an "arsenal of democracy" while cattle, fruit, and nuts were among the chief exports of the hills and valleys that surround San Francisco.  Innovation and entrepreneurship flourished in Cleveland.  Today, the people of Walnut Creek are poster candidates for the knowledge economy that flourishes there, while NEO is scratching the topsoil for leaders and vision.

      NEO's DNA is sound though its genuises, of the 21st century, have yet to take charge. 

     In the days ahead, this space will examine the genealogy of these respective regions;  how their recent behavoir has diverged and the implications for rekindling innovation and entrepreneurship in NEO.