Tim Russo noted this first on his blog . Jennifer Brunner has a senate website up and running at www.jenniferbrunner.com. And, the contenders?? Lee Fisher, PLJ? Nada.

Don't give up, yet...A few more weeks, and Cleveland can celebrate St. Patrick's Day, and then we are home clear once the film festival starts!  The winter of 2008-09 is almost, almost, almost over...  

Find a sunny, south-facing wall and hold on.  We will all be okay!

Ed was as furious as I can ever remember seeing him, as he shouted "the process is broken".

Ed was so right.

In the Fall of 2008, I proposed to Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones that the local foods sector offers the people of Northeast Ohio $ billions in economic development opportunities that may be distributed to a huge percentage of our 1,000,000s of residents in very socially equitably ways. I also proposed similar opportunities are available in open source information and social computing. And I pointed out regional organizational, strategic, social and operational barriers to success and proposed specific solutions to maximize workforce and infrastructure development, massive scaling, and social equity.

Below is a heartfelt appeal to those to reach out with their social networks to demand inclusion of key legislation that would curtail regional and state funded programming and could have many negative consequences as a result.  This particular piece of legislation, still up for debate is the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund.  The importance of this particular element is elucidated here for your perusal. 

You’re Invited to the Governor’s Regional Conversation on Poverty World Café Forum

On Feb. 9th, the Governor's Anti-Poverty Task Force is coming to Cleveland. There will be a regional meeting from 10 to 2 at Trinity Commons, 22nd and Euclid.

The following topics will be discussed:

What does it take to create a community without poverty?

How do these recommendations fit into our vision of a community without poverty? What is happening in our community that takes us toward this vision?

Location

This just in, via Cleveland City Council, via Facebook... "Another step taken toward Breaking the Cycle of Abandonment". This is about how City Council has decided to spend our community's $25 million in Federal taxpayer funds from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) - the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - intended to help our impoverished inner city. You must ask yourself, who decided how your $25,000,000 should be spent here, how did they really decide this, and is this a step forward or backwards?

OnSpeX Consumer Products Evaluation Facility. Ohio registered professional engineers can earn 1 Continuing Professional Development hour.

Location

Despite corruption and cronyism galore, Ohio does have it's bright and shiny moments of good and brilliant. Here's a way to make history come alive for your kids (from ODOT!) http://www.dot.state.oh.us/districts/D06/Maps/Pages/OhioUndergroundRailroadMapsPage.aspx

We have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

Shout out to Slavic Village Sandy, who is the voice of NEO. Thanks for the heads up!

This is your invitation to join Miami alumni and friends from around the globe for a Charter Day Celebration 200 years in the making. Space is limited at each event and the deadline to RSVP is February 7, 2009.

More information and online registration are available at www.MiamiAlum.org/Chapters or you can Joanne Harper at 1-866-MU-ALUMS.

Location

Good afternoon. Today, I delivered the City of Cleveland ’s 2009 operating budget to Cleveland City Council. For the fourth year, I am proposing a balanced budget without layoffs or reductions in service delivery. However, in these hard economic times, I pledge to you that I will remain vigilant and that my Administration will continue to seek efficiencies, reduce cost, increase economic development and raise revenue. Please click here to find out more about this year’s proposed budget.

Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio offers ARTWORKS, a program where students work with professional artists and other students to create work in music, dance, theater and visual art.

Students entering 10th, 11th and 12th grade are eligible. to apply, go to http://www.yaneo.org/what/artworks.php

Student applications are due March 20. Professional artists who want to work with the students are encouraged to apply by February 12th. The program takes place June 17-July 30th.  Call 216.561.5005 for more information.

 Pecha Kucha Night Cleveland #2

Friday, February 6th, 2009 Start 8:20pm (doors open at 7)
House of Blues 308 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio

Location

The following (see below) is a PD report of the announcement made at the end of the day today.

Although many of us have our doubts as to the actual benefit or success a Med Mart/Convention Center investment will have, the fact that the damn location decision has been made is a relief...particularly given the fact the Mall site prevailed.

From Defend Cleveland, by Ed Morrison http://defendcleveland.net/news/2009/1/20/new-pathways-for-a-cleveland-c...

The impoverished City of Cleveland – with all its problems – is giving Howard Hanna (Smyth Cramer) $250,000 to renovate the offices downtown that the realtor bought last October, the Plain Dealer recently reported.

“I want to thank the mayor because this was not a done deal. This was a deal where we had to go on the offense,” said downtown Councilman Joe Cimperman to the Plain Dealer.

Well, it sure is offensive to me.

For those of you with an investment portfolio (what a year, huh?), I'd like to suggest Liberty Property Trust as a potential investment (NYSE: LRY). I work in the Infrastructure and Commercial Real Estate investment space and for those interested in aligning your investment portfolio with your environmental passions, this is a company that is on the leading edge of sustainability in commercial real estate.

For teens 14-19.

Free spoken word, performance and leadership events for teens. Whether you are writing, slamming, DJing, MCing, or dancing, you will connect with old friends, make new friends, and have a chance to compete for a spot on Cleveland's Youth Poetry Slam team.

WHEN: Friday nights and weekday afternoons January - April 2009

WHERE: Idea Center at Playhouse Square 1375 Euclid Ave. Cleveland 

Northeast Ohio has the opportunity to rebuild our neighborhoods and by offering healthier and more active transportation choices, we can create thriving neighborhoods where people want to live. However, the current transportation network leaves us way behind the curve. New investment to support walking and biking will create pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, an important step to get the nation back on track. Fortunately, it's a cost-effective step we can take in these tight financial times.

Check out Suki Yume in Tremont.  This is my tenant and she just put the finishing touches on her business... beautiful, new sign... window stickers... address numbers (finally) installed.

Paula is drawn to Asian Ball Joint Dolls (or ABJD) because of their beauty and unique customization.  You can take a blank doll and paint your own face, change the hair, change the eyes... make it your own.

Tremonts artistic base makes this shop a perfect fit. 

Here we go… If you were wondering about how federal stimulus dollars might be spent in Ohio, this should give you some idea. Gov.