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Mar
20
WLST on the record in Cleveland Jewish News re: thoughts on Obama race speech
Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Culture, Elections, Media, Ohio, Politics, Religion, Social Issues, WH2008 | 11 Comments
From the Cleveland Jewish News that comes out tomorrow:
Jill Miller Zimon, an attorney and political blogger in Pepper Pike who describes herself as “not a big fan” of Clinton or Obama, didn’t think Obama approached the rhetorical power of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. But she did praise the “speech’s content and the difficulty of the material” he addressed. In directly raising questions of race, Obama “demonstrated enormous leadership.”
While Obama’s speech “universalized important aspects of his life experiences,” Zimon believes some people will be critical that Obama didn’t distance himself from Wright completely. “In that way, it’s a lose/lose situation for Obama. Here is a man [Rev. Wright] who has done so much for him, and now Obama is expected to go on record” renouncing the pastor who married him and his wife and baptized his children.”
My other specific words were that I thought it is simply icky that we are in such a place, politics and expectations-wise, that he had to do that – to condemn this person. This isn’t to say that he shouldn’t condemn Wright, but it is to say that it outed his cognitive dissonance, publicly.
Who in their right mind really enjoys doing that, whether they are forced to or decide to on their own?
That’s how I saw it, anyway.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:26 pm March 20th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Culture, Elections, Media, Ohio, Politics, Religion, Social Issues, WH2008 | 11 Comments
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Mar
20
Barack Obama’s March Madness NCAA men’s basketball bracket
Filed Under Barack Obama, Culture, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Politics, Predictions, Sports, WH2008 | 2 Comments
This is Barack Obama’s NCAA bracket.
Would it be entirely cruel and irrational of us to pick it apart for political motivations. Yes, obviously.
Will that stop us? Hell no!
Anyone seen one for Hillary Clinton or John McCain?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:58 pm March 20th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Culture, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Politics, Predictions, Sports, WH2008 | 2 Comments
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Mar
20
How to be a blogging star: moneymaking bloggers say nothing earthshattering
Filed Under Blogging, Marketing, Media, Meet the Bloggers, Tech, Writing | 2 Comments
The New York Times’ article today, called “So You Want to be a Blogging Star?” is a decent piece for people who don’t know much about blogging. There are a lot of big name bloggers I follow or at least note when I see something they’ve said on a blog I follow (I don’t follow – as in, subscribe to the RSS feed – for any of the bloggers in the story: Mark Cuban, Xeni Jardin (I love her name, always have, always makes me think of the punk rock era singer), Ted Dzuiba, Glenn Reynolds – just four, out of 110,000,000)
Tips they give (or, more likely, culled from interviews done with the NYT reporter – which should make you know that it is highly likely that each of those bloggers said a lot more about what makes a blogger succeed and that there may very well have been interview material from even more bloggers that just never made it into this article)?
Don’t expect to get rich. …
Write about what you want to write about, in your own voice. …
Fit blogging into the holes in your schedule. …
Just post it already! …
Keep a regular rhythm. …
Plug yourself. …
But for those of us who do – you know, the 110,000,000 that Technorati tracks (109,999,000 of which don’t make any money worth counting at all; as the article reports, “…only one in six blogs draws even 500 page views a day. At that pace, you would make at most $45 a month, even if the site were decked out with full-page ads. Mr. Kaplan [Phil, of AdBrite] estimates only 3 percent of active sites make more than $1,000 a month from advertising.), those hints are very, very basic. Just google “how to make money as a blogger” and you’ll find a lot more information.
Just off the top of my head:
Keep your title very focused and as full of key words as possible. The artsy cutesy turn of phrase sometimes works, but if you are looking to be the place for a topic, titles are important.
Learn a little about how to do tags – those words that you can use as categories to help other people find your posts on a particular topic.
If you are able to, find a niche topic – either of its own or within another area. For example, in education, gifted education. In politics, a particular issue like health care.
Experiment with audio and video. Even the free blogging platforms make it so easy to spruce up what you’re doing.
But…don’t go overboard. Or else your voice gets lost (unless you are specifically a vlogger).
Finally, please, please, please, please know that the assertion bolded here:
“Don’t go into blogging to make a living,” Mr. Cuban warned in an e-mail message. Still, he and other top bloggers with day jobs agree most people could attract a following on the Web. And whether a person blogs to make a little money, to influence opinion or just for sheer ego gratification, amassing a large audience is the goal.
is not not not the goal for so many bloggers. Again, Technorati is following 110,000,000 blogs. I promise you, the marjority of them probably don’t even know that they’re being tracked, and if they know, they don’t care or track that they are being tracked.
Watching my traffic grow has been like waiting for a fruit-bearing tree to mature – it can take years. Which means that unless you are that good at delayed gratification, you shouldn’t be blogging with the intention of amassing a large audience. You need to be blogging because it means something to you. It can mean anything – except amassing a large audience. Because if that’s your sole goal?
I can tell you how that’s gonna work out for ya right now.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:55 pm March 20th, 2008 in Blogging, Marketing, Media, Meet the Bloggers, Tech, Writing | 2 Comments
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Mar
20
[photo] What do Jews do, Purim: My Rabbi, The Genie
Filed Under Culture, Jewish, Judaism, Parenting, Religion | 11 Comments
You are about to see the inner-sanctum of my synagogue. Yes, it’s allowed.
What you are looking at is the bima in the main sanctuary of my synagogue. Our clergy and educational staff dress up in a theme each year. The Incredibles, Beauty and the Beast and so on. This year, they did Aladdin. No one knows exactly how they decide which person gets to be which character but I understand that there was a quite a fight over who got to be the flying carpet (complete with a drapery rod through the top, over the shoulders – oy).
The bright light at the top of the picture is the eternal flame or lamp. Below it is the Ark which holds our Torahs. Then, the kids in costume are all around the bima. On this holiday, there is mayhem all around as we read the story of Esther, also known as the Megillah. You can see Aladdin on the back left – that’s our junior rabbi.
After the Megillah is read, we have eating (what? it’s a Jewish holiday; of course there is eating) and dancing. This year, the band was incredibly loud but everyone worked up a good shvitz.
Hag Sameach, everyone.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:20 pm March 20th, 2008 in Culture, Jewish, Judaism, Parenting, Religion | 11 Comments
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Mar
20
What do Jews do, Purim: Obama Converts to Judaism*
Filed Under Barack Obama, Flip, Jewish, Judaism, Politics, Primary, Religion, WH2008 | 3 Comments
From my synagogue’s Purim edition of our newsletter, usually called The Tidings, on Purim, it’s called The Tirade:
Buffeted by criticism of his controversial Christian pastor while continuing to quell rumors that he is a Muslim, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) took a bold step today to settle questions about his religious faith once and for all.
“I am converting to Judaism, effective immediately,” Mr. Obama told reporters at a press conference in Scarsdale, New York, adding that he would change his middle name from “Hussein” to “Murray.”
As a sign of commitment to his new faith, the Illinois Senator said that he anticipated being Bar Mitzvahed sometime between now and the crucial Pennsylvania primary and that he would no longer campaign on Saturdays.
In a subtle sign of the shift in his religious affiliation, Mr. Obama’s signature catchphrase “Yes, we can,” was nowhere to be found in his speech, replaced instead by “L’Chaim.”
While some political observers praised Mr. Obama’s conversion to Judaism as a shrewd tactic to put the issue of his religious identity to rest, the move raised the ire of one of his harshest critics, former Rep. Geradline Ferraro.
“Barack Murray Obama wouldn’t be in the position he’s in if he wasn’t Jewish,” said Ms. Ferraro to herself.
*And a Hag Sameach to Andy Borowitz too.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:57 pm March 20th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Flip, Jewish, Judaism, Politics, Primary, Religion, WH2008 | 3 Comments
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Mar
20
Update: Pepper Pike restriction of one political yard sign per election
Filed Under 'Roots News, Campaigning, Civil Rights, Elections, Government, Law, OH17, OH24th, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Social Issues, Voting | 5 Comments
Here is the post just before the debate occurred just over two weeks ago.
In addition to the six municipalities adjacent to Pepper Pike which have no similar restrictions, I’ve also learned that towns of similar affluence on the West Side (Rocky River, Westlake and Bay Village) also do not have similar restrictions (Westlake limits by the size of the property and that could be equal to six, Bay Village appears to have no limit on the number of political yard signs; Rocky River appears to have a limit of four).
Bay Village: 1179.10 (B)(3)
Rocky River: Code Section 1163.10
Westlake: 1223.09, 1223.04
Practically speaking, here’s what the Pepper Pike restrictions mean:
If two people who support different candidates for anything live in same house? Tough. They have to choose one to support via yard sign.
If one or more people in a home want to support the school’s levy and a political candidate? Tough. He or she has to choose between the levy and the candidate.
If one or more people in a home want to support a state legislative candidate and a presidential candidate? Nope – he or she would be breaking the law if they tried to do that with two yard signs.
And of course there are myriad permutations, given that only one sign in total per election is allowed to be placed on a residential lawn.
One judicial candidate from the 2006 election cycle who lives in Pepper Pike was not even aware of the restriction until a neighbor apologized profusely when telling the candidate that he, the neighbor, could only put up one sign and was not choosing this judicial candidate.
At the debate on March 5, Lew Katz, myself and David Pomerantz (who has been active in Solon and other politics), asserted the legal background of how governments can restrict signage but the restrictions must be reasonable and noted the interpretation of “reasonable” as applied by every surrounding community in our area of NEOhio.
Rick Taft and Allan Krulak spoke on behalf of the city. They stated that 1) no one other than those of us at the meeting were raising the issue, 2) they believe that the residents of Pepper Pike prefer that the aesthetics of the town dictate what kind of signage is allowed and 3) putting those two items together, they believe that Pepper Pike residents do not want the current restriction changed.
We stated that it was not a matter of whether residents want the change or not. We all want our city to be attractive.
However, the Pepper Pike restriction of one political yard sign per residence is a matter of a constitutional right being obstructed by an antiquated, out of step, unnecessary and burdensome law that favors incumbents over newcomers (because of how yard signs impact name recognition) and people with money over those without (yard signs are the biggest bang for the buck for local races as opposed to print, radio or television ads). Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:40 pm March 20th, 2008 in 'Roots News, Campaigning, Civil Rights, Elections, Government, Law, OH17, OH24th, Ohio, Pepper Pike, Politics, Social Issues, Voting | 5 Comments
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Mar
20
Female black reporter beaten on camera by relatives of suspect; yes, they’re white
Filed Under Civil Rights, Culture, Law, Media, Social Issues, Women | 31 Comments
As a a journalist, a woman, a white person, anything else that someone could you use to distinguish and identify me from anyone else, but especially as a sentient human being, I am made speechless by this story, which, as the reporter says, is, in her opinion, no different from many others except that it was caught on camera. When Rush Limbaugh says that, “America, I think, for the most part (there are, of course, exceptions to this) has transcended race. There’s so much evidence of that that I don’t even want to waste time citing it,” we can say, I think, for the most part, Rush doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about.
H/t BSB.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:03 pm March 20th, 2008 in Civil Rights, Culture, Law, Media, Social Issues, Women | 31 Comments
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Mar
20
Tomorrow is the last day to vote for Favorite Female Blogger
Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Women, Writing | 6 Comments
I first wrote about this opportunity here. Please vote today or tomorrow by midnight at Womens Voices Women Vote.
That’s all. 
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:02 am March 20th, 2008 in Announcements, Blogging, Women, Writing | 6 Comments
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Mar
20
But they are not paid for. They are for relatives of mine who happen to be enormously talented.
First, my uncle’s wife, Israela Margalit (she has a new website and would love feedback): Long-time area residents (and others perhaps) will recognize her name because she lived in Cleveland for many years somewhere in the 1970s and 1980s when she was married to Loren Maazel, then Cleveland Orchestra conductor. You heard her music in the background of my Snowy Day video a week or so ago but we play in our house almost non-stop. (By the way, my uncle, Paul Rauch, is equally talented.)
Next, Israela’s daughter, Fiona: Fiona is an enormously talented writer whose first book is just about to come out. Fiona’s book party is in NYC during my kids’ spring break but we’re not able to get there for it (believe me, if we could have, we would have). Here’s the site for her book, Last Last Chance. It’s gotten fabulous reviews already. Be sure to click on the dots! She’s done some really fun things with video.
Newsday calls it, “Marvelous.”
Timeout New York identified her book as a bright spot in publishing and gives it a good review here.
Let me know if you have any questions. And check out their work!!
By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:40 am March 20th, 2008 in Politics | 1 Comment
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Mar
20
Storm ahead: Ohio payday lending run amok, MedMart deal & population decline
Filed Under Politics | 14 Comments
Three stories, all related. If not now, soon.
The number of payday lending stores licensed in Ohio continues to grow, from 107 locations in 1996 to 1,638 locations in 2007, a more than fourteen-fold increase since 1996. Fees in Ohio are usually $15 for every $100 borrowed for a two-week period, which amounts to an annual percentage rate of 391 percent. The study also used testers to visit payday lending stores, finding that all 36 stores visited charge the maximum interest rate and fees allowed by current Ohio law. An analysis of an average family budget confirmed that low-income families had little opportunity to pay a loan back with the high interest rate and short pay back schedule. The report recommends an interest rate cap on payday loans.
You can read the report here, executive summary here, and press release here.
2. From WCPN, a report (audio and text) on the Med Mart and convention center deal being signed today:
County negotiator Fred Nance will present a memorandum of understanding to the County Commissioners that puts what was agreed to verbally last week on paper. As part of the deal Merchandise Mart Properties will manage both the medical mart and the convention center. The Chicago-based company will also invest 20 million dollars into the project.
…
The entire project—a combination of tradeshow halls, showrooms, and a conference center is estimated to cost 400 million dollars. The county’s financial obligation will be capped at roughly 40 million dollars a year or the annual amount generated from the sales tax increase. Madden says the county will receive 100 percent of the naming proceeds.
Still no location has been determined yet. The current convention center and Tower City, which is owned by Forest City Enterprises, are strong candidates. Just this week, Forest City laid out a plan that would connect a center and mart in the Tower City complex.
Hmm. So, on the off-chance that more than $40 milllion is brought in by the .25 percent sales tax we never approved (but was okayed by the commissioners without a vote), what happens to the surplus? Anyone? We get refunds or something?
Eh, given this third story, we probably won’t have to worry about any surplus but rather additional taxes to add to the miniscule amount being pitched in by MMP ($20 million).
3. Also from WCPN, in audio and text, on Cuyahoga County’s population decline. I wrote last year about the stalled revenues coming into this county. I still question how that fact will play into the chimera of being able to raise the necessary money for the Med Mart/Convention Center deal in the first place. Now, read the CPN report:
Once a year the Census Bureau ranks the size of the nation’s counties, and Cleveland State demographer Mark Salling says the local news hasn’t been good for a number of years
SALLING: Since 2000, Cuyahoga County has lost more population than any other county in the country.
That’s about 98,000 people, over that time span. Salling adds that the surrounding counties also haven’t faired very well, but their losses have been masked by the people they’ve gained from Cuyahoga. Delaware County, north of Columbus ranks as the fastest growing community in the state, and in the top twenty growth regions in the country. By and large the nation’s growth areas continue to be in the South and the West, with places like Delaware and Kendall County near Chicago bucking the trend. If there’s any good news for Cuyahoga, it might be that last year’s loss of some 13,000 people is less than the previous year. But, Mark Salling says that may not be the place to look for a sliver lining.
SALLING: As there are fewer people to leave, we’ll see smaller numbers of people leaving.
Oh.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:57 am March 20th, 2008 in Politics | 14 Comments
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