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Mar

25

BNET: Cleveland part of #2 Megaregion in U.S.

Filed Under Business, Cleveland+, Culture, Economy, Government, Marketing, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Tech | 1 Comment

BNET adapted information from “Who’s Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life” by Richard Florida about how

The core of the U.S. economy is made up of roughly a dozen megaregions that stretch into Canada and, in some cases, Mexico. They generate the great bulk of America’s output, and are increasingly becoming magnets for top talent and jobs.

Here’s the info that was included about the #2 megaregion, which includes Cleveland:

Where: It runs from Pittsburgh and Cleveland through Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis
Population: 46 million
Economy: $1.6 trillion
Leading sectors: Manufacturing, transportation, commercial real estate, retail
Key creative-class jobs: Industrial and mechanical engineers, logistics and supply chain managersThe Chi-Pitts megaregion is anchored by America’s “second city,” Chicago, whose economy is larger than Sweden’s. Chicago’s lakefront renaissance — its incredible 20th-century architecture and marvelous refurbished neighborhoods — illustrates how older communities can highlight their own brand of aesthetics. Much of this is due to the efforts of Mayor Richard Daley, who has reached out beyond landmarks like the new Millennium Park and improved lakefront to bolster many of the city’s neighborhoods by refurbishing smaller community parks and gardens, planting trees, installing public art, and adding hand-painted benches and flower beds.

Those visual characteristics are some of the ties that bind talent to affluent communities. In 2000, more than two-thirds of the residents of downtown Chicago held college degrees — levels that are more typically seen in wealthy suburbs.

But this urban core likely will prosper at the expense of many older industrial cities, suburbs, and outlying rural areas in the Chi-Pitts megaregion. The Clevelands and Pittsburghs of the world will find themselves increasingly squeezed between twin pincers as top business functions gravitate to larger regions like Chicago, and production shifts to centers like Shanghai, China.

So now, what are policy implications, based on this perspective, for all the areas of functioning we face?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:33 pm March 25th, 2008 in Business, Cleveland+, Culture, Economy, Government, Marketing, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Tech | 1 Comment 

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Mar

25

UPDATE: Terry Gross interviews Tracey Ullman: On Fresh Air Now

Filed Under Women, Writing | 2 Comments

You go girl! You have fans at WLST.

You can listen live here or later here.

Update: I just finished listening and here are her best riffs:

In the beginning, a fabulous imitation of Arianna Huffington.

In the middle, a lot of stuff about why she became an American.

And in the end? She unleashes in a big way on blogs:

“If you listen to the blogs, you just want to kill yourself.”

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:21 pm March 25th, 2008 in Women, Writing | 2 Comments 

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Mar

25

Saudi Arabia to convene interfaith summit

Filed Under Foreign Affairs, Religion, Social Issues | Comments Off

Just last night I left this comment on this TMV post about the expression of a desire that Palestinian and Israeli children live in peace:

I don’t see anyone acknowledging what it would take for people who live in the occupied territories to believe that their children can live in peace and what it would take for people who live in the state of Israel to believe that their children can live in peace.

What exactly might that be?

One element is trust – trust that this is what both populations want.

How do you build trust? Through learning and coming to an understanding about common perspectives and common issues, as well as different perspectives and difference issues. Without knowledge about one another, there can never be a stable sense of trust because everything is based on hearsay and speculation.

Today, the Jerusalem Post (here) and Ha’aretz (here) have published articles about how Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah wants to “convene a meeting between Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious communities.”

From the JPost article:

“I invite representatives of all the monotheistic religions to meet with their brothers in faith,” the king was quoted as saying. The theme of the expected conference was reported to be “respect among the religions.”

The news agency reported that senior Muslim leaders authorized the idea and consultations would be made with Islamic religious authorities from other countries. The king went on to say that “with God’s help we will meet our brethren from other religions, including those who believe in the Torah and in the Gospel, in order to find ways to defend humanity.”

This, he said, comes after humanity has lost its morality, sincerity and steadfastness. Also, the religions were confronted by challenges such as dealing with the disintegration of the family and ever-expanding Atheism, he said.

Why this hasn’t been done before, or at least to my memory, I can’t say though I’m sure there are many good reasons. However, the fact is that the Saudi King is under great pressure in his own country to modernize and Westernize, in terms of women’s rights and religious diversity and tolerance. His would not be the first time an ostensible leader of one religion seeks information and possibly advice from another religion to understand how religions manage under such pressures.

What might the meeting offer as an outcome? Impossible to say, but given the nature of intolerance in the region right now, even within countries, let alone between them, it’s hard to imagine the meeting making things worse. (I know – never say that!)

Hattip to Jonathan Murray. 

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:39 pm March 25th, 2008 in Foreign Affairs, Religion, Social Issues | Comments Off 

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Mar

25

OH SOS Brunner on Auditor findings: Ken Blackwell gave illegal bonuses

Filed Under Elections, Government, Jennifer Brunner, Law, Ohio, Politics, Voting | 2 Comments

Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner‘s statement on Ohio State Auditor Mary Taylor’s findings about expenditures made by Ken Blackwell when he was in the twilight of his time as Secretary of State:

I am pleased to see that Auditor Taylor’s special audit finally confirms what I have believed since discovering these bonuses in January of 2007 and what Attorney General Marc Dann’s opinion has so stated: These bonuses were illegal and the misappropriated dollars should be returned to their rightful owner: the taxpayers of the state of Ohio. I will work with the appropriate authority to see that these funds are recovered.

You can read the audit that contains the information here.

The Daily Briefing wrote about Taylor’s audit earlier today:

State Auditor Mary Taylor this morning zapped fellow Republican J. Kenneth Blackwell for more than $80,000 in illegal bonuses to employees departing the secretary of state’s office as Blackwell closed his tenure there in 2006.

Taylor issued findings for recovery totaling $80,534 against 17 former employees for public monies illegally spent, as well as Blackwell, former Chief Financial Officer Dilip Mehta, and their bonding company Travelers/St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company.

…Taylor also nicked Blackwell for not complying with Ohio law because he did not provide his successor, Democrat Jennifer Brunner, with a letter listing the office’s inventory.

Personally, I’d like to see an amount determined that indicates just how much additional money Ohioans have had to pay because of his failures.

Ohio Daily Blog has more here.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:34 am March 25th, 2008 in Elections, Government, Jennifer Brunner, Law, Ohio, Politics, Voting | 2 Comments 

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Mar

25

AIPAC Cleveland event, 4/30/08: Paul Begala, Dan Senor

Filed Under Announcements, Foreign Affairs, Jewish, Ohio, Politics | 1 Comment

And I’ll have to miss it for the third year in a row (first year was because of being a room mom on open house night, last year – I don’t remember – I think I was sick and this year, one of my kid’s has a concert that night). See? God does love me.

If you think you want to go, here’s the information:

The 2008 Cleveland Annual Event
Amidst the hotly-contested presidential primaries and caucuses, two of America’s top politial pundits will explore the crossroads of party politics, foreign policy and the race to the white house.

Paul Begala
Leading Democratic Strategist and CNN Political Analyst
&
Dan Senor
Middle East and National Security Analyst for Fox News

Event Date

4/30/2008, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Eastern Time

Event Location

Signature of Solon, Solon, OH

Contact info:

Aimee Golub
agolub@aipac.org
216-591-1836 x3

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:57 am March 25th, 2008 in Announcements, Foreign Affairs, Jewish, Ohio, Politics | 1 Comment 

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Mar

25

TODAY: NE Ohio commemoration of 4000th US military death in Iraq

Filed Under Announcements, Military, Social Issues | 6 Comments

Will be a sight to see. Please, someone take pictures and maybe even vlog it?

Commemoration of the 4,000th US Military Death of the Iraq War…
…and 1,000,000 Iraqi deaths

WHERE: Veterans’ Memorial Bridge (aka Detroit Superior bridge), Downtown Cleveland to West 25th Street, North Side
WHEN: TUESDAY, March 25, 2008, 5:00 p.m.

Sponsored by NOAC and Peace Action

4000 US troops have died in Iraq as of today. Over 1 million Iraqis have died from the war and occupation. We will commemorate these tragedies by holding up (if we can recruit enough people) a string almost 1 mile in length of names of killed US soldiers in Iraq. Each name is on a sheet of paper with a border of 250 doves (to represent dead Iraqis). The sheets of paper are encased in a plastic protector. There will also be 4000 white lights.

The project is a mammoth undertaking requiring the help of at the very least one hundred people to pull it off.
Please do everything you can to make it to the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge TUESDAY, March 25, 2008 at 5:00 PM.

Northeast Ohio Anti-War Coalition [NOAC]
Phone: 216-736-4716 Website: www.noacinfo.org Email: noacinfo@aol.com

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:07 am March 25th, 2008 in Announcements, Military, Social Issues | 6 Comments 

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