gottaplan

Greece is bluffing, no way they want to bail on the euro and go it alone. They need the euro money, they are just trying to play hardball and get the bailout without accepting the required reforms. Read the new leader's comments again, you can tell he's begging for help, saying "we're in this together...." meanwhile Germany is saying "oh no we're not...."

Just got a response to my monthly email to ODOT regarding the W. 76th pedestrian tunnel to Edgewater. Previously posted in the Shoreway thread, but I don't want to reopen that can of worms. Project was on hold due to redesign & budget issues for retaining wall foundations along the railroad tracks. ODOT has the project out to bid, bids due in June, awarding in July. Hoping to start & finish the work yet this year. No way that happens. In other news, the State actually bulldozed the sand on the beach to level it for the first time in a few years, also brought in a grinder & ground up the massive pile of logs & junk left from last year.

Every time the pendulum swings toward Greece defaulting or China slowing down, markets here at home react negatively, and vice versa. Every US economist is watching those situations abroad as closely as indicators here at home, for signs that we might finally be out of the woods.

I agree with the suggestions but lets be honest, the zoning ordinance in Detroit Shoreway is not holding up any new developments. If a developer puts in the time to buy the property and a viable redevelopment plan is presented, the project will be approved.

Instead of wisecrack criticism, why not offer some real analysis? You think we're NOT in a recession? OK, still in the slowest weakest recovery ever. Jobs are not being created at a fast enough pace, consumer confidence is still low, business orders are still low... put your own spin on this. If there is optimistic data out there, let's see it

So the Greek political party, Syriza, which opposes any austerity measures and is favored to win the elections in June... I'm puzzled how this is going to shake out. Someone's bluffing, either Syriza or Germany & other stable Euro nations who are mandating reform measures or get out.

it is somewhat of a shame that so much effort was put into making a high-class space and then any slob in a t-shirt & flip flops can come on in. A very loose dress code would be nice. Something like no untucked shirts or ball caps maybe for starters. Oh well that'll never happen. Whatever.

^that's very surprising they don't have full zoning approval in place yet. They are preselling units. Seems odd to take someone's money as a downpayment when you don't even know if the development will be allowed to go forward as proposed. What is the nature of the variance they are requesting?

Not if you're a pedestrian... Hey BelievelandD1, don't you know everyone on this board is an expert at urban design??? ;-) Has Waverly Station started yet? It's been a few weeks since I went by. If they started building tomorrow, they'd be hard pressed to have someone moved in by Jan 1 2013. Anyone know if they have any presales yet?

So the thought process is that a streetcar line investment is more permanent, whereas a bus stop on the same corner isn't?

The concrete core is topped out & the orange formwork is being removed. I saw a huge piece of steel being flown up as I drove by today on the Shoreway.

I've wondered about this very question myself. Seems like it would take years of savings just to pay back the cost of the infrastructure for a streetcar system...

More work is planned along the riverfront but new headwall needs poured all along the edge of the Cuyahoga before that work is done. I believe there is outside funding in some type of federal grant for that work and they are waiting on it to come available before starting the other work (buildings)

Phase 2 also includes Toby Keith's Bar & Grille

nice pics Firenze. Goal of 60 conventions a year sounds good, that's one a week. Still, such a huge facility, they could easily have multiple conventions going on at any given time it seems. Anyone have a breakout of how much of the space is actually convention areas, how much is offices, etc?

I think this argument should surface in the student loan debacle as well. How many college students are living in an upscale apartment with nicer finishes than homes most of us live in? Driving newer cars? Going on spring break & vacations and running up bar tabs, all on student loans? Better yet, how many are studying some obscure subject like philosophy or musical therapy with next to no chance of getting a job? Want to graduate with little or no debt? Here's how 1. Take your first two years of general eds at local community college & live at your parents while working at least part time 2. Go to main campus for Junior & Senior year at a state school. Ohio State & the MAC schools offer great programs in everything from education to engineering to premed. 3. Live in a cheap place even if it's an old dumpy house with 5 other roommates. Study at the library & work part time. Following these rules, I think it would be very hard to graduate with more than a $200/mo payment which could be paid off while working at the mall if you couldn't find a full time job in your field.

Standardized tests are what they are. Tying them into teacher salaries are one thing, tying them to student performance is another. Interesting points raised on evaluating judges also. I think if you had a legit form to evaluate judges or any other profession, on a peer basis, a supervisor basis, and a subordinate basis, you'll come arrive at a pretty accurate evaluation. I don't see what's so hard about that.

that's dog. Def not deer or coyote or possum or anything like that. You can tell it's dog because it's eating a lot. Deer eat vegetation and it looks different. Coyote & fox eat mice & you can see that in their droppings

That billboard is freakin obnoxious as all hell.

I'd like to see a bridge from the parking garage extended directly over the sidewalk to Little Italy so one could walk to the doorstep of each establishment without having to deal with Cleveland's harsh elements

I'd buy Chevy Volt in a heartbeat if I was in the market for a new car. I think they look great, interiors are awesome, and made in the USA!!! Prius and Leafs look like eggs. The Volt looks like a real car I'd be interested in buying that also happens to be a hybrid. Totally fits my lifestyle of lots of short trips too, but my gas guzzler V8 is almost paid for and I got 0% financing.

Here's a fun little data source I found, basically shows a number of urban inner city school districts receiving much much more funding per pupil than other suburban or rural districts. East Cleveland in the Top Ten. Shaker Heights & Cleveland Heights right near the top also. Cleveland Municipal schools in the top 20, spending over $15k per pupil. Districts at the bottom spending less than half as much per pupil.... http://stateimpact.npr.org/ohio/2012/01/17/see-how-much-each-ohio-school-district-spends-per-student/

really? You think poorer districts get less money for education? Wanna back that up with some hard data?

Well I'll start with the easy ones. LIFO based on seniority was pretty much eliminated. Current law says that seniority can only be a determining factor when two employees have the same evaluation scores. Also LIFO ONLY deals with RIF (reduction in force) situations. Those are layoffs dealing with MONEY ISSUES ONLY. Without those provisions anytime time money issues arise (real or not) you would eliminate the top earners. So not true. What organization engages in this practice? Accounting firms? Law firms? Architecture firms? Once schools and teachers embrace the same practice as other professions, schools can attract and retain as many high-priced teachers as they want. Schools would have to pay a premium to keep the best teachers. Schools that only hired & retained the "cheapest" staff money could buy would quickly be exposed and labeled as bargain basement education. Just the same, schools that attracted & retained the best staff would earn a reputation for doing so. Same as any other organization. If the levy doesn't pass, the superintendent goes to his top earners & says "I need you to forego your raise this year & take a 5% cut". If they don't like it, they can see what else is available in other school districts. That same superintendent can go back to the tax payers and say "we didn't pass the levy & we lost 5 of our best teachers." As it stands now, taxpayers just hear about pink slips to the newly hired teachers and it doesn't seem to matter. Trust me, it could work. Don't think so? Ask yourself why and who really stands to lose by trying.

One item that rarely makes it into the discussion anymore is EXTENDING the school day and the school year. America is one of the last few industrialized nations that doesn't have year-round schooling. 2-3 weeks off in summer should be plenty. Keep the students at school till at least 4pm also, even if it includes an hour of supervised recess or study session, making sure they get their homework done before going home, or extra tutoring for those who need it. I see Cleveland kids hitting the streets before 2:30pm in some areas. That is just not enough school day for students who are already behind in standardized tests of reading, math, etc