Columbus_girl

Happy belated birthday to the coolest dude around UrbanOhio!!!!

I have been on the go forever. Not to toot my own horn (heh heh :clap:)..but here goes everything: I am in Ministry training at church; head of the Women's ministry at church; involved in two Christian support groups outside of my church; pitching a book query to literary agents; in the process of producing a spoken word demo.... Hmmmm...when was the last time I slept :?? ...oh yeah, I moved back to the suburbs :drunk:(I couldn't help myself)!!! I'm still all about boosting the City of Columbus though!

Bump!

It seems as if it would make a beautiful, perfect, and quaint gift shop... Florist... Coffee shop...

Me: Thank you for calling Fulton County Department of Family and Children Services. How may I assist you? Caller: I was born by the Immaculate Conception in the Year of Our Lord 1962. Me: Huh? I mean, sir...how may I assist you? Caller: I was born by the Immaculate Conception in the Year of Our Lord 1962. Me: Sir, are you calling me from the 13th Floor at Grady Hospital? Caller: Yes. As a matter of fact I am. There's a fat nurse that is trying to hurt me. I am calling because I was born by the Immaculate Conception in the Year of Our Lord 1962. Me: Sir, may I please speak to a nurse? Caller: Yes. Indeed you can ma'am. (He then calls for the nurse). Nurse: Hello? Me: Ma'am. This is ____ with Fulton County DFACS. A man just called me... Nurse: I know. One of the nurses let him use the phone. Honey, you should have just hung up on him. He does this all the time. Have a great day.

"I figured if Elyria is going to get any attention, I minus well be the one who gets it off foot."--Jake77 I got so tickled when I read that statement. I haven't been so folded over in laughter for a while.

Gorgeous! Can't wait to view the finished product. I especially love the colors as well as the urban images at the header.

Sav-A-Lots are the nastiest grocery stores I have ever been to. I went to a Sav-A-Lot one time and nearly puked. The smell was awful and the food was of a very low quality. Main Street has so much potential. I'm with the guy in the story that said to simply wait. The City of Columbus must not take an "any development is good development" approach. The city may be saddled with a disproportionate share of Franklin County's low-income residents. However, this is absolutely no reason for officials and "community developers" (and I use that term very, very lightly) to settle for one of the nastiest most disgusting grocery stores on this planet.

Ironic. Two things, I assume, Norcross is getting hit the hardest and I would hardly call Gwinnet "affluent", better off then Dekalb or Fulton, but hardly affluent. Lawerencville, Lilburn, duluth, etc. and all those areas seem very "hick" to me. I guess homes priced from $500K to well over $1M wouldn't qualify as affluent. Point remains, at least Blacks are being cut some slack :mrgreen:.

I was reading ajc.com (Atlanta Journal Constitution online) the other day and there was an editorial and blog discussion about gangs in Gwinnet County (Asian and Hispanic gangs). Many people are now moving out of this very affluent county in Georgia because of the gang infestation and the filthy lifestyles of some Hispanics and Asians in this area (bunkbeds in garages, a huge number of people living in houses in affluent neighborhoods, trashing of communities, graffitti, etc). One of the quotes from the editorial was that now in Georgia, there are a lot of White people viewing having a Black neighbor as having a prince for a neighbor. Many Whites that would have placed their homes on the market at the first sight of Blacks moving into their neighborhoods, are now staying put with the influx of Asians and Hispanics to the Georgia area. As a Black person, I can't say that I am flattered. I would be lying if I said that I am not chuckling a bit :lol:. Hi neighbor :wave:!

Southerners were always taught that in order to make a better living, you would have to move "up North." It just seems so odd to me that someone would move "down South" to make a better living. If what I am experiencing in Ohio is the worst that Ohio can offer, I can only imagine how good it was when the getting was good. Ohio must have offered a heckuva lot in the first place for it to "have fallen in the shitter" yet still be able to offer so much :wtf:. I have now been here a little over a year and I have had some very unique experiences and some trying experiences (trying experiences due most in part to the negativity coming from others unable/unwilling to enjoy their home state's amenities/uniqueness). I would love for Ohio to have an intense and bustling inner-city culture whereas people were actually regular partakers in Ohio's cultural amenities. I have expressed my frustration in the past with how people take Ohio and its valuable assets for granted. Once more, I express the fact that topics such as this makes me puke. Unfortunately, some Ohioans have come to rely solely on the media to shape their psyche about a truly wonderful state. Some have done so to the point of absurdity. The various media outlets have driven this intense skewing of reality. It's too bad that the same media outlets are unwilling to shift their focus towards balanced and unbiased coverage of Ohio. The periodic "feel good editorials" are simply not enough. Ohio's image is tarnished thanks in part to a relentless media and people who are unable/unwilling to make up their own minds.

My kind either. Young, Black, educated. Shouldn't I be in Atlanta, Charlotte, or Houston? I'll tell ya' one thing, I damn near cried when I had to drive through Georgia's clusterfuck on my way home to central Georgia :whip:.

If you were unable to pursue your real estate aspirations here would you stay here?? Its not about the money...its about opportunities, that of which are severely lacking in Ohio. Then what in the hell is it good for?!?!?! I wouldn't be wasting my time with coop if it weren't for the experience that I am getting. I make the about the same amount of money at my part-time job...I could continue there and you are saying that I would be just as well off with only having Panera Bread on my resume compared to having worked with planning departments with the city's of Hamilton (Ohio) and my next one could potentially be with the City of Portland, and who knows after that. ***scratching my head still trying to figure out how I ended up coming to Ohio--a state severely lacking in opportunity--from the "progressive" South--with no job lined up--only to land a job in a week*** Things that make you go hmmmm....

This just irks me. I'm so sick of these "studies" and "projections." Ohio is struggling to restructure its economy--true enough. However, all is not lost. Ohio has been strong in a lot of areas of innovation for some time. Ohio is no different than other states: it is feeling the growing pains of an overall changing American economy. Ohio's biggest problem is not its economy, per se. Rather, it's the fact that innovation is slowly being lost among people who merely want a job handed to them as opposed to going out and being creative and forward-thinking. The younger generation is not preparing for the future of this county. They are seeking to continue their frat parties well beyond its appropriateness. The professional and college-educated of just a mere generation ago spent their twenties and early thirties working towards a successful life. Now, you have a generation that is looking for microwave success. Where are the tales of the run-down, leaky apartment? Where are the tales of the uber-small starter home? Where are the tales of working your way up from the mailroom? Have we become so fixated on being at the top that we forget the fun and lessons of being the underdog?

Atlanta is not completely bad. My only gripe (and the reason I don't ever see myself returning there) is the fact that it is just too damned hard to really "make it." The cost of living is astronomical and the salaries just don't make it easy to afford a comfortable living. I was blessed to have a comfortable lifestyle while I lived there. However, if I had the same salary here (in Columbus, Ohio) that I had back in Atlanta, it would be sweet. I'm not complaining about my salary or standard of living here in C-bus. I actually make less and have a similar standard of living. Some of the pluses I have experienced include: 1) I live in a luxury apartment community that would have easily cost between $950-1100 a month in Atlanta city proper. I pay significantly less in Columbus city proper; 2) My commute to work is around 15 minutes on a good traffic day and around 20 minutes on a horrible traffic day. On a good traffic day in Atlanta it would take me 40-45 minutes to get to work. On a bad traffic day (which became routine) it would take me 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. We won't even discusss "bridge jumpers," "jack-knife tractor trailors," "on-looker delays" (commuters craning their necks to see accidents on the OTHER side of the interstate); 3) I can use surface streets to get from the inner-city to Columbus' surrounding suburbs. In Atlanta, to go from the inner-city to Atlanta's suburbs is almost exclusive interstate driving; 4) Now I do miss the cheap restaurants down South. I like the food here better though so I will pay the few extra dollars (you get to choose from different varieties of food). Oh yeah, the servings here are small as heck. Down South, you get used to paying a few bucks for a huge serving of food; 5) Atlanta has a music scene that is far more integrated into the community even though the quality sucks. The only thing you have to do in Atlanta is put an intoxicating beat with simple lyrics that you repeat over and over and over...(normally "Go 'head bitch and shake your ass real fast"). Ugh! I have a friend here in Columbus who is in the underground rap scene and when I read his lyrics I am amazed at how much thought, effort, and talent went into producing his lyrics. His music is there to uplift and not tear down. I am not a fan of rap music but I have to give credit where it is due; 6) Atlanta has a thriving entertainment culture. But I flat out refuse to pay for their sky high parking. It is too much to pay for an expensive ass ticket to the Fox then pay for expensive ass parking. Not to mention paying for dinner and a few drinks (which can get a bit pricey depending on where you go). It gets rough financially trying to have quality fun in Atlanta (not to mention how awful it is to drive in downtown Atlanta). Going downtown to Columbus is hassle-free and soooo much more calmer. That's just my assessment. Atlanta is not a hellhole. Someone just did not plan well for the city's growth and expansion. Too bad. In a couple of years, people will hate the fact that they bought into perception rather than reality. Three years was all I could take.

Is there any way to add a career networking thread to UrbanOHio? I'm talking about a thread dedicated to inside information on job leads and also a place where people can post their career interests, etc.

So are we talking Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus? I know that we probably can't do it now since the cold season is fast approaching. However, in 2007 I say UrbanOhio sponsor a community clean-up of each of Ohio's distinct urban areas.

I like the idea of partnering with a neighborhood group to co-sponsor a community clean-up :clap:.

"...but it didn't take long for the English to realize how damn small their population was compared to immigrant groups from Germany, Ireland, etc..." This is still happening. The "English" have no problem now with groups that have historically been deemed "minority groups" referring to themselves as White.

No need to emphasize that "Italians ARE White" since that is not "news" to me. I was merely pointing out groups that historically have had to endure the wrath of White American supremacy. BTW, this is a thread about solutions. What do you suppose we do to address the problems within the Black community?

Blacks have suffered in part because of our reluctance to assimilate. The Hispanics, the Japanese, the Italians, etc. have had far better results because of their willingness to assimilate. Their culture has become a commodity to the United States due in part to White America's fascination with exotic cultures. At the same time, the Black culture (or what's left of the Black culture) has been pilferaged for the socio-economic gains of other cultures...primarily the White American culture. Black Americans have and will always be at an economic, social, political, and educational disadvantage as a result of the protectionist policy of institutionalized racism. It is not something that we can't overcome. But damn always having to overcome...why not just make it fair and equitable in the first place? Alas, as the saying goes, in order for capitalism to thrive, there must always be an active underclass. What the larger majority is failing to acknowledge is that Black Americans are the only group of individuals that DID NOT voluntarily come to this country only to be stripped of their culture, identity, heritage, and history (and I don't make that statement to say that I don't love the country my ancestors built). The past has never been fully acknowledged, addressed, and corrected. The interest simply does not exist. I am not about holding onto the pains of the past. The individuals that have historically (and to this day) wielded the power don't care enough about our past; otherwise, we would not be having this discussion. That's my two-cents on that issue. One of my biggest concerns regarding the Black community is our overall attitudes towards the medical community. Our fears and concerns are not without merit. At the same time, we must become more vocal about our healthcare needs within the research/scientific community. We need to go directly to the source and stop waiting for "the government" to address what's ailing us. One way to do this is to encourage Black children, male and female alike, to embrace Math and Science. We need more Black doctors, medical researchers, scientists, etc. If the presence of Blacks increased in the medical community, then this would help bridge the gap. The reason that Blacks are so demanding of social service agencies is because of the historic presence of Black individuals, namely Black females, in that field. There's a level of trust that is already there because "someone like me" is "helping" me obtain a needed service. The schools are in the shape that they are in for one reason: the teaching profession has been one of the easiest route to the upper echelons of Black society. As Blacks explore other professional areas, this field is losing its luster. Blacks are knocking down walls in other career areas...not just those we have historically had a huge presence. Black teachers have, for the most part, been confined to teaching in inner-city schools. There is a dilemma now because inner-cities schools are sputtering and have been for a while. It has become a tug-o-war between job protection and educating inner-city students. Where do you place the ever decreasing funding these schools are receiving? Job protection seems to be winning out over the education of our children.

Not sure, Summit Street. I have been considering Cleveland or Cincinnati a lot lately. I'm definitely not considering moving out of state. Not at all. Perhaps I will give Columbus another good year and see how it goes. Ohio is my oasis in the desert. So I definitely would not consider moving out of state. Just considering all of my intra-state options.

"...And I think I speak for all mankind when I say a touch less Jesus and a scosh more pig's knuckles..." Exactly me sentiments. The religious establishment here has people so brainwashed to the point that they fear that if they have even an inkling of fun they will burn in hell for an eternity. Ugh!

Columbus simply needs a soul. People here are so stuck into a mundane, meloncholy existence. It does not take much to please Columbusites. Give them a half-way decent paying job, a house in the "fastest growing suburb," an SUV, a bar or two complete with a chain restaurant, a church and life is simply grand. Columbus is the epitome of a boring city. As much as I love living here, it gets to me sometimes (a part of me is looking forward to my current lease expiring). I've just never witnessed people settling for so much less than what a truly vibrant city can offer. It is one thing to be easy to please. At least set the initial bar high. This idiotic obsession with the Buckeyes is next to obscene. A "city" willing to be defined by a college football team? WTF?

Sorry for the Buckeye comment :-P! It's too much already. How many more weeks of this is sh*t is left???? I'm serious...I can't take it anymore. Thanks for the suggestions. That will keep me busy for the next couple of weeks.