CornerCurve

I know there is well over a year of additional data to be collected before intake crib study is complete, but my imagination is running. Hopefully, this new study reflects the results of this previous study (map below). In my daydream scenario, someone with the economic and political cojones sees the data, recognizes the ever growing need for energy diversification and the financial potential, steps up to the plate and plants a couple dozen of these (look below) off shore. What better statement from the "burning river" city could you want about rebirth in an industrialized region? These are GE 3.6 MW wind turbines. I was shopping ahead. Here's the brochure: http://www.gepower.com/prod_serv/products/wind_turbines/en/downloads/ge_36_brochure.pdf Actually, while the wind power would be great and the environmental statement poignant, I really think that a turbine farm off shore would make a kick ass entrance to the city for anyone coming over on the Port Stanley Ferry. As long as we don't get Capt. Hazelwood slaloming through the turbines at full speed, I think we're safe.

Not really about Cleveland, but we do get the mention. Kinda weird, but feels right. Ryan Adams "Oh My Sweet Carolina" From: "Heartbreaker" ...So I went on to Cleveland and I ended up insane I bought a borrowed suit and learned to dance I was spending money like the way it likes to rain Man I ended up with pockets full of cane...

As I'm not downtown constantly, I tend to lose perspective on the expansive nature of these parking lots at the city core. So I looked at Google Earth for the first time in months and found that the "Buildings" tab was finally showing buildings in Cleveland (no Columbus or Cincy yet.) Zooming around downtown is both entertaining (I'm easily amused) and a little distressing as you rotate around the massive footprint of these parking lots next to the scale of the surrounding buildings. I believe that the 515 Euclid garage-just finished with retail space-has something like 520 parking spaces. Two of these buildings-with retail, of course-would quickly make up 1000 or so parking spaces Matches estimates on these two blocks. That this space has sat bare like this for so many years, despite how lucrative the parking lot industry might be, is really distressing. Especially when you contrast the scale of the neighborhood's building stock. I'm just hoping Stark paces himself and brings this thing to fruition. I'll be sick if I have to stare at these parking lots for another 15 years. That developer deftly alliterates their desire to discussing developments to some distant date.

A nice sentimental look back at a lot of :drunk: The Flats' east bank again looks to revival Nightspots were where Cleveland loved to have fun moment in the sun has faded Sunday, February 26, 2006 Brian Albrecht Plain Dealer Reporter On a dead-of-winter Saturday night, the last dusty bottles of whiskey at O'Connor's Irish Pub were being sold in a $4-a-shot wake for the ghosts haunting this east bank corner of the Flats.

I just listened to an interview done on WCPN last week with RTA's Joe Calabrese and Art Guzzetti, Director of Policy and Advocacy, American Public Transportation Association on the RTA website http://www.gcrta.org/nu_newsroom_releases.asp?listingid=850 About five minutes into part 4 of the interview, Joe Calabrese mentions the real-time displays they have (and are currently updating) at rapid stops, which he says are soon to be expanded to some fifty additional transit centers in the RTA system. He goes onto mention how this real-time system monitoring will be available to download into your phone or PDA for live bus or train updates-although he mentioned something like a 24 month time frame for that kind of integration. It would be nice to see those live updates on the web. If the information is currently used internally, it shouldn't be that difficult to put it one the web for public consumption. I had never heard of the NextBus system. That has to be so handy for people who use the system. BTW I checked back and the RTA Trip Planner on their website is up and running again. :-D

I took this a couple years back on Lorain and W. 125th or so. It's supposed to say "Daisy takes folic acid" but I can only imagine there was a race to see who could spray over the "folic" first. I've often wondered how many of these billboards across the country got, well, modified in this fashion.

I thought posting about disaster preparedness might be kind of entertaining, but damn! I check back in and people are throwing down! :shoot: I don't think they covered how to quell civil unrest on the website.

I was watching "Meet The Press" yesterday and saw Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff discussing Hurricane Katrina, the evacuation, the mismanagement and the ensuing chaos. So I got to wondering how we're supposed to evacuate Cleveland. Well, the city of Cleveland website has that covered. http://www.city.cleveland.oh.us/emergency/downtownemergencyevacuationplan/dowtownemerevacind.html Most of it is what you'd expect. Stay calm. Follow instructions. Don't wet yourself. One thing that I found funny is at the botton of "Evacuation FAQ" under "What about parking facilities?" Apparently, in case of emergency, disaster or terrorist attack, the parking facilities have "agreed to release vehicles without delay at the gates." That's nice of them to "agree" to that. I can't really imagine what kind of parking lot attendant is really going to stand their post and take my parking stub when the radiation cloud is bearing down on us. Also, under "Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness", they had some interesting tidbits about what to do "during" a nuclear attack. 1. Do not look at the flash or fireball-it can blind you. I've seen "True Lies" thank you very much. 2. If you hear an attack warning: * Take cover as quickly as you can, BELOW GROUND IF POSSIBLE, and stay there unless instructed to do otherwise. Unless instructed by irradiated mutants, then you probably want to stay below ground. * If you are caught outside, unable to get inside immediately, take cover behind anything that might offer protection. I'm looking for Jimmy Dimora Lie flat on the ground and cover your head. * If the explosion is some distance away, it could take 30 seconds or more for the blast wave to hit. 3. Protect yourself from radioactive fallout. If you are close enough to see the brilliant flash of a nuclear explosion, the fallout will arrive in about 20 minutes. Just long enough to make my case for being good breeding material for the "re-population." Take shelter, even if you are many miles from ground zero-radioactive fallout can be carried by the winds for hundreds of miles. Remember the three protective factors: shielding, distance and time. 4. Keep a battery-powered radio with you, and listen for official information. Follow the instructions given. Local instructions should always take precedence: officials on the ground know the local situation best. Actually, as far as disaster preparation manuals go, I guess it's alright. Seems comprehensive enough. Hopefully, I never have to find out is any parking lot attendant is manning their post to the bitter end.

Just looking around today and saw they overhauled the RTA website. http://www.gcrta.org/index.asp It looks a little cleaner and better laid out than its predecessor. It does has a dedicated trip planner. The Chicago MTA has one I've used several times and found to be really helpful. As of yet, however, the RTA one doesn't seem to be working. I also like the popular destinations page. For those in the suburbs not used to using public transit, I think elements like this will make getting on a train or bus a little less intimidating by highlighting specific locations as opposed to lists of numbered bus routes. Anything to encourage novice transit users. It doesn't feel 100% perfect, but it is a definite improvement.

I found this website through the cleveland.com forum and don't remember seeing anything about it over here. http://www.parkworks.org/marketsquaredesign.htm

I was wondering if anyone had heard any updates on this project. I recently remembered reading about this building as I drove past the Jake earlier this week and couldn't recall if it had died on the vine or was still progressing. I sent them an e-mail requesting some kind of update, but have yet to hear back.

I knew someone raised by two lesbians and I can confirm that there is an increased risk of emotional and physical "problem" to the child. What they don't mention is that the problem is from all the other kids harassing and attacking him and his lesbian parents. His home life was perfectly happy. Normal. Even boring. His family existed as any other family in the world. When he had to exist in the outside world with all its preconceptions and biases and outright intolerance, that's where he encountered the only real problems he had growing up. So what did his two moms do? They fought for their child. They helped him stand up to all the bigotry he faced as a child, which helped him become what I feel is a pretty strong, independent thinking and, yes, heterosexual guy. It's not that complicated. You fight for your loved ones. I'm in Northeast Ohio, which I grant you is the blue end of a red state (for now). But Jesus, what is going on around Ohio any more? I always liked Ohio's role in "freedom". We sent so many soldiers to fight in the Civil War-a war predicated on freedom (and economy). But I like to believe mostly freedom. My concept of how truly free you are as a person, community or country is your ability to argue with someone who you absolutely disagree with for hours and hours and then go your separate ways and live your lives to the embodiments of your beliefs. I like my freedoms but I can only enjoy my freedoms if I know people around me are able to enjoy those same freedoms. In my heart of hearts, I do not believe that is a "Blue State" belief. So it damages me when this sort of legislation is submitted or passed, as in the Gay Marriage Ban. This state really gives me a headache sometimes.

"...a proof of payment system with transit officials randomly checking passes on the actual buses." I was in Germany for 3 weeks over the holidays and the transit officials randomly checking passes is how they operate. It's a little unusual at first, just hoping on and off trains and buses with no one checking my ticket. You feel like you're doing something wrong and being a stupid American. Then, you realize just how quick things seem to move along this way. Wait times are minimal and, at least on buses and trams, they have ticket vending machines on the vehicles. I always got the tickets and followed the rules :-D but in the 100 or so (I'm guessing) transit rides I took, I only got checked by a transit official once in Hamburg. I suppose I could have skated by for all those weeks not buying tickets, which would be the natural temptation for this kind of system, but the fines were severe for those riding without a pass (65 Euro or something). I like the system and think it will make the BRT a more attractive transit option. If only it were on rail, then I'd really be thrilled. Ah, well...

"The state installs about 100 gates and lights each year, at a cost of about $250,000 each, Nicholson said." I don't pretend to know anything about the logistics of installing one of these gates, but a quarter million dollars per gate! That's hard to believe. Maybe KJP or someone with a little more rail infrastructure expertise could explain why it is so expensive. I understand things need to be done to a certain standard, but wow! I know this type of project will be difficult to get additional funding for-the mounting volume of sad stories like this girl and her father are probably the only type of thing which will have any real resonance in jaring loose additional money. Politicians have bigger, sexier projects they'd rather throw their weight behind than rail crossing safety, but at their current clip of 100 new gates per year, it will take over 30 years to put gates at all crossings in the state. That's more shocking than the gate cost to me.

Mine is a Russian anti-alcoholism poster I found on the web one day. Translated, it reads: "Alcoholism leads to traumatism." Sadly, it had already been sold, so all I have is the image on my computer. I've always loved the visual art of eastern block graphic design in general and propaganda in specific. The American-style propaganda always seemed so bland to me. Anyhow, I couldn't resist a communist pseudo-Shrek fresh from the losing end of a bar brawl.

Here's the article PD article via cleveland.com Regina McEnery Plain Dealer Reporter Greater Cleveland's second-largest health-care system is embarking on a $1 billion building spree that will significantly expand emergency room services and bring Northeast Ohio a free-standing cancer hospital.

Just saw this on cleveland.com and thought I'd post it. I'm not sure how much will be newly announced construction and how much was previously announced. I just know I like how "$1 billion construction and building renovation plan" sounds. By Regina McEnery Plain Dealer reporter University Hospitals Health System will announce on Wednesday a $1 billion construction and building renovation plan that will result in a new cancer hospital, a new nursery for the sickest infants and expansion of clinical services at a number of satellite centers.

Chris tried to work Stark away from his hard line on grand, sweeping new urbanism applied to downtown as the only real way to transform. Stark wouldn't relent from his position. This is both what I respect about Stark and what concerns me about him. It's his passion the city needs, and if he magically had control over an unlimited source of funds and property rights throughout downtown, I am sure within ten years downtown would both look nothing like it does today and probably be an incredibly hot location for business, retail and residential real estate. But back here in the real world, where giant change will only come from building a consensus among developers, property owners, preservationists and politicians, Bob may need to find a more conciliatory tone to achieve real success. In general, Chris was in Ari Maron's camp, very much highlighting the numerous projects that have come to fruition and are in the planning stages. Much of it sounded like he was rehashing the highlights from his time as Chief of Staff for Jane Campbell. Chris pointed out the Wolstein East Bank project. Stark: Not big enough. Chris mentioned the huge tracts of land that will be developed when the Port Authority moves west, as dictated by the Lakefront Plan. Stark: Too slow and, again, not big enough. Chris and Ari both hold that revitalizing downtown will come from a continual collection of projects that move neighborhood by neighborhood, but with greater awareness of how these neighborhoods relate to each other. Stark's vision was to revitalize the old city by building a "new" city in its midst, in this "Y" stretching to the lake through the Warehouse District, down Euclid and across the river toward Tremont (tearing down what in the process, I don't know). With the energy of this "new" city, the old city can leech, I suppose, a more economically viable environment to renovate/rebuild/bring older buildings up to par with their new, more modern neighbors. Anyhow, I've always liked Chris as a spokesperson for the city-very upbeat, which must have been tough to maintain through the perspective of his (formerly) political position. He acted more like a moderator than Feagler. I'm glad to see he will still be a voice in civic development in Cleveland from University Circle. If only that translated into 40,000 new downtown jobs or that long awaited fourth skyscraper on Public Square or, I don't know, something truly impossible maybe like permanently re-opening the Terminal's Observation Deck. Missing those few days this past summer was my big regret of this year--that and a long evening with a bottle of vodka and "I love 1987" "I love 1988" and "I love 1989" on VH1. Ouch!

For probably anyone in Cleveland-did anyone see last week's "Feagler & Friends" on WVIZ? They had Bob Stark, Chris Ronayne (formerly of the Campbell administration and currently something with University Circle) and Ari Maron of East 4th and lower Euclid development fame on for the full half hour debating the approach to downtown development. It was really entertaining! Stark deemed nearly every project currently proposed, under construction or recently completed to be far too small in scope, scattered in approach and long in development to save the downtown core. Ari Maron seemed a little annoyed as Stark described the East 4th/lower Euclid development he has been so involved in as a great "little" project, but one that couldn't have any transformative effect. Personally, I think all these "little" projects will transform the city, but I do admire Stark's passion. I wish someone as frank as Stark could find a way to help unify all these smaller projects, in which Bob also includes Gateway and Tower City, with some larger civic cohesion and not make it feel quite so scattershot. Stark though seems like he'd rather bulldoze blocks at a stretch and start from scratch. Despite the two different approaches, I really wonder how two powerful development forces like Stark and Maron can truly put aside these differences, which on "Feagler" almost bordered on personal dislike, and come to some sort of common vision both can agree will help reinvigorate downtown. Anyway, it was entertaining T.V. I don't know if they post the transcripts, but it might be worth a read. I'd also like to say that I've been reading "Urban Ohio" for about a year and check in constantly. It's a great site. By far, the best pipeline of Ohio development stuff around. And after a year, I found a compelling, albeit stupid, reason for finally joining---you're looking at member 500!