Master

Agreed Pope. All in all, I think NE Ohio, as a whole, did pretty well.

There are definitely billions being spent in NE. Ohio, but It would take a lot of drinks and a big steak for dinner for me to even dream about $200 billion in NE Ohio.

I trust some of the ratings but I don't give others as much credibility because there are too many things to consider. What I mean is: If I had a heart condition, I would definitely want to be treated at the number one rated heart hospital because I'm sure that Patient Survival Rates were strongly considered. There is no question about that, in my mind. On the other hand, there are too many variables to be considered in determining which hospital is the best, overall. In many cases, it would be a matter of personal preference or opinion. Different things are more of a priority for different people. What's most important is subjective. I may think hospital A is best because of how well they do this and you may think hospital B is best because of how well they do that. When considering an enormous amount of different types of data, it is difficult to determine how much weight to give specific types of data. It is also difficult to determine which types of data should or should not be considered. I find it difficult to understand why Children's of Akron didn't make the overall top 50 list. They have the number one Burn Unit in the world and are the first hospital to grow human skin. Akron General is rated number 1 in Ear, Nose and Throat Advanced Technologies and has had the number 1 Fitness and Wellness center for 14 straight years. I thought they would make the top 50 overall list, as well. Like I said, I don't give the overall list much credibility. All in all, I am proud of our area hospitals and this will mean more Research and Development Dollars, Construction, Jobs and a continued increase in the care for our residents. This is great PR for the area and quality health care is a major draw for companies looking to relocate. Funny how I still call it our area when I currently live in North Carolina. Ohio will always be my home and I plan to move back ASAP. Their are good points about this area, but it doesn't have that urban flavor that Northeast Ohio has. I can't take it much longer.

Cleveland hospitals rocked the house! This is great PR for Cleveland! More research and development dollars, as well as jobs are on the way. Congratulations to Akron's Summa for ranking high and on the 100 million dollar joint venture with Crystal Clinic. I am really impressed with all of the Downtown Akron Developments and the overall progress of The Akron Area, as a whole. Northeast Ohio is still on the map!

Summa among top 50 U.S. News designates Akron hospital 45th for orthopedics. Cleveland facilities also fare well By Cheryl Powell Beacon Journal medical writer Published on Friday, Jul 11, 2008 An Akron hospital has a leg up on others nationwide when it comes to fixing bones and replacing hips and knees. For the 11th consecutive year, Summa Health System is ranked among the top 50 hospitals nationwide for orthopedic care by U.S. News & Report. Summa ranked 45th in orthopedics in the listing, which is available online today at http://www.usnews.com/besthospitals.

270 billion? That's unreal! Imagine that in Northeast Ohio.

What is going on with this big hotel announcement that is suppose to be an almost certainty? And there was also talk of a big retail development. Anyone have any news about either?

Just a quick but in thought. Even a net $100.00 will pay for a one night stay in a decent hotel. It costs more to park at Hopkins than it does in Akron, so with an economically efficient vehicle; you could probably net at-least $150.00 to $175.00.

Wow! More good news for Akron, which seems to be picking up a serious head of steam!

You guys, first of all, every homeless person isn't an alcoholic or a drug attic. This is a terrible stereotype. Also, not all homeless people beg. In fact, many work every day. They just don't have a home to go to and can't escape homelessness. And everyone has the right to do with their money, what they want. Personally, I do give some homeless people money. Not all. It depends on if I get the impression they are trying to run something on me or not and of-course, if I can spare it. I can usually spare something. Believe it or not, sometimes when someone asks you for money for food, it is really for food. A lot of times it is for alcohol or drugs. If you ask me for some change to help with a beer, I will probably say yes. I'm not trying to solve the homeless problem when I say yes, I'm trying to help someone get through the day. Just because he wants a beer doesn't make him an alcoholic; he may just want to enjoy his miserable day. If he is an alcoholic, denying him a beer will not solve his problem, but buying him one may end his pain, for a while. I don't believe I am helping him into his grave, I believe I am helping him maintain his sanity one more day. Each new day is another chance. Alcohol really helps when you're homeless. It really does. It supplies a feeling of warmth when it is cold, it helps you sleep on hard concrete or dirt and it helps to keep your mind off of the gloom and doom that tends to fill your mind, otherwise. All of these organizations you all donate to are mostly useless, I'm sorry to say. They are grand ideas from the minds of people who have never been homeless themselves. They very temporarily treat the symptoms of today. Something to eat today, somewhere to stay tonight, a class to attend so I can listen to someone teach me how to go to a job interview when I don't have an address to put on the job application. I have personally witnessed and experienced many of these BS Programs. Excuse me! The reason each person is homeless is a personal story and the reason they remain homeless is unique to each person. No one solution will work for everyone. I am here to tell you that the best way to end one homeless person's struggle, is to take him into your house. This is only practical for friends, relatives and people you believe in. It is also a great sacrifice and risk. This is what worked for me. Otherwise, we must tackle the many roots of the problem to prevent it in the first place. We must also be kind and understanding. Many of these people have already contributed enough to society to deserve kindness and respect. Many have given so much that they have nothing left to give and have no choice but ask for something. I'm not just talking about money and material things, but service to our country, love to their family and children they raised, a life they may have saved in a fire. Who knows? There are some homeless people who deserve our respect, not our condemnation. For the ones who are just lazy, you usually tell who they are. Finally, it isn't going away anytime soon and with The Iraq War and a bad economy, it will probably get worse.

Removing benches and police crackdowns are not the issue. Not giving them money? That's mean. Many of us will go to the bar and buy a complete stranger a cocktail but won't give a homeless person $2.00 because we think he will buy a drink with it. Why is he less of a person? Why deny him a drink just because he was drafted into Vietnam? Throwing money at the problem would help a lot, if thrown in the right direction. If we can somehow stop spending billions on wars, and somehow spend a portion of those billions on education and other people oriented ventures, that would be a great start. We can always seem to find billions for war but there is never enough money to fix our education system, which is falling so far behind the other industrialized nations. Also, a considerable portion of these people who we want the police to crack down on and who we feel don't deserve a seat in the square, are military veterans who have become disfunctional by fighting for our country in one of these wars. I was homeless for a solid year and had the opportunity to become friends with some former Engineers, Doctors, Lawyers and Businessmen, as well as Vets and people who have raised children and who have had some extremely unfortunate events seal their fate. Many homeless people are much more wise than the average person. Some go to work every day at a temporary labor office. They can't escape homelessness because they have no address to put on a real job application and have to buy new, used clothes everyday, after working in some filthy factory. They go to the gym and pay to take a shower and have to eat at a fast food every day. They have to pay for transportation to and from work and pay to cash their check. They make minimum wage and are single with no kids so they are The IRS"s favorite target. By morning when they report for work, they are lucky to have enough to buy lunch, at lunch time. For some homeless people, the only joy they can get out of a day; is to sit in that square and watch people and pigeons. I know there are those who use it for a toilet and those who smell bad, but trust me on this: There are some that have some very interesting stories to tell and some who feel sorry for us. A conversation with a few of them will remind you how a close most all of us are to being homeless at this very moment. Fall a sleep with a lit cigarette, slip and fall and end up with a back injury that racks up a million in medical bills, etc. There must be a million ways everyone of our live could change instantly. Some drunk throws a punch at you in a bar and you gently push him down while defending yourself. He dies and you go to prison. These are some of the stories you hear that set off a chain of events that lead to their current predicament. While in jail, you get attacked, raped or abused, etc. When released, you're a violent felon, bitter and angry, with a college degree and a nervous twitch. While you were in jail you lost your wife to another man, your house, job and everything you owned. What's next? You need a drink. All I'm saying is: "Lighten up!" Many homeless people are you and I with one wrong move or one unfortunate incident. Programs, Job Training, Rehabilitation, Psychologists, Second Chances, Education, Health Care, Ending War, Cutting off the supply of drugs, Social Issues, etc., are all part of the solution to the homeless problem. Removing benches is not going to solve anything. They'll just lay on the ground. Where else do they have to go?

Good Job! I would love to see some Akron Pics during peak activity hours, like lunch and Friday and Saturday nights. Or when there are games or events downtown. Downtown isn't always as dead as it looks on most of the pics I've seen on this forum. Also, There are great urban shots near Akron General, City Hospital and Childrens Hospital. Also East and West Exchange Steet, Akron U and Opportunity Parkway. I'm no longer in Ohio to help out. Planning to buy a camera so you guys can see what Winston-Salem and Greensboro look like.

A middle eastern country with goo gobs of money, slowly, but surely, making friends with our Air Force and military branches and then, all of a sudden, there are shady deals where American companies who are bidding on military contracts are suddenly out of the picture because they were asked to submit bids for a smaller version of a product? Why weren't US companies notified that Congress had changed their mind and were now interested in the larger product?Dubai was aware of the change. I don't feel that it is in our best interest economically, nor is it in the best interest of national security for The US to be relying on this company to make our weapon systems. A middle eastern country with goo gobs of money making take over bids for major international shipping ports? They would own, operate and have complete control of major shipping ports on strategic borders of our country. They will have control or how much of what imports and exports come in and out of those ports. There are legal problems if we ever get suspicious, and these ports are near major population areas. Again, I don't think this is in the best interest of our national security. There are more interesting facts about their activities on Wall Street and elsewhere. It seems that almost everything they attempt to do concerning The US puts us at risk somehow. They don't do much on a small scale and it always involves critical interests of The US. I am not the only one who has noticed this. Many congressmen and Senators have been expressing great concern and so have people across America and around the world. Much of the information is kept quiet and I have noticed some controversy just suddenly disappear. But I still remember. Lou Dobbs use to be on this issue heavily, but I haven't heard much from him lately. Something just doesn't sit right with all of this. The more I pay attention, the more paranoid I get about this country. I'm done talking about it on this forum. I don't want to disappear or something. You guys should do your own research.

For me, this is all it boils down to. That's great that I get the label of "Conservative, just get a job" person. I won't apologize for wanting people to be responsible and to be accountable for their decisions in life. I'm more than happy to help, but I'd rather use my spare time and effort for contributing to society (outside of being a responsible person myself) by having a positive influence on my family and friends rather than a homeless person who may or may not take to any help I give him/her. And yes, of course I have had addiction/mental health directly affect my life. What's the 1st rule of rehab? You have to want help first. Some of these people are just going to continue to be homeless. Those that will turn it around will find their way out on there own - the programs exist in the city that will help you if you want to find them. Help is out there; I'm not going to beg you to take it. Excuse me everyone, but I have just tuned in and wow! I don't know where to begin! I have written a book called "Stop Hittin' Me Wit' Dat Bat!" I'm trying to get it published. It is my story. I have been both fortunate and unfortunate enough to view these this issue from several viewpoints. Not just 1 or even 2. We must remember that every single person on this planet has their own story. Many are similar and many are unimaginable. We are all human. Any one of us could have made a left instead of a right or said yes instead of no or had our SSN randomly pulled or been at the wrong place at the wrong time or stood up a second too early, etc., and we would be homeless, today. Or we could be in jail today or crippled today, etc. It is, in my opinion, by the grace of God that we are where we are today. Or if you prefer; it is by pure luck. Sure we made some wise decisions, but the fact that we were in a position to make these decisions is a miracle. Before I get into a long philisophical lecture, I will leave you guys with a recent articl I have written concerning Free Will. The question is: Does everyone have the freedom to choose who they are and what they do and how they turn out? ________________________________________________________________________________ by D-Source Here is a story of a child who was born to uneducated and ignorant parents who happened to be drug addicts. The child didn't know why he didn't feel good but he didn't. The child had no choice but to cry, out of instinct. His mother chose not to feed him because she needed money for drugs. This child was abused, sexually assaulted, neglected and suffered unimaginable mental stress and abuse as he grew up. His parents introduced him to drugs at a very young age and he has been an addict ever since. The institutions he was forced to endure as a child introduced him to more criminal minded young thugs and the staff at these institutions treated them all like garbage. When he was 18 years old he robbed a grocery store. The judge asked him why and the young man's reply was that he had no choice. The judge told him that everyone has Free Will and Freedom of Choice. The young man said "Not me." The judge asked why? This young man was nervous in front of the judge and all of those people. This young Jr. High School drop out who was in withdrawal from his Heroin Addiction began to stutter as he did his best, in horrible English. He rambled and tried to explain an 18 year story in the 5 seconds the judge gave him before interrupting the young man. The judge said "Just as I thought." He gave him the maximum sentence. Did this young man have Free Will? If he could articulate, he would say that as a baby, he had no Free Will. He had to submit to the will of his parents and his environment. He would say that he didn't choose his parents and he didn't ask for the needle to be stuck in him by his mother's boy friend. He didn't ask for it the first time nor the second or third. He would say that he needed the drugs to live and he needed money to buy the drugs. He would tell you that there are no free drug programs in his town and that no one wants to be his friend. Employment was not a choice because of his record, his appearance, his lack of a diploma and skills. He doesn't even have an address to put on an employment application. He doesn't even have the ability to work a shift without drugs. He definitely can't work on drugs. In my opinion, by the time this child was old enough to exercise his Free Will, his choices had become limited. They were limited by his lack of education, his ignorance, his vocabulary and poor English, not to mention his addiction. Drug addicts tend to loose there Freedom of Choice. Any doctor will tell you that a Heroin Addict of many years must have the drugs or face the possibility of death. Most of us are not capable of choosing death over anything. For Heroin Drug Addicts, that leaves one option: Get the drugs by any means necessary. It is a matter of life or death. For those of us who were properly raised and who are drug free, this is hard to comprehend and the concept of being in a situation where there are absolutely no choices available is disturbing, to say the least. For many people, the obvious choice would be to turn to God. For those who don't believe in God or a higher power, this option is not available either. For the believers: The Christian God says "He is The Truth, The Way and The Light", if you have faith. The question is how can this young man have faith in a God he knows nothing about? Is it possible that The Devil can take you to a place so dark that it is impossible for you to ever see the light. If you are sheltered from God by godless parents and your environment, will God seek out to find you? I will leave you to answer these questions for yourselves. I would be happy to address these questions at another time. For those who are wondering. Yes, I do believe. I am a Christian. For those who don't believe and need one logical reason; I will offer two: 1. Because God offers hope. When there are no other options available, he is always there. Without hope, there is very little incentive to try. I know that as long as I keep trying, God will make it OK. So I never give up. When I experience tragedy I turn to him and I see hope. 2. Just in case. The moral values and teachings of my God are great principles to live by. It does me and no one else any harm for me to believe. In fact, I believe that following his teachings have had a positive impact in my life. What a shame it would be to wake up out of my coffin one day to find out that there really was a God and I am doomed to burn for eternity. Eternity is a long time to burn. That would suck! Did this man have Freedom of Choice? Answer that for yourselves, as well. I know what I believe. What do you believe? Get drugs or die. Is that a choice? Turn to a God he was raised to not believe in, knows nothing about and can't see, feel or touch. He definitely doesn't feel loved by God. My humble definition of Free Will is: The right and ability to make your own choices. If you have no choices, do you still have Free Will. Are there always choices? If I have less choices available does that mean I have less Free Will or does it mean that I just have less choices to exercise my Free Will with? More questions for you to answer for yourselves. I have my own answers but these are topics for other articles. What answers to I have on this topic? America is a society of people who have a history of throwing rocks to try to stop a Freight Train. There are some huge problems that we do little about in this country. There are many, many tragic lives and situations in this country and we are quick to blame the person involved in these tragedies by saying "You had a choice" or "You have Free Will". We, who were lucky or blessed enough to be born to good parents and went to good schools and who ate well, find it hard to comprehend the young man saying he had no choice. Freedom of Choice in America is a social problem more than it is an individual problem. Why are drugs on our streets? Why is there so much poverty? Why were the institutions, that this child was forced to live in, so ineffective? Why wasn't this child's abuse reported by anyone? Why was the child returned to these parents? Why was he allowed to just drop out of school? Why are there no free treatment programs in his town? It would cost tax payers less to offer that option than the crimes he is doomed to commit will cost, not to mention the cost of caring for him in prison. It would also cost less than the war in Iraq! When tragedy strikes, we as Americans, must insure that Free Will is available for every man, woman and child. There is no Free Will on drugs and none for a child in a house with drugs and none in the court and prison system where he will end up. We, as Americans, do have The Free Will to choose to address these tragedies. Let's use our Free Will and Freedom of Choice to end some of the tragic conditions that lead to other tragic circumstances. Lets make some wiser choices on what we spend billions of dollars on. Lets exercise our choice to get involved!

The Hill - Dubai is threatening retaliation against American strategic and commercial interests if Washington blocks its $6.8 billion takeover of operations at several U.S. ports. As the House Appropriations Committee yesterday marked up legislation to kill Dubai Ports World’s acquisition of Britain’s Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation (P&O), the emirate let it be known that it is preparing to hit back hard if necessary. A source close to the deal said members of Dubai’s royal family are furious at the hostility both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have shown toward the deal. Let's see if all those Petro dollars will stop being re-cycled. - Peter C Peter C March 9, 2006 - 2:26pm Dubai threat to hit back NY Times is now reporting that Dubai is bowing to pressure and transferring operations of American ports to an American compaany Flyer Anne March 9, 2006 - 5:12pm Because I don't think his is the forum for such a deep and indepth discussion, I have just supplied a couple of paragraphs from an article or two to peak everyones interest. Anyone who would like to research "The Dubai Threat" should enter this phrase in Google, to start. Dubai has been slowly fighting for contracts to build US military weapons, there are contraversies with takeover bids for key US Companies on The NY Stock Exchange, etc. They have made many moves and attempted moves that could be considered threatening to US interests and security. Paranoia or Threat? I have my opinion. I'll let you guys develop your own.

It is important to note that there are 2 classes of people: The very very rich and the dirt poor. With all of the money the rich make, they share close to none of it with the extremely hard working peasants who are building this city. They are also positioning themselves business wise in a way that may be threatening our national security.

I think that in recent years, each of these downtowns have been improving. Of-course they are not what they use to be, but I think they have all been on the up swing.

Congratulations to Maumee for winning last year! Woohoo!

I'm still interested in economic information, if anyone has any. Jobs, population growth, etc.

It seems that women, overall, no matter where you go, are a little more unapproachable than they use to be. I find that I do better acting like I'm not interested for a long time and eventually they wonder why I'm not interested and come on to me. But when I approach them, they put up a 20 foot brick wall. Also, most women I meet have been done wrong in the past and think that all men are naturally dogs. Then there are the women who say they want a good man but always end up with the bad boys and thugs. Finally, the women who are holding out for a Bill Gates. They seem to be under the false allusion that a man's money will make them happy. Most rich guys I know and I know plenty, are complete jerks to women.

It amazes me every time someone uses a positive moment to bring up something negative. The only thing that needs to be said is "Congratulations Akron!" There is so much bad news that concerning this region and state. Good news, no matter how small, should be cause for celebration and a pat on the back. What good does it do to point out how insignificant this award may be? Akron has made a lot of progress in recent years and deserves something to feel good about. The fact that they are rebuilding and replacing every public school in the city, the afterschool program, The Goodyear Project and The Global Business Excelerator are all big achievements that are a result of public and private collaboration. The panel recognized this and gave the city this award. I, for one, am happy for the city. Everyone knows this isn't Earth Shaking News. But it is one positive bit of news for the moral of a city and region in the middle of all of the negative. Great job Akron!!! PS. By the way, Akron's unemployment rate has been on a healthy and steady decline for quite a while, Summit County's population has been growing for the last several years now and I expect to see a small growth in Akron's population on the next cencus results or at least no change. It is listed as one of the top ten cities for new business start ups and expansions in the country, when adjusted for size.

Let's go Akron!!

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!11

When replacing The Jar, you have to think of the future. AU's enrollment has experienced an extremely healthy increase every single year since I can remember. The multi-use of the arena will help pay the cost while the natural increase in enrollment slowly fills the seats during ball games. A new arena downtown may also attract more none college fans. A good season or two could help attendance, as well.

Awsome! Akron seems to be on a roll!