Sep. 28, 2006 - Local Blog for Political and Cleveland Rants!

Have you been looking for a place on line, where you can rant about your favorite (or least)favorite) politician, economic plan, the weather et al?  I found a no holds barred blog today: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/blue%20turtle/1355  The BlueTurtle sports blog somehow got onto tangents about why Cleveland is in such tough shape; who is to blame, and lordy lordy the comments got posted!

Blue Turtle's Blog claims our fair City has lost the title of 'Poorest City In the Nation' and I'm not sure that is true; 'Turtle' says we have dropped to 12th place. He has his own idea about who began all of the City's woes ( I disagree here too but I digress). It just might be a sports blog with a kick to it!  Check it out, and it's easy to make comments as well.  Oh, and in case you are interested, they do show a spot to order tickets. It's a blog affiliated with The Sporting News magazine.

 We had a nice discussion today in our office about the Shoreway redevelopment plans. Remember people (us members of the public) were invited to comment on the five or so complex plans that were being considered?  Don't forget to keep checking with http://www.innerbelt.org to see how plans are developing. Our office discussion centered around a main theme; was the restructuring of the Shoreway area going to be more of a boom for the suburbs like Lakewood and further isolate the downtown area? Or is it good for everyone? This is a key redevelopment plan for us, and worth our discussion time. I'm thinking City Council meets on Mondays at 7pm and if you check out the http://www.innerbelt.org site and have more questions about the plans than you have answers, a visit to our Council might be in order!  Remember, we can still Believe In Cleveland while not giving up our right to comment on plans made that affect all of us -in Cleveland and  Northeast Ohio  in general.

Sep. 25, 2006 - Are You An Economic Development Wonk?

OK I Admit I Am!  I was googling ThunderBay Ontario (I have a friend from Canada, thought of her, remembered my training month in Canada and then Thunderbay). When I googled it, I came across this amazingly wonderful blog written by a Northeast Ohioan named Don Iannone. He is an economic development consultant and his website http://www.don-iannone.com includes profile information that covers his work with everything from a Cherokee Indian project to work with local governments and publishing journals.  The blog is wonderful enough when it gives you all sorts of issues on economic development, but it also has a side project lol.  He has a poetry section!  I'm going to try to feature other bloggers whenever I can, so we can benefit from their creativity and knowledge.....check out his poetry and accompanying photography! Go to:  http://www.don-iannone.com/edfutures/index.html.   He has a Zen section too which is fun.

I have a favorite Zen quote of my own from my Zen calendar.  It is the post from September 19 2006: 

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

Kikuyu Proverb.

Sep. 21, 2006 - Great Fellow Blogger's Site to Satisfy Our Need for Bargains

Who among us doesn't like to save money or ferret out a good bargain! I happened upon a fellow Cleveland blogger's site who has an ongoing compilation for those of us (ok, me) who don't do it on our own.   It might behoove you (I love that word) to check it out before Friday to take advantage of a Friday only yahoo! offering. And yes, I will add Jim's link to my favorites list so you can return here anytime and get to it.

http://cleveland.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=cleveland&zu=http%3A%2F%2Ffreeandcheap.blogspot.com%2F

Sep. 18, 2006 - Live On The Edge in Tremont!!!!!

Grand Opening In Tremont

Friday, September 22nd from 5pm until 8pm will be our first unveiling of the newest place to live in Tremont .There is a new street called Cityview, and townhouses situated there, in the new Bergen Village. It is  located at Tremont Ridge, which is at the corner of  W. 5th and Literary. There is a fabulous view there, it's all within walking distance of local 'haunts'  and galleries and shops. I am one of the listing Realtors on this project, and am excited to be able to invite you all to come join us for the Grand Opening. Chris Allen, a Tremont resident/member of the band the Roosevelts will be singing;  The Lincoln Pub will be providing the libations. And OPA will cook up  the food.   This is truly one of the best locations in Tremont. Stop by anytime between 5pm and 8pm.  What a great way to start the weekend!  

Sep. 14, 2006 - Enticing New Business To Ohio

Sometimes it seems as if the public is not made aware of efforts by our State and Local governments to bring more businesses to our area.  I was pleasantly surprised yesterday when browsing cleveland.com to see a glimpse of what is planned.  At least as for as promotional material is concerned. http://www.ohiomeansbusiness.com is a site business people will be directed to when they see these flashy new promotional pieces (one is scheduled to run soon in the Wall Street Journal). Check out the site, let me know what you think!

Sep. 12, 2006 - Mortgage Rates are Still Good!

Thanks to fellow Realtor Lenn Harley in Maryland for the historical mortgage rate information; you might find it a real eye opener. Interest rates may not be what they were a year ago, but they are certainly better than they were in the 1980s!  If you check this link you will see what I am talking about: http://www.homefinders.com/historical-interest-rates/ I will also keep the link available on my blog (see left hand column).

Sep. 6, 2006 - Show You Care: Vote in November

Some people call it 'that silly season,' when politicians are out and about telling us why we should vote for them. As for me, I take it seriously. It gives me a chance  to look a candidate in the eye and ask the question that has been burning in my brain. It gives me a chance to see which ones really do believe in Cleveland.  Are we upset that Cleveland was voted the Poorest City in the Nation? Does it make you want to scream when companies relocate to other cities and leave our Lake Erie shores? Voting is one of the most important things we can do in our lives.  My burning question for all of you today is: are you registered to vote?  You have until October 10th at 9pm to register, and it can be done easily.  For example, motor vehicle locations and public libraries. Or you can go to the Board of Elections on Euclid Avenue, Downtown. To get more information on registering check out the Board's cool website at: http://boe.cuyahogacounty.us/. They also offer updated information on ballot issues to help keep us all informed.  Or, you can call The Board of Elections at 216-443-3200 for other details.