On May 11th you may benefit three important peace organizations while being smart and local about your foods... simply by grocery shopping. The Food Coop will generously donate a portion of your total bill, on the second Tuesday of every month, to benefit Cleveland Peace Action, InterReligious Task Force on Central America (IRTF), and Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice

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Come and start your Cinco de Mayo celebration one day early with great authentic Mexican cuisine and Dine Out for Peace! Dining Out for Peace continu

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2008 Lead Poisonings of children in Cuyahoga County, Ohio - do not move here

The Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council has released data on children in the neighborhoods of Cleveland and surrounding suburbs who were tested and documented as lead poisoned in Cuyahoga County in 2008 - about 3,200 of our Cleveland children were KNOWN to be lost to lead poisoning - about 4,000 children poisoned in Cuyahoga County overall. As only a small percentage of our children are actually tested for lead poisoning, the numbers of children in the County lost to lead poisoning is much higher... 1,000s of victims higher.

Cleveland's worst known mass-murderer, Anthony Sowell, is only known to have killed 11 people.... yet that has captured 1000s of inches of pointless newsprint... hours of pointless news coverage... to help nobody.

Come celebrate the life and ideas of Jane Jacobs.  You are invited to Jane's Walk in Ohio City.  Meet some community members interested in celebrating the liveability of our unique neighborhood.  Join us in appreciating historic landmarks .  Contribute your ideas about how to make Ohio City's streets more pedestrian, transit and bike friendly.

We will be walking around the neighborhood and talking about what we see. 

Saturday May 1, 2010.  1 PM. Starting at Market Square Park on W. 25th and Lorain.

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I have lived in Northeast Ohio most of my life... have founded the amazing realNEO... have done lots of other important work here and worldwide... have proposed the most innovative economic development platform in the region...

Home Depot uses Ohio U.S. Senator George Victor Voinovich in a failed attempt
to delay EPA rules protecting children and pregnant women from lead poisoning?!?!

Despite the foolish, incompetent, worst efforts of our disgraceful Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio, Genocidal-George Voinovich, who attempted to derail life-protecting lead poisoning prevention measures for America's children and pregnant women - supposedly as a favor to Home Depot, which we should all now boycott for life - I'm pleased to announce:

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that renovations and repairs of pre-1978 housing must now be conducted using safe practices to protect children and pregnant women from exposure to lead-based paint. Almost a million children have elevated blood lead levels as a result of exposure to lead hazards, which can lead to lower intelligence, learning disabilities, and behavior issues. Adults exposed to lead hazards can suffer from high blood pressure and headaches. Children under six years old are most at risk.

“Our lead-safe program will protect children and families from lead-based paint hazards associated with renovation and repair activities in houses built before 1978,” said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “This rule requires contractors to follow some simple and effective lead-safe work practices to prevent children’s exposure to dangerous levels of lead. Lead poisoning is completely preventable.”

I was doing some research on lead paint on toys - still a huge problem in America and world-wide, as the lead industry keeps expanding - and I thought about all the lead American children were exposed to growing up in my generation, and the generations before me, during the foolish industrial era in America. Consider the harm caused to us - older Gen-X, Baby Boomers, down through "The Greatest Generation" - the greatest price for which is still to be paid in healthcare-costs, pain and suffering for industrially-impaired older adults and senior citizens suffering for such socially-irresponsible behavior as chewing their pencils in school, as kids.

Land banking is an idea that originated in Ohio, and with the passing of enabling legislation for Ohio, has now become a practice that will help significantly in blighted neighborhoods. There are still many, many foreclosures and walk-aways. Neighborhoods are being decimated, especially inner-city neighborhoods. This policy is being looked at in other parts of the country, and Rokakis has recently made presentations to national groups on the idea.

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In reflecting on the future of the food economy in America, one must understand the role of genetically engineered crops, which have blown-apart food economics and ecology in America and increasingly worldwode since their monopoly-mounted introduction 14 short years ago, driven by Monsanto covering the Earth in Roundup, AKA glyphosate.

I just received this email from Anita the Weblady, of Shaw High On Line and many other important social networks in the area, about the "Current Plus Plan." This seems to offer valuable help for area residents struggling with their past heating expenses this time of year... I thought I would pass this on to realNEO members . Note, the compliance deadline is April 15th! While reflecting on paying your Winter 2009/2010 heating bills, now, plan for how you will reduce consumption, conserve energy, and pay less going into 2011!!!!! Read on for your options in paying for your mistakes of the past...

the property we own (and had owned for over 40 years) around treehouse (our old southside market) is a great location to help the neighborhood and keep its historic roots. I had proposed underground and above ground parking to alleviate parking issues in the neighborhood as well as residential retail mix above to support funding for parking with a historically correct design based on sustainable and green practices to fit seemlessly within the streetscape.

There can be no question Ohio has a dismal record on public policy and the environment - we are a national disaster. The Governor-appointed Public Utility Commission has failed to protect the public interests of citizens and has embarassed the citizens of the state in countless ways, most recently with matters surrounding an absurd light bulb subsidy program they divised with First Energy, report on realNEO here..."Let Me Introduce To You Five Public Servants Who Just Cost Citizens Of Unreal NEO Millions Of Dollars, While Poisoning Them".

Today, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports energy policy in Ohio is moving from laughable to criminal... damn-well communist... announcing that "Governor pushes for permanent discounts on all-electric heating", leading off with the following:

"Entrepreneurs" do not maintain résumés for employment, but they do need to maintain a running tally about their professional lives, for various purposes... something I refer to as a curriculum vitae (CV). As I'm growing many entrepreneurial initiatives, I'm updating my CV... so I tracked down my latest version, from 2000. Since then, I've launched ICEarth, realNEO, Star Neighborhood Development, 7Gen, and Bigbang Tech, which I must now add to my life-list below... useful information for someone first getting to know me... but is that good enough for Ireland?

One Cleveland urban church that is still attracting a young, diverse, fun community is The Church of the Covenant, on Euclid Avenue, in University Circle... Claes has decided he likes going to church! I like going to University Circle on any beautiful Sunday, and watching children play.

On April 13th you can benefit IRTF, Cleveland Peace Action, and Women Speak Out for Peace and Justice simply by grocery shopping. The Food Coop will generously donate a portion of your total on the second Tuesday of every month.

Just mention one of the organizations to the cashier when you check out.

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I include below in its' entirety the most irresponsible words ever published by a newspaper, and I include the profiles of the Editorial Board of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that published these words, on this day, for the permanent record, for all history. I include this editorial here because the Plain Dealer has a history of hiding their online content, and this content is terrorism that may not leave the free public view and record ever... this Plain Dealer editorial is the equivalent of bio-terrorism and should be prosecuted by the Federal Department of Homeland Security. The line: "Many youngsters and some adults suffer from respiratory problems, particularly in the summer, when smoggy days can be pure misery" is especially harmful and insulting to the citizens of Northeast Ohio, who live under health-crisis conditions here. The Plain Dealer is highly responsible for the poor health of our citizens, and the poor state of the regional and global environment, even as their editors deny the reality of climate change. They are hereby disgraced forever.

Would any Realneo members like to participate in a seed and plant swap? I would be happy to host. Please post your thoughts on possible dates and times. We could also include garden tools and other gardeing related items if people are interested.

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Please save the date for the 2010 Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory 5th Annual Symposium. 

What: 2010 Greater Cleveland Lead Advisory Council 5th Annual Symposium

            Healthy Kids, Homes, & Places – Ensuring a better future for our community

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"For the next few decades, energy efficiency is one of the lowest cost options for reducing US carbon emissions. Many studies have concluded that energy efficiency can save both energy and money. For example, a recent McKinsey report calculated the potential savings assuming a 7% discount rate, no price on carbon and using only "net present value positive" investments. It found the potential to reduce consumer demand by about 23% by 2020 and reduce GHG emissions by 1.1 gigatons each year -- at a net savings of US$ 680 billion.

If I seem aggressive, everyday, it's the lead poisoning.

I wake up each morning knowing my family is still harmed by lead. I deal with that all day. I feel terrible all night, until I may sleep. I sleep poorly, in sadness. I awake to another day harmed by lead poisoning.

Why should any "community leaders" feel better any morning? 1,000s MORE of their citizens feel as bad as I do each year, because their leaders have done a poor jiob addressing lead poisoning, and it hit 1,000s of children and their families right between the eyes.

I just spoke with the realtor who sold my family our house in East Cleveland - he says he didn't know there was a coal-burning powerplant operated by and for University Circle institutions a few blocks from here, when he sold me the house. He acknowledges the house is worth far less as a result

A peaceful afternoon on the shores of Lake Erie