AUDIO AND/OR VIDEO RECORDING DEVICES PROHIBITED IN TWDC BOARD AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS

Submitted by jerleen1 on Fri, 05/06/2011 - 10:46.
ATTENDANCE_ AND_RECORDING_ POLICY_001.jpg
Last evening at the TWDC Economic Development meeting everyone received a copy of the City Code/Ordinances copied below.  This handout was attached to a notifications that any type of audio/video recordings at TWDC Board and Committee meetings was now prohibited.
 
Copies of the information was also taped on each side of the TWDC Front Office Door. (fine print, of course).
 
Being that most of the TWDC sitting committees DO NOT keep minutes, accurate or otherwise, some TWDC members keep recordings for accuracy.
 
This is suprising since at a TWDC Annual meeting a couple of years ago, Board President Tom Cook promised "TRANSPARANCY."
 
Now the question becomes:  What are they afraid of?  
 
TWDC By-Laws state plainly that the membership of the organization is the ultimate authority.  What this message seems to be saying is that - if you attend any of these gatherings and have a different opinion or take on discussions and actions - you will be escorted out of the building.
 
While TWDC is a "non-profit" corporation - it is funded by the City of Cleveland by way of Councilmen Cummins and Cimperman - Federal Funds, tax funds, etc?
 
It was my take on the whole situation that these new policies/procedures were put in place directly for myself and Guy Templeton.  
 
Guess they don't realize that a pen and paper works just as well. 
 
Cleveland Codified Ordinance's references regarding disruptions of TWDC Committee & Board meetings.

605.04     Disturbing a Lawful Meeting

(a) No person, with purpose to prevent or disrupt a lawful meeting, procession or gathering, shall do either of the following:

(1) Do any act which obstructs or interferes with the due conduct of such meeting, procession or gathering;

(2) Make any utterance, gesture or display which outrages the sensibilities of the group.

(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of disturbing a lawful meeting, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(RC 2917.12; Ord. No. 54-74. Passed 3-25-74, eff. 4-1-74)

 

623.04     Criminal Trespass

(a) No person, without privilege to do so, shall do any of the following:

(1) Knowingly enter or remain on the land or premises of another;

(2) Knowingly enter or remain on the land or premises of another, the use of which is lawfully restricted to certain persons, purposes, modes or hours, when the offender knows he is in violation of any such restriction or is reckless in that regard.

(3) Recklessly enter or remain on the land or premises of another, as to which notice against unauthorized access or presence is given by actual communication to the offender, or in a manner prescribed by law, or by posting in a manner reasonably calculated to come to the attention of potential intruders, or by fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to restrict access;

(4) Being on the land or premises of another, negligently fail or refuse to leave upon being notified to do so by the owner or occupant, or the agent or servant of either;

(5) Knowingly enter or remain in any vacant and vandalized building or structure, including, but not limited to, a formerly occupied residential dwelling or dwelling unit, without having on his person the written permission of the owner of such structure granting permission to be in any such building or structure. This paragraph does not apply to governmental officers or employees when carrying out a lawful governmental function.

(6) After first being warned to desist, knowingly enter or remain on vacant land of another, or outdoors on the land or premises of another on which any vacant and vandalized building or structure is situated, including, but not limited to, a formerly occupied residential dwelling or dwelling unit, without having on his person a writing such as, by way of example only, a contract or work order for work at the land or premises, or a writing signed by the owner, lessee or other person entitled to possession of the land or premises, that shows that the person has a lawful reason to enter or remain there.

(b) It is no defense to a charge under this section that the land or premises involved was owned, controlled or in custody of a public agency.

(c) It is no defense to a charge under this section that the offender was authorized to enter or remain on the land or premises involved when such authorization was secured by deception.

(d) Whoever violates divisions (a)(1), (2), (3) and (4) of this section is guilty of criminal trespass, a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(e) Whoever violates division (a)(5) of this section is guilty of trespassing on a vacant and vandalized building, a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(f) Whoever violates division (a)(6) of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor on the first offense and a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on the second and any subsequent offense.

(g) As used in this section, “land or premises” includes any land, building, structure of place belonging to, controlled by or in custody of another, and any separate enclosure or room, or portion thereof. (RC 2911.21)
(Ord. No. 1076-09. Passed 5-10-10, eff. 5-20-10)

 
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A pen and paper wouldn't have convicted Catania

A pen and paper wouldn't have convicted Catania - TWDC board members are commiting crimes, they know that, and they do not want evidence as they know that leads to criminal records.

Any honest people on the TWDC board should resign. Then, the honest people of Tremont should start protesting your dishonest councilman who funds TWDC, until HE RESIGNS.

Disrupt IT

Intimidation of it's own members......at best

It crossed my mind that perhaps they do not want any documentation of staff/board/committee members going off their rockers.  Since I've never witnessed any community residents flipping their lids ( and Sammy was present last evening), others have also been caught at slamming down on the tables, etc., maybe this was intended for them?

 

You hit the nail on the

You hit the nail on the head. 

I will copy the handout later today and post it.  I think there was even mention of tossing anyone out that may be suspected of carrying a "concealed weapon" - i.e., camera/recorder.

What are they going to do - frisk us all.  Yea, that's a joke. 

I think you need to take the bitches and whores to court

I think you need to take the bitches and whores to court.

Everything TWDC does seems illegal - I'm sure the FBI is digging around for evidence and TWDC wants as little as possible - I suspect they are trying to bury the past.

Go to the sources of their federal funding - forget about fighting them in Cimperman's corrupt system - bring a new justice system to town.

Local corrupt shitheads try to block citizens from having honest information - media is organized crime here - it is not so bad in DC and they do not think the way the leaders think here.

Doesn't TWDC maintain video cameras all over Tremont feeding surveillance video of you to them? Without your permission, on YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY? God Knows Where? Funded by YOU?!?!

ESCALATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Disrupt IT

TWDC strip searching?

 

no good for nothing sharmutas

When is the next TWDC meeting?  I need some excitement, maybe I will get lucky and get strip searched.  Are they giving free 'pat downs' ?

Tremont has numerous camera shells scattered throughout, but many of the cameras were never installed although money was paid for the cameras.  Fake cameras, invisible cameras.  Just like some houses in Tremont --- INVISIBLE.

Jerleen, did you ever figure out who has the cameras that were supposed to be installed in Tremont?  Who got paid for the fake cameras?

 

 

Well Lilly, let's say that I

Well Lilly, let's say that I have completed my research and my story is ready to be submitted to Chuck Hoven for printing.   June issue. 

There is a lot of smoke and mirrors involved in this scam so in getting to the core of the mess I have been met with a bit of resistance.

With all this nonsense about recording meetings, etc., seems to be a scare tactic and got me shaking in my boots.  How in the H...are they going to know whose packin' and whose not?

One thing for sure - they go trifflin' through the junk in my "trunk" - somebody's in for a suprise - and it won't be a jack-in-the-box.

The next "board meeting" is scheduled for Thursday, May 19, 2011, 6:00  PM.

 

Norm, haven't your heard? 

Norm, haven't your heard?  There is only (1) OF THE 13 CAMERAS  in Tremont that works and that is the one hard wired into TWDC.  Two others function on a sometimes - sometimes not basis.  Three of the cameras (purchased with a $5,000 )( 2008)grant from Neighborhood Connections) were never installed.

The two part time/ sometime functional recorders are 1:  On the South side of Fahrenheit's building - aimed directly at Ty-Fun across the street (815) Jefferson;  2: is on the Eastern corner of Ty-Fun aimed directly across the new bioswale to the spot where Rocco Whalen parks his big food truck.  (all of these three cameras are basically on the corner of Jefferson and Professor.

As it turns out to the best accounting I can come up with, in the upwards of $50,000 was spent for the purchase and installation of these cameras.

The $50,000 questions are:  How long have the cameras been disfunctional?  Why was the community never informed?  Why/who signed off on the invoice for the cameras that were never installed?  How are security cameras supposed to aid in the prevention of crime and/or help in solving crimes if they don't work or were never installed?  Whose supposed to be minding the store?

There is much much more in this report - Plain Press should come out around the 1st of June. 

 

 

 

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THERE IS NO TRANSPARENCY AT TWCDC= NO FUNDING!

They have too much shady crap going on....which is a good distraction for other CDC's to keep doing whateer they want....So, while we are wagging the dog on TWCDC...WHAT'S GOING ON AT 

CUDELL? 

DETROIT SHOREWAY?

OHIO CITY? 

etc.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

CDBG FUNDING ADMINISTERED BY THE CITY OF CLEVELAND

Department of Community Development Years 36 CDC Competitive Grant Program Program Standards The Community Development Corporation (CDC) Competitive Grant Program, funded through the City of Cleveland's annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation, provides general operating and project specific support to non-profit organizations engaged in CDBG- eligible real estate activities.  The Competitive Grant Program is administered by the City of Cleveland, Department of Community Development, Division of Administrative Services. The City intends to appropriate CDBG funds to nonprofit corporations that have 501(c) (3) tax- exempt status to undertake activities defined in this application.  Grants awarded will cover the twelve (12) month term beginning July 1, 2010 and ending on June 30, 2011 .  For this one-year funding cycle, the maximum amount that could be awarded is the following: Full Service CDC: $75,000 Special Purpose CDC: $25,000 The grant will be secured and monitored through a 12-month contract, with actual disbursements allocated on a monthly reimbursement basis.  Continued support is contingent upon agency performance and continued Block Grant funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The one year funding recommendations must also be approved by Cleveland City Council.   All funding not expended by the end of the contract term will revert back to the Department of Community Development. To be eligible for funding under the CDC Competitive Grant Program, each applicant must meet the following standards: o Be incorporated as a nonprofit organization (as evidenced by articles of incorporation filed with the Ohio Secretary of State); have a current Statement of Continued Existence issued by the Ohio Secretary of State ; and maintain tax-exempt status (501[c][3]) with the U.S. Treasury (as evidenced by a federal identification number).  Agencies that do not have 501(c) (3) tax exempt status at the time of submission of this application will not be considered for funding. o Currently maintain bylaws approved by the agency's board of directors. o Maintain a Board of Directors that is at least 80% comprised of representative of the service area's residential, institutional and economic segments; and at least 40% representative of the residents of the service area. o Engage in community development activities primarily within an identifiable geographic area of the City of Cleveland. o Actively engage in outreach efforts, methods and procedures to secure public input into its program development. o Have at least 3 full years of operational experience in implementing housing, commercial and/or industrial development activities o Have completed an independent audit for each of the past three years of operation, along with approval of the audits evidenced by resolutions passed by the agency's Board of

Directors.  A copy of the most recent audit, management letter (if issued) and a board resolution approving the audit must have been submitted to the Department of Community management letter must be corrected or in the process of being corrected at the time of submission of this application.  A description of actions taken must be included with the copy of the audit submitted to the Department. o Must have the ability to cover at least two months of costs to be reimbursed under the proposed CDBG contract using non-CDBG funding sources.  (This requirement is particularly important at the end of each calendar year when the City closes its accounts and the Department of Finance ceases processing financial transactions until mid-January.) o Must be currently carrying out development activities pursuant to a written neighborhood strategy or plan, developed with the input of the community and formally approved by the board of directors.  The plan's components must at least include: 1. Demographic profile of the service area; 2. Existing housing and building conditions; 3. Identification of critical neighborhood needs; 4. The rationale for prioritizing specific needs or targeting projects and services; 5. Proposed plan (actions) to address identified neighborhood needs; 6. A description of the community and public participation in the development and update of the plan; 7. The proposed impact of the plan on neighborhood markets; 8. Partnerships and collaborative efforts engaged in the completion and implementation of the plan. Eligible Program Uses CDC Competitive Grant funds can be used for: o Reasonable professional staff and administrative costs o Overhead o Technical service fees (e.g., professional consultant, legal and accounting services, etc. related agency administration or program delivery). CDC Competitive Grants must be used for programs or services that will directly result in tangible neighborhood improvements to real property.  These programs or services must be implemented by the award recipient. Compliance Rules and Regulations Awards granted under the CDC Competitive Grant Program are funded under the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  All phases or components of all activities and projects are subject to federally-mandated rules and regulations if funded in any part by CDBG dollars.  Funds applied to any phase or aspect of a project subject the entire project to federal rules, including retroactively all project activities that took place prior to the inclusion of CDBG funds. Authorization to Proceed: If funding is awarded, no funds can be expended, costs incurred (personnel hired, materials ordered, etc.), or work performed before the date your contract is completed, signed, certified, authorized and dispatched by the City. The following federal and City rules and regulations apply to activities and projects funded under the CDC Competitive Grant Program or any CDBG source.

TWDC - PUBLIC FUNDING?

City Council meets to discuss future of Community Development Corporations
by Joe Narkin

(Plain Press, May 2010) Anticipating an ongoing decline in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for Community Development Corporations (CDC’s) at a time when the City of Cleveland is in a state of profound crisis, Cleveland City Council held two half-day retreats to discuss the future prospects of CDC’s during March and April at the Maxine Goodman Levine College of Urban Affairs of Cleveland State University.

“Cleveland is in a period of transition and this is our toughest period ever; we are dealing with macro-forces that we are not responsible for, but we are trying to address,” said Bobbi Reichtell, Senior Vice President for Programs at Neighborhood Progress, Inc. (NPI). The current crisis is due to a myriad of convergent issues such as population loss, population shifts within the city, housing foreclosure and high vacancy rates, job loss, and a declining manufacturing base in the face of global competition, according to Reichtell.

While there are 27 CDC’s receiving CDBG funding through Cleveland City Council, there are currently only 19 wards in the city and, based upon population projections made prior to the 2010 Census, it is likely that at least two council wards will need to be eliminated in the near future in accordance with the City Charter. Many consider mergers and consolidation of CDC’s to be imperative.

There are 9 CDC’s on the West Side of Cleveland. West Side CDC operating budgets range from the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization with a $3.3 million budget to the Stockyard Redevelopment Corporation at $400,000, according to information provided by NPI.

“When I participated in CBGD hearings for the first time as a councilman in 2002, the CDGD budget for the City of Cleveland was $38 million; in 2010, it is $25 million,” said Councilperson Matt Zone (Ward 15). This represents a 38% decline in funding in less than a decade.

Cleveland City Council has allocation control of approximately $9.8 million of the $25 million (39% of total) in CDBG funds available citywide during the current fiscal year. This figure includes $8.4 million in funding for the Neighborhood Development Activity (NDA) Fund under which each councilperson receives $440,000 to distribute for services in their wards. Citywide, 80% of NDA funding is allocated towards the operation of local CDC’s.

City council, as a whole, also allocates $1.4 million for a Competitive Grant Program, providing awards of up to $74,000 to CDC’s for special projects in neighborhoods.

In addition to CDBG funding, each CDC raises additional revenue through a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, local and national foundations, corporations, fundraising, and development and property management fees, according to Reichtell.

Depending upon the mission, scope of services, and success in generating outside revenues, the level to which each CDC is dependent upon CDBG funding varies widely throughout the city. On the West Side, for example, Cudell Improvement receives 71% of its annual budget ($416,000 of $585,000) from NDA and competitive CDBG grant funds. Detroit Shoreway receives only 10.9% of its resources ($363,000 of $3.3 million) through the same sources.

Given the likelihood that CBGD funding will continue to decline (and, perhaps, be eliminated entirely, as suggested for a time during the administration of President George W. Bush), those CDC’s that are more heavily reliant upon CDGB funds will need to develop more sources of outside funding or face extinction.

But all CDC’s will need to diversify their financial base and pay close attention to the way in which they operate. “What we have now is an unsustainable model; what we are doing now is not working,” said Zone. “If we continue to do business as usual, this whole thing is going to implode,” said the councilperson.

“Reinvention is the name of the game; there are some cases where a blank slate might even be better than (continuing) a wreck that has conflicting expectations,” said Councilperson Jay Westbrook (Ward 16).

During a March interview with the Plain Press, Council President Marty Sweeney (Ward 18) defended the practice of equally splitting NDA funds among council members. Referring to the forthcoming council CDC retreat, Sweeney said, “Everything should be on the table.”

“I like having some discretion over dollars,” said Sweeney, adding, “We (council members) have an intimate understanding of our areas.”

A brief discussion during the retreat of the equal split among councilpersons was inconclusive, but heated. Responding to Councilman Zachary Reed (Ward 2), who called this practice into question, Councilman Jeffrey Johnson (Ward 8) said, “DOA; as far as I am concerned, this discussion is dead on arrival because I do not trust the administration to do what is right in Glenville.”

In addition to finding a way to compensate for declining CDBG revenues, CDC’s also must make a transition away from an emphasis on the development of new housing units and focus on finding solutions to the problems brought about by population loss and the foreclosure crisis. There are an estimated 12,000 vacant properties in the City of Cleveland, according to Ward 12 Councilperson Tony Brancatelli.

“A paradigm shift has already occurred from bricks and mortar and how many (housing) units have been produced,” said Brancatelli. “We must transition from a model of development to doing neighborhood stabilization,” said Reichtell.

In meeting these challenges, CDC’s must find new ways to work together in collaboration and eliminate duplication of services while remaining responsive to the unique needs of neighborhood residents and local businesses, according to retreat participants. “You cannot have the same template as a model of services for the entire city,” said Zone. “What functions CDC’s should perform should depend upon typologies and needs of neighborhoods,” added Brancatelli.

According to the majority of participants, the way to assure that the needs of each neighborhood are addressed and the best way to build community life is to enhance the community organizing capacity of CDC’s. While many CDC’s have staff members that engage residents and the local business owners on a regular basis, the bulk of their “time is spent addressing quality of life issues like safety and vacant housing” and “working to get the (city service) system to work,” said Reichtell.

Assigning staff members to work on code enforcement and safety services is equivalent to hiring “a high priced babysitter,” said Zone, citing shortcomings on the part of Building and Housing as an example of an “underperforming” city service. “Both City Council and CDC’s are operating within the constraint of getting the city to perform,” said Brancatelli.

“Some CDC’s have the belief that, because (they) are providing services to individuals, (they) are doing their jobs, but there is a real breakdown of communication and services to groups and organizations at the grassroots level,” said Councilperson Brian Cummins (Ward 14).

The need for increased community organizing efforts should not be construed to mean that CDC’s should be in the business of providing social services, however, according to Brancatelli. “Social services and senior citizens services are not in the purview of a CDC; there is a whole other subset of social service agencies in the community,” said Brancatelli.

There is also an inefficient and ineffective duplication of services within CDC’s, according to retreat participants. “Not every CDC can be expected to have the expertise to provide all services,” but they should be sharing expertise and resources, and should not be bound by geographical boundaries,” said Cummins.

“The flip side of (a geographical) barrier is the opportunity to provide leadership and incentives to encourage CDC’s to use the services of (CDC’s in) adjacent areas; CDC’s that have a capacity can help other areas where they do not have a capacity,” said Councilperson Cummins.

There is a distinction to be drawn between providing leadership and exerting control on the part of council, however. While it is “a fiction that CDC’s set priorities independent of a councilperson, a councilperson has to know their role” and “avoid overstepping,” said Kevin Kelley, (Ward 13).

Retreat facilitator Steve Minter, an Executive in Residence with the Levine Urban Affairs College of CSU, stated that he found it encouraging that the Cleveland City Council has agreed to continue discussions about the money, mission, merit, and strategy” regarding the future of CDC’s. Future discussions will be held within the Community and Economic Development Committee of City Council. Input from CDC’s and other community stakeholders will also be sought during the process. A formal plan for presentation to the full council is projected to be ready in September 2010.

“Cleveland has been and will remain in the forefront of the CDC movement,” said Minter, noting that the pioneering work of community organizers in working with residents began in the late 1960’s. Many of these efforts have been replicated nationally and other communities continue to look at Cleveland as a model for community development, said Minter.

 

Guv'mint mules and 40 acres

Guv'mint mules and 40 acres would solve the problem.

Yes'm, that' what we is entitled to.  We Cleveland simple folk been done wrong by The Co-Rupt man we didn't get oursn.  Hmmm-hmmm.   They did it to us.  Y'all hear what I'm sayin now?

And now, the Co-Rupt man in hiz fancy suitz n all be tryin cut that CDBG funz.  It's racism.  Sexism.  Classism, too.  All those isms.  You know it is.  Uh-huh.  Maybe one honest bidness billionaire like that there Jerry Lewis feller will show us how to fix things around here. 

Now that we got all this empty land...them guv'mint mules could work it.  We knows it.  But, who gonna work dem mules? 

Yes'm, mebbe dat bidness guy wanna fix up all dese omes and he be like 'providing' all us little people wid one?  Yes'm.  Why didn't all you bright realneoans just go ask him?  Dang, childs, I got to tell you all everything?  Cuz, somebody got to be providing houses around here.  It's basic social justice, ain't it?  Right up there with free trips to City Hospital, food stamps, and our monthly checks.  Mebbe its all dat pollution stuff hurting our brainz.  Or dat right wing conspiracy. I dunno.  But it amost noon and I aint had my cheerios yet

Wish they'd put Hogans Heroes back on Channel 19.  Damn Co-rupt man.

Your public streets are unsafe.  Your public schools fail in an overwhelming majority of cases.  Your civic responsibility amounts to turning to working taxpayers and productive citizens and demanding food, housing, medical care, and someone to teach you how to scratch your asses.  Your criticism of government and private institutions comes down to a grievance that your monthly checks aren't big enough, or that your taxpayer funded jobs aren't respected enough by those of us who don't work for da guv'mint. 

Give me my guv'mint job. Or a program.  Dat would shut me up.  For a while.  But I  Gotz to get reddy for da meetin tonight to protest all the injustice.  And why you all mad wid dat Yoda feller?  What he do?  Oh-- Down wid quota!  Unless its our quotas. Bye now.

Clevelanders die horrible deaths so you may have steel

Clevelanders die horrible deaths so you may have steel - if you don't appreciate our suffering for you, drive a wood car.

If you want a metal car, expect to pay ALL THE SOCIAL COSTS INCLUDING FOR KILLING THE PEOPLE WHO MADE YOUR STEEL.

I wonder if YOU make anything WE need, or if you are just surplus steel-stealing population. Are you steel worthy?

What do YOUR people do for a living? Perhaps we should want you dead, so we don't need to be polluted providing you steel?!?!

Disrupt IT

Some of his people...

Worked in those steel mills.... received those same benefits he outlined...and worked their way through life....But he left them all behind when he left Ohio......

 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Angel, I don't understand

Angel, I don't understand what you mean by "same benefits he outlined".  Maybe you meant another poster.  You also may have added:  "and he himself worked the second shift in a foundry full-time from 11th grade until he left for college almost two years later, and came home and worked with another Uncle polishing steel.  Later he worked on ships and learned to weld and cut steel with torches. blades, saws.  He grounded it, drilled it, milled it and shaped it in machine shops all over the West Side.  He'd get off a freighter down at the Lower Republic Dock on Quigley, walk up THROUGH the Valley View projects to my parents' bar, yadda, yadda, yadda.  He worked ships on the Great Lakes, NY harbor, the Pacific, the Gulf of Mexico, the Eastern Seaboard."  I mean, I really have spent time in steel mills at least.  Jeez.  I gotta think I've spent more time INSIDE tanks than anyone here has spent filling his.  Besides that, the guy did his share of plumbing, concrete, electrical, drywall and general hammer swinging along the way.  And, as you know, I can't boast about my family having been wealthy over in Shaker, like I've seen done here.  And, I would be disappointed if you thought that I, of all people, don't deeply respect what blue collar workers mean to our society.  Their loss of good paying work has made our entire society poorer, and not just financially so.

With Love

(One of my best bosses once said "you lose your sense of humor, then you know you're in trouble".  Let's both remember that?)

GBW - I'm reading you as sincere here

Your "gov mule"  dialogue was well done.   I appreciate your input as an individual out of the NEO area but still invested and interested in NEO.   I hope to pursuade you to move your opinion.

Realneo is stronger - and Realneo's purpose is to facilitate -  all views. 

Stay the course.

Best, Jeffb

 

 

"Is that an iceberg off to

"Is that an iceberg off to starboard, Cap'n?"

"Hard aport.  Hard reverse!!!", boomed out on the bridge of the RMS Titanic.

Staying the course isn't always a good option.  But, if you meant that my contributions might actually 'contribute' and that I ought to continue, well then--thanks much.  I hope to do so in a positive spirit.  Sure, I'll be wrong in substance at times.  And perhaps might err in form and tone, too.  I don't want to bore anyone to death, either.

You said that Realneo's purpose is to facilitate all views.  Please remember that I come from a time and place when views did not require 'facilitators'.  Instead, we relied on manners, thick skin, and broad shoulders.  Self-checking, as in self-censorship, has its place.  And so does respectful criticism.  Yet, some views and some modes of expression don't really deserve that much respect.  I'm glad the President doesn't repeatedly drop forms of the "F-bomb" when he speaks in Las Vegas, like "The Donald" did recently.  And, I think Mr. Obama is easily criticizable.  Still, he and wife conduct themselves with gracefulness for the most part.  He, and especially his policies are not beyond ridicule and parody.  And much on Realneo, and in society-at-large, could be fairly ridiculed.  But criticism also needs to be principled and fair, lest we be mere mockers.  It should have some basis in values.  It should not be agenda-driven.

All viewpoints are not equally valid.  Error, and especially profound error--that is, sin, must be named.

As to mockers, the Bible is replete with, er, ahh---'caution', perhaps?  As in:  "Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult.  Whoever rebukes a wicked person incurs abuse.  Do not rebuke a mocker or they will hate you.  Rebuke a wise person and they will love you."  Proverbs 9: 7-8.

Also, I don't what you meant by "persuade you to move your opinion".   You just kind of lost me there, Boss. 

Finally, I really enjoyed your report on the new Fulton Rd. Bridge.  That was a once graceful and attractive structure.  Dumb kids like my cousin and me would crawl up its arches--not to the top--near where the twisted and very steep entrance was at Denison Avenue.  It looks like we both enjoy seeing physical manifestations of skill and progress.  Things needed for a good town, and,   for a strong community.  Inertia=Death.  I don't apologize for being a Clevelander on Wall Street.  (Especially not with our First-Place Cleveland Indians!)  But, I am honest about my hometown when people ask me about it.  Clevelanders should be proud.  They should be builders of their destinies.

Go Tribe!

 

Again, thank you. 

 

For the most part, the identification of people's agendas is at the core of criticism.  When a so-called leader acts out of mean political ambition, or, when an 'activist' is acting to further his career or finances--let's just name the agenda.

 Would you know what to do

 

Would you know what to do if you had 40 acres and a mule?

Hogan's Heros?  You're giving yourself away.

Troll from Day 1 - Loves Industry and Pollution from a distance

Troll from Day 1 - Loves Industry and Pollution from a distance

I'm saving up a big bag of Cleveland lead dust to send these trolls when we find out who they are and in what nice, clean Oregon suburb they live in - they clearly have no appreciation for real working people and communities and their toxins. I look forward to sharing Cleveland with the world!

Disrupt IT

Miss Jerleen, If you read me

Miss Jerleen,

If you read me right, I did ask "Who gonna work dem mules?".   I just know they're close to jackasses.  I guess I could recognize one.  Cause they do say that "It takes one to know one", and I've been called 'ass' and 'jackass' plenty of times.  Funny thing about humor around here, though.  I mean--people starting their posts with words like "bi__h", and, "whores".  Very classy that. 

Who was your favorite on that show?  Schultz? ("I know nothing!")  Klink?  Why do I think your funny bone works well?

So, you sew.  Very cool.  So did Mom.  Loved playing with that pedal treadle manual machine of hers when I was a kid. 

But, to answer your question--besides a garden here and there, I'm no farmer.  I think I could learn to.  Growing things is so beautiful.  My peach trees did great back in the old town.  Someday I'll have that little greenhouse.  My nieces used to come over and cut the yard flowers.  I miss that.

God Bless You and Yours

 

 

 

Does it make you feel big to insult the people of REALNEO?

Many folks worked their lives away and continue to do so...just because they speak up about Social Injustices does not mean that they are recipients of public funding...Sadly, you missed the boat on that.

None of these bloggers are trying to get public housing etc.... they are working to disrupt practices that VIOLATE ALL THE PEOPLE...

I know quite a few self made milliionaires who bust their rears doing business in Cleveland, particularly real estate investors and small business people... They are being STEERED OUT and punked by this alleged "COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT" game more than you'd know---because you have been gone for the last decade. I am not trying to insult you (as I know you just did above to my friends)....but hopefully, you can keep making this about some poor trashy people who want something for nothing....and KEEP MISSING THE BOAT!!!!

With all due respect; you have an education and you use it to INSULT the world around you...like you always have... these people would run circles around your "hard working, tax paying, mouthy,insulting rear"----ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.....

 

I will follow up....gotta run.

 

 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

While I attend the funeral of a very dear friend today,

I'll ponder all this stuff....

God does not promise tomorrows....

....maybe we can build "IGLOOS" when it snows on those gardens! (Like we did in your yard as kids!) 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

Let's Plant some "MOTHER FLOWERS" in that garden...

Humor.....guess it's dry this week while I do the Fred Astaire between hospitals, houses, and funerals...

......Enjoyed a visit from a friend with a 67 Pontiac Lemans painted Candy Apple Red yesterday and spent some time talking with my dad about my nephew's graduation the end of this month... best part----the sound of that  humming engine, stories about long ago, and squeeling tires from a disabled senior in their Classic car laying rubber down these streets...Now that's good pollution, if you ask me....that leaves a smile on your face! The noise pollution created by that revved up engine left smiles on my face as I watched it prance away....

.....but you always liked striking nerves to motivate people. Luckily I was too busy "not" working to really respond to this humor.

Happy Mother's Day to you too! 

...I hear my mother laughing in spirit.....while the "mother flowers" bloom....She loved pig latin comments too.

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

And what a great laugh it

And what a great laugh it was.  Recall that chuckle-laugh?  The one she'd try to subdue before bursting out in full?  She's an easy audience for laughter, a comedian's dream.

Just know that someone believes in you and knows your tap roots.

But, ah, did you mean to describe that hot car as 'prancing' away?  Hmmm.  Not sure about that image there.  I can't see my brother, for instance, quite 'prancing' down the street.

As for 'striking nerves', no--that was not my intent.  If I did, I'm sorry.  You are capable...and loving.   But, when I think about my sister's talent, and her mother's--and see it in her progeny--then, well, of course I want to see it flourish.  Guilty.  Where do I cop a plea?

Laughing in abundance....

Well, I loved watching that car "prance" away with it's rear end jacked up and the windows rolled down.... the driver proud, elated, and feeling like a million bucks in his classic ride...BTW, I LOVE classic cars that people have really put lots of love and heart into keeping in this world. Love auto shows too, classic car hops, and souped up rides with lots of bells & whistles... (Hate bikes.....to this day I remember riding on YOUR bike and taking 2 other rides on bikes to see if I would like them...never ever think I shall like those things....particularyly after losing your brother, my cousin, and another friend to those things!) 

Thanks for realizing that, yes, you did strike a nerve and I did feel as though you were offensive to my REALNEO friends...and they are like family these days....So, I really take it personally....but life happens and we move on.

I visited your sister today...fresh back from Europe...nice... Spoke with some of my little cousins today too...boy how they are almost all grown....

Cop a plea? No need. I am not angry with you...Not enough time on the planet for that... Prayers....We all make our choices and pick our destiny... My Aunt R. and I once had a little frustrating point where she kept projecting her own expectations of me onto me and I told her to back off and just accept and respect as do I with her choices...even when we don't agree.

Yes....mom's laugh was the best....uninhibited....maybe you should tell your little sister to laugh like that...she really needs a good laugh...I tried to make her laugh....it's tough though...Maybe a call from you would brighten up her world...

Imagine that....no judgment, no expectations...just acceptance and life here & now without condemnation, frustrations, and projections of the above....It's an amazing feeling to let go and leave those things up to God....makes life much more peaceful.

 

Always Appreciative, "ANGELnWard14"

http://blog.cleveland.com/met

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/03/city_of_cleveland_braces_for_d.html

Who is footing the bill for Cleveland City Council President Martin J. Sweeney's shinny black ride and driver?  When they're talking about budget cuts - can't he maneuver around in a rust bucket and navigate himself?  Next thing, he'll be driving around with a motorcade escort and honor flags.