EQUALITY Sifting The Truth Forging The Deed

Reads the banner of the circa world war two American CORE bulletin which falls from the pages of an old book into my lap. Edited by James Farmer and published in this year 1944 in New York City. Meant to be carried in the pages of a book. These tiny "commie rags" , were considered subversive literature , and could cost one dearly his or her personal liberties if found upon a person by a bunko squad member , or hoover g-man.This issue of EQUALITY contains articles on the Fillmore District in San Fransisco County , and the overcrowded living conditions suffered there by Afro American citizens during that big world war. A fascinating read after all these years. Articles addressing jim crow laws and prejudice in Dallas , Texas and Detroit , Michigan. "Equality, sifting the truth , forging the deed " Doctor Martin Luther King died forty years ago this day , and his passing meant for me a strong initial taste of the humorless gravity of politics in America. When Bobby Kennedy fell dead in Los Angeles , shot up like Doctor King and his brother before him , I realized in my young mind that politics in the real big leagues must be a muther! Bless Doctor King on this his day of passing , and may we be wise enough to embrace the dignified path that Barack Obama presents in a field of thorny flowers and bushes , Obama is the rose..... Now the local sports chatter. Cleveland minor league hockey team beats Hamilton , Ontario skaters in a shoot out this evening. Never seen so many people leave town as quick in my life than after this hockey game. These are polite fans who like most decent baseball fans keep their polite manners up while in public , and do not as much as spit on a public sidewalk as if the very concrete they walk upon might as be their own home. Go monsters! mud sharks! sea devils! whatever your nickname is ? Cleveland , Ohio would do well to imitate Detroit , Michigan and attract a NHL franchise. Minor League sports are just that . Minor League. Besides , we have had plenty of minor league teams disguised as major league temas in recent Cleveland sports history to shake a stick at. Seems that save the early sixties and 1964 NFL champeen Cleveland Browns , my entire Cleveland sports youth was comprised of attempting to root for the local professional teams that more resmbled minor than major talents. Except the Cleveland Barons. They were minor league and made no bones about it. The other period teams minor league in nature , posing as major league. I really do love professional hockey , and have many fond Cleveland Barons moments that originated in viewing minor league games in the old Cleveland Arena years ago. Wish Cleveland had a professional hockey team. hell , I wish that Cleveland had a football team entered in the Canadian Football League. Perhaps if we can convince the Canadian Government to accept us citizens who live across from Melonville , Ontario on the southern shore of Lake Erie. I vote we secede immediately. Chances are however they would not take us in unless we gave the very popular and much respected in Canada Dennis Kucinich full control of this Lake Erie region. You see these Canadians believe in a wider field of play , and thus enjoy the fresh political opinions and progressive thought that Dennis Kucinich is capable of. Please check the archives of the Canadian Broadcast ing System's " As It Happens" ,interview with Dennis after his victory in the Congressional primary last month. The Canadians gush forth Love and respect for this evolved human from Ohio our Dennis Kucinich. Canadians are wise enough to put away their superior brand of Football in late November every year as well. Thus allowing for hockey and basketball to take their proper place in the scheme of sporting events that comprise a life. This years CFL championship Grey Cup game will be played in Montreal on November 23, 2008. I like the idea of a Great Lakes Canadian Football League franchise . Lets face the sad facts people North Americans love their football! Perhaps if we ever build the Jim Rhodes proposed bridge to Canada , we could construct a sports arena in the middle of Lake Erie to play our home games on. Seems like a more plausible bet than the likes of the projected success of the currently under construction Euclid Avenue Corridor project running from University Circle to downtown Cleveland. This sad boondoggle corporate usage of Government transportation funds will serve the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals , and the patients they attract will have easy access to downtown hotels via the Euclid Avenue corridor dedicated bus line. What really is lacking is any housing density the length and breadth of this expensive medical toy bus line . No retail entrepreneur in their right mind would consider locating on the automobile parking parched street that Euclid Avenue is becoming. The best addition so far is the new Aldi's store at East 75Th and Euclid. Aldi's is large enough to have their own parking lot. People are leaving Cleveland and Cuyahoga County by the droves these days , and unless a minor miracle occurs and the ten thousand or so people that once lived along this corridor in the nineteen sixties and seventies decide to return and the apartments they lived in reappear as in a mirage come to life. Good luck! I doubt that all the smoke that the happiness boys at wcpn and da p.d. blow up the asses of the Cleveland citizenry in behalf of the politics that brought us this people mover without rails.The efforts of these shills and media hacks pitching hot air for a private little bus line will be to no avail and to little amusement for those that can see their little ruse . East Ninth and Euclid Avenue's future goal should be to regain the prominent epicenter status of Cleveland downtown commerce . Instead a potential future as a deserted bank district looms. Let us begin at the northeast corner and work clockwise. With the demise of National City Bank eminent and awaiting a takeover. With any good fortune a takeover will spell the end to the ugly skyscraper they currently occupy , which more resembles an upside down refrigerator box and is void of any architectural or aesthetic considerations whatsoever .In a mediocre architectural city the likes of downtown Cleveland , this blanco banko bunko vertical bunker is not very pretty to look at and it's little swinging sculpture out front often resembles a swastika or a pair of dancing metal can openers . Moving on to the north east corner of Euclid and East Ninth Street , one of the loveliest of all Cleveland downtown buildings exists in the form of the Union Trust building , currently named the Huntington Bank Building. You see the desecration by the recent exterior lettering slapped onto this gem in the form of loud block letters reading , THE HUNTINGTON BUILDING. Ugly! In a word , These loud letters screaming at anyone who should pass them. Inside , the most charming pair of linking banking rooms. A classical inspired pillared staff of Cleveland history , this building deserves better than having it's primary tenants make a mad rush to the door in haste to occupy the new proposed Flats office building in the Wolstein group's current plan for the Flat's east bank. Huntington Building occupancy could easily dip precipitously , and coupled with a closed National City Bank structure would add to the already closed Cleveland Trust Tower and rotunda that so much of the success of the entire Euclid Avenue Corridor project hinges upon. The Cleveland Trust Tower and Rotunda renovation is perhaps the true measure of the entire Euclid Avenue Project as far as downtown Cleveland is concerned. If the proposed development by the KD Group does not pan out " bar the door Katy". If this current credit crunch that we are suffering as a Nation continues to unravel and more cheap acts like National City Bank are swept out of town or folded into another bank's holdings ,wath out! Any prudent lending institution would be wise to examine the current demographic state of affairs that is Cleveland , Ohio today and really consider the odds of a profitable venture prior to loaning 35 million or better on the future of East Ninth and Euclid Avenue. All the excited media gibberish and blather that wcpn and da p.d. conspire to churn up via their sordid little public relations dance that denigrates the use of our public radio airwaves , is no more than that hot air I mentioned until actual results occur and money is laid down. Show us the money. Follow the money. Show us the tangible results. The larger picture here is the future of our current economic meltdown and how it will affect lender's positions on such local proposed projects such as the Flats East Bank, Cleveland Trust Tower , and to some degree the Robert Stark warehouse district project which I am afraid is trumped by the Wolstein flats project and Stark's decent dream to build on the ugly warehouse district parking lots is dead in the water. One only has to look a scant three miles south of downtown Cleveland to find that corporate America big box retailers expect parking for their customers. And indeed , The Steelyards Commons project is that mere three miles from downtown and perhaps a good look at the Steelyards commons as downtown Cleveland's new shopping district is in order. A system of connecting transit lines would be wise to converge in these Steelyard commons with all the suburban style big box stores a mere three miles from Public Square. We have no density of downtown population to attract those stores featured at Steelyard Commons to reduplicate themselves street level in downtown Cleveland . So downtown living and those that do rely on rta should be given good access to these Steelyard Commons stores. Let us hope that some form of wisdom prevails in this confused City and that the current Huntington Bank tenants are retained , and that the Cleveland Trust Tower development goes through as planned. Not much we can do about National City Bank's future. They reap what you sow , and having never had a National City account in my lifetime consider myself fortunate. ...... Hello to my old chum and lifelong friend Willy Lambdin. A fine scholar and writer of some repute. He now resides in Finland with his lovely wife. During their last Cleveland visit the most wonderful dish of anchovies , fresh butter , and potatoes baked together i oven were prepared in our humble kitchen by these kind visitors. Filling the house with splendid aromas , and then our bodies and minds with culinary pleasure. Willy and the way back machine in my life. I will twist up his arm and ask him if he will share some of his poetry and writing on this very space. Hell , he is much better than I am at putting together a sentence , and we share a lot of space in our lives spent around Cleveland years ago. Perhaps Willy can show me how to use the simple devices on this computer that would enable the creation of sentences and paragraphs. As for the concept of EQUALITY in our lives , please remember to be kind when you can , man.

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What's news?

In this day and age of immediate gratification of all matters ,in a New York City instant at that , it makes good sense that the gathering and disemination of news follow this modern model. Immediate and accurate! In Cleveland , Ohio 2008 , we still approach this instantaneous news model as if we are the early twentieth century model T automobile , slowing down traffic in all lanes , all the time. Propaganda or perish says da p.d. In the sad case of da p.d. pausing only long enough from their propaganda anticts to slander and villify whatever target they choose , instead of concentrating on the real time business of objective reporting. Take the sad case of da p.d. and Dennis Kucinich as example ...... Having stopped the other evening to visit my pal the cheeze , and grab a cup of his dark brew coffee , prior to reporting to work the midnight trick .I was seated amid a small group of intimate souls at his public house , sipping my cup of joe when some young feminine Broadwview Heights resident bearing a close resemblence to Ann Coulter in eyeglasses brought up the subject of Dennis Kucinich. She was bad rapping away at Dennis , while a few chairs down the cheeze was attempting to introduce a writer who was in the process of self publishing a rather hillarious themed lavendar fictional series of letters as an account of a gay Confederate Civil War regiment and their sacrifices on the battlefield at Gettysburg. One word here shoud suffice. Weird! Perhaps salable , but nonetheless weird. The split screen was maddening to my ears. Here is some funny little bearded fellow in a tiny odd brimmed second hand hat , carrying on about printing a series of gay themed letters involving Confederate Civil war losses , and at the same time and space the spexy Ann Coulter wannabe telling all who would listen how embarrased she was to have to put up with the likes of Dennis Kucinich and his flying saucer tales......The coffee I was sipping kicked in and I asked the spexy one if she read or subscribed to da p.d.? "Of course" , was her reply. I shook my head. Enough said , said I. It was perhaps the information you gleamed from da p.d. that could be considered your source of opinion formed concerning Mister Kucinich? I queried. Spexy waffled , coughed a bit , and then spit it out. " Yes , but of course , I read all about how embarrassing Dennis Kucinich is to Cleveland , Ohio in the plain dealer , I really despise him and his flying saucers." I chuckled and told her I did not know which was funnier , the buggery Civil War letters concocted from the little odd hatted fellow , or the insipid lies printed as half truths in da p.d. concerning Dennis Kucinich...... So whats news? Da p.d. has been out to cook Kucinich's goose since the late 1970's. I see reruns in my head of da p.d. as the wily coyote figure that is constantly attempting to trap or harm Kucinich , and Dennis as the roadrunner just ducks the " acme brand " traps set by da p.d. every last time and escapes with a little " beep , beep" , and takes off victorious. Just as Dennis will prevail in the up and coming Democratic Primary for the tenth congressional seat he serves as incumbent. The real gallows humor here is that for all the profligate efforts to discredit Mister Kucinich that da p.d. has extended to date , it has it's desired dire effects caused on the opinions formed concerning Kucinich's character in the mind of our spexy Ann Coulter type. Da p.d. continues to hammer away at Kucinich , while propping up a candidate headed for a certain loss in the likes of Joe Cimperman. Cimperman will take this loss and like it. Happy with the fact that near $300,000 , will have been spent on negative television advertisment in an attempt to discredit Kucinich and create a candidacy for Cimperman. As for the funny little guy with his Civil War tales , like the tar baby , he " said nothing". Personally , I believe that Harvey Pekar is an embarrassment to Cleveland , Ohio. My opinion , formed no doubt by the likes of having read da p.d.'s accounts of Harvey on the David Letterman show some years ago. I do not repeat that thought often however , after acknowledging the source of my media inspired opinion. Only when the likes of gay Civil War letters and Dennis Kucinich flying saucer tales are being knocked about over late night coffee and in the thread of the same conversation would I blurt out the dirt on Harvey. Wonder what was in that coffee anyway? Sure was strong. Book Selling Time! William Clarke Quantrill ws a Confederate Civil War antihero whose murderous exploits during the battle for the Republic are well documented in Duane Schultz's QUANTRILL'S WAR . Three hundred thirty eight pages , and quite a bargain at $5.90! I promise no civil war confederate lavendar brigades will show up in these pages. No nasty half truths about Cleveland area politicians either. As for da p.d. and it's current approach to seling news. Good luck! Newspapers are hemmoraging double digit fiscal losses yearly , and the dead tree printed media faces an uncertain future at best amid the younger generations. Perhaps if da p.d. concentrated more on objective quality reporting instead of dabbling in politics they would find some journalistic success. If not send out for the guy in the funny hat with his gay Civil War letters. his fictitious letters are certainly on par with da p.d.'s humorous attempts to discredit Dennis Kucinich in print these thirty plus odd years. Beep , beep your ass p.d.!

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Super Tuesday?

What is so super about this fat Tuesday 2008? With these 24 diverse States participating in their various party line Presidential primaries and caucuses today , one would imagine a plague of locust had ascended upon our soil given the immense media attention paid to these few National candidates.... I simply have lost interest in this most political of seasons. And will sign off on this matter after stating simply that the California should replace the Iowa caucuses by assuming the initial pulse of the nation by checking in first henceforth in 2012. I shut my mouth concerning the 2008 election then until 2011. Perhaps by then we might have found the courage as a Nation to expand our political horizons and to open our system to a more diverse field of candidates , ideas , and new political parties. Until then , see you all later concerning this 2008 business as usual agenda of Presidential politics in America........ The op ed page of da p.d. this past Sunday , Febuary 3 , 2008 , contained a well written article by Brett Larkin concerning the less than salient nature of back room Cuyahoga County politics today , and a great piece of apologetics from Dick Feagler concerning the positive nature of Dennis Kucinich. Feagler's pro Kucinich editorial serves as da p.d.'s bromide for the offensive assult and indictment of Kucinich that appeared a week before on the same op ed page disguised as an endorsement for Kucinich's 10th district congressional seat opponent Joe Cimperman....... Time has come to lighten up on all the usual suspects in the department of media abuse in Cleveland these days. WCPN radio is not about to change the terrible ingrown state of affairs that they are , anymore than the plain dealer will stop hanging around the wcpn studio doors with their political agendas in hand. It is indeed a dire day when the for profit media concerns the likes of the plain dealer are so cozy with the supposed public radio station , wcpn, that this little illicit dance they do together needs to be monitored on a regular basis...... Yet another good reason to lay off the usual suspects , is that it will allow more time for the discussion , potential sale , and more time spent in the selection and description of book's from our inventory. I have a distinct gut feeling that no matter how much America is currently obsessed with political functions , most of this rah - rah political energy will be put away and forgotten by Thanksgiving day. Until then we carry on the best we can in face of the very real threat of fiscal recession in America today , and hope that enough common sense is left in our depleted human strain to keep the whole good ole' USA mess afloat....Book Selling Time! In so many ways the mantle of our greatest living former President in America today must fall on Jimmy Carter. Our Thirty - Ninth President , Jimmy Carter seemed human to a fault , and helped steer America through some inclement fiscal times . Inflation and interest rates were feverishly high during his administration , and his foreign policy in the Middle East was troubled by the Iran hostage situation. These twin events served to limit President Carter to one term. We offer today a signed copy of Jimmy Carter's poetry entitled ALWAYS A RECKONING. At the scant price of $27.90 you can own a signed copy of President Carter's inner most thoughts. Remember President Carter when asked about his thoughts concerning the fairer sex admitted to " lusting in his heart" , when it came to fessing up about the birds and bees routine. Examine President Bill Clinton's slick behavior in light of Carter's frank and honest expression of lust. President Carter thought about lust , yet kept it in check. Hell , enough allready about Bill Clinton. Our barefoot Rhodes scholar from Arkansas is in the news enough these days , struttin' and signifying for his Hillary stumpin' around the campaign trail. I will be happy when all this nonsense of election mad America is put to bed in November. I have heard enough lies allready , and the powers that be in the Democratic bunch kicked Dennis Kucinich off the trail too early for my liking. Might as well start thinking about 2012 now , whatever candidate is elected later this year will inherit quite a mess from the current seated President and his Washington crew.

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wcpn confused again about Cleveland

Yet another romp around the park on the nine to ten a.m. " sound of ideas" slot this morning on wcpn radio. I smell bacon burning not ideas more often than not while listening to this hour long travesty of radio news gone rancid . Today being no exception due to the constant bloviation of the guest Bill Sheil of the local fox television affiliate . Sheil's windy opines must be better suited for television than radio , though his conspicuous error in describing Dennis Kucinich's crossing political boundries in coming to the aid of the closing of " Saint Vincents" , was factually incorrect , in that it was Saint Alexis Hospital in Cleveland's Slavic Village that Kucinich came to the aid of NOT Saint Vincents hospital which is very much still in business as of this morning. Facts be damned and business as usual on wcpn. Host Dan Moulthrop , did not possess a clue in this local news department gaffe , though I suppose he can be given a pass along with da p.d. State Government reporter Aaron Mitchell who spends his time in Columbus , Ohio , and Mister Sheil as well given his Tulsa, Oklahoma roots. Mister Moulthrop is of relative short residence in the Cleveland , Ohio area , thus making him a natural for an important local radio show host. Having no real sense of the " back stories " that are critical to understanding the historical pathos of local politics , helps Moulthrop become the perfect host for this local news slot , where the " back stories " , are more often than not intregal in regards to the current breaking stories . Mister Moulthrop is more often than not naive and otherwise mallable as host of this radio hour. Just the two characteristics that the local corporate and media powers expect in a public radio station host who deals with sensitive political issues on a regular basis. Keep 'em in the dark like a potato in a root cellar says wcpn. The third guest Jay Miller , from Crains Cleveland News , should have known the difference between the two hospitals , though if he did he did not comment. Once again the arrogance and ignorance of the hired suburban voices heard discussing Cleveland affairs , prove indegestible. Telephone calls from listeners are scarce , and these whole hour long affairs beg for a whiff of the air that is in the wcpn studio , as the host and on air guests often seem to be giddy as if under the influence of nitrus oxide , while peddling to the listeners chloroform....... Being no stranger to bloviation myself , on a daily basis none the less mind you. I must pause and reflect upon the true local masters of bloviation in print da p.d. and it's awe inspiring ' duh editorial board '. Yes , ' duh' , replaces 'the' in the case of this editorial board ,due to the constant chunks and nuggets of spittle and vitriolic nonsense found on da p.d. editorial pages. 'Duh' , being the guttural noise uttered by most of da p.d.'s readers in response to the outrageous stabs at journalism between it's pages. By the advertising copy tone of most of the editorials cranked out from this quilting bee , it would appear that da p.d. editorial men folk grab their loud pink , purple , and bright green pimpin' garments from Mister Albert's clothes on Prospect Avenue downtown . Duh p.d. editorial women folk gussy themselves up in cheerleading outfits to help pump up whatever corporate cause they get behind. In any event JUST SPEND THE EXTRA SEVENTY FIVE CENTS! and purchase the New York Times instead of the insipid likes of duh p.d.......Patzki Time! This past weekend found me out East in Lake County with my destination being Reider's Market on State Route 44 , just south of Interstate 90. This nifty little food market harkens back to the day when grocers took pride in the wares they offer. Reider's still does today. A tremendous fresh produce section equivilant to the Miles Farmers Market. [ Reider's Market purchases their fresh produce from Miles farm Market] A fresh meat and seafood counter which never disapoints in terms of selection or freshness. Do not miss the fresh , ten to fifteen count , wild Gulf shrimp that Reider's feature , or the shrimp and corn fritters they offer. Reider's meat counter has a wide variety of house made sausages on hand , with a staggering varirty of flavors and tastes. Call ahead for varieties at hand. Reider's in house bakery featured Patzci , fried yeast donuts , as their weekly special. We called ahead and special ordered a dozen with poppyseed filling. The dozen poppyseed Patzki were so heavy that they barely fit into their boxes. Delicious , plump, and filled to the top with poppyseed! Now that I have completed such a shameless piece of huckstering in print for Reider's , I invite you to visit them yourselves. Reider's delivers the goods! Good foods that is!.....Book Selling Time! The next time you are faced with the decision of wasting a good hour of your life on the week day morning nine to ten a.m. slot on wcpn or cooking breakfast choose the later. If you need a little local color and help in your food preperation have a look at The Cleveland Ufology Projects OUT OF THIS WORLD COOK BOOK. Yes folks , this is a well illustrated , plenty of ufo's and their peoples , cook book placed for sale by the Cleveland chapter of The Unidentified Flying Object Project often associated with one of it's founders a local character , now deceased , named Earl Neff , who has provided the cover illustration. Two hundred thirty four pages of all forms of[ ouch ] " out of this world" recipes , for your culinary pleasure. This unique Cleveland cook book was published in 1980 . I am certain that like the flying saucers that hover about around here taking notes on our strange behaviors , the saucer pilots can tell the difference between Saint Vincent's hospital and the former Saint Alexis hospital at a glance.

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Cimperman versus Kucinich , round three

Or simply put by a far better brand of bard , " Much To Do About Nothing".... The Sunday January 27 , 2008 op ed piece in da p.d. simply entitled , "Joe Cimperman" , proves to be far more an indictment of Dennis Kucinich than an endorsement for Joe Cimperman. Comprised of twenty two paragraphs and taking a full one half page , such banal verbosity and windy prose is usually relegated to a Sunday sermon , not a serious editorial column. Of the twenty two paragraphs , a full thirteen toss dirt at Dennis , one paragraph pays Dennis a back handed compliment , six paragraphs are the veritable equivalent of " fellatio in print " with Cimperman being the recipient . Only three paragraphs of the twenty two even bother to discuss the other candidates for the Democratic Party nomination for Congress representative in the Ohio March 4 , 2008 Primary election. For the record they are Barbara Anne Ferris , Rosemary Palmer , and Thomas O' Grady. None of these three have a ghost of a chance in winning the primary , though their presence in this race serves to help Kucinich and hamper Cimperman's cause . Why you might inquire is da p.d. out to " wag the dog" , so early on ? Truth is that the actual election might be in November , 2008 , but the November victor will be decided in the March Democratic primary , with the Cuyahoga County Republican party needing to exhume no less than Abraham Lincoln's long mouldering bones to have a chance of beating any of the five candidates that might emerge victorious from the March 4Th primary. My pal the cheeze , confides in me that the negative television advertisements that the Cimperman campaign is running will do Kucinich less harm than they will Cimperman. The cheeze is a veteran of many political campaigns and has long canvassed the rather odd backwaters of this States eighty eight counties , and I believe him when he confides in me that Cimperman is " cutting his own throat" , by means of his childish negative advertisements that portray Dennis Kucinich as long gone from Ohio , and derelict in his duties. The cheeze also serves a practical warning to beware of the potential for a behind the scenes pay off to one or all of the three other candidates to withdraw from their campaigns by the highly motivated anti Kucinich forces behind the Cimperman campaign. Cheeze also offered the figure of $300,000 , as the amount that the offensive and possibly self sabotaging anti Kucinich television advertisements are purported to cost. In any event we know whose side da p.d. is on. The vitriol that da p.d. pumped into this editorial exemplifies the ignorant and desperate state of affairs that exists in the vilification of the competent incumbent Kucinich. Who by da p.d."s own admission " has never given a whiff of personal scandal". In this modern world where corporate white collar crime , sordid tales of bankers more likely than not resembling gangsters , and crooked politicians from coast to coast of all colors and stripes doing time for their crimes . Kucinich should be applauded , not vilified for picking his dancing partners with caution , and remaining true to his own honest system of belief. We were all taught about honesty in our homes , and classrooms growing up. Some citizens like Kucinich internalized this concept , other citizens prefer to bend , shape , and temper honesty via their business or for the purpose of personal gains. Print journalism today in the form of the daily newspaper is about as far from the concept of honesty , integrity , or objectivity than any other period of time since it's inception. The numbers grow of convicted newspaper publishers and editors now serving time for their white collar crimes. Dennis Kucinich does not seem to possess this dishonest streak , and if seeing an unidentified flying saucer is as bad an act as one can find to cajole him about , he has good political company. See our previous post, for a list of other politicians and American Presidents that have " seen the saucers"....Book Selling Time! The daily quilting bee that poses as a newspaper , da p.d. , serves forth a regular thrashing of Dennis Kucinich as one of it's inherent rights , and seems to be as much sport as news. Seeing da p.d.'s sports section is often found on it's editorial pages , and visa versa, why not go whole hog and call the prejudiced Kucinich coverage by da p.d. one of the SPORTS OF OUR TIMES. The book we offer today is that very title , though all be it a volume of sports columns by former New York Times sports writer Dave Anderson on all forms of sports from Baseball's Henry Aaron, to the Olympics. Check it out! The insipid nature of da p.d. 's indictment of Kucinich disguised as an endorsement for candidate Cimperman shows how low the tail of the beast is dragging around the corner of east 18Th and Superior these days. Like a toothless old tiger , da p.d.'s swipes at candidate Kucinich reflect more about their inability to retain any dignity and sense of fairness when they choose to go hunting. Better da p.d. take up some form of water sport , given the fact that they constructed their new space port building on a rather well documented quicksand belt that runs along Superior Road downtown. Good luck to all the candidates in the tenth district primary , and please if you must bicker and quibble in public treat one another with courtesy and dignity.

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Cimperman versus Kucinich , round two

More surreal editorial comment by da pd in it's op ed piece for Monday January 21, 2008 " Incumbent Paranoia" . Referring to Joe Cimperman's intrusive and invasive negative campaign tactics [ see OESB post Cimperman versus Kucinich , Round one ]as " an aggressive campaign".Appears da pd left of the first word , passive. No problems in this department for the six time incumbent Kucinich , he is savvy enough to stay on the moral high grounds that he rightfully defends. Perhaps da pd should assign their boxing writer , Joe " Kid Action" Maxse , as Cimperman's corner man. " Incumbent Paranoia " is the very editorial bile that I refer to in round one of this missive. Until then let me borrow the good social graces and wicked pen of Lewis Carroll to best describe this mess to date in his poem entitled ; The Dutchess' Lullaby . "Speak roughly to your little boy, And beat him when he sneezes; He only does it to annoy , Because he knows it teases"......... Book Selling Time! We offer today a copy of a hard cover book whose value is diminished as much as the newspaper it is written about. $7.90 will buy you our copy of Archer Shaw's THE PLAIN DEALER , 1842 - 1942 , One Hundred Years in Cleveland. Once upon a time Cleveland , Ohio had a rich vein of newspaper journalism , which included the Plain Dealer , among other notable Cleveland dailies , The News , The Press , The Leader , and The World. Alas , all are history with the exception of da p.d. , which might be mistaken as brain dead or severely addled these days , do to the reckless nature of their op ed page , lack of in depth news coverage , and especially running tripe in print such as the above mentioned hatchet job on Dennis Kucinich. Paranoid indeed. Let those who dwell in glass houses such as the myth in print , dead tree space port , and quilting bee that passes for a daily newspaper at 1801 Superior take some of their own advice imparted in " Incumbent Paranoia." It seems that boys will be girls , and girls will be boys , but all potential politicians take note and show up with a handful of flyer's and a video camera and demand to see da p.d.'s editorial staff at 1801 Superior if you have the desire to knock off a little video clip action to post on your you tube site. The editorial staff at da p.d. seem to feel it fairly harmless in a likewise fashion for a candidate to show up at a political rival's home to drop off a political flyer. Taking this notion one step further I suppose that it is to be understood by such a tacit editorial approval of these law breaking intrusions committed by Cimperman , that due to the implied nature of da p.d's liberal position concerning Cimperman's actions , if a candidate seeking to draw attention to their potential election to a political office wishes to approach a p.d. editor at their home to play political trick or treat delivering a handbill while letting the video cameras roll it is allright with da p.d. gang. Fat chance! It appears that da p.d. editorial staff carves and jabs at Dennis Kucinich with every diminishing ounce of their fading strength , while embarrassing themselves a little more with every weak punch glancing off Mister Kucinich who has the wisdom and moral turpitude to retain his ethical footing and not rise to the cheap weak swipes da p.d. tosses at him. In this 2008 Presidential election obsessed nation , the outsider candidate Mister Kucinich remains the one distinct fresh and candid voice amid the bellow , smoke , and blather of the rest of the pack , save perhaps the outsider Republican candidate Ron Paul. Neither Mister Kucinich or Mister Paul have a serious chance to gain their parties nomination in 2008 , yet that is not the point. Both of these candidates have legitimate opinions and even if their function in the 2008 is to serve as contrarian voices to their fellow candidates , their viewpoints and political beliefs serve as necessary ballast to the business as usual hyperbole that is tossed about like so much stale baled hay. Do yourselves a favor folks , boycott the bunkum merchants at da p.d. starting today. If you need to purchase a daily newspaper JUST SPEND THE EXTRA SEVENTY FIVE CENTS, and purchase the New York Times. Vote with your pocket book on this matter , spend the extra change and read a real newspaper. The sad level of propaganda pitched regularly by da p.d. is embarrassing to both Cleveland , Ohio and the entire region it exists within. Just say no! If you must consume this local rag pick a used copy up of a coffee shop floor , snatch a day old copy from a trash bin , or read it at the Public Library. No news most days is good news in any case.. No news is what you get if you purchase a copy of da p.d. on any given day!

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Cimperman versus Kucinich round one

In an attempt to gain media attention and paint seated tenth district Congressman Dennis Kucinich as absent from his district while campaigning for the office of the United States president , Cleveland city council Representative and 2008 Democratic Primary challenger for Kucinichs congress seat managed to play the fool instead. Barging into Kucinichs Lakewood Congressional office on January 3 ,2008 with a camera toting aide along to capture his buffoonery , Cimperman did everything except put his foot in a water bucket , slip on a banana peel , and perhaps should have attired himself in a clown suit to truly capture the flavor of his media gaff. Instead of the quick " you tube " media bite that he desired , Cimperman has already managed to brand himself a neophyte water boy in this early campaign strategy gone south. Kucinich to his credit did not rise to Cimpermans bait , instead relied on his office to post a letter to the Federal Protective Service , the law enforcement component which works in compliance of The United States Department of Homeland Security providing protection to Federal Government offices. The Department of Homeland Security decided to investigate Cimpermans sophomoric antics serving him notice that he was in violation by bringing a camera without prior permission into a government office. It is not difficult to see where this primary campaign is going if Cimperman continues on this path. Starting off negative will not gain Cimperman much credibility within the Tenth Congressional district which by all accounts Kucinich has served well enough to exist as a six term incumbent. The local fish wrap , da p.d. lets their bias against Kucinich fly like bile from a disgruntled editor's spleen every opportunity they get. Fat chance for objectivity in the daily printed media , one newspaper town that is Cleveland , Ohio today. Stay tuned for round two , which should erupt any time now. A debate is planned at the City Club for the primary candidates for the Tenth Congressional seat. Here's hoping that all the Primary candidates are given equal measure in rostrum time , not just Kucinich and Cimperman. It would behoove Councilman Cimperman to take the moral high road in his future dialogues with Kucinich while vying for the Democratic Primary vote. We Clevelanders and Cuyahoga County residents have suffered enough embarrassment recently and real time issues need to be examined and discussed . Leave the school boy pranks alone , and pay attention to the serious matters that we all face together.....Enough of all this political nonsense. Time to check the tread on the Nevada candidates buses as they flit around the sparse deserts conjuring up votes the usual way. "Smoke and mirrors"! Election years are tough enough to stomach , and it did not surprise me to hear that the major candidates in the upcoming Nevada primaries are taking their windy business to the High School gymnasiums and small town auditoriums , just like they did in their youth when running for student council. So much of what passes for politics in this country is nothing save insipid reruns of popularity contests. Blow hard candidates one and all. All your promises made today will more apt than not prove impossible to deliver after inauguration 2009. So save your wind for some offshore ecological windmill energy gathering effort instead.Book Selling Time! Dennis Kucinich has grown up since the publication of Estelle Zannes CHECKMATE IN CLEVELAND , The Rhetoric of Confrontation During the Stokes Years. Confrontational politics seem to have been around most of my life in Cleveland , and it is time to lay down political swords and work instead towards a better understanding of the process that ensures the ultimate consumers , a represented officials constituents , receipt of services and work for the voting public , instead of working the corners like a cunning pugilist. Grow up one and all of you student council cheerleader types.

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Cuyahoga County peddles Breuer Tower , wcpn premature,

Good news for the corner of East Ninth Street and Euclid Avenue. Home of the historic Marcel Breuer Ameritrust Tower , and the original Tiffany ceiling Cleveland Trust rotunda that adjoins it.Present owners Cuyahoga County accepted the K & D Group of Willoughby , Ohio bid yesterday and both historic structures survival and potential development seem to have found a lasting peace. K & D plans a mixed office , residential ,and hotel for the site. Congratulations to all involved in this forward thinking project.Like most Cleveland renewal projects , the proof is in the actual puddin' and take. In other words completion spells perfection . More often than not in related proposed projects in Cleveland's past projected means neglected or even abandoned due to a slew of reasons often fiscal or otherwise political. Given the projected shape of the current economy in election year America , we will reserve a wait and see attitude on the future of this historic corner. Secure for now that at least an interested developer has stepped forward and envisions the significance of the two former banking buildings that they are willing to lay down thirty five million dollars for. Seems like quite a bargain to me , given the prominent crossroads that Euclid Avenue and East Ninth Street has functioned as in the history of Cleveland. Congratulations K & D of Willoughby!.... And big thanks go out to mindreader Kim from down near Kentucky way. Kim sent a nice copy of a live Charlie Louvin compact disc recorded last year at Shake It Records! Available from ShakeItUSA.com . It is a fine little disc and representative of Mister Louvin's show at The Beachland ballroom in Cleveland reviewed and posted here on December 20 , 2007. [ see Charlie Louvin...December 20 , 2007 ]. Kim's envelope that he mailed the disc in arrived the very day , this past Monday January 14 , 2008 ,that I rambled on at great length here concerning television star Froggy The Gremlin featured on Andy Devine's children show of my youth Andy's Gang. Kim's mailer had a picture of Buster Brown and his dog Tige. Far out! Buster Brown shoes were the sponsors of various children's television shows in the nineteen fifties , including Andy's Gang......WCPN gave me the listening hour off this morning concerning their choice of topics for the nine to ten a.m. slot. A bit premature to discuss the 2007 Presidential candidates , and their opinions and plans concerning the state of our National economy , and what each candidate plans to do to stimulate the economy . In yesterday's National Section of the January 15 ,2007 New York Times , a one half page article by Edmund L. Andrews was dedicated to this very subject complete with a nifty sidebar featuring a bipartisan view of the eight major candidates and their pictures and encapsulated views : " Candidates Economic Stimulus Plans" . To quote Mister Andrews concerning this matter; " The debate among candidates about stimulus measures is largely academic , because economic conditions are almost sure to be entirely different by the time a new president takes office a little more than a year from now." It is a full year until the new President is to be inaugurated , and I am so tired already of the blather and wind spent and expelled from these career politicians mouths! Bad enough we are always offered the less of two evils in a Presidential election , why should we suffer the inanity of our Public and private media playing into the hands of this deflection mechanism called an election , which only raises hopes to have them later dashed for the citizens who are naive enough to believe the trash talk that belches forth in efforts to gain votes . The true sorry fact is that we are kept so far in the dark in most matters , ecological , International relations , and Domestic political realities and plans , that we might has well be turnips or mushrooms. The real story concerning the election is local native son Dennis Kucinich taking another brave run at the White House office , and the continued resistance he meets along the way. Last evening's Nevada debate that candidate Dennis was eighty sixed from , comes to mind as a worthwhile story to examine on the wcpn airwaves. Not so much as a peep was said concerning this matter during this mornings news on wcpn. Seems that both wcpn and their butt buddies da pd have a very vindictive and mean agenda concerning Dennis Kucinich . Da pd continues to run uncomplimentary pictures of Kucinich , and takes great pleasure in serving up negative bias whenever the opportunity presents itself. Using the words objective and Kucinich in the same news articles printed in da pd , proves an impossible task. Of all the candidates at play for 2008 , Kucinich is the only one that really offers an opportunity for " change". Hillary is status quo to a fault . Obama a fine orator , though I am afraid in need of political seasoning for his own sake and survival. As for the rest of the pack , Edwards would make a great vice president , and forget the Republicans one and all. We blue voters have had enough of the damage inflicted by eighth years of that bushcheney republican flavor! Book Selling Time! Today's choice morsel is a rather tough one to chew these days. The Euclid Avenue Corridor project. Connecting Cleveland's downtown by dedicated bus to the area six odd miles east known as University Circle , the ECP has resulted in a complete aversion of Euclid Avenue for those of us Clevelanders who know better than to wander on to a construction zone that seems to just keep getting farther than closer to completion. We offer today a view of Euclid Avenue from it's true glory days in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Jan Cigliano's easy to read and well illustrated history of Euclid Avenue SHOWPLACE OF AMERICA . No kidding , Euclid Avenue was a most exciting street of my misspent youth in Cleveland , Ohio. My Grandmother resided near the East Cleveland / Cleveland border and taking the number six bus from downtown always was a great learning experience. The corner of East 105 and Euclid was a second City in itself , with hotels , nightclubs , bakeries , delicatessens , bowling alley , fine restaurants , book stores , record stores, twenty four hour drugstore , a long diverse public market , and five movie theatres. Today the Cleveland Clinic has expanded to this corner and a rather dull couple of brutal modern buildings now exist where the big cheeses that run this flesh factory park their fancy sports cars by day , before running back to the cozy confines of the convenient East side suburbs. Oh well , I guess that Cleveland will never really become a comeback sort of City until we find a way to recreate such a diverse crossroads. Most of SHOWPLACE OF AMERICA is dedicated to the fashionable homes nad mansions that lined Euclid Avenue in it's heyday , so do not expect to find much concerning the corner of East 105 and Euclid contained within this volume. That book has yet to be penned , just like the plans for the corner of East Ninth and Euclid . When you see it , believe it. Until then , let your imagination be your guide in this here City on the south shore of Lake Erie.

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Beam Cleveland up Dennis!

Dennis Kucinich is in the news again, in a soon to be released book penned by Shirley MaClaine, entitled "Sage-ing while Age-ing" MaClaine accounts that while visiting her in her Washington state residence in the late 1980's."

He saw a giant triangular craft, silent, and observing him.

It hovered for about ten minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend. He felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind." Perhaps this reference will become the silver lining in regards to his 2008 presidential campaign.

After all , many assorted political beasts of American stripe have spotted a ufo, including recent presidents Ronald Reagan , and Jimmy Carter , both while serving as Governors of their respective states , California and Georgia.

I recall in 1973 when John Gilligan was governor of Ohio; he experienced a UFO sighting that was well documented. Ditto Arizona Governor Fife Symington. I am positive that other political types serving in our House of Representatives and Senate have had similar UFO moments.

I sure as hell hope that whoever is manning the spacecraft keeps a sharp eye on any of the politicians, seems due to varied consistent varied forms of media reports dating back to the beginning of humankind that using the words politician and trust in the same sentence can beget volatile and potentially hazardous results.

The one vote that I cast in my life that helped make a difference was my vote registered against the recall of Dennis Kucinich as Mayor of Cleveland in 1978.

My vote was one of 236 that saved Mayor Kucinich's term as mayor of a total of 60,014 total votes cast. Dennis was outspoken as Cleveland's mayor, taking on the very power structure of George Forbes and Cleveland City Council, labor unions, both the Democratic and Republican parties, two daily newspapers, corporate interests, and banking concerns that hoped to defeat him via the recall that hot Sunday August 13, 1978 election day.

After emerging victorious from doing battle with such a legion of political and business thugs, what's to fear from a mere UFO sighting? Dennis is still running for President, and he has my vote whether nominated or not.

The local fish wrapper disguised as a daily paper of record a.k.a. The Plain Dealer chose to lampoon Dennis in their op-ed page of October 29, 2007 via a rather uncomplimentary picture of Dennis and eighth odd lines of sophomoric attempts at humorous text.

What would one expect from Ohio's largest newspaper these days? The current pd seems to be run more akin to a quilting bee than a newspaper of note.

The problem with dedicating part of your op-ed page to such a hack piece of below the belt whimsy is that your readership might begin to take whatever you place before them as opinion to be as biased and self serving as this pd anti Kucinich missive.

A.J. Liebling, a fine example of a journalist as ever has lived and worked said years ago the "The power of the press is limited to those who own one."

Never could this be as true as the state of one horse, one newspaper towns such as Cleveland, Ohio today.

Book selling Time!

In keeping in the spirit of politics and ufos we offer two titles for your choice. The first is a tasty Epicurean compilation by The Cleveland Ufology Project entitled C.U.P.'S OUT OF THIS WORLD COOK BOOK, with a great picture of a spinning ufo on it's cover , and containing some other interesting flying saucer and alien themed tasty recipes.

Done in the spiral bound style of a Church cook book, the usual territory is covered by local ufologists. Nothing that strange about UFO sightings in Cleveland, Ohio, in fact the building at 1801 Superior Avenue is a well known alien spaceport.

Relive the not-so-glorious political days of Cleveland, Ohio and the cast of players involved, including a young Dennis Kucinich, in Estelle Zannes, CHECKMATE IN CLEVELAND, The Rhetoric Of Confrontation During The Stokes Years.

Read about Carl and Louis Stokes, Ralph Perk, George Forbes, and all the political players working over the citizens of Cleveland during the late 1960's and early 1970's.

Whew!

Much can be said of Carl Stokes administration while serving as the first Afro-American

Mayor of a major city and Estelle Zannes account of these times are accurate and done in a fair unbiased spirit. I have had the pleasure to have met both Carl Stokes, and Dennis Kucinich and both seemed to be fine men of character and dissimilar to most other politicians I have encountered.

Hats off to all the Cleveland citizens who voted to keep Dennis in office in 1978, and those who might still consider him a worthy presidential candidate in 2008.

Best wishes to my Mother, and family. Thanks again John and Kim. Time to go fishing down near the spaceport on Lake Erie where all of those three eyed winged glowing catfish are caught!

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