da p.d. less for more scam

As of this past week the local fish wrapper has decided to charge an additional quarter of a dollar for it's sorry newspaper efforts. BEWARE THIS SCAM! Less is more seems to be this sordid attempt at journalism's latest money grabbing ploy. Offering only a smattering of local news via it's metro section , along with a paltry one page op / ed effort , the plain dealer offers it's potential customers not very much for their .75 cents. The local featured columnists who appear with regularity are not worthy of a read save Morris , Feagler , and Larkin. This rudderless ship is sinking fast . Without any real competent news gathering at a local level this joke in print has become just a series of bad rewrites of old news in printed form. For example. Olympic coverage without a reporter in Beijing . No reporters coverage of the 2008 election to speak of save from wire reports.... International news is surely not found in the plain dealer these days. Columnists the likes of Kevin O ' Brien and his girlfriends are fit for your litter box not a good read. Reruns of week old syndicated news from wire sources predominate this skinny sham of a newspaper....... A day old loaf of fluffy white bread with mold growing on it's edges seems to be the current plain dealer product offered. Stale and old news at a new higher price. I wonder how long it will take for this sorry waste of dead trees to be put out of it's misery?

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Round up the usual suspects

It is Monday morning and time to round up the usual suspects. You , over there. Yes you , the fatuous one located at East 18Th and Superior a.k.a . da p.d. , da pee dee , or whatever pathos in newsprint you fancy these days. Line up against that wall and shut up already. The Sunday April 6 ,2008 editorial Put It On The Map ,is another great reason why the publisher of a daily newspaper should not sit on the board of director's of a major local institution as in this case the Cleveland clinic. The plain dealer shilling for the Cleveland clinic may be considered business as usual by the slap happy editorial board gang at da p.d.. Others of us find it more to resemble business as unusual at the very least. This editorial makes yet another unashamed plug for a proposed three mile highway linking Interstate 480 with the Cleveland clinic. Dubbed the " opportunity corridor" , one begs to inquire ... Whose opportunity? Yes , the correct answer students is the very Cleveland clinic who da p.d. publisher Terrance Egger sits on the CC Board of Directors of. As we said here some months ago when da p.d. ran an earlier editorial begging for this same self serving road. We said just say no! Governor Ted . Keep saying no to this selfish little land grab. Governor Ted Strickland represents eighty seven other Counties in Ohio as well as Cuyahoga , and in all fairness , short of succeeding from the other eighty seven , the other counties need the public infrastructure funds as well as Cuyahoga does. Last time I looked the entire State of Ohio is looking seedy , aged , and way frayed at the cuff. So consider the rest of the State of Ohio's political opinion concerning the proposed future of basically a private road in Cuyahoga County Ohio? Not very much interest I would guess , and da p.d. should at least be bright enough to admit to this fact. The plain dealer boast in this skewed editorial is " Cleveland can't and won't wait." Suggesting that da p.d. will go negative on Governor Strickland , and work against him politically . To quote this Superior Road gang's own words. " and if Ted Strickland can't promise results ,, it may be tough for Northeast Ohioans to promise votes for this bond plan." Scary kids , scary. OOOOH Scary OLD PAIN DEALER. A hollow threat from the weak and slack jawed jowls of da paper tiger that is da p.d. 2008. ............wcpn the yawning midget of public radio in our listening area should check it's sad self into a hospital to see if they possess a beating pulse much less a heart? Well , no news is old hat at wcpn so line up against the wall you phony " idea stream" cheerleaders. This morning 's nine to ten a.m . gambit was yet another public relations dog and pony show toutin' and shoutin' and placing a positive spin on the 200 million rta Euclid avenue corridor project. No subjective or critical examination needed of the corridor project and the adjoining land usage according to wcpn. Just a jolly good old public relations lovefest...Noted journalist Roldo Bartimole seems to believe differently in that a series of speculative real estate transactions featuring both public and private concerns , and the a list downtown players roles in real estate transactions along the downtown part of the Euclid avenue dedicated bus line is worthy of examination and critical reporting. Roldo's Point of View on this matter is a well described and documented read on the political and private business transactions occurring at the southeast corner of East Ninth and Euclid . Yes , that corner the one with the significant architectural truck in a International stature in the form of the Marcel Breuer Cleveland Trust Tower. This historic corner should be celebrated , as well the remaining buildings on the south side of Euclid Avenue eastward to the point at Huron street. These historic Euclid Avenue buildings are all worthy of rehabilitation . Comprising a nice slice of older commercial buildings perfect for apartment , loft , or condominiums . This building cluster should be included on any Cleveland citizen who is architectural preservation minded map and radar screen, concerning the pending $35 million Willoughby based development plan currently pending transaction with Cuyahoga County. History is at stake here. Short of building the second Breuer Tower on the site , saving these older structures gives a nice model window of what a handsome block of rehabilitated buildings with all the original interior trimmings can be...What is at stake here is a real crosstown intersection for any hospital workers who care to live or relocate to a residence downtown , as option to current suburban digs and the daily drag of an automotive commute. Calabrese of the RTA outfit promises a ten minute trip on the quick side of time between downtown and UC via the " silver line". As little as five or seven minutes in quickest imagined time spent in a simple commute. A new bus leaves the station every five minutes. That is an upside in any event , and only time will tell if any of the proposed developments will really have much impact in terms of retail growth , business start ups , and a critical mass of citizens living close enough to this bus line to fall out of bed and into a bus on the EAC. The true test of social justice will be East Cleveland's share of the project as it continues on to it's eastern point at the Windemere Rapid station. The happiness boys on hand at wcpn received only six telephone calls during the allotted hour , and the final call was from a man in East Cleveland who identified himself as Ojo , and claimed he was a constant caller always given short shrift by wcpn. Guess what? Ojo was once again given short shrift , and his critical comments concerning issues of poverty and employment on the rta silver line ledger were given a cursory kiss off by the wcpn gang. It is not just downtown and the University Circle neighborhoods that this Euclid Avenue corridor bus line should concern itself with. The neighborhoods that border this project have needs that need to be addressed as well. These neighborhoods are unfortunately all victims of terminal poverty ,and are as follows. Hough , Fairfax , and Central. It would be an original "idea stream" , if perhaps one of the Einstein invalids in the wcpn news department could see there way clear to have representatives from these three Cleveland neighborhoods plus East Cleveland , Ohio comment and discuss the impact that the " silver line" might have on their citizens lives. Stay tuned..... It is easy to see that spring is in the air , and perhaps the two news sources discussed above should open their stultified windows and air out some actual Cleveland citizens real time public interests. The proposed " opporotunity corridor ' , is merely a means yet another land grab for the Cleveland clinic , and would do more harm to any hopes of improving the current neighborhoods that it proposes to tear through than help. If the Cleveland clinic is serious about having their workforce closer to theie Euclid avenue campus , perhaps they should consider building housing along the Euclid Avenue corridor. Yet another highway is only a means for automotive futures , not feet on the pavement urban lifestyle futures. Da p.d. seems to only jump as high on their editorial page as the Cleveland clinic asks them to. That is tragedy , and should be addressed from an neutral ethical viewpoint before this matter of an "opportunity corridor " , receives even a lousy penny in Ohio tax funds. If this road is so damn important to the Cleveland clinic and the parasitical pee dee , let them build it.

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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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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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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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Ludlow Gang ,Dick Feagler , cold beer and worms , green fallout for digital television mandate

Following up from our January 7 ,2008 entry concerning the tragic crimes committed by a local gang on the person of a Shaker Heights man walking his dog on New Years eve , resulted in no fewer than eight letters to the editor on da p.d.'s opinion page today January 9 , 2008 , under the banner "Feagler couldn't be more wrong about Shaker". All of these letters managed to take Dick Feagler to task for his implied racism as cause and effect of suburban flight that he included in his op/ ed piece that ran in the January 5 ,2008 p.d. It would be interesting to have Mister Feagler field questions and opine concerning this tempestuous Shaker Heights crime via the supposed public airwaves of wcpn , however as is more often than not the case , wcpn is asleep at the wheel again. It is obvious to regular listeners that wcpn and da p.d. are near incestuous in their on air couplings. As I have stated in prior entries , da p.d. and wcpn at times need a chaperon to break up the make out sessions that occur on air replacing the objective coverage on the news topics they purport to cover. Thus exists the benign or mild form of news reporting on wcpn that becomes a series of trivialized forgettable chapters or episodes as opposed to seeking diverse and perhaps controversial opinions as in calling to question Feagler's editorial stance .The lack of incisive moderation via questions and commentary from the wcpn radio host is sorely apparent , and a change in this important local news department long overdue. As bad as the current daily nine to ten news slot is , the former wcpn reporter April Baer did a fine job in this seat before her dep[arture for the greener climes of Portland , Oregon. April's talent is sorely missed , and the current host needs to be found a new task. The " idea stream " , is the oft used jingo that wcpn uses to sell itself as an intellectual enterprise by repeating this absurd notion frequently in the course of a day. Preceding this jingo is what appears to be the audible flushing of a commode. Perhaps wcpn would consider changing their weak " ideas stream " to the more apt moniker diarrhea stream?...... From the bowels of wcpn radio to the bowels of the United States Department of Agriculture laboratory located at Mississippi State University comes this exciting news that should be of interest to pestilent biped lager louts and worms alike. Cheap beer! Seems that a Doctor Frank M. Davis raises a number of worm species , for the purpose of testing corn plants resistance to said worm pestilence , using cheap American manufactured " Milwaukee's Best " beer as the slimy creeping crawling spineless worms taste of choice for help in mating purposes. Doctor Davis claims that the cheap cold beer fed to these caged worms makes them frisky and ready for mating and ovulation action. No wonder there seems to be so many Cleveland sports lager louts milling about downtown after games looking for action. I always suspected these sports louts were worms , and now Doctor Davis offers hope in establishing proof of their heritage......A sad moment will appear for a few million obdurate television viewing Americans in February 2009. Our Federal Government has decided for us that the day has come then to switch from traditional old school analog broadcasting to the new digital format of television reception. Ostensibly this switcheroo is to enable public safety forces expanded usage of the mandated abandoned frequencies , and to enable consumers to utilize advanced multi casting technologies. The sad and dire aspects of this ploy is the abandonment of the millions of soon to become obsolete television sets and the ecological consequences of this heavy load of electronic junk headed for the landfills across America. Bad enough that those consumers that have purchased non digital television receivers will be forced to either purchase a converter or subscribe to cable television against their wills. As is the well honed buying habits of the American consumer , many will choose to jettison the old set into landfills , thus giving the electronics industry a fine cash cow via the efforts of our Federal Communications Commissions decision to abandon the old television technology. Personally , I will not be making the adjustment to the modern. The ancient black and white set that we drag out for odd sporting events has served just fine , and less television viewed produces a personal benefit of more hours spent reading or writing. I shudder to imagine the millions of soon to be obsolete discarded television festering in our shrinking landfills. If the wisdom of our FCC holds forth this massacre , the same said FCC should institute the means to strip out and recycle to the best ability the remnants of these television dinosaurs. Write or telephone your elected Senator or Congressman and demand that they pay attention to this problem prior to it's impending date in thirteen months.This whole mess smacks of the evil side of too much Government , and the influences of the k street lobbyists carrying the ball for the electronics industry. As usual placing the cart before the horse with no regards to the ecological fallout of this potential green disaster. Not to mention the Orwellian aspects of the loss of analog broadcasting being replaced by the big brother cable plugged into your home. Not in my house! ..... Winter is upon us with a fervor and we offer two e complementary recipes for Chili and cornbread. Remember simple is best! In a #8 cast iron chicken pan , or dutch oven fry gently two pounds of fresh ground chuck , sirloin, or ground round , or any combination thereof. Purchase this beef from a butcher , not a chain supermarket , and have the butcher grind it to your taste. When finished cooking remove the ground beef to a stainless steel or ceramic vessel and set aside , leaving the leftover juices in the cooking pan. Add to these cooking juices two or three finely chopped onions and garlic cloves , to taste , and after a few minutes two or three finely chopped , seeded and deveined red , green, or yellow bell peppers and two jalapenos , I prefer one of each color , and cook over a low heat until done to taste though still firm , . If you have access to fresh Roma tomatoes in a separate pan drop a dozen or so Roma's in boiling water and cook for a few minutes , after removing from the water peel of their skins and set aside. Add two pounds of cooked pinto beans , a pound of red kidney beans to the cooked peppers and onions. Add the Roma tomatoes and the following spices , ground white , cayenne , and black pepper to taste. Ground chili pepper , paprika , and a solid one half cup of liquid black coffee , a shot or two of brandy or aged sherry wine. Stir and simmer for at least an hour over low heat , checking to make sure no ingredients stick. Add more liquids if you choose , including canned or jarred tomatoes , tomatoes and green chili's , and at the end of the hour a tablespoon of finely ground cornmeal or masa harina should be stirred in and cooked for another twenty minutes. Take the ground meat from the refrigerator and add it to the cast iron pan and cook for another ten minutes. Remove to a glass container and let sit until cool enough to refrigerate. Serve this chili , with your favorite garnishes , sour cream , cheese , pickled peppers , the next day after reheating what portion you desire with the following never fail homemade cornbread. Never fail cornbread.Heat oven to 450 degrees. Again a #8 cast iron skillet or similar cast iron baking oven is required. Heat a few slices of bacon in the cast iron skillet , remove bacon , pouring and reserving the bacon fat , should yield about a scant quarter cup of bacon drippings , in a glass Pyrex container. Having at room temperature one cup of buttermilk , and one egg combine in Pyrex with bacon fat. Beat wet ingredients together until smooth and set aside. Sift together one and one half cup of corn meal and one half cup of flour with one teaspoon of fresh baking powder and one teaspoon of salt , and three teaspoons of fresh baking powder. Having fresh baking powder and baking soda puts the never fail in this recipe , so go out and purchase some if yours is out dated or stale. Combine wet and dry ingredients in a mixing bowl , adding ground black pepper , and a pinch of sugar if desired. Pour into hot cast iron pan and bake until just set. Using a toothpick or straw strand from a broom to test by inserting into the cornbread middle. Should take twenty to twenty five minutes. Derivations for this and the previous chili recipe are ubiquitous. I find whole yogurt and milk combined to be an able substitute for buttermilk. Crumbled and fine chopped bacon can be added to the batter as well as diced fine chili peppers. As with any baking recipe , altitude as well as attitude conspire to create differences in baking time. Consult a reliable cook book for questions that may occur , and use your imagination concerning your favorite takes on this classic combination of chili and corn bread. I prefer chuck long cooked on the bone shredded with black beans , lamb chili with white beans , Texas style with no beans. All the same to me. Good! Book Selling Time! I like to wash mine down with a cold soft drink. Yeah , wash down the bitter , sour taste of a snarky pseudo public radio station such as the local disaster wcpn and their notion of soft convenient corporate local news. Also wash down the bad taste left in my heart for the FCC ecological disaster in the making analog kaput television scam. One of my faves for washing down the chili and cornbread combo is good old Dr. Pepper. We offer today more than you ever cared to know about this fine carbonated beverage in Jeffery L. Rodengen's THE LEGEND OF DR. PEPPER AND SEVEN UP. A large format well illustrated history of this fine soft drink. Most of you that drink the good Dr. daily at ten, two , and four are aware of the not so secret secret ingredient which is prune juice. I sure wish more of the lager louts that stumble around sports stadiums would take up guzzling Dr. Pepper or Seven Up , instead of imitating the lowly worm and sucking down the cheap beer they seem to favor! Best wishes to all and any who love their chili and cornbread!

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Resolute

A few hours prior to the New Years a friend asked what was my New Years resolution? I replied... To remain Resolute.

It is easy to see what problems exist in a destitute City in decline like Cleveland, Ohio today. Much more difficult to come up with strategies and means to help improve these conditions of decline.

I will remain resolute in scrutiny and critical examination of this Cities meager media concerns. Holding both the, for profit and public mediums accountable for their actions, or lack of said actions.

My pal Slipsy Junior moved here from Youngstown, Ohio some years back, and this region seems like paradise to him compared to the Mahoning Valley.

Be that as it may, Youngstown was always a greasy backwater burg between Cleveland and Pittsburgh that never served as much as a model for any Civic activity with the exception of a highly organized mix of crime and politics, that made Youngstown more resemble some loutish New Jersey city than Cleveland, Ohio in its better previous years.

I would have preferred a little better start to this New Years 2008, though being pinned down on our street awaiting the gunfire to cease was the way it began for a group of us eager to leave a party for a neighborhood club, though not willing to run the gauntlet of errant bullets being fired with rapidity into the sky as if a street in Baghdad, not Cleveland's east side.

This unfortunate display of local firepower seems to grow in intensity and length of time every New Years, and the smoke and gunfire did not die down until an hour had passed. Driving to fetch a New York Times the next morning brought a look at the spent cartridges and shell casings that littered many street corners and sidewalks.

These folks who discharge their firearms seem to have no regards to where the bullets might land, and I am surprised that more harm has not come from this barbaric practice. I have a distinct feeling that this practice is not status quo in Westlake, Bay Village, Strongsville, or any of the swell suburbs that most of the well fed and cared for members of the local media clans reside. Perhaps in the year 2008 some of these folks will consent to a cultural exchange program, and actually reside in the City of Cleveland that they purport to provide news coverage of.

Fat chance!

You see it is easy to cover a war from a comfortable distance equipped with a fat paycheck, and do not think that life in contemporary Cleveland does not more resemble a war zone than a civilized outpost.

I am tired of local crime and gunfire, and vow to remain resolute in letting as many other people who care for a taste of reality, versus the local media fictional tidy universe quilted by da p.d. at 1801 Superior. I do intend to describe the sordid truth and shameful conditions that rue life here today in Cleveland, Ohio 2008. In this I remain resolute.

To say that business conditions in Cleveland today are rough seems an understatement of fact.

The law of diminishing returns comes to mind, and the diminishing part of this equation is the population that has fled making it difficult to sell books to those who remain.

So I will remain resolute to sell more books outside of the area that we call home. We have over nineteen thousand books listed for sale online, and we have at least that many awaiting description and cataloging for sale.

If you are looking for a title and having little to show for your efforts please contact us. We will do the best we can to connect you with the book you are looking for.

Book Selling Time!

Forget the lousy lies of politicians, and the media concerns who do the lying for them. Celebrate the season with a warm look at Cleveland 's recent past provided via a copy of Richard Karberg's great illustrated volume of recipes and accounts of the late Silver Grille, an art deco restaurant which occupied the tenth floor of the Higbee Company Department Store on Cleveland's Public Square until it's closing in late December 1989.

Yet another dark sad day in downtown Cleveland history. The Silver Grille was a favorite "tea service style" lunchroom in the grandest fashion. This fine volume recounts the history as well as the recipes and flavors that made the Silver Grille a hometown favorite for over fifty years.

Happy New Years to all of our friends and Family!

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Dude , your ebay is showing

The quintessential American dictionary is the Webster’s Second International unabridged. If I stranded on some exotic island it would be more likely than not my choice for a single book to take with me. T

he 1934 edition that I am referencing has three thousand two hundred ten pages and weighs in at over thirty pounds. What sets this second edition apart from those subsequent editions is the inclusion of many arcane and older usage words that have since been deleted from the third edition hence forth.

One word that is very much to my sorrow in constant usage today is the noun of unknown origin "dude."

Described by Webster as follows:

1.] A man who is over fastidious in dress and manner; an ultra fashionable and often, affected man: a fop; a dandy.

Affected?
A fop?
A dandy?

An affected man is pretentious in nature, a fop or dandy is another example of vanity in dress or personal mannerisms in perhaps a larcenous fashion. In any event, I cringe when some dull-witted sop refers to me as a "dude," and left with always having to consider the source of the vocal chords who uttered the phrase "dude" directed at me in the first place.

Often this source does resemble a "dude" in the fashion of Webster’s definition. I certainly do not, deriving the majority of my clothes in a second hand fashion, and though I can be vulgar when necessary, a "dude," I am not!

It is much to my chagrin also to find the constant usage of this noun "dude" in the dead tree industry these days.

The local fish wrap, da pd , seems to demand the usage of this noun "dude" on an everyday basis .As in "hey , dudes check out this new hot bar, blah , blah , blah.

What ever happened to addressing potential readers by gender and in a socially correct fashion?

Not in the small town style book of da pd.

When overhearing women refer to each other as "dude" , I really do start to get a bit curious concerning what may exist beneath their collective feminine cloth?

Enough said on this subject, save that I never met anyone who liked to be refereed to as "boy" either , and I place the constant usage of the word "dude," on that level.

Another four-letter word that is currently the rage in America is the online auction concern of eBay. No other single American online business deserves more scrutiny and regulation than this company eBay does today!

eBay when utilized in an honest fashion is a great and possibly profitable alternative to taking out your trash by placing it online for auction via eBay.

For all the thousands of honest users of this online concern I have no beef. It is always a few bad apples that spoil a box, and the thieves and fences that utilize the quick ability of an eBay auction to sell items procured in an ill-begotten fashion that serve as a wake up call for this eBay enterprise!

Do not expect much traditional media coverage of the criminal aspects of the unscrupulous users of the eBay auction enterprise as means of fencing stolen goods. eBay spends lots of advertising dollars with these media concerns, and as with most advertisers expect little or no negative coverage from the media lilies they gild in return for the dollars spent.

eBay also has a great presence via the k Street lobby gangs that haunt and influence peddle in Washington today. For the first two Centuries in America auctions were regulated in both a Federal and State fashion for obvious reasons.

The seller’s potential for fraud being the paramount reason, selling stolen materials the other major concern. What really becomes necessary is a more scrupulous regulation of this still nascent online auction industry. Extent the actual length of these online auctions to perhaps a minimum of thirty days before goods change hands, and prior to the exchange of currency for goods install some stringent safeguards to protect both buyer and seller.

I know how UN-American it seems to have to wait awhile for anything, much less an item that a consumer desires.

Immediate gratification is the operative impulse that rules this industry, and it would appear prudent to slow down this monster, before it rolls over the idea of property and law altogether.

I have attended hundreds of live auctions in my lifetime, and observed many odd occurrences. To my knowledge every live auction I attended was conducted by a State licensed auctioneer, and I never experienced any real fraudulent behavior on the part of the auction concern, save perhaps stretching out a bidding process a bit too long, or the auctioneer going to the gavel a bit too quick to satisfy a friend.

The online auction industry is currently rife with criminal activities from both the buyer and seller, and should be a great candidate for accordingly strong legislation. Write your Congressman, Senator, or elected official to this regard today.

Had a great conversation with my friend Kim last evening, and he provided me with some great advice.

Back to the past, and the issuing of specific catalogues describing books for sale.
We issued hard copy catalogues in the 1980's and 1990's with some success, and will attempt the same activity to generate sales in the 21st century.

Thanks Kim! -- And thanks for the second schnecken as well!

Book Selling Time!

A rare volume that we purchased at a small rural auction years ago is the highly collectible early volume of MEMORABLE AMERICAN SPEECHES by John Vance Cheney.

Published in 1907 by The Lakeside Press in Chicago, Illinois, this series of notable books in American history and letters remain to this day as one of the most sought after series of American books. One of the earliest titles, bound in green cloth, this rare volume is a great addition to any collector of Americana.

Best wishes to my Family and friends this coming New Years!

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Boxing day 2007

And the streets of downtown Cleveland are as empty as those in Nagasaki Japan after the explosion of the atomic bomb sixty two years ago. No people are visible in either direction the length of East Ninth Street at eleven a.m. This traditional post Christmas holiday was always an exiting and busy day filled with commerce , folks visiting downtown Cleveland for a day of shopping and adventures. No more people visit this moribund, has been , forlorn place of emptiness and sorrow downtown Cleveland , Ohio today..... So nobody shows up for work the day after a holiday. Hmmm? The evil elves still collect the parking meters , and all of the homeless people are still working the edges of this sick hick town. ...Time was , and not so many years ago. Six to be exact , when we still could open our doors to an eager and grateful book loving public and not be insulted with the large sucking noise of this anal cavity evacuating that is empty downtown Cleveland this boxing day. Thank you politicians and civic players for helping create this loud annoying emptiness. Your pockets are lined , and we have empty streets to show for your larcenous efforts.........The little fat twerp from the make believe historic district office waddled out of his SUV at about noon , more likely than not just taking yet another air. For sake of familiarity we will refer to him as Mister Jablon Gutlessman . This character Gutlessman's nickname , as so many Clevelander's is "ski", in this case due to his love of the downhill winter sport of skiing. I can only figure that those employed in such an odious and distinctly pedantic career such as our companion Gutlessman , must take in great gulps of hot air as to possess the means to expel the digested hot air as propaganda or some form of mediocre press activity such as public relations..... This particular bird brain is so much a tool for the interests he does bidding for that he has forgot or misplaced whatever ethical and aesthetic senses he was once , if ever at all , in possession of while in his youth. Now middle aged , fat from rich food , pock marked from bouts with booze and beer , this lumpy form of distasteful human flesh , travels to the local ymca for a steam and clean , then off to play tag with the secretary and phone tag with everyone else save his handler.......... This twerp Gutlessman would get on his knees and beg if need be to gain approval of his corporate boss and political handler.....This same moron years before had walked about bragging about the great job and services he provided in renovating buildings in these supposed historic districts. Meanwhile the cranes disposed of plenty of the historic buildings that the district was to have contained by it's original plan designated by Laurence Halprin. Who in this clueless City is even aware of the Halprin plan ? The Halprin plan called for the renovation and preservation of the Historic central Market District , not it's slaughter and replacement with subsidized sports facility and a corporate welfare program to boot!... Gutlessman's pants were often covered with white stains from rich food stuffs and who knows what else.Yet another cruel joke played out upon the historic structures that once comprised an actual vibrant market district in downtown Cleveland , Ohio. Let us destroy this district and then refer to it as historic , who that is citizen in this poverty ridden , underpowered place will notice? Thus Gutlessman's work was done , and the stench of this political mess sold as wealth instead of the malodorous insider trading and crimes that in reality it will someday be noted as such when examined objectively years from now. Noted as a bleak period of local history for Cleveland, Ohio.....My childhood friend Lady O , appears this boxing day , requesting the usual kisses and the overall royal treatment. I am momentarily tempted to refer her to the historic district headquarters and the boot licker Gutlessman that represents the vested interests.... I bite my tongue instead.....Lady O has brought along her royal mutt , and we proceed to romp about the final digs of the former Leibing and Case remains located down the block.....We cross and arrive. " They Remained , Others Fled". My autobiography. Moses Cleaveland new what was up when he fled these parts shortly after his arrival here to survey the swamp in 1796 .Moses blew this rancid swamp off , and headed back East to civilization...... The Erie headstones are mostly kicked down now . The level of abuse now evident at all City cemeteries is criminal in it's neglect. Yet the corporate interests downtown still are on welfare , and collecting like a Las Vegas slot machine jackpot ringing it's bells and spitting cash while paying off.......The bush that Slipsy Junior and I buried the hawk is torn up now , and a naked splotch of soil stands in place of the bright flowering bushes foot print that once filled this garden space.....Lady O reads aloud a soliloquy of sorts concerning the lame and vacant nature of the surrounding streets , and notes the piles of automobile glass from the kicked in windows of those who believed in the notion of " free parking ' as advertised on the adjoining cemetery streets signage. Two hour free. Automobile glass replacement and hassles fixing up car . priceless. Priceless that is for the crooked parking lot gangs that stiff and bully the sappy visitors of this ill begotten place..... One more reason to flee , without thought of returning. Having sent for reinforcements , Joc O Sot's here for the long haul.....Lady O would make a grand companion for the historic district tool Mister Jablon Gutlessman. Always ready for the costumed spotlight , Lady O would float along to the tripe that passes for society in this flea bitten backwater burg. Say perhaps a simulcast of the induction of the rock n' roll hall of fame shenanigans , complete with ordinary catered food stuffs not even still in existence on more worldly menus. Qualifying here as hip and entertaining. Bacon wrapped shrimp , frozen egg rolls , spinach dip and the like. In these parts , hot mustard or wasabi are reserved for the ballparks and banquets only. The likes of Jablon Gutlessman could treat Lady O to a lively evening of the local coiffed up rock n' roll a list of local losers at play , which is actually no list at all , and as for play thank the heavens for Viagra and Geritol cocktails served at these cheezy events.....It is with great mystery I question the pride exhibited by da pd , and the local politicos in having the rock n' roll hall of fame gang host another , what do they call it?, er draft party?, gee whiz they had it here way back in 1997 , I should remember ? Oh yeah' . "Induction ceremonies". Almost forgot! So did the folks from New York City who would rather cross the river to some armpit new jersey town , than consider visiting the likes of this boondocks poisoned place of Cleveland , Ohio. You see New Yorkers and the music biz peoples have been voting with their feet for the last decade. Avoiding Cleveland , Ohio as a viable destination for obvious reasons. And we are supposed to be happy that the New York crowd will now visit here every three years , "or so" , to hold an induction ceremony? Give us our Lake front back and move that moth ridden leaky clothes closet , the rock n' roll hall of fame , out of this town already! And while we are on the subject of aesthetics , would someone explain to me what business John Melon Cougarhead has being inducted into the likes of the rrhf? I truly do appreciate the inclusion of Leonard Cohen , but Mister Cohen , the bard from Montreal, in my book would have been in the first group admitted , well ahead of most who proceeded him , and certainly not tainted by his entrance with the likes of John Melon Cougarhead ! A true independent sophisticated City would have told the New York rock and roll gang to kiss the City of Cleveland's ass and take a hike with your insipid clothes closet sometime ago. There is always hope that leadership will emerge and the sycophantic chorus of non native money changers tossed from our Lake Erie shores ! Book Selling Time ! Seeing that the New York City rock and roll mob avoids us in a physical nature , perhaps they will be kindness enough among them to purchase this perfect post Christmas Boxing Day gift. SHEPP'S NEW YORK CITY ILLUSTRATED , published in 1894 . This large and heavily illustrated volume is a perfect gift for any person with an interest in New York City history , and serves as a great photographic documentation of this truly American city near the turn of the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Plenty of people on those Gotham streets. Life , light , splendor. Opposite found here in muttsville , Ohio in 2007. We can hope and pray , though somehow I have a feeling this rancid place has yet to hit bottom. Stay tuned.Best wishes to all of our family and their friends this Holiday season. Thanks again to Kim and his great Family. The second shnecken arrived just after the last crumbs of the first were consumed. Remember kids , Moses Cleaveland left here after less than one year , and they even named the joint after him!

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Charlie Louvin , Detroit, fresh oysters , and da p.d's resident weirdo

Charlie Louvin played a fine two hour plus set this past Friday December 14 , 2007, for the one hundred or so fans in attendance at The Beachland Ballroom on Waterloo Road in Cleveland's Collinwood neighborhood. Now a spry eighty years of age Charlie Louvin is the de facto voice for country music of the classic not contemporary fashion and is very much still a musical force today.Covering many favorites from his solo career and the career that included his late brother Ira . Mister Louvin performed Great Atomic Power , Cash On The Barrel Head , and the often covered Christian Life. As well as great interpretations of classics by Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton , Woody Guthrie , and a Blue Yodel by Jimmie Rogers among others. A highlight was a song that Mister Louvin addressed as his signature song , See The Big Man Cry. The band that backed Mister Louvin was able and soulful , and his duets with the female guitarist were breathtaking in a sparse beatific fashion. Though I caught Mister Louvin working a cigarette between his lips after the show , his voice is strong and he worked the corners of his vocal range in an upward fashion , gaining strength as the evening progressed. Charlie Louvin remains the humble king of true country music today , and it is a shame that not more fans were about this past Friday to listen to his great voice. The Beachland Ballroom is a true Cleveland treasure , with two owners who book consistently the most interesting , eclectic , and aesthetically pleasing acts on a weekly basis year round. Please support this important local institution , which truly is a gem. Just like old Charlie Louvin...........On to Detroit , Michigan for a quick tour this past weekend. Not much seems to have changed since my last visit a few years back. Sure , a few casinos have sprouted up amid the deserted and decayed streets of the Corktown neighborhood , though no real change seems to have occured save the pair of cookie cutter stadiums for football and baseball. I was glad to read recently in a article concerning the casino biz in Detroit that the homeless that panhandle the area around the casinos are now customers of the slot machines. I truly wish these destitute folk good luck , and I am happy that their money is green and spends as well as the next parties. As we know empirically , crime spikes upward with the advent of legalized gambling , and Detroit , Michigan would do better to work on attracting some of it's former citizens back into the city itself , instead of clipping the paychecks and funds available from the tormented addicted gamblers that casinos attract. I was glad to see that Tiger Stadium was still standing at the historic intersection of Michigan and Trumbell in the Corktown neighborhood. Many great sports memories exist for me and the entire State of Michigan. I would not be at all motivated ever to attend a Tigers game at the new Commerica Park. Seeing Commerica on television proves that another wave of cookie cutter ersatz intimate ball yards have been constructed since Baltimore's Camden yards provided the template for such phony architecture some years ago. Detroit's Tiger Stadium deserves a place on the National Register of Historic Buildings , and is significant in that it is the last standing example of a baseball stadium that was engineered and built with the fan in mind before the lodge holder. Wrigley Field in Chicago was built for a Federal League team , and is as worthy an architectural significant example. Fenway Park in Boston also unique and a valuable National structure worthy of preservation. Baseball has been played on the corner of Michigan and Trumbell since the Civil War , then a picnic grounds with a baseball diamond , and I for one would return every year without fail for a tourist trip to Detroit if Tiger Stadium was again utilized and preserved. As for Commerica Park , tear that abysmal phony ball yard down and move the Tigers back to Michigan and Trumbell. Detroit , Michigan is a great City in severe decline , and as a citizen of a similar City in decline it proves difficult to watch two cities repeat each other's mistakes. Time has come to work on providing safe inhabitable neighborhoods for those of us who remain in these cities , not more corporate welfare for the downtown players , land grab gangs , and greedy interests who pimp out the political system for their personal profit. If we place our elderly and children safety first , and all other concerns as secondary , we as a culture will be headed in the right direction..... Had a great trip across the mighty Cuyahoga , local Native American Indian for crooked, yesterday with my pal Slipsy Junior. Junior was kind enough to treat me to three fine bivalves from the briny Louisiana gulf stream of the oyster variety in their natural juicy selves replete with half shell's. Shucked up of course.Simple is best!Our pal Jose gave us each a pint container of his homemade sofrito as a Holiday gift. Thanks Jose! I will combine your kindness with baccala and eggplant in the Puerto Rican style and eat off it for a week or so. A visit outside to the fine Family concern of the DiCara's produced a lovely bag of fresh sweet English peas , eaten just like the oysters. Raw and naked.Mister DiCara is a old school Market man , and always has the best and freshest selection of seasonal vegetables at the family stand that he now shares with his daughter Mellisa whose seasonal self adornment by means of very creative costumes always speaks for the season or holiday at hand. Do not miss trading with either of these two West Side Market merchants should happen to cross our crooked river. Have your passport in order how ever.....Thanks to P Danny , who read about the volume of Cleveland Stadium Memories in an earlier article and put his money up and purchased a copy.P Danny and his charming bride Greta are great Clevelander's , Greta being quite a good euchre player as well... Dan Oak also checked in on the Cleveland Stadium piece , and as most of us do shared a favorite moment concerning his memories of pater and the Cleveland Stadium. For me it was watching Ted Williams take batting practice on a sunny summer morning prior to a Saturday day game in the year 1959. Standing behind the home plate screen and watching Williams , then into his last years , crack one ball after another into the lower right field stands , the noise from the horsehide hitting the wood seats or adjoining concrete they perched on as audible today as that moment suspended in time nearly fifty years ago. My Father stood with us behind the screen pointing out Williams whip hand and the varieties and strong features of his impressive swing. n Now the sordid 21st century leaves me with a rather morbid vision of the splendid splinter's severed head packed in some sort of cryogenic soup , awaiting resurrection and transplant if the modern medical mavens can produce the means. I prefer the vision of Williams able swing , while my Father's hand was at my shoulder is now a memory flash stored as a lodestone of sanity compared to the hard scrabble science fiction bent antics of the modern world. Such as a nightmare version of Ed Wood's THEY STOLE HITLER'S BRAIN , was recast as " They Pickled The Splendid Splinter ....I have always imagined da p.d.'s Kevin O' Brien to be a weirdo of sorts , if indeed he existed at all. O'Brien"s low humor on the op ed page rivals the comedic slime that Rush Limbaugh pushes or the twisted antics of one National radio syndicated bland white bread sad humorist known as the drudge report. To take the content of any of the above as anything else as stand up humor would prove quite a stretch. Leave it to da p.d.'s butt buddies wcpn radio ,on the a.m. Thursday December 20 , 2007 nine to ten morning radio show , you know the confusing one that pretends to offer ideas , only to deliver pre digested opinions instead. The humor of refering to themselves as an idea stream is not lost on me , and to really seem to prove what a weird piece of work this O'Brien actually is , I can only assume that the pathos is not lost on wcpn either. Seems that O'Brien penned some poetic trashy ditties , reworded versions of Christmas Carols . Pastiches with a political flavor. O'Brien has a " face made for radio" and a voice to match the metaphor. And the mere inclusion of his croaking and belching some nonsense verse about " using awesome powers to tear down the Breuer Tower" to the tune of " Hark , the Herald Angels Sing" , was rather mundane and glibly morbid in it's delivery and content. Did nothing for me at all . Nor did the hour long show do very much for the radio public either , seeing as only three telephone calls were recieved , and the O' Brien muscial / political clips seemed to be added to fill a conspicuous void. O' Brien's odddly resembled in form only the original creative pastiches of Christmas Carols by the brilliant political humorist and syndicated cartoonist Walt Kelly of Pogo fame , and how O'Brien's verse and voice and content resembled some odd bleating and belching of a snarky little wag that fell into the wassail bowl. Whew! This O'Brien really is weird!.... Seems that the Cuyahoga County Government made enough of a mess on the corner of East Ninth and Euclid by purchasing this landmark building , in the first place.The Tower's proposed destruction was sad enough.Any locally and International recognized iconic architectural structure's proposed slaughter by a local Government is bad . The train of thought that arrived at that place to create rubble of acclaimed architecture only seems to further label Cleveland, Ohio as the rube town that it is already perceived as by the majority of the literate world today. Let us exercise at least the modicum of common sense , pausing long enough to prioritize our future as a County Government with declining tax futures. The cooler heads at Cuyahoga County seem to have taken just that pause and should now be rewarded for their current new found fiscal prudence .Let us look at the County's purchase of the Tower as a community asset and reward and sell the spin as just that. Throw some of the " arts money "gathered recently with the cigs tax at renovating the Tower. Try this spin folks?[ As part of an attempt to attract a more intelligent and art savvy tourist class, we the citizens of Cuyahoga County invite civilzed citizens of the world to visit this architecturally significant tower as you would a sculpture in an art museum , and by the way have fun here with the reopening of Cleveland Museum of Art , and look at the renovated Bruer CMA addition as well while you are here....} Sounds to me like hot air , my own wind at that . Yet when I open an envelope with a plea for arts funds , or just some buncha aired out media copy , it more resembles a travel dialogue than copy..... Our civic good fortune placed Breuer's only major skyscraper safely in Government hands . The demographic is increasing for a modernism positive voting generation born after 1970 that will applaud the efforts of an enlightened County Government that would recognize the Tower's significance in accordance with International architectural and design institutions that gave Breuer and the Tower it's due earlier this year by including it in a catalogue of important Breuer design works. This International recognition is well reported in an article by Christopher Magg printed in the New York Times , earlier in this year when the local County Government still had it in mind to destroy the Tower . Please google New York Times , Christopher Magg / Marcel Breuer, for this well written article concerning this Cleveland political art fiasco. So far , so good with regards to the Cuyahoga County Governments ownership of the Tower. It is not uncommon in Europe and other outposts of civilization to leave historic buildings in a form of pre preservation stasis , and it is with sincere hope that this pattern of thought will prevail with regards to the Tower.... Mothballing and taking the time to make appropriate sound planning ideas regarding the fates of the former Cleveland Trust properties , including their original Euclid Avenue buildings East along Euclid from the rotunda. It was on this site that the second Breuer Tower was to have been built as part of his original plans desingened for The Twin Towers . In a sane world the proposed and unbuilt second Tower would be constructed sometime within the twenty first century and Breuer's vision completed and serving as headquarters for a progressive regional government. The Superb Terra cot ta gems of the Halle Brother Buildings and the CAC , and upper Euclid Avenue must be restored as a district if a preservation minded city is to function correctly and aesthetically in concert with smart Cities. Cleveland deserves intelligent Government. We are the people.{ "Look at the peoples", Charles Brown , yet another late great American voice}..... As for O' Brien and his op ed article's in da p.d. , sorry I can't say as to having the pleasure of reading one. I have attempted a few sentences of his churlish prose and having been reminded of my own read on no farther. Without fail have chuckled and departed the column knowing just were this weirdo's efforts were headed. I do not read the funny pages either.My Mother is eighty one years old , Irish as lace , and a good judge of character even now while currently suffering a tough illness. O' Brien's columns are not an illness she can suffer , nor his rabid and sometimes vapid political views. Perhaps , as many former newspaper employee's count upon to do with the shank end of their careers , just prior to visiting God's waiting room and after mowing an eternity of lawns .That is , using the contacts made while in the employ of the media to stagger about a water cooler while employed in the public relations, advertising , or some other poisonous propaganda trade.With the emerging bond crisis to further complicate the foreclosure fiasco , expect 2008 to tank , and some lean years lie ahead for corporate America in the media , entertainment sectors .Layoffs accross the board will follow. All of us will suffer to some degree. Personally try the European Union , their currency is faring better these days , and we will have accrued so much debt that if our bad bets are called in we run the risk of loosing our collective wealth and value as a Nation.... 1801 Superior is a modern architectural and creative failure , and appears to suffer an impending fiscal crisis and failure as well. Prudent media concerns periodically trim dead timber as it will be soft wood that tumbles if you belong to management. Fat salaries and little produced copy should equal liability in terms of most of our current survival oriented careers in the work force. If O' Brien is one of the architects of the current op-ed page on da p.d. , he would seem expendable as a productive or creative force . With corporate profits in peril in the dead tree industries , fatted cattle will be slaughtered..... In a City such as Cleveland, Ohio in the year 2007 , whose downtown offers little in the terms of architectural significance , one less historic structure means quite a bit to those of us in possession of our faculties and some sort of responsible aesthetic selves. O'Brien's sad arse songs provide evidence of da p.d.'s croaking and signing for their suppah's on the public airwaves of wcpn radio. wcpn takes the public out of public radio 24/7/365! Leave the singing to the likes of Charlie Louvin ! Book Selling Time! Time again for a quick look back a mere thirty one years and the great volume penned by Mary - Peale Schofield LANDMARK ARCHITECTURE OF CLEVELAND. Read and view the Marcel Breuer Cleveland Trust Tower on pages 97 to 99. of this fine volume. The sad fact concerning Cleveland architecture is that many of these documented buildings are victims of poor planning and have been demolished in the past thirty odd years. The destruction of the Breuer structure would only provide yet another cultural black eye for a city mostly considered a mid west rube outpost of less than salient aesthetics and ethics. Stop International art terrorism , save the Breuer Tower!

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