Yinz Weekly Cleveburgh Links

I think it's been more than a week but here's a random assortment of links and stories I came across. I know I missed a lot of stuff and need to get back to tweeting. What happened is I had some trouble with my password and havent bothered to fix it. I like Twitter.

Many of these links are worthy of stand alone posts, if I or someone else can get around to it. We need a at least one reporter from Cleveland.

Cleveland

A few blogs comment about the recent Cleveland International Film Festival, an event that seems to becoming one of the most loved city institutions.

Exraordinary Observations on CIFF . Favorites included The Joneses, Youngstown: Still Standing, and The Great Contemporary Art Bubble.

Brewed Fresh Daily offers further suggestions.

"I honestly think the film fest is one of the greatest assets to downtown Cleveland, and I only want to see it improve in the future. For that reason, I offer a few suggestions and other food for thought."

Extraordinary Observations talks about the myth of the electric car as cure for all environmental ills.

"Traffic - if you switched every vehicle on the road today into a pure electric-vehicle, you would have exactly the same amount of traffic that you have now."

Parking: "Replace every car on the road with an EV and you've solved none of the parking issues."

"Mutilated Urbanism - you know all of those suburban subdivisions and strip malls and car-dependent suburbs? Switching to EVs won't reverse any of that. "

Infrastructure (all those costs still exist and they are far higher than most people think)

I added this comment, Depending on the way the electricity is generated, electric cars could actually be a step backwards.

"In case people don't know this, Coal is the primary electric generating fuel (in America) which means that unless there are radical changes, electric cars would actually be burning coal. It just wouldn't be coming out of the tail pipe.Given that the country is both broke and the Saudi Arabia of coal, doesn't bode well for our environmental future."

Cleveland Scene reviews the Fiber Arts Show @ Wall Eye Gallery

Cleveland Scene has a good Video of the North East Ohio band, Case Sensitive Music.

Reason Magazine posts a series of videos on saving Cleveland, hosted by Drew Carey. Freedom is the answer but it ain't gonna happen.

Renovating The Rust Belt muses about development and gentrification.

Cleveland.com reports that a foundation is giving 12 million dollars to renovate a wonderful synagogue into a performing arts center for Case Western. The trick is that it will still be used as a temple part time! Exiting, but they need more $$$$$$$$.

"It is such a win, win, win, win, win," said Rabbi Richard Block, senior rabbi of the temple. "When this thing is finished, it's going to be something that's bigger than any of us could have imagined. There are concentric circles of joy in this project."

The Maltz gift brings the university nearly halfway to its goal of raising $25.6 million for the renovation of the 100,000-square-foot temple complex, at 1855 Ansel Road, just west of East 105th Street in University Circle."

Cleveland Area History blog talks about the (somewhat convenient) loss by fire of a historic church in the shadow of The Cleveland Clinic.

Face it, anyone familiar with the way Cleveland treats it's history and the way it's giant "non profits" treat the city knew it was a goner anyway.

Pittsburgh

The Post Gazette talks about a project in Braddock that could seriously help purify drinking water in developing countries.

"We're going to train people to make [the water filters] in Braddock," he said. "Braddock will be our worldwide training center to make filters to save people who are less fortunate. We're entrepreneurs. We'll get [workers in Braddock] set up, teach them the technology, quality control and marketing. We can build an industry right here."

Dick and Jeff Schwarz, an adjunct professor at Allegheny College, have already turned the basement of the Braddock Carnegie Library into a training center for teenagers and retirees eager to learn how to make the life-saving devices."

Real Clear Politics pegs PA as the most competitive political battlefield in the 2010elections.

An EPA report linked by Null Space shows relative strength in inner city housing markets particularly those supported by mass transit.

"The data show that, compared to the early 1990s, the share of construction in urban neighborhoods was up 28 percent in mid-sized metropolitan regions that have promoted redevelopment of underused sites and development around transit, such as Portland, Ore; Denver, Colo.; and Sacramento, Calif. For example, in 2008 Portland issued 38 percent of all the building permits within its region, compared to an average of 9 percent in the early 1990s; Denver accounted for 32 percent, up from 5 percent; and Sacramento accounted for 27 percent, up from 9 percent.

The latest report shows that an even stronger trend toward urban redevelopment in the largest metropolitan regions continued in 2008. New York City accounted for 63 percent of the building permits issued within its region. By comparison, the city averaged about 15 percent of regional building permits during the early 1990s. Similarly, Chicago now accounts for 45 percent of the building permits within its region, up from just 7 percent in the early 1990s."

Next American City talks about "Pittsburgh's Biking Moment." Also via Null Space

Null Space also clued me in on what looks like a must read on a subject that deserves serious thought.



The new Pitt Magazine published By The University Of Pittsburgh, has a nice article, which barely touches on the long proud and very important history of The Pittsburgh Courier

The August Wilson Center names it's new Director--(kind of old news.)