Next Steps for Moving Beyond Coal in Cleveland ....

Submitted by Evelyn Kiefer on Wed, 08/11/2010 - 00:55.

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Leaders of University Circle Institutions,

Did you or a representative of your institution attend the EPA public hearing on the Medical Center Company's request to renew their steam plant operating permit Tuesday evening August 10th at the MLK branch of the Cleveland Public Library?

If not, please view this video. You will want to hear the powerful testimony given by citizens who attended this meeting.

The citizens you serve (tax payers and your patrons and donors) would like to know your position on your use of energy from a highly polluting coal-burning steam plant. We would also like to know your position on MCCO's request to renew their operating permit. Please feel free to post your response on Realneo.

As a next step to the public hearing which took place on August 10th I believe we should open a dialog with those non-profits which get their power from MCCO. The following is a list (probably incomplete) of University Circle Institutions and their leaders who use MCCO power. 

Cleveland Museum of Art

Interim Director: Deborah Gribbon

Board President: Alfred M. Rankin Jr.

 

Case Western Reserve University

President: Barbara Snyder

 

Cleveland Institute of Art

President: Grafton J. Nunes

Chairman of the Board: Gary R. Johnson

 

Cleveland Botanical Gardens

Executive Director: Natalie Ronayne

Board President: Jeffery M. Biggar

 

University Hospitals

Chief Executive Officer: Thomas F. Zenty III

 

Cleveland Medical Library Association

President: Stephen A. Rudolph, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Severance Hall

Executive Director: Gary Hanson

 

Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center

Executive Director: Bernard P. Henri

 

Church of the Covenant

Rev. Dr. Robert J. Campbell

 

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They have ONE CHANCE to regain the community trust

They have ONE CHANCE to regain the community trust, or I am ruining their lives as they deserve.

Evil or ignorant?

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Let's start with those who claim to respect God... Churchgoers

Let's start with those who claim to respect God... Churchgoers

The Rev. Dr. Robert J. Campbell (Bert) came to The Church of the Covenant in July of 2005.

Bert states,

"In 1943, Henry Slone Coffin challenged Covenant to be a church with a conscience out in front of her peers, leading them forward and Godward, calling both church and community to the ways of justice and compassion, inclusion and hope. It is because the Church of the Covenant has progressively committed to this vision that I felt moved to serve this great congregation.

Covenant is a regional and diverse people with a prophetic voice heard in the halls of the working class in the 40's, seen on the streets and in the pews in the 50's and 60's in her commitment to integration, committed today to the inclusion of all persons who affirm the Christian faith. We are a people more interested in the right questions than in doctrinal answers and orthodoxy. We deeply respect those who seek God by other names and worship in other ways, for it is the same God who is served. We seek to offer excellence in worship and education, pastoral care and leadership in the University Circle community.

The membership of Covenant is one of the most talented gatherings of people committed to the City I have ever experienced. It is both a challenge and a privilege to work with them as we seek to speak truth to power and point to signs of God’s world in our midst. In these times when religion is often judgmental and exclusive, when politics is too often partisan and divisive, this is a gathering of persons who greet one another and strangers with respect and integrity.

If you are reading this, please know that you are very welcome to come and try us on for size."

So what is your excuse for burning coal, Rev. Campbell and "one of the most talented gatherings of people committed to the City"?

 

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I'm not impressed with this

I'm not impressed with this , that is for sure... what god do these people follow?

The Social Justice Committee at Church of the Covenant

 

"What does the LORD require of you,          
but to do justice,                         
and to love kindness,
               and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)

We strive to provide an effective voice for social justice by educating ourselves and the congregation on relevant issues. The committee works to support justice and right relationships in the community, the nation and the world. Through education, petition and actions the committee supports and joins those who seek equity and justice on behalf of themselves and others.

Members and participants of the congregation are encouraged to convey their concerns and join this committee or its work groups as we discern the ways God leads us toward a just society for all people.

The Social Justice Committee works with other organizations to promote positive change in our world. Church of the Covenant is an active member congregation of the Northeast Ohio Alliance for Hope (NOAH).

For more information about the Social Justice Committee, please contact the Church office.

 


NOAH is a broad-based community organization working to end the systemic causes of poverty and racism in greater Cleveland and on the federal level. NOAH’s membership is made up of over 15 congregations and other institutions from the Cleveland, East Cleveland and surrounding suburbs. NOAH is built on the belief that grassroots leaders themselves have the answers to the problems facing their communities. Over the past nine years NOAH has worked on a variety of local and statewide issues. Our current efforts are focused in East Cleveland on issues of  school safety ( Parent Safety Patrols have been organized in all five of the East Cleveland elementary schools); Abandoned and Vacant Properties Initiative; and Education -Tutoring, Reading and Mentoring Initiative and Library Project.  On February 27, 2010 NOAH held a public meeting at Windermere-Living Hope United Methodist Church in East Cleveland, where Mayor Gary Norton, Jr. and Mr. Gus Frangos, President of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, signed a Memorandum of Understanding which enable the C.C. Land Bank to maximize its resources in tearing down abandoned homes according to East Cleveland's priorities. 

For more information, visit NOAH’s new website at www.northeastohioallianceforhope.org 

 

The weblink above is dead - here is their actual website - http://www.noahorganizing.org/ - living in East Cleveland I think the use of federal resources and the "landbank" are ineefective if not corrupt and I don't believe in NOAH's version of Hope for my people in my neighborhood... seems like a Political Action Committee to me.

I did find a very real Noah that thinks Cleveland sucks... he is the one the world believes, and this should have been a calling for our leaders to build a new ark...

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These folks are REAL SMART about social justice - gambling

These folks are REAL SMART about social justice... fucking pathetic... Go Cavs... GO GILBERT!

JOIN NOAH’S ROCK’IN FUNDRAISERS FOR A DAY OF CASINO FUN

TO

PRESQUE ISLE DOWNS & CASINO in ERIE PA

SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2010

The bus leaves Windermere at 10:30 A.M.

Casino fun from 12 P.M. to 6 P.M.

And returns to Windermere at 8pm

Tickets $40

$20 Casino money & a $5 food coupon given to you when we arrive

PROCEEDS FROM TRIP ARE TO SUPPORT NOAH AND OUR EFFORTS

TO REBUILD OUR CITY OF EAST CLEVELAND TO GREATNESS

CALL 216-834-2324 FOR DETAILS AND TICKETS

Contact : Linnette 216-321-7488 ext 2, Robyn 216-659-9566, Roberta 216-326-3244
You may also call the NOAH office to purchase seats Contact Linnette, Roberta or Robyn for tickets

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HOW MANY WATERING HOLES DOES ONE NEIGHBORHOOD NEED?

Over saturation is an understatement of how many bars/businesses with Class D Liquor License in the Tremont Community.  There are bars on every corner, bars within feet of each other, bars on every street not to mention every business, gallery and shop sells alcohol of some sort.

While these bars are within only a few feet of each other, they are also within only a few feet of our homes, schools, daycares, library, parks, public pool, recreation centers, community organization, corner stres and churches.

The kids in this community have absolutly no route to and from any of these places without having to navigate through the maze of bars and nightclubs. 

What kind of message are we sending to the younger generation?  

There's more than one kind of poison.   

drinking "helps" folks forget... about children.

Exellent observation - drinking "helps" folks forget... about children.

I don't sense bars are a big problem in East Cleveland. I know very few people in my community who drink much at all... hit the package store and share a few beers or 20/20 on a porch. There is only one "bar" I go to in town and I can only think of a few in the whole city.

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http://blog.cleveland.com/met

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/08/liquor_sales_hit_record_high_i.html

Apparently they're willing to spend billions to forget.

Wonder how much of this was sold in Tremont?  We're fast becoming the "alcoholic" community.

Ordinance 347. 12 (a) Code

Ordinance 347. 12 (a)

Code restrictions for live entertainment in a bar/nightclub.

1) Separation. No such use shall be established within five hundred (500) feet of a residential district or day care center, kindergarten, elementary or secondary school, public library, church, playground, public or nonprofit recreation center or community center

yet......when these business owners appeal to the Zoning Board,  they grant variances for circumventing this law and, if they can't find a way to fit the laws/zoning to the business owners satisfaction - legislation will be changed in favor of selected businesses. 

and forget about breaking the law by assaulting the elderly

no laws in Tremont.  It is a free for all.   I still think I should contact George Forbes about Erich Hooper.   Good entertainment value.

I don't think Forbes is functional

I don't think Forbes is functional - I met with him about a year ago and it was like meeting a ghost

His house is right in University Circle so that is little wonder... TOXIC

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The elderly are highly respected in East Cleveland

The elderly are highly respected in East Cleveland - perhaps too much so... but that is better than a community that does not respect anyone.

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I don't think Forbes is functional either

but just think of the entertainment value.

It would be like going to a really good comedy show-for free.

Alzheimer's Silent Epidemic hits Black Americans

It isn't entertaining... just sad..

This is a result of environmental injustice, and I live in the middle of that having moved to a place where there is no justice... the unjust city of East Cleveland is over 90% black...

Lucky me... I get Alzheimer's

Alzheimer's Silent Epidemic hits Black Americans

Alzheimer's Association calls for more active intervention and research

Washington, D.C: Alzheimer’s disease appears to be more prevalent among Black Americans with estimates ranging from 14 percent to almost 100 percent higher than the disease’s prevalence among whites—according to a new report prepared by the Alzheimer’s Association and released today by the Congressional Black Caucus.
The report brings together for the first time an accumulating body of evidence about the scope and nature of Alzheimer’s disease in Black Americans. “Each scientific study is important research on its own, but when put together with other studies the magnitude of the crisis becomes clear,” said Orien Reid, chair of the Alzheimer’s Association Board of Directors.
“Alzheimer’s disease is a ‘silent epidemic’ that has slowly invaded the Black community before most of us were even aware of its symptoms and its impact. These studies are sending us a clear wake-up call,” said Reid. “Now, the epidemic has reached crisis proportions. We must mobilize all of the resources we can find to get it under control before it overwhelms us.”

The Alzheimer’s Association calls on the federal government to:

 

  • Appropriate an additional $200 million in fiscal year 2003 for Alzheimer research across the National Institutes of Health, and $1 billion in total funding by fiscal year 2004.

  • Establish and fund a program through the Centers for Disease Control to expand community outreach efforts, translate research results to public health practice, and develop a system to accurately report the incidence and prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease.

  • Reauthorize the Alzheimer state matching grant program at the Administration on Aging and convert it from a demonstration project to a 50-state program designed to expand and reach underserved communities dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

Research highlighted in the report suggests that:

 

  • The prevalence, incidence, and cumulative risk of Alzheimer’s disease appears to be much higher in African-Americans.

  • Age-specific prevalence of dementia has been found to be 14 percent to 100 percent higher in Blacks. (While the rates vary among studies, three out of four report these higher prevalence rates).

  • Among Black Americans, the cumulative risk of dementia among first-degree relatives of persons with Alzheimer’s disease is 43.7 percent.

  • For spouses (who share environmental but not genetic backgrounds), the cumulative risk is 18.4 percent. These findings, reported in January 2002, are based on family histories of the largest number of Black American families ever studied for Alzheimer’s disease.

The number of African-Americans entering age of risk (65 and older) is growing rapidly. Age is a key risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease in all racial and ethnic groups. Over 10 percent of all persons over 65, and nearly half of those over 85 have Alzheimer’s disease.

The number of Blacks aged 65 and over will more than double by 2030, from 2.7 million in 1995 to 6.9 million by 2030. The number of Blacks age 85 and over is growing almost as rapidly, from 277,000 in 1995 to 638,000 in 2030, and will increase more than fivefold between 1995 and 2050 when it will reach 1.6 million.

Genetic and environmental risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease seem different in blacks but have not been well studied. Genetic risk factors seem different in African-Americans and white Americans. APOE genotype alone does not explain the increased frequency of Alzheimer’s disease in older African-Americans.

Vascular disease may be a particularly powerful factor in the prevalence of Alzheimer’s among Blacks. Data from a large-scale longitudinal study indicate that persons with a history of either high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels have been found twice as likely to get Alzheimer’s disease. Those with both risk factors are four times as likely to become demented.

Sixty-five percent of Blacks Medicare beneficiaries have hypertension, compared to 51 percent of white beneficiaries. They are also at higher risk of stroke and a 60 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes—a condition that contributes directly to vascular disease.
Black Americans have a higher rate of vascular dementia than white Americans.
Screening and assessment tools and clinical trials are not designed to address the unique presentation of Alzheimer’s disease in Black Americans.
Ethnic and cultural bias in current screening and assessment tools is well documented; as a result, Blacks who are evaluated have a much higher rate of false-positive results. At the same time, there is substantial evidence of underreporting of dementia among them.

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And Hexa seems to now have Asthma

And Hexa seems to now have Asthma - I guess I should not have taken her with me to monitor pollution - the last night I did it my head was killing me and I puked

Now a beautiful dog is sick...

We aren't even willing to leave our puppies here.... Escape From Cleveland

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