UNWRITTEN

Sometimes we regret our failure to write about things that really interest us. The reason we fail is probably that to write about them would prove embarrassing. The things that interested us in the past week, for example, and that we were unable or unwilling to write about (things that stand out clear as pictures in our head) were: the look in the eye of a man whose overcoat, with velvet collar, was held together by a bit of string; the appearance of an office after the building had shut down for the night, and the obvious futility of the litter; the head and shoulders of a woman in a lighted window, combing her hair with infinite care, making it smooth and neat so it would attract someone who would want to muss it up; Osgood Perkins in love with Lillian Gish; a man on a bicycle on Fifth Avenue, a short eulogy of John James Audubon, who spent his life loafing around, painting birds; an entry in Art Young’s diary; about a sick farmer who didn’t know what was the matter with himself but thought it was probably biliousness; and the sudden impulse that we had (and very nearly gratified) to upend a large desk for the satisfaction of seeing everything on it slide off slowly onto the floor.

-E. B. White
The New Yorker
04/26/1930

E. B. White is probably my favorite author. I adore Strunk & White’s Elements of Style and Essays of E. B. White is favored vacation reading. I am presently reading his Writings From the New Yorker: 1925-1976. If Mr. White were living today, he’d presumably be a blogger of the highest authority. Witty, succinct, timely and timeless, his nuggets of prose would be perfect posts.

Last night Jeff and I talked about what’s behind a blogger's content choices. We’ve talked about it before: motivation, intention and audience.

I pursued a journalism degree and had hopes of reporting for the Akron Beacon Journal right about the time that they significantly shrunk staff and budget. Almost ten years later, I am poking around the blogosphere trying to find the boundary between public and private, personal and confessional, noteworthy and not worth mentioning.

I am always surprised when I discover a link to Lustfelt or someone tells me that they've read my post. I often tell myself and others that I write with the “nobody reads my blog” frame of mind. Lies! I don’t write it as if nobody reads it and now Mr. White has me wondering what's in my “unwritten” file.

Panarchy is an alternative to/expansion of the Succession Model that I learned in junior high. Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems relates Panarchy to urban systems.

Systems/Cities will “undergo periodical disturbance in order to maintain overall dynamic stability. Typically, the system accumulates biomass slowly over a long period of time and then when the system is disturbed, biomass drops quickly, releasing nutrients for recycling”.

Panarchy has 4 phases:

1. Exploitation: the birth phase. Pioneer and opportunist species proliferate building biomass and greater connectedness.
2. Conservation: climax phase, biological capital is stored and connectedness reaches its peak.
3. Release: the disturbance phase. Usually short, releasing carbon and nutrients.
4. Renewal: reorganization where it renews itself or flips to another state which may be more or less productive.

It seems like Cleveland is in phase 3. According to Newman and Jennings, the positive part of disruption is the opportunity to release “nutrients” that can be used as the system renews. The urban ecosystem needs feedback loops to benefit from the discharge.

I see Cleveland mostly “eroding” instead of “feedback-ing”. Houses are being demolished instead of reclaimed or de-constructed. Erosion of mined metals is occurring as scrappers sell materials that are probably bound for Dubai.

One feedback loop of a positive note:
This Monday starts the deconstruction of Stanard School in the St. Clair Superior Neighborhood. This deconstruction project is headed by Ward 13 Councilman Joe Cimperman, The Department of Building and Housing, and the St. Clair Superior Development Corporation with technical support from the Ohio EPA.

Most of the usable wood has been reclaimed and the bricks will be re-used by community and market gardens among others. The New Agrarian Center has been documenting the process with video. The goals: keep construction waste out of landfills, make the deconstruction pay for itself through sales of some of the materials, provide materials for community groups in need. I hope this is one of many projects like this.

In an effort to improve electronics recycling in the United States, the U.S. Postal Service is developing a free national collection program for small electronic items. More here.

Right now it's just a pilot program so it may take awhile to get to Cleveland.

Saturday, 12pm
I pick up the litter on my tree lawn spawned from the next-door convenience store: balloons, condom wrapper, malt liquor bottles, chip bags, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, cigarette cartons etc . . .

Sunday, 3:20 am
Four gun shots awaken me. 911 Dispatcher is rude.

Monday, 8:45 am
A lady steps on my heel exiting the Rapid—twice. I am wearing heel-less sandals, she is wearing pointy toed heels. No apology.

Monday, 11pm
Firecrackers and whining dog next door accompany this blog post.

I am reminding myself “we are in it together”. You are my brother/sister. I am picking up my own litter and stepping on my own heels because we are all connected.

I have a hard time loving Cleveland sometimes. Like any substantial relationship, I vacillate in my shallower thoughts. Like any real union, I am steadfast in my dedication. Starting fresh tomorrow.

I caught up on my podcasts. One of the holdouts was a City Club Podcast about the Flats East Bank Wolstein Project . I have mixed feelings, but overall good-faith optimism that the development will inspire population movement to the center city. Most of that population influx will be fully tax abated (part of those mixed feelings).

In his introduction, Scott Wolstein spoke about baby boomers and echo boomers, who will form about ¾ of households in the near future. He hopes to entice those demographics and to “start to build an affluent, creative class community living in our downtown”. He goes on to say that baby boomers are empty nesters, so they don’t have to fret about the poor quality of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Then, he sounded quite pleased to share this nugget with the audience about echo boomers: “they demand a great education and you start to see a lot more progress . . . parents (will) follow-through the way they do in the suburbs. That will happen if you get the right people living in this town.”

So, who are the right people? I am guessing he means affluent and probably white. His generalizations about the parents who live in Cleveland and send their children to public school are an insult. Parents are demanding better education for their children. It is not living in suburbia that makes parental demand heard. Socio-economic status is the amplifier.

The main problem CMSD faces is not rotten parents who don’t know how to be suburban; it’s that CMSD is broke—a situation that certainly won’t be mended by the tax-lite development project. I found it absurd he felt entitled to speak about the school system that his development will financially forsake.

The Clark Metro City Fresh Stop held a shareholder meeting Monday at C-Space. I was one of 3 shareholders to attend the meeting, so for those who missed it I will summarize the discussion.

We talked about three interrelated issues.

1. The Clark Metro City Fresh Stop is in dire need of volunteers.
2. C-Space, the location of the Fresh Stop is in foreclosure and it is unknown if the Fresh Stop will need to move locations. If it does move, should it move within the neighborhood or to another location such as Tremont or the Dennison/Ridge Rd area.
3. Would a merger of the Clark Metro and Urban Community School Fresh Stops combine volunteer efforts more successfully and solve the location issue?
   

Lisa-Jean Sylvia manages the Fresh Stops and is seeking volunteers as well as opinions on mergers and locations. If you participate in the ClarkMetro or Urban Community Fresh Stop, or are planning to, please answer her survey below.

Are you available to volunteer on some Thursdays from June through October?

If so, are you available during the day? or the evening?

If the C-Space location closes, will you be able to easily pick up at one of these other locations?


Please answer her questions by emailing her: ljsylvia@sbcglobal.net

Also, City Fresh is accepting registration and payment for the first pickup on June 5th.

Yesterday I noted with chagrin the completion of the downtown Cleveland sinkhole repair. I was enjoying the almost completely car-free, pedestrian zone that stretched from Public Square, past the Soldier's and Sailor's Monument to Mall B. I was getting used to my oblique, leisurely, daydream-infused saunter.

Monday's walk from Tower City to Lakeside Avenue was fraught with drivers who ignore crosswalks, coast through stop signs and blow past red lights.

Downtown Cleveland seems compact enough to relegate cars and subsequent parking to the perimeters and to augment the pedestrian experience with bike only lanes, electric trolleys, walkways, mini-parks and benches. Just another one of my daydream fantasies.

Bhikkhu's Blog manages to provide some perspective and insight into the current situation in Tibet.