Treez Please in Wick Park

Yesterday was a splendid day for tree planting. The sun was shining and it was a warm spring day. This was the first of several tree planting events to be hosted by Treez Please. Yesterday,seventeen trees were planted along the Park Avenue side of Wick Park. The trees were planted as part of the overall plan to revitalize the park. Among the trees planted were Honey Locust, and several Autumn Glaze and October Glory Maples. There were about forty people in attendance including a bus load of kids from First Friend's Church of Salem Ohio. The young people were doing community service in order to bring attention to world hunger. One young woman from the group explains their mission in this short video.



Below is a short video about planting trees:



Treez Please wishes to thank all of those who came out to plant trees yesterday. We would also like to thank Second Nature Landscaping for their assistance as well as the city forester David Sturtz for auguring the holes. We had a wonderful time and hope all those who joined us did as well.

Treez Please will be hosting several other events in the near future. If you or someone you know would like to participate go to www.treezplease.org and send us a message. We will add your name to our contact list.

MVOC Community, Faith and Legislative Luncheon with Lee Fisher - The Perfect Economic Storm

Yesterday the Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative (MVOC) brought the community together to hear Lee Fisher, Congressman Ryan, and Mayor Williams discuss the vacant properties issue in Youngstown. Video of their speeches are below. The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative is a broad-based community organizing initiative established in March of 2008.

The primary focus of the MVOC is to unite groups throughout the community (Churches, neighborhood groups, parent/teacher associations etc.) to work together to increase the quality of life in urban neighborhoods in the cities of Youngstown and Warren, Ohio. The MVOC seeks to bring change to our community through neighborhood actions and campaigns.

Vacant properties have been an issue repeatedly raised as the MVOC has worked in the neighborhoods. Vacant properties significantly impact our neighborhoods. The MVOC did a citywide vacant property survey in which over 150 community leaders participated. The survey estimates the number of vacant properties in the city of Youngstown at 22,000 of which 4500 have structures. The current approach to addressing the problem is not effective. Vacant properties effect the quality of life here and discourages reinvestment in the city.

My prior posts outline the work of the MVOC as well as the outcome of the meeting they recently had in Columbus with representatives of the governor's office. It was at this meeting that Lee Fisher promised to come to the Mahoning Valley to meet the people and see the problem first hand.

Yesterday, Lee Fisher kept that promise. The meeting was held at the Union Baptist Church. The church was filled to capacity. I heard estimates that upwards of 600+ people attended. Many citizens took the afternoon off work to attend the event as they feel it is imperative that the politicians in Columbus understand that the citizens of this Valley are concerned and want the vacant properties problem solved. Youngstown needs funds to solve this problem and the Governor's office needs to heed our cry or our disappointment will be evident at the polls on election day.

Bloggers Take the World on Virtual Tours of Real-life Neighborhoods

Using cutting-edge technology to revitalize Rust Belt cities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Cynthia Closkey
724-602-2332
cynthia@mybrilliantmistakes.com
The problems of post-industrial cities seem so complex, intertwined, and
entrenched, it’s hard to imagine how to start restoring these places to their
former glory.

But a group of bloggers says that getting started can be as simple as taking a walk.

The Neighborhood Walk is a chance for individuals throughout the Rust Belt of the U.S. and Canada to recognize the place they live, work, or call home — and to introduce it to the world. The project is the inspiration of a social network called Rust Belt Bloggers.

On November 11, 2008 (11/11/2008), bloggers, podcasters, bloggers, photobloggers and others throughout the Rust Belt region will each take a walk around their neighborhood, make media about it — a blog post, photo gallery, video, or whatever you prefer — and post it on the web.
More info here:
Visit Rust Belt Bloggers

I took a stroll through my neighborhood the other day. The neighborhood is located around Wick Park on Youngstown's north side. One of the reasons I love my neighborhood is because it is so richly diverse in its architecture and landscape. It is also rich in religious tradition. The Unitarians, the Methodists, the Jewish Temple,and a Pentacostal church all co-exist along Elm Street. The population is diverse as well, although it was a bit brisk outside while I was walking, so there weren't many people out and about. Nevertheless, it was a great day in the neighborhood. Enjoy!

Video the Vote

As you may know the upcoming election is going to be the most documented election in history. Two years ago Ian Inaba of Guerrilla News Network, John Ennis and James Rucker developed the idea to video the vote. For information on uploading your own video and to view a map of the United States that indicates problem sites visit You Tube Video the Vote.

I had the pleasure of meeting John Ennis and Sam Zamko of Guerrilla News, along with several local activists for dinner,at the Golden Dawn, in Youngstown last night to discuss how Video the Vote will be handled in Youngstown. It was a fascinating discussion of politics, the election and of course Youngstown. It was a very pleasant surprise this morning when I found that Sam had published a post to Guerrilla News Network article titled, Young-stown at Heart.(scroll down the page to locate the article)

If you have trouble at the polls on Tuesday, please feel free to contact me via e-mail and I will do everything in my power to get a video crew out to the polling location. My e-mail is: debraweaver2000@hotmail.com.

Video the Vote operates through a simple three step process.
1. Volunteers sign up online, providing contact information and video proficiency.
2. On election day, voters call in to national hotlines to report problems at the polls, Video the Vote dispatches our volunteers to get the story. The organization will also be obtaining footage from roving videographers who are documenting the election process in their communities.
3. Volunteers then upload their footage to the website where it is available for immediate viewing by the media and the public.

This is important because not only will there be more people voting in this election than ever before, but there undoubtedly will be bumps along the way, long lines, broken machines, confusion over the registration process, and even voter intimidation and fraud. Video can help document where problems occur in a very concrete way.

If you have questions regarding this and other election laws in Ohio you can find information here.

Summer Festivals

The Grey to Green Festival planning committee is still hard at work organizing the First Annual Grey to Green Festival. As the month goes on I will certainly keep you apprised of the wonderful activities and entertainment that you will find at Wick Park on September 13, 2008. Please take note that on the day of the Grey to Green Festival RE-CREATE will be having a drop and shop. So start gathering your items to drop off and plan to spend some time shopping.























However, between now and the Grey to Green Festival there are several other festivals happening in the neighborhood. The first is VEX FEST on Sunday, August 17, 2008 in wonderful downtown Youngstown. I don't know about you but one of my pet peeves about all day festivals is that I often can't spend the entire day there waiting for my favorite bands to play and I often don't know in advance what time or where they will be going on stage. For those of you with time constraints like myself I have located the set list for the day and you will find it below so that you can schedule time to spend at least a few hours checking out your favorite bands.
This might be subject to change but as of today it is accurate. The VEXFEST lineup is below:
BARLEY'S MAIN STAGE
11:10-11:40 The Whaling Skies
11:55-12:25 The Slant
12:40-1:10 The Young Stonians
1:25-1:55 Scotfree & the Guilty Plea
2:10-2:40 Haven
2:55-3:25 Aura
3:40-4:10 D-Jones
4:25-4:55 H-Beam]
5:10-5:40 Da Kreek
5:55-6:25 APG
6:40-7:10 Off the Rocker
7:25-7:55 Fuzztub
8:10-8:40 Rosella
8:55-9:25 First in Space
9:40-10:10 Groove Conductor
10:25-10:55 Gingerspittz
11:10-11:40 Frequent Season
11:55-12:25 Bedspins
12:40-1:10 Something to Shelter

WEST/ Chinebox Tattoo's Stage11:25- 11:55 Pro Bono
12-00- 12:30 Acoustic Juggernaut
1:10 - 1:40 Jordan DePaul & The Reputations
2:20 - 3:00 Mystic WIP Hustler
3:40 - 4:10 KKC
4:45 - 5:25 Away from Eden
6:05 - 6:35 Grey Dealer
7:15 - 7:45 Captain Braskey
8:25 - 8:55 5 Elements
9:35 - 10:20 Jones for Revival
11:15 -12:00 VIA SAHARA
12:55 -1:40 Cyrus

EAST 93.3 The Wolf's Stage
12:35 - 1:05 Wake the Lion
1:45 - 2:15 Posture Coach
3:05 - 3:35 Rebreather
4:20 - 4:50 DaBoondox
5:30 - 6:00 Tilt 360
6:40 - 7:10 Grand Fury
7:50 - 8:20 Kenny Ali
9:00 - 9:30 The Kellys
10:25 - 11:10 THE ZOU
12:05 - 12:50 A Sleep

... And then on August 24, 2008 it is Rukus the Festival This festival promises to be great fun. Check out the You Tube Promo below. Hope to see you there!

The Stambaugh Building boarded up - What's wrong with this picture?

Last week there was an incident in downtown Youngstown at the Stambaugh Building. The Business Journal indicates that workmen were in the process of removing some windows from the building when a window fell from the structure to the parking lot below. The Stambaugh Building has now had over 100 windows removed. The stated reason is that the windows were dangerous and leaky so the developers (Lou Frangos)decided to remove the windows from the historic building.


The Stambaugh Building has a long and historic past. It was designed by Albert Kahn, one of Detroit's most important architects in neo-classical revival design. The building started out as a Euwers Department Store which was one of first department stores to incorporate a restaturant. After the store moved the building became an office building that was later to house Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co., and Standard Slag.

It is a travesty that the windows have been removed from this historic landmark. There is little that is more discouraging than a drive through our downtown only to look up at one of its most prominent buildings to see that the windows have been replaced by plywood. The citizens of Youngstown will not stand for this. The windows must be replaced and very soon. For an ongoing story about the issue go to Shout Youngstown.The Shout Youngstown blog also has links to local talk show radio programs where the issue of the windows is discussed, as well as video of the site. The Reason Blog on the Vindy site has also posted an article about the problem and is asking for comments to be posted. Also please sign this petition demanding that the city take action against the owner/developer of this building.

The citizens of Youngstown are not the kind to just sit passively by while a developer systematically destroys our city. We are an action oriented type of people. In keeping with that fine tradition an action plan has been proposed to the city of Youngstown about the stabilization of the Stambaugh Building. A draft if this proposal may be found a Youngstown Renaissance

What is happening here is demolition by neglect. This term is used to describe a situation in which a historic property is intentionally allowed to suffer from deterioration, potentially beyond the point of repair. Property owners many times engage in this type of affirmative strategy of neglect to circumvent historic preservation regulations. Here, in Youngstown, it appears that the owner of the Stambaugh Building has this in mind. He has told the press that he believes that the building is a lost cause.

The issue of demolition by neglect is becoming a nationwide concern. It is one of the most serious problems affecting the fabric of our historic neighborhoods and cities. The most important tool for controlling demolition by neglect is to pass a carefully drafted city ordinance that requires affirmative maintenance. This ordinance should apply to not only historical buildings but also those buildings that are determined by the city to be significant or contributory to the overall community. Although Youngstown has a design and review committee that addresses the issues of restoration and repair, there does not appear to be an ordinance regarding demolition by neglect.

Such an ordinance might read like this one:

The owner, lessee,or other person in actual charge of a significant or contributory building shall comply with all applicable codes, laws, and regulations governing the maintenance of property. It is the intent of this law to preserve from deliberate, intentional, or inadvertent neglect the exterior features of buildings designated significant or contributory, and the interior portions thereof when such maintenance is necessary to prevent deterioration and decay of the exterior. All such buildings shall be preserved against such decay and deterioration and shall be free from structural defects through prompt corrections of any of the following defects:
1. Facades which may fall and injure members of the public or property.
2. Deteriorated or inadequate foundation, defective or deteriorated flooring or floor supports, deteriorated walls or other vertical structural supports.
3. Members of ceilings, roofs, ceiling and roof supports or other horizontal members which sag, split or buckle due to defective material or deterioration.
4. Deteriorated or ineffective waterproofing of exterior walls, roofs, foundations, or floors, including broken windows or doors.
5. Defective or insufficient weather protection for exterior wall covering, including lack of paint or weathering due to lack of paint or other protective covering.
6. Any fault or defect in the building which renders it not properly watertight or structurally unsafe.

It is also important that this provision come equipped with adequate remedies and enforcement authority. In addition a legal course of action for assessing whether or not demolition by neglect is actually occurring must be developed.

This criteria could potentially include:

1. Identification by the building code inspectors or third parties that a potential problem exists followed-up by an inspection to determine the condition of the building.
2. The findings should then be presented at a public hearing to a Commission set up for this purpose. A report detailing the defects in the building would be presented and the owner given thirty days to respond to the preliminary determination by providing a document detailing the specific work which is necessary to correct the "Demolition by Neglect" conditions and a time limit proposed for starting and completing the work.
3. If the owner fails to respond the matter would then be referred to the Commission for a citation hearing. If after appropriate notices are sent and the owner fails to respond, the building is posted with a notice of the violation in accordance with the provision of the Demolition by Neglect Ordinance and another public hearing called.
4. At the public hearing the owner is given an opportunity to show cause. The Commission would vote regarding whether the citation for Demolition by Neglect is appropriate.
5. If the owner fails to correct the problem or take steps to correct the problem within ten days the matter is turned over to the City Attorney's Office for action in Civil Court.
6. In addition to civil actions against the owner/owners misdemeanor criminal penalties should apply and be strictly enforced. These would include a criminal fine of $150.00 for the first offense. Whoever is convicted of a second violation for a second or subsequent offense within a period of two years from the date of the next prior conviction would be guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree and shall be fined $250.00 or imprisoned for thirty days or both. Each day of the violation would constitute a separate offense.

Please provide your thoughts and concerns about such a ordinance and provision by commenting on this blog.

Documentary about Youngstown - Filmed Now on Location

I am so excited about the news! The Vindicator has announced that shooting will begin this week on a documentary about Youngstown. Ray "Boom" "Boom" Mancini and Jim Napoli are producing it. Their plan is to show the city as a fighter. The film crew will make forays into the community this week to find Youngstowners in their element - so look out folks! Mancini calls it "guerrilla film making."

For anyone who has ever dreamt of being in the movies you may have the chance to be caught on film if you make your way to the city. While here, make sure you check out the new Taft Technology Center,. For a glimpse check it out at Youngstown Pride.

Make sure you walk by the revived Davis Building, and have something to eat or drink at one of our fine eateries, awesome bars, or clubs. In the event you just want to be out on the streets,in hopes that the camera will find you there, just stop by and get an ice cream cone at Touch the Moon Candy Saloon, then wander around, chillout,and enjoy the spring.

As of late I have been reading a book called "Destination Branding for Small Cities". It is written by Bill Baker. He defines destination branding as the totality of perceptions, thoughts and feelings that people have about a a place. He states that, "Destination branding is an organizing principle that involves orchestrating the messages and experiences associated with the place to ensure that they are as distinctive, compelling, memorable, and rewarding as possible."

His theory is that many small cities need to develop a brand strategy in order to overcome dated, confusing, or inaccurate images. Youngstown has clearly suffered from an inaccurate image and it is time to fix that problem and change the perceptions of our fine city in the minds of people near and far. The way to do that is to attract more visitors to our downtown and also revitalize the interest of area residents in the entertainment and recreational values of Youngstown. (You really have no idea what you've been missing if you haven't been downtown in a while. I suggest you hang out after work on a Friday night instead of making a dash back to the suburbs.)

The new urban pioneers living in Youngstown are well aware of the exciting things happening in the city, Mancini's documentary will now get the word spread far and wide. Mancini gets it -and Pavlik gets it, and Defend Youngstown gets it - Youngstown folks don't give up - they get up...and what's more they have a helluva lot of fun while doing it. I don't exactly know how to convert this fact into a "brand" per se, but I'm working on it. I'm going to continue reading about the branding of cities and think about it some more. If you have any ideas or thoughts about this please share them with me by commenting on the blog.

How to Save a City - The Greening of Youngstown

Thanks to Jaci Clark for taking most of these fabulous photos.









The Common Ground at Kensington and Broadway on Youngstown's North Side

It's spring and Defend Youngstown found a great post at Celsias about the Greening of Youngstown. I'm thrilled that the "Grey to Green" message of the 2010 plan is spreading far and wide. Meanwhile, this past Saturday, Treez Please planted several hundred trees at the Common Ground. Throughout the day about thirty men, women, and a lot of kids showed up to help. Treezers hope to foster the trees until we find happy homes for them. In the fall we will convert the space into a wild flower meadow.

Also, June 7, 2008 Youngstown CityScape will be having it's 11th annual Streetscape from 8:00 am until 12 noon. Everyone will be meeting at 20 Federal Plaza W. Youngstown,OH 44503. Priority areas for this year's event are: The Wick Park Area;Flower pots along West and East Federal Streets; the oval historic monument in the middle of Market Street and Wick Avenue; The Garden Bunker on the corners of East Federal, Boardman and Champion Street. The stairway that connects Wood Street to Commerce; Gateways into downtown; Smoky Hollow Memorial maintenance and plantings; Hillside between Wood and Commerce Street; and enhancement of the landscape on Walnut Street, Wood Street, and City Hall. For more information contact (330) 742-4040.
[where:20 Federal Plaza West Youngstown OH 44503]

Snowbound Sunday Morning

This morning, I received an e-mail listing many interesting people from Youngstown, OH. Some of them I knew about, some I didn't. So, on this lazy, snowbound Sunday, I set out to find links to all of the people on the list to see what I could learn. I focused on only those in the Arts and Entertainment section of the list. All others will have to wait until another day. I had a great time reading and listening to all of these folks, I hope you enjoy it as well. The list of course is not all inclusive, so if you know of others who should be added, let me know.

INTERESTING PEOPLE FROM YOUNGSTOWN OHIO

Arts and Entertainment

Stiv Bators - Singer and musician, best known for work with the punk
rock band The Dead Boys,Lords of the New Church,and for a short while Rocket from the Tombs. He was also connected to the band Pere Ubu,. He was born and raised in Youngstown.

Robert and Ronald Bell (Kool & the Gang) - Musicians, originally from Youngstown's South Side.

John Steven Bloom - Master illusionist & magician who has toured with performers including Alice Cooper, Billy Bob Thornton, and Weird Al Yankovic, raised in Liberty Twp.

Chris Columbus - Writer, best known for Goonies and Rent and the director of the first two installments of the Harry Potter movies, raised in Youngstown-Warren area.

Jim Cummings - Voice actor, best known for Winnie the Pooh and Tigger originally from Youngstown's North Side.

Jerry DePizzo - Saxophone player and member of the band OAR,
originally from Liberty Township and Youngstown's North Side.

Joe Flynn - Comedic actor, co-star of 1960s television series
McHale's Navy, originally from Youngstown's North Side.

Brian Gage - Contemporary author of satire and fiction. I recommend one called Snark Inc. Born in Youngstown and grew up in Poland, Ohio and Canfield, Ohio.

William Gass - (new addition thanks to Keith Sikora)Gass was a foremost post-war novelist and experimental prose writer. Famous for The Tunnel.

Elizabeth Hartman - Actress, best known for performance in A Patch of Blue, originally from Boardman.

Sean Jones - Jazz Trumpeter and a member of Wynton Marsalis' band, raised in Warren and schooled at YSU's Dana School of Music. (Don't forget to go to the sidebar to let Sean know we'd like to have a performance in Youngstown)

Phil Keaggy - Guitarist, best known for work with Glass Harp, originally from Hubbard.

Maureen McGovern - Singer, best known for 1970s hit "The Morning After" originally from Boardman.

Michael McGovern - Poet, a product of Youngstown's 19th-century steel mills who became nationally known as "the Puddler Poet."

Jerri Nielsen - Author, best known for Ice Bound, the New York Times bestseller on the medical crisis she endured while trapped at a South
Pole research station; born and raised in the Youngstown area.

Ed O'Neill - Actor, best known for playing Al Bundy on Married with Children, originally from Youngstown's North Side.

Kenneth Patchen - Poet, best known for Beat-era work, born and raised in Youngstown-Warren area.

Jennifer Walcott - Actress, limited film appearances, best known for work as Playboy centerfold model, raised in Youngstown.

The Warner Brothers - Show-business entrepreneurs, immigrated from Poland to New Castle, PA, then to Youngstown, resided on the city's North Side during their early career. For an interesting history of the Warner Brothers' campaign against Nazism read The Celluloid Soldiers

Cities are't the Problem-They are the Solution

Prior to reading the post below about the WRTA please watch the video of Jaime Lerner from TED. I believe that after watching this video you will understand why the title of today's post is "Cities Aren't the Problem; They are the Solution" and you too will want to sing "The Sustainability Song" by voting yes for the WRTA levy.

As many of you know, there will be a levy on the March 4th ballot to fund WRTA bus service in the region (Youngstown and surrounding suburbs) through a sales tax. If approved, this means that there will be a 0.25% sale tax which would replace two existing property taxes in Youngstown. The property taxes raise 2.5 million dollars a year for the WRTA. The new tax is projected to raise 7.5 million dollars per year and would allow for the reinstatement of weekend and evening buses, more frequent city service and new routes to the suburbs. If this levy is rejected, the results could range from temporary additional cutbacks to the permanent elimination of public transportation in the city.

I support the passage of this levy for several reasons. Many city residents rely on the bus service to get back and forth between their jobs in the suburbs and their homes in the city. I wish I could say that it goes the other way as well and that people in the suburbs use the WRTA to get from home in the suburbs to their jobs in the city, but unfortunately I don't believe that would be an accurate statement.

It never ceases to amaze me, but I have actually heard people articulate that the reason they won't ride the bus is because it is for poor people. What a sad state of affairs that people first of all believe this, and second of all are so worried about being associated in any way with others they perceive to be poor, that they let this influence their decisions. This lack of awareness quite simply blows my mind! It is also indicative of yet another way that classism and racism in this region impact revitalization as well as our ability to be part of a solution rather than the problem. We absolutely must become educated about public transportation and we need to acknowledge our responsibility for the environment.

Hannah Woodroofe, a friend of mine, who has been instrumental in educating me about the levy issue, has written directions for those of us who aren't familiar with how to ride the bus. I can't thank her enough for doing this as I do believe that often the reason people don't do the right thing is because they don't know how to do the right thing. So here in their entirety are the directions for how to ride the WRTA:

Go to the Federal Station which is located downtown on Federal Plaza. There are bus schedules located on the wall facing the entrance. You can take as many rate schedules as you need. You can also find the routes and time schedules here on line at WRTA. You can pay your fare in cash when you board the bus ($1.25), or buy ticket booklets at the Federal Station. Student and senior citizen fares are .70 and .65 with proper ID. To transfer at Federal Station from one route to another, ask the bus driver for a transfer when you board the first bus (an extra quarter) and then just show it to the second driver. While many of the bus stops in the city aren't clearly marked you can pretty much assume that the bus will let you off on any block along the bus route (the few stops on the route schedule are just time markers, and there are many more stops in between that are not indicated). Drivers are good about picking up and letting off where convenient so long as you let them know from the street or the bus that you'd like them to stop. (All the buses are wheelchair accessible, although not all stops are, especially in the winter). In general, to figure out where to wait for the bus look for the WRTA sign, or sometimes an old sign pole missing the sign along one of the routes.

For those of you concerned about what downtown is like during the day. I happened to find a photo tour of Youngstown on the internet. It is great to see that visitors to our fine city see the beauty that is here.Check out the link for more.

Gross National Happiness

I've been pondering the meaning of wealth and value. In my opinion there is a direct correlation between how you define the words and how happy you feel. I find it troubling that in our culture it is far more acceptable to talk with others about being miserable than it is to admit to contentment or happiness. People will look at you askance if you admit to happiness, as if doing so is profane.

When asked where I live, my response, Youngstown, is often met with a question. It isn't always asked point blank, often it is the raised brow and questioning eyes that ask the question, "How can you be happy living in inner city Youngstown, with its crime, and poverty, not to mention abandoned houses?" When I respond, "Because there is beauty, community, creativity, and challenge here," their doubt is palpable. Yet, I believe it to be true.

I am not blind to the problems or the blight, nor do I want to discount the very real misery caused by the true deprivation of some of our citizens. As Channing Pollack stated, "Happiness is a way station between too much and too little." It is merely, that I believe that beauty and blight can co-exist and where there is action taken to create beauty from blight, there is hope, and where there is hope, there is purpose and meaning and ultimately happiness.

In the U.S. we have fallen prey to what I call happiness propaganda. The pervasive idea, perpetuated by the media, that unless one is engaged in the activity of consumerism, one can't possibly be happy. It goes without saying that in order to be a consumer one must have economic wealth.That requires that the consumer spend an inordinate amount of time accumulating that economic wealth. (i.e. usually doing something they despise for eight hours or more a day). In the United States the word wealth has generally come to mean economic value. However, the word "wealth" actually derives from the English word "weal" which means well-being or welfare. We are very confused here in the United States. As Eduardo Galeano stated, "we confuse being with having". We seldom question the value of our consumption. (Value defined as principals, or standards of human actions; not value defined as estimated worth.) David Wann, in his book, Simple Prosperity, Finding Real Wealth in a Sustainable Lifestyle, states, "While we frantically climb the peak toward economic milestones that are always still further up the trail, less time and care are given to things that really matter, family, friends, personal health, environmental vitality, community and cultural traditions."

As of late, there have been numerous studies and books published about happiness. In virtually all of the studies, happiness is found not in consumerism, but in community, creativity and self expression. Happiness is found when one has a sense that life has meaning and purpose. Youngstown provides all of these if you're looking. There is tremendous community here and plenty of opportunity to engage in creativity. Together we are creating a new city. Here we are urban pioneers. Granted we have our problems, but working in collaboration with one another, and using some elbow grease, we can solve those problems. We can in fact, turn our problems into opportunity.

Particularly now, in this time of environmental crisis we need a new definition of happiness, from one of consumption and owning things, to one of simple pleasures, creative freedom, and deep connections. Al Gore has said, "We must make the rescue of the environment the central organizing principle for civilization."

In the recently released book, The Geography of Bliss, written by Eric Weiner, the author travels the world over seeking the most contented places. I was intrigued by the philosophy of Bhutan. There, rather than the measuring Gross Domestic Product they measure Gross National Happiness. Gross National Happiness is their highest priority. I support a movement to make that our national priority.

YouTube - 8 Balls at Cedars - Youngstown, Ohio

The holiday season in Y-town is the best,no question about it! The community in Youngstown is awesome! Every night from December 21 until January 1, 2008 something interesting and exciting was happening in our city. All of the events culminated in a celebration of First Night, December 31, in downtown. The holiday season's schedule of events had an upside which is evident as a good time was had by all, but it also had a downside, the inability to be in more than one place at a time. December 22, 2007 while I was hosting Nut Night, some good friends of mine were having a musical reunion of sorts at the Cedars Lounge. For those unfamiliar with Cedars Lounge it is located on Hazel Street in downtown and has served as the home of Youngstown's underground musical scene since 1981. Its walls are covered with local and regional art and the cafe serves Lebanese and American food. Many Y-towners believe that Cedars is a vortex that everyone should experience, preferably on a summer night when the patio is open, or on a winter's evening, when the place is so crowded everyone is warmed by body heat; or sweating because they have been dancing non-stop for hours. So here as a tribute, I have included video of my good friends the 8 Balls. I wish them all a Happy New Year, and many more band reunions!


YouTube - 8 Balls at Cedars - Youngstown, Ohio