5.31.2005

The shop, which is staffed by volunteers, is expected to gross $60,000 to $70,000 a year, [Gretchen Laatsch, the shop's volunteer treasurer] said. Money helps support the library's summer reading program, Books for Babies, college scholarships for employees and levy committees when an issue is on the ballot[...]

Once the shop gets the expected approval from city planners, it opens Friday. Its hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

(joe :: Book Shop)

[Summit County Engineer Greg] Bachman said he thought a roundabout might be the best solution.

"It seems to solve a number of the issues that the others don't," he said.

Roundabouts improve safety of an intersection by forcing traffic to slow and eliminating the opportunity for T-bone and other most dangerous types of crashes. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety showed the installation of roundabouts resulted in an 89 percent reduction of fatal and incapacitating crashes and a 39 percent reduction in total crashes.

Roundabouts are similar to old-fashioned traffic circles like the one at Mull and Hawkins avenues in West Akron. A roundabout, however, is about half the size of that circle and has no stop signs, Bachman said. The roundabout's smaller diameter and splitter islands at entrances and exits force traffic to slow to 10-15 mph as it travels around. The absence of stop signs allows traffic to flow continuously and eliminates confusion about who has the right of way. Pedestrian traffic is routed to crosswalks on each of the "feeder" streets.

(joe :: Roundabout)

5.30.2005

While it has been known for years that users of impotence drugs could experience short-term vision changes, seeing green or blueish hues, what has raised the red flags is the immediacy of the drug's impact and its lasting effect.

In some cases users are getting visual problems within a short time.[...]

However the FDA and doctors admit there is no proven link.

The numbers are extraordinarily small -- only 38 Viagra users of the more than 20 million who take it have come forward with vision problems.

(joe :: Little Blue Peripheral Problem)

The pay-to-play Panthers (19-9) have united a school and a community. Unranked, unknown, unfazed, they have toppled two of the state's premier Division II programs in the past three days and show no signs of succumbing to the pressure of the moment.

They play euchre in the back of the bus. They laugh and joke around in pregame warm-ups. The Panthers remain loose right up until the time they outplay yet another opponent expected to beat them.

The fourth-best team in the Suburban League is now two wins away from a state title. They have defeated Ohio's No. 3- and No. 2-ranked teams in their past two games, and face No. 1 Hebron Lakewood (30-2) Thursday morning at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.

(joe :: Baseball Vs. The OGT)

(joe :: Left Over)

5.29.2005

Akron-- Service at 10:30 a.m. at Greenlawn Cemetery, 2580 Romig Road, at the Veterans Memorial between the two mausoleums. The Kenmore High School band will perform. Guest speaker is Jack J. Ryan, recently appointed veterans service commissioner. Firestone Memorial Post 449 will feature its color guard and firing squad.

A Veterans Memorial will be dedicated at Eckard Baldwin Funeral Home and Chapel at 760 E. Market St. in Akron 10 a.m. The memorial will honor veterans the funeral home has served since Sept. 11, 2001. The memorial will include the name and years of life of each veteran. Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic and state Sen. Kim Zurz, D-Green, will speak.

Barberton -- Service at 10 a.m. at Lake Anna at new Military Honor Roll. Wreaths will be dropped into the lake during the ceremony. Guest speaker is Air Force Reserve Brig. Gen. Tim White, news co-anchor on WKYC (Channel 3).

Bath Township -- Service at noon at the Veterans War Memorial at West Bath and North Cleveland-Massillon roads. Those attending are urged to bring chairs.

Canton -- Parade at 10 a.m. from Tuscarawas Street East and Walnut Avenue, heading west on Tuscarawas to Elgin Avenue Northwest, north to Seventh Street and east to the entrance to the McKinley monument for a short ceremony.

Copley Township -- Parade steps off at 10 a.m. at Copley-Fairlawn Middle School, 1531 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road, and marches to Copley Veteran Cemetery, 3788 Copley Road, for a service. In case of rain, the service will be held at the middle school.

Cuyahoga Falls -- Parade starts at 9:15 a.m. at State Road Plaza, Portage Trail and State Road. Marchers will go east on Portage to Fourth Street, north on Fourth and end with an 11 a.m. ceremony at Oakwood Cemetery on Oakwood Drive. Speakers include state Rep. John Widowfield, R-Cuyahoga Falls. Awards for best floats will be presented one hour after the parade, in the loop in front of Cuyahoga Falls High School.

There also will be a service at noon at the American Legion, 1601 Front St., followed by a potluck meal for members and parade participants. Services sponsored by VFW Post 1062 held at noon at Chestnut Hill Cemetery, 2613 Sackett Ave., 1 p.m. at Northlawn Cemetery, 4724 State Road, and 2 p.m. at the VFW Post, 1581 Main St.

Fairlawn-- Service at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Monument in Bicentennial Park across from City Hall, 3486 S. Smith Road. In case of rain, services will be in the Community Center adjacent to the monument area.

Green-- Parade at 10:30 a.m. at Green High School, 1474 Boettler Road, marching east to Massillon Road, south to Steese Road, west on Steese to Queen of Heaven Catholic Church and Green Intermediate School parking lots. It will conclude with a ceremony at the John Torok Community Center, 4224 Massillon Road. Service at noon at the community center. Classic car show will follow. No preregistration. Refreshments will be served. Prizes will awarded in various categories.

Kent-- Parade lining up at 9 a.m. at 115 S. Depeyster St. and proceeding at 10 a.m. to the Main Street bridge for a short service and gun salute. Parade will then march to Standing Rock Cemetery on Mantua Street for a ceremony.

Mogadore-- Parade lines up at 9:30 a.m., stepping off at 10 a.m. at James Street and South Cleveland Avenue, marching north on state Route 532 to Mogadore Road, then west on Mogadore to the Greenwood Cemetery for 10:30 a.m. ceremony.

North Canton-- Parade will form at North Stadium parking lot on Seventh Street at 8:30 a.m. and start at 9 a.m., proceeding south on Main Street to Bitzer Park, where a ceremony will be held. There will be a flyover by two F-16 fighter jets, weather permitting.

Rittman-- Parade starts at 10 a.m. at Main and Erie Streets, proceeding to Sunset Street and Main Street. Ceremony follows at 11 a.m. at Rittman Cemetery. In case of rain, service will be at Rittman Middle School on Main Street.

Rootstown Township-- Parade starts at 10 a.m. at Marks Avenue and Tallmadge Road, proceeding to Homeland Cemetery on Tallmadge Road.

Seville-- Service at 1 p.m. at First Baptist Church. Parade will then line up behind the Seville Elementary School, 24 E. Main St., head west on Market Street, north on Milton Street and east on Main Street to Mound Hill Cemetery.

Sharon Township-- Parade starts at 9 a.m. in front of Ruhlin Construction, 4150 Ridge Road, and marches to the gazebo in Sharon Circle for a ceremony.

Shreve-- Parade at 9:30 a.m. from Shreve Elementary School, 598 N. Market St., proceeds south on Market to Scheck IGA Foodliner, 405 South St. Services, at 10:30 a.m. at Oak Grove Cemetery.

Stow-- Services at 10:30 a.m. at Stow Cemetery, 3162 Kent Road.

Tallmadge-- Parade starts at 10 a.m. from St. Mark Lutheran Church on North Avenue, around Tallmadge Circle and down Southwest Avenue to Tallmadge Cemetery for a ceremony.

Wadsworth-- Parade begins at 10:30 a.m. at VFW Post 1089, 121 Main St., proceeds around the square, west on College Street, north on Beck Street to Woodlawn Cemetery for a service. World War II veterans in attendance will be honored.

(joe :: Area Parades Tomorrow)

A 57-year-old great-grandmother who gave birth to a set of twins last month said Thursday she danced with her husband only hours after the delivery.[...]

In addition to the twins and Jimmy, the Swains have two grown children; two other children are deceased. They have six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

(joe :: That's Just Weird)

During her time working in the dramatic arts, she's become actively involved in helping those with HIV/AIDS, cooking meals for them and serving on the board of Community AIDS Network in Akron. She was instrumental in the development of the Micah House for people with HIV, and later Harmony Place, for families affected by the disease. Then she contributed a playground to Harmony Place.

"That was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life," Jacobs said in reference to her charity work.

Jacobs' involvement with those living with HIV/AIDS was inspired by two factors: Her husband dealt with HIV-positive individuals as a doctor, and she could also see the impact it was having on the arts community she was so close to.

(joe :: Good People)

5.28.2005

(joe :: Cheap Skate)

5.27.2005

Art in the Square seeks Highland Square artists

After the success of last year's inaugural Art in the Square, the Highland Square Neighborhood Association, West Hill Neighborhood Organization and Progress Through Preservation are proud to announce the return of Art in the Square.

The second annual Art in the Square will be held Sunday, August 21, 2005 at a to-be-determined location. Art in the Square features various media from artists who live or work in Highland Square. Last year's event featured photography, jewelry, paintings, live music, writing and more.

Artists who participated in last year's event are encouraged to return and show and sell their works again. Artists who did not participate in last year's event must submit copies or photographs of their work along with their application. This year there will be a $10 fee to participate, with proceeds supporting the event itself.

Interested Highland Square artists can pick up an application at Angel Falls or Square Records or e-mail artinthesquare@yahoo.com to receive one electronically. All applications must be received by June 30, 2005 in order to be considered for inclusion. For more information, please contact artinthesqurare@yahoo.com or Lisa Hofmann at 330-375-1605.

(joe :: Art in the Square Press Release)

The $8.6-million Legends of the Wild, which opens to the public Saturday, is the zoo's largest expansion in its 52 years.

It features 16 exhibits, with 20 species and more than 380 animals. Some of the larger animals are snow leopards, jaguars, Andean condors, Himalayan tahrs (a type of goat) and capybaras (giant rodents).

(joe :: Garanimals)

5.26.2005

...Ohio set a record with 125 eagle nests this year. That topped the record 108 nests in 2004.[...]

The successful nests include four with six chicks in the Akron area: two chicks at Lake Milton, two chicks at Killbuck Marsh in southern Wayne County, one chick along Tinkers Creek in Streetsboro and one chick at Lake Rockwell near Kent.

(joe :: Yeah! Birds!)

The gymnasium, decorated with student-made signs reading ``Save Essex'' and ``Keep Essex Open,'' was filled with about 50 supporters, who voiced their opinions about the possible closing of the 263-pupil school.

(joe :: Rally to Save Essex)

(joe :: Something to do... in August)

5.25.2005

(joe :: Just like a Train Wreck)

The Summit County Board of Elections is joining a lawsuit against Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell over the deadline for choosing a new voting system.

The board voted 3-0 on Tuesday to become a party in the suit filed this month by Election Systems & Software Inc. The Nebraska-based voting-machine maker contends that deadlines established by Blackwell for election boards in Ohio's counties to choose new voting systems and for systems to win state certification are arbitrary and eliminate all vendors except Green-based Diebold Co.

[T]he Summit board is exploring a lawsuit of its own against Blackwell over the amount of federal money the county will receive to buy a new voting system.[...]

Under the law, every county has been allotted a sum to buy new voting systems; the allocation is based on the number of voters in the county. Summit County's allocation has been set at about $5.3 million. However, if the county chooses an optical-scan system rather than a touch-screen system, the equipment purchase is expected to cost only about $2.5 million.

The election board wants to be sure that it gets to keep the difference.

(joe :: Blackwell Getting Sued)

(joe :: What's Happening in the Square Tonight?)

5.24.2005

(joe :: Ani vs. Anne E.)

The two women looked wistfully into the trash barrel at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport security check. The first one dropped in her cigarette lighter. The other did the same.[...]

Feeling a pang of sympathy, I asked what they would do when they needed their nicotine fix after their flight.

``Oh,'' the first one said, ``I've got matches. They're still allowed.''

And this reintroduced another new standard of modern air travel -- the twisted illogic of security regulations.

I don't know which seemed more baffling -- that it took 3 1/2 years after 9/11 to finally ban open flame sources on airplanes, or that the open-flame-source ban does not include matches.

The Akron City Council passed an ordinance Monday night that would create a mutual aid agreement with Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo.

The agreement between Ohio's six largest cities eliminates the need for state supervision while sharing specialized fire and EMS equipment and personnel during natural disasters or terrorist attacks, said George Romanoski, deputy mayor for public safety.

(joe :: The Good, The Bad and The Crazy)

5.23.2005

The nation's 38 million baby boomers who have passed their 50th birthday are discovering that with age comes privilege. The generation that turned up its nose at anyone older than 30 is lapping up the bargains that begin at 50.

Nor are most businesses intimidated by the prospect of slashing prices for many of their customers.

On the contrary, they're tweaking sales pitches, dropping ``senior'' from promotions to appeal to boomers who like the deals but don't accept the moniker.[...]

Senior discounts aren't gestures of good will. Their value as marketing tools has grown as companies target aging boomers' pocketbooks.

Boomers older than 50 wield an estimated $1 trillion in spending power.

(joe :: Golden Buckeye Dreams)

At the Dome of the Rock, protesters approached the first lady as she tried to enter the mosque, and security helped clear a path for her.

As she was leaving, the crowd was bigger and more vocal. People surrounded her and her Secret Service detail, pushing to get closer and shouting "How dare you come here?" and "You don't belong in this mosque."

(joe :: First Lady Whirlwind Tour)

Mitzvah Day, which has been observed by Jewish congregations for about 15 years, gives congregants the chance to engage in community action.

As part of this year's efforts, volunteers performed a variety of services including cleaning up at area nonprofit agencies and landscape parks, coordinating games and events for children at various locations, and planting and gardening at shelters and agencies for the elderly, mentally challenged and disabled.

(joe :: What's a Mitzvah Day?: Update)

5.22.2005

As Rolling Acres Mall crawls toward the end of its retail life, Sean Daugherty has been rebuilding it in his mind. For more than four years, the 39-year-old Green resident has been dreaming it into a bold new version of a senior citizens complex, with hundreds of residents in apartments and condominiums, plus doctors' offices, shops, restaurants, entertainment venues and exercise facilities, all under one vast roof.[...]

Daugherty is not an expert in retail, nor an expert in urban rehab, nor an expert in senior care. He's just a guy with an idea and enough time to research its possibilities. His is one of those ``just might be crazy enough to work'' ideas.

And -- it just might be crazy enough to work. With the baby boom retirement wave cresting and American life expectancies rising by the year, housing for the elderly is about to become an issue of paramount importance -- and profitability. Daugherty knows the statistics by heart: There are currently 37 million Americans over 55. By 2018, the number will be 75 million.

(joe :: Rolling Acres: The Retirement Complex)

5.21.2005

Senate Republicans plan to eliminate a proposed doubling of the tax on beer and wine from the upcoming state budget and raise cigarette taxes even higher than a plan by Gov. Bob Taft to make up the difference, Senate President Bill Harris said Friday.[...]

Taft and House Republicans want to increase cigarette taxes 45 cents a pack, while the Senate plan would add a further 25 cents to that proposal. The current tax is 55 cents a pack.

(joe :: Behold, The Power of Beer)

The idea of a school inside the National Inventors Hall of Fame has moved from imagination to reality.

The Ohio School Facilities Commission agreed this week to help pay for the new middle school.[...]

The school, which will have a math, science and technology focus, will be part of the district's revised plan for its 15-year project. Every Akron school was originally expected to be renovated or rebuilt.

(joe :: New School in Downtown Akron)

5.20.2005

COPLEY POLICE: A manager of a Montrose West Avenue fast-food restaurant reported May 15 a man purchased a cheeseburger and received a free Star Wars toy. He expressed dissatisfaction with the sandwich and received a refund. When the manager told him he must forfeit the toy, he became verbally abusive. She followed him to his car to retrieve the toy. He reportedly refused to return it and threw cola and water on the manager and an employee. He was arrested for disorderly conduct.

NORTON POLICE: On May 8, officers were called to a loud party at a Houston Road residence and found in the front yard a crowd of juveniles, who ran into the house when they saw police. The suspects refused to let officers inside. Meanwhile, an officer on traffic patrol at the corner of Rudy Drive and Houston Road clocked a vehicle traveling 85 mph in a 25-mph zone and attempted to stop it. The driver sped off and pulled into a driveway outside the aforementioned residence, striking several cars and a tree before exiting the vehicle and running into the house. The traffic officer pursued the suspect into the house, and a man in the house reportedly attacked the officer and told him to get out of the house. The officer apprehended the speeder, and the suspect in the house again attacked the officer from behind, knocking him and the traffic violator down the stairs. The officer apprehended the suspect and arrested him for obstructing official business. He also was charged with assaulting a police officer. The traffic violator also faced charges.

A Norton man who bragged on a Web site that he outran police on a motorcycle was arrested for reckless operation of a vehicle, use of unauthorized license plates, not having a motorcycle license, failure to comply with police orders, running stop signs and red lights, speeding and having obstructed license plates. Police clocked the suspect at 102 mph on state Route 21 May 14 and attempted to stop him. Officers pursued him through Copley and Fairlawn, then called off the chase due to dangerous speed and operation that placed the driver and his passenger in jeopardy. Later, police saw the story posted on a Web site, along with an ad to sell the motorcycle. An officer posed as a prospective buyer, and the suspect reportedly told the story of how he outran the police.

(joe :: Criminal Activity)

(joe :: People We Met)

Congregants from Temple Israel, First Congregational Church, Unitarian Universalist Church of Akron, St. John CME Church and St. Vincent Catholic Church gathered at a pep rally May 1, pictured at right, in preparation for Mitzvah Day, which will take place May 22. Two hundred fifty people will be performing good deeds around the community that day.

(joe :: What's a Mitzvah Day?)

5.19.2005

If casino gambling comes to Ohio, some of the biggest losers could be public and private schools, the Catholic Church, sports and band boosters, humane societies and firefighters.

Those groups derive significant income from legalized gambling: $600 million from the Ohio Lottery for schools and $80 million to $90 million from charitable bingo for a variety of organizations.

Interviews with veteran gamblers show many make periodic trips to casinos just outside Ohio, and if casinos were closer to home, some might abandon local charitable bingo in favor of for-profit casinos.

AirTran's newest service is a little different because Las Vegas is a final destination, said Akron-Canton Airport Marketing Director Kristie Van Auken. But it's a popular one for Northeast Ohioans.

"We get asked for Vegas more than any other place on Earth. It really was an answer to our prayers," she said.

The new AirTran Las Vegas flight will be offered five times a week -- each day except Tuesday and Wednesday. It departs at 7:05 a.m. and arrives in Las Vegas at 8:10 a.m. Mountain Standard Time, which is two hours earlier than Ohio. The return flight from Las Vegas leaves at 5:25 p.m. (MST) and arrives into Akron-Canton at 12:30 a.m.

(joe :: Ohio Gambling)

(joe :: Sith Happens)

Local businesses run by young professionals ringed the edges of the room. The Lime Spider, Crave and Jacob Good served food. RubberBuzz.com showed off the latest Akro-centric Web site.

(joe :: We HANDled It.)

(joe :: Ryan Humbert Band CD Release Party)

5.18.2005

(joe :: Lots o' Updates)

NOCHE [Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education] calls its regional initiative College 360 -- as in giving students a complete, 360 degrees of entertainment, learning and working during their time in Northeast Ohio. The premise is to help students have so much fun and throw so many internships their way that they'll either stick around after graduation or tell all their out-of-state friends how cool Northeast Ohio really is.[...]

Now, this may sound similar to what Ryan and her client, the Greater Akron Chamber, propose: that young workers will come and stay if a city offers fun -- OK, cool -- things to do.

College 360 is similar. Actually, it was designed to complement the chamber's efforts.

(joe :: College 360)

You expect a lot of things when you buy a house.

Maybe some nasty, out-of-date carpet.

Perhaps a bad light fixture or two... some peeling wallpaper.

But how about a meth lab?

That's what happened to Jennifer and Chuck Hoskin when they purchased a Tallmadge Road home in December from Colleen Begue.

Two days before the Hoskins moved in, Begue, 43, was charged with running a meth lab out of the home.

(joe :: Why I Haven't Bought a House)

5.17.2005

(joe :: Caffeine Updated)

(joe :: T-shirt Dreams)

(joe :: Can you HANDle it?)

(joe :: Season Finale)

5.16.2005

Akron police are investigating why a 24-year-old woman passed out on the dance floor at a downtown nightclub this weekend and ended up hospitalized on life support.

Akron paramedics rushed Michelle Dellagnese to Akron General Medical Center after she collapsed about 12:30 a.m. Saturday at Posh nightclub, Detective Joseph Urbank said.

(joe :: My Posh-free Weekend)

[Larry L. Parker] will spend $120,000 over the next dozen months bird-dogging the city of Akron's spending habits with a new Web site called AkronWatch.org that draws on thousands of public records about the city's development deals that he's amassed over two decades.

The site says the city has "squandered millions of taxpayer dollars on so-called economic development projects over the last 25 years."

(joe :: Follow the Buck)

5.15.2005

A new type of battery based on the radioactive decay of nuclear material is 10 times more powerful than similar prototypes and should last a decade or more without a charge, scientists announced this week.

The longevity would make the battery ideal for use in pacemakers or other surgically implanted devices, developers say, or it might power spacecraft or deep-sea probes.

(joe :: Nuclear Battery)

Comedian Dave Chappelle wants to set things straight: "I'm not crazy, I'm not smoking crack," he tells Time magazine in an interview more than a week after his hit Comedy Central show was suspended and the rumors started to fly.

"I'm definitely stressed out," said Chappelle, who took off last month to South Africa for a "spiritual retreat," leaving his fans - and even his agent and publicist - wondering where he went.[...]

"There's a lot of resistance to my opinions, so I decided, 'Let me remove myself from this situation,'" Chappelle said.

Comedy Central president Doug Herzog told Time that the star has "complete creative freedom." He has told staff he believes there won't be a "Chappelle's Show" in 2005, but leaves the option open for the comedian's return.

(joe :: Dave Chappelle: Not Crazy)

5.14.2005

BATH POLICE: A driver, who nearly ran down an officer making a traffic stop at the corner of Smith and Sand Run roads at 1 a.m. May 4, failed a field sobriety test and was charged with DUI. His BAC tested .265.

NORTON POLICE: Police in Norton and Barberton are investigating reports that a male impersonating California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been making lewd and threatening comments over the phone to female employees from Norton and Barberton at a pizza restaurant where the victims work.

RICHFIELD POLICE: Police were called to the scene of a fight involving members of a family in a room of a Brecksville Road motel May 1. A woman in the room was extremely intoxicated and became combative and verbally threatening with officers. According to family members, she had been drinking all day. She was arrested for disorderly conduct.

(joe :: The Best of Stupid Criminals)

(joe :: Wassup in NE Ohio? Nothing in Akron.)

"I can see where Bill's coming from. I mean, why do we have MP3 players now?" asks Joe at Akron blog RubberBuzz. "Because they're a lot smaller then a CD player and a stack of discs. If you already have a cell phone, it'd be awesome to have it play MP3's too."

(joe :: We're in Slate)

5.13.2005

(joe :: Mike Terry Benefit Tonight)

By midafternoon Thursday, the company had received a dozen calls from people who wanted the 26-foot-tall stainless steel column for its scrap value (perhaps $1,500 to $2,000) and a handful who wanted it for various projects.

Among the more intriguing: Local junkyard artist P.R. Miller has proposed moving it to Canal Park, stripping off the covering and using the skeleton as a vase for a gigantic metal flower.

(Mia :: Save the BJ!)

(joe :: Food is Updated)

Troubled, half-empty Rolling Acres Mall is up for sale with an asking price of $3.5 million, and a local broker says she already has presented an offer to the mall's owner.

A sale could mean dramatic changes at the 30-year-old mall, a landmark in southeast Akron. As part of its sales pitch, the mall's owner, Whichard Properties, is suggesting a new owner could remove part of the concourse roof, run a tree-lined street through the middle of the mall and convert some of the space to office and residential use.

(joe :: For Sale: One Dying Mall)

5.12.2005

It will be replaced by a concrete tower with a stationary time/temperature display on four sides and a wraparound message board below.

The wraparound LED display will be used to stream breaking news, announcements of local events and, if a zoning variance is granted, advertisements.

(Mia :: A (Heavy) Piece of History)

(joe :: Countdown to Chaos)

"As good as Apple may be, I don't believe the success of the iPod is sustainable in the long run," he said in an interview published in Thursday's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

"You can make parallels with computers: Apple was very strong in this field before, with its Macintosh and its graphics user interface -- like the iPod today -- and then lost its position," Gates said.

(joe :: The Future of Podcasting)

(joe :: Go Green!)

5.10.2005

(joe :: 10 - 3 = 7 Point Scale: Update)

But when all's said and done, this is like trying to name a spotted dog. You can call it Fifi if you want, but that dog is still Spot.

Akron is Akron, and most of us who live here know what that means. We don't need further convincing.

(joe :: I love me some David Giffels)

Establish that every school-age child has the fundamental right to high quality educational opportunities
Establish the Ohio Educational Opportunities Commission, which would identify on a biennial basis, the components of high quality educational opportunities for all students
Require the State Board of Education to conduct expert studies to determine the cost of the high quality educational opportunities components identified by the Commission and certify such to the General Assembly
Require the General Assembly to fund the total actual cost minus 15 mills of local property tax
Eliminate all real property tax millage for school district current expenses exceeding 15 mills
Allow districts to increase millage for programming beyond state defined high quality
Hold school districts harmless in state and local revenue at their current level

(Mia :: Educate Ohio: A Real Solution?)

5.08.2005

(joe :: Mike Terry Benefit this Weekend)

(joe :: Voting Time)

5.07.2005

Joe "Jozey" Zeitler has been playing guitar since he was 18, but the 39-year-old axeman and his trad-metal troupe Mob Scene have been a presence in Akron's metal scene for only the last two years. Now he's making up for lost time by launching Detained Records, a new label that he hopes will bring some recognition to Rubber City headbangers.[...]

Detained is set to launch July 2, with a CD release party for the label's debut, the compilation Akron Metal Assault, Volume 1. The disc will feature Mob Scene, Hatecore Inc. , Social Downfall, Ripcored, Vatic Asylum, Mo Rage, and Weapons of Mass Destruction -- bands that frequent such metal-friendly Akron clubs as Annabell's, Concrete Jungle, and Voodoo, but don't venture north much. The show will take place at R/E (117 East Market Street, Akron).

(joe :: Metalmania in Akron)

(joe :: Separation of Church and State)

(joe :: An Open Letter to Crazy Conservatives)

(joe :: RubberBuzz: We're Porn Free)

5.06.2005

For Europeans, the fear is that the continent's contribution to the pillars of recorded knowledge will be crushed by a profit-oriented California company -- and may end up presenting a U.S.-centric version of the world's literary legacy.

Google's ambitions are grand -- if a bit more modest than the hostile corporate takeover of the tiller of world literature that many critics seem to be imagining.

The project, announced in December, involves scanning millions of books at the libraries of four universities -- Oxford, Harvard, Stanford and the University of Michigan -- as well as the New York Public Library and putting them online. It will take years to complete.

So great is the concern that six European leaders have jointly proposed creating a "European digital library" to counter the project by Google Print, as the new venture is known. Other countries are expected to come on board.

(joe :: The Google Gods)

5.05.2005

Production of the popular Comedy Central series "Chappelle's Show" has been suspended and its third season's premiere indefinitely delayed.[...]

Neither Comedy Central publicist Tony Fox nor Dave Chappelle's spokesman, Matt Labov, would discuss what caused the halt in production or how long it might last.

This unexpected turn deprives the network of one of its most valuable properties, a sketch-comedy series with a raw, satirical edge that became a critical and popular hit.

(joe :: I Need My Chappelle)

The Akron tire maker earned a profit of $68 million, or 35 cents per share, on record first-quarter sales of $4.8 billion.[...]

A year ago, Goodyear lost $78 million, or 45 cents a share, on sales of $4.3 billion.

(joe :: Goodyear makes money)

5.04.2005

After two years in retail limbo, the giant empty box that once housed Super K in Montrose will be divided up and given new life as a J.C. Penney store and a Levin Furniture showroom.

J.C. Penney has signed a lease to turn about 95,000 square feet of the space into a free-standing store, its first in Ohio. Levin Furniture, a regional chain of midpriced furniture stores, is expected to finalize its lease within days. [...]

The store [Penney's] is targeted to open in November in time for the holiday shopping season.

(joe :: J C Penney's: Its All Inside... of Super K)

"I've always tried to do my best," he said as to why he thinks he was honored with the award. "I like the people here — the management, the crew and the customers. I like the food, too."

He added he likes the fast-food restaurant's salads the best.

"I take one home every day," he said. [...]

"Boy, what a surprise," Stouffer said after receiving a plaque, a McDonald’s watch and a gift basket. He will also receive a check for $500 from the company.

(joe :: McDonald's Winner)

"I look at the work that I have been able to do and want to continue to do in Congress, especially issues like trade, issues like health care," Brown said in a conference call. [...]

"The governor's race was tempting and the job is exciting, I'm sure, but I love what I'm doing right now," Brown said, adding that he has no doubt that he would have won the gubernatorial race had he decided to enter.

"To run for governor, you have to put your hat in the ring and really, really want to be governor, and I really, really want to be a congressman," he said.

(joe :: Sherrod Brown)

5.03.2005

(joe :: Another Nail in Rolling Acres Coffin)

Hooker Daniele Coakley, 20, told The National Enquirer how she partied with Kevin and ended up passing out on a hotel bed after becoming sick on booze and the dance drug Ecstasy. And Vanessa Hulihan, 30, revealed that she spent nights talking to Kevin and had an intimate tryst with the married dancer in the bathroom of his suite.

Although neither beauty says they had sex with Kevin, their shocking claims are certain to stun Britney as she plans their life together with a new baby.

(joe :: How to be a Federline 106)

5.02.2005

...I received from a reader who -- armed with information from a Web page and the intense desire to tinker -- decided to rid himself of adware and spyware by editing entries in the Windows registry.

For all I know, for all he knows, he succeeded. It's hard to tell now that his computer won't start up.

(joe :: Computers Suck)

5.01.2005

"I am married to the president of the United States, and here's our typical evening: Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I'm watching 'Desperate Housewives' -- with [Vice President Dick Cheney's wife] Lynne Cheney," Mrs. Bush said. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife. I mean, if those women on that show think they're desperate, they ought to be with George.

"One night, after George went to bed, Lynne Cheney, [Secretary of State] Condi Rice, [Bush adviser] Karen Hughes and I went to Chippendales," she said, referring to a strip club where women tuck cash into male dancers' skimpy thongs. "I wouldn't even mention it except [Supreme Court Justices] Ruth Ginsberg and Sandra Day O'Connor saw us there. I won't tell you what happened, but Lynne's Secret Service code name is now 'Dollar Bill.'"

(joe :: Ms. Bush if You're Nasty)

Right now, it features a lot of helpful information on items such as air conditioners, dishwashers, food, batteries and toxics. Some sections include ``green ratings'' derived from information from Consumer Reports. The ratings on dishwashers, for instance, include a breakdown of how the products stacked up on energy use, electricity and gas cost per year.

(joe :: Keeping it Clean)

Tourism businesses in an increasing number of cities are collaborating more often than competing as they try to recover from a slump, offering discount passes and cards good for a variety of attractions, hotels, restaurants and shops.

[...]They give businesses an extra way to advertise and allow them to track where consumers go, when they get there and other marketing information.

(joe :: Tourist Trap)

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