Since I've written so many blogs about Christmas, I wanted to make sure I gave attention to Chanukah as well. With the first day of Chanukah on December 15, there is no time like now to pencil in an event or two. Lighting giant menorahs is happening across the state. To find more specifics about these events, check out the chabad.org calendar. These are events that would be fun for the whole family.
Dec. 16 – Columbus - Grand Chanukah Menorah Lighting Ceremony at Easton Town Center. 4004 Gramercy St.
Dec. 16 – Bexley. Grand Chanukah Menorah Lighting Ceremony- The lighting of a 13 ft. menorah, dancing, a raffle, doughnuts, etc. etc., etc.
Dec. 17- 5 p.m. Cleveland. Family Menorah Lighting for the whole family. This one involves a giant outdoor menorah. University Square Waterstone Medical Center on Cedar and Mirmar
Dec. 17- Toldedo. Chanukah in the Mall - menorah lighting, latkes, etc.
Dec. 18- Akron. Chanukah at the Mall - Giant menorah lighting ceremony children's Choir, latkes, donuts, music and a juggler at the Summit Mall West Market St.
Dec. 18- Dayton. Chanukah at Fairfield Commons
Dec. 20 – Mason.Chanukah Family Game Night N' Latkes by POPS The Jewish Discovery Center
Dec. 21 – Cincinnati. (Evendale) Chanukah-On-Ice at Sports Plus. Skating and more. There's Chanukah music, Chanukah Gelt and dreidels plus raffles and a kosher food stand. A giant ice menorah will also be lit and you can help build a giant 8-ft. Menorah out of Legos. 10765 Reading Rd.
When I was driving from here to there today I noticed trees on top of cars. Ah, yes. It's time to get out the decorations and think that next year we may get a real tree instead of hauling our fake one out of the basement.
If you are looking for a real tree this year and want the cut-your-own-tree version, here are some suggestions. These are more than just tying your tree on top of your car after you've figured out what size might fit in your house before you cut it down. Hot chocolate and a wagon ride fit into the equation of fun. Plus, there's that crisp air, the fresh scent of evergreen and the feeling of Christmas's gone by that make working for a tree all that more memorable.
Big Tree Plantation in Morrow (One of their trees is the huge tree featured in the atrium of Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati. The farm also has reindeer)
There are many, many more possibilities for cut-your-own and pre-cut trees at Ohio's tree farms. To find one close to you, www.pickyourownchristmastree.org is a great website to look.
One of Governor Taft's most interesting initiatives is the Third Frontier Project, an attempt to kick-start high-tech research to build future industry in the state. The project was launched via legislation in 2003 and given 10 years and $1.3 billion to nurse Ohio into the digital revolution.
I recently reviewed their grants for 2006. The winners? Cleveland and Columbus. By far the largest awards came in the medical field, split between Case Western Reserve and OSU. Toledo, you were so screwed.
Fuel cell technology was also widely funded. There, the awards came out surprisingly balanced, with a number of firms receiving about a million bucks each. These awards were also spread around the state a little more.
Some of the big winners: Medical –
$8 million to Case Western Reserve, Cleveland, to expand the capabilities of their Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine. They must figure the next president won't be so hard-ass about stem cell research.
$4.7 million to ChanTest Inc. of Cleveland for drug research.
Another $8 million to Case for neurostimulation research.
$3.5 million to OSU for biomedical diagnosis and therapy device development.
$7.9 million to OSU to develop new medical imaging technology.
Fuel cells --
$1 million to HydroGen of Cleveland.
$999,841 to SOFco-EFS Holdings in Alliance.
$1 million to Edison Materials Technology Center in Dayton.
$919,892 to OnPower, Inc. of Lebanon.
$775,300 to Pemery Corp. of Painesville.
$751,719 to Catacel Corp. of Garrettsville.
$999,927 to NexTech Materials.
Some other awards:
$1,152,400 to OSU in Columbus for superconductor research.
$1,800,000 to the National Composite Center in Kettering for developing composite materials.
$2.1 million to U. of Dayton for developing nanocomposite tooling. No, I don't what these are either.
$1.1 million to the U. of Cincinnati for its "Southern Ohio Creates Companies Pre-seed Fund." As I understand it, they will then dole out this money to hi-tech startups that don't have the sexiness to attract venture capital.
$1.5 million to TechColumbus for the same purpose.
It's hard to argue against funding research if we want to have jobs in developing industries. Certainly seems like a better place to put our money than a minor league baseball park.
I'm just surprised more interest isn't shown in just who we're depending on for this, and what they are going to do with these windfalls. Let's hope, they do a lot. I could use a nice nanocomposite tool or two.
Still stumped for that perfect gift? Let us lend a hand locating Ohio gifts. We excel at spending money.
Check out Lehman's Hardware, Kidron – If you can't visit in person, their web site is a good substitute. This store, originally focused on serving the Amish of the area, still carries the old, non-electric appliances that their religion demands. They also carry a wealth of other tools, kitchen equipment and supplies that you might have found for sale 100 years ago. Fascinating stuff.
Troyer's Trail Bologna – Forget the word bologna; this isn't your wimpy, gummy pink metameat. Trail bologna is spicy and meaty, with salami-like spicing, great on crackers with a cold beer.
Troyer's is an Amish company, so they don't have a web site, but they do have a telephone. Phone: 330 893-2414 Fax: 330 893-3058 Toll Free: 877-893-2414
Stauf's Coffee Roasters – The original coffee retailer in Columbus, Stauf's still turns out some of the best beans and cups of joe in Columbus. The do a nice mail order business too, and what bloggaholic wouldn't love a nice bag of Kona under the tree?
CaJohn's Fiery Foods – For those on your list who always complain that their food isn't spicy enough, Columbus-based CaJohn's puts out a nice selection of caliente cuisine. New is their incandescent Black Mamba hot sauce.
Heggy's Nuts – I grew up eating Ben Heggy's nuts, and I still haven't found anything more tasty than their redskins. The home office in Canton will ship, but order soon; Dec. 15th is their deadline for delivery before Christmas. ODNR fishing map set – The anglers on your list will be knocked out by a set of fishing maps from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, including info on 72 Ohio lakes in a nice ring binder.
Finally, this product has no Ohio angle that I can find, but I list it here in case it might be the perfect gift for someone on your list.
I was walking across the Ohio State University campus yesterday when I noticed this manhole cover. Quite a nice design for a hunk of iron with such a mundane purpose.
This reminded me of a few stories I read which might account for the artistry of this piece --
Between June and November of last year, 220 storm grates were stolen in Columbus.
Last November, Chicago lost 200 manhole covers, 40 in a single day.
Think we have it bad? In Bejing in 2004, 24,000 manhole covers were stolen. Shaghai loses a dozen a day. Calcutta lost 10,000 in a two-month period. Sounds like a great places for a tire dealership.
The average manhole cover weighs about 120 pounds and costs $200 to replace. Sewer grates are about 80 pounds.
Over the last three years, the price of scrap metal has more than tripled, but still, one of these covers is worth less than ten bucks. The repairs for a car that hits one? Take a guess. Mine is several thousand dollars.
I'm guessing that these beautiful Columbus covers are designed to tip off scrap dealers that the iron may have been stolen.
Or maybe our esthetics extend all the way to the ground.
The local bloggers have gleefully left the political season behind and are letting their attention wander near and far. Some interesting posts this week--
Cincinnati -- Red Reporter has his binoculars on baseball's winter meetings. He also has an opinion about the Red's new shortstop.
Speaking of the Cincinnati Reds, The Futon Report sat down with the Red's mascot, Mr. Redlegs.
Cleveland -- About Cleveland reminded us that John Heisman, whose name graces the trophy Troy Smith is about to receive, was an Ohio boy.
This is where and when I grew up, and this short documentary, "Canton -- A City of Change" brought back so many memories: Myers Lake, the downtown, Lincoln High School. I wouldn't have been surprised to see myself in the picture. I would have been the geeky kid with the Drew Carey glasses.
In the age of the blimp and the airplane, we've become pretty blasé about aerial views of our countryside, although I must admit I still get a kick when my plane makes a low approach over cities like San Diego. All those itty-bitty cars look like the Matchbook world of my childhood.
Before air travel, however, people went to extraordinary lengths to gain panoramic views. Why else the popularity of Lookout Mountain and the Eiffel Tower?
Clever artists spoke to this fascination by painting maps of projected overheads of Ohio communities. These panoramas give us a great macro view of city life before the turn of 19th century. Born in Massillon, I get a kick out of seeing how the town looked in the late 1800's. What a peaceful village it was before the steel mills hit town!
Lucky for us, many of these maps have been preserved, and now, put on line by the Smithsonian. From Akron to Youngstown, the main cities of the state are available at the click of a mouse.
Since I love maps, I only wish I had the real thing at hand to pour over. Check them out.
Here is another thing I did not know before. There are more than 100 community theater groups across Ohio affiliated with the Ohio Community Theatre Association. Actually, those are two things I didn't know. #1 --the number of community theaters. #2-- the existence of the Ohio Community Theatre Association. The association that was started in 1953 with just 16 theater memberships, provides resources and information for theater companies across Ohio. This info includes where to get costumes. Now, I wonder if these places rent out for Halloween? Hmm, something to put on a back burner... The association also has competitions where the different theater groups perform scenes of their best productions in order to win a prize. This February there will be a competition in Akron. A friend of mine, an actress, a very fine actress who has actually been in movies, told me about this competition. I'll find out more about it and let you know. The winners then compete on a national level-or is it regional? Again, I'll let you know. I do know that if you want to find out what plays are being performed or is it produced?--throughout the state, the Ohio Community Theatre website is a great place to start. All the theater companies are listed, as well as, their up-coming and past productions, and their contact information.
Today is World AIDS Day, a day to take stock of where we are in dealing with this epidemic, remember those who we have lost as a consequence of it, and examine what we can do to overcome it.
According to the Center for Disease Control statistics at the end of 2004, Ohio had recorded 13,521 cases of people diagnosed with the disease since it was first identified in 1981. In 2004, 660 new cases were reported, a rate of 6.9 per 100,000 Ohioans. Overall, Ohio is 17th among states in reported cases since '81, 37th for 2004 alone. CDC estimates there were 6,689 Ohioans battling AIDS at the end of 2004.
One in six new cases are female. About 40% are black males.
CDC estimates of residents with AIDS by major population areas-
Numbers, numbers, numbers. Given the social stigma surrounding the disease in the U.S., numbers such as these have to be viewed with a jaundiced eye.
What we can't afford to doubt is the cost of this problem. A recent report estimated the anticipated lifetime cost of treating each HIV-positive American at $618,900. For 6,689 Ohioans that would come to a little over $4 billion.
Much of the cost of treating AIDS and HIV-positive Ohioans over the past three years has been funded through the federal Ryan White Care Act. How important is this program? In 2003, Ohio spent a little over $36 million of federal funds in treating this disease. Of that, 92% came from via Ryan White Care Act.
Note the disparity between $4 billion and $36 million.
Now the Ryan White Care Act is up for renewal. It seems to me that the success of HIV treatments has caused AIDS to drop out of the forefront in many people's consciousness. Without the pressure of public attention, I wonder about the fate of this program, and what its demise would mean to our state. World AIDS Day might be a good day to contact your legislators and let them know your opinion.
Magazines always have city rating articles. Best city to live in, eat in, sleep in, build a house in, have a job in, and so on. Self just popped out their own list of the healthiest cities for women to live in, and once again Ohio has a number of low ratings levied against it. Self magazine used a panel of health experts to rate cities based on various facets of women's health to make the determinations.
Cincinnati is rated #99, Akron #89, Columbus #85, and Cleveland #70.
The top city? Honolulu.
Which city do you think is Ohio's healthiest city for women?
I looooove books. Love them. I have worked for libraries and bookstores, and I at times really miss selling books and talking about them. So the chance to talk up some independent bookstores, and how great giving books on holidays is, just makes me too excited to not do it! It is, by the way, perfect to give books for presents. Who doesn't love reading?
Well of course, you've got the Joseph-Beth Booksellers, with locations in Cleveland, Cincinnati and possibly Dayton. In Columbus, there's the Book Loft, which I just love! Both new and gently used books, with a huge selection - very easy to find anything you need/want. Akron is the home to the Blue Heron Bookstore, which not only offers a lovely selection, but also hosts such things like holiday classics book readings (think The Polar Express, and The Night Before Christmas). Toledo's People Called Women bookstore features quite a large inventory of multicultural and feminist texts - there might not be too much for your lighter holiday reading, but for your scholarly cousin, there will be plenty! Another great Cleveland-area indie bookstore is 84 Charing Cross Bookstore, a great store with "rare and uncommon books, maps and ephemera." Love it!
I can't seem to find an independent bookstore for Dayton, and I wish someone would send one to me! Is there any independent bookstore that you just love? Tell me all about it!
Here's something else handy: you can type your zip code in here, and Book Sense (great organization actually dedicated to independent bookselling, wonderful reviews and suggestions) will link you to the website of the closest independent bookstore to you! Very handy.
Another in what seems to be a series of videos of famous Ohio bands. This performance by Akron, Ohio's quirky Devo, they of the flowerpot helmets and clean-room outfits, is from a live performance in 1978. Great energy, although the foundation riff is suspiciously similar to a Led Zeppelin song.
A tip of the hat to writeslikeshetalks for this link from the New York Times, a captivating graphic showing how Ohio transitioned from a red state in '04 to blue in '06.
What strikes me first is the the swing in Southeastern Ohio. My suspicion is that in this election the voters were more focused on the economy and Iraq than the moral values questions of 2004. Also, I don't think the smary image of Kerry played well in the Applachian part of Ohio, and Blackwell had some of the same problems.
The western plains of Ohio, while remaining solidly Republican, were less enthusiastically so. The economy isn't quite so diminished in this area where farming remains a driving force, but the malaise of the war had to have had an effect.
Most of the big cities were consistent with their '04 preferences, except Canton and Toledo, both of which swung toward the blue end of the spectrum.
What would be interesting is an overlay of these results against money/time spent by the candidates in each area.
I love the American Girl series. Any other women out there who had any of the American Girl dolls, ooh, or go to the American Girl stores? It is totally a tribute to buying totally useless nonsense, but that's what all dolls are, and at least at the American Girl store in Chicago, they set up all the dolls in these perfect little scenes, with all of the accessories and outfits.
Well, if you don't have an American Girl doll, but would like your child to start clamoring for one, you can go to the American Girl Fashion Show and Tea Party, which is being sponsored by the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet this weekend in Akron! Yes, not only do the American Girl dolls come with clothes for the doll, but there are life-size versions of the outfits for your daughter, folks! This is historically-themed commercialism at its finest.
I know I sound like I'm mocking it, but I honestly do love the American Girls series. At least these come with researched books, and attempt to showcase different periods of history. And in this case, at the Fashion Show/Tea Party, you will get a performance of the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet at intermission! History, dancing and dolls. It's great being a girl today!
Since I've written so many blogs about Christmas, I wanted to make sure I gave attention to Chanukah as well. With the first day of Chanukah on December 15, there is no time like now to pencil in an event or two. Lighting giant menorahs is happening across the state. To find more specifics about these events, check out the chabad.org calendar. These are events that would be fun for the whole family.
When I was driving from here to there today I noticed trees on top of cars. Ah, yes. It's time to get out the decorations and think that next year we may get a real tree instead of hauling our fake one out of the basement. 
One of Governor Taft's most interesting initiatives is the 
Still stumped for that perfect gift? Let us lend a hand locating Ohio gifts. We excel at spending money.
I was walking across the Ohio State University campus yesterday when I noticed this manhole cover. Quite a nice design for a hunk of iron with such a mundane purpose.
The local bloggers have gleefully left the political season behind and are letting their attention wander near and far. Some interesting posts this week--
In the age of the blimp and the airplane, we've become pretty blasé about aerial views of our countryside, although I must admit I still get a kick when my plane makes a low approach over cities like San Diego. All those itty-bitty cars look like the Matchbook world of my childhood.
Here is another thing I did not know before. There are more than 100 community theater groups across Ohio affiliated with the Ohio Community Theatre Association. Actually, those are two things I didn't know. #1 --the number of community theaters. #2-- the existence of the Ohio Community Theatre Association. The association that was started in 1953 with just 16 theater memberships, provides resources and information for theater companies across Ohio. This info includes where to get costumes. Now, I wonder if these places rent out for Halloween? Hmm, something to put on a back burner... The association also has competitions where the different theater groups perform scenes of their best productions in order to win a prize. This February there will be a competition in Akron. A friend of mine, an actress, a very fine actress who has actually been in movies, told me about this competition. I'll find out more about it and let you know. The winners then compete on a national level-or is it regional? Again, I'll let you know. I do know that if you want to find out what plays are being performed or is it produced?--throughout the state, the Ohio Community Theatre website is a great place to start. All the theater companies are listed, as well as, their up-coming and past productions, and their contact information.
Magazines always have city rating articles. Best city to live in, eat in, sleep in, build a house in, have a job in, and so on. Self just popped out their own list of the healthiest cities for women to live in, and once again Ohio has a number of low ratings levied against it. Self magazine used a panel of health experts to rate cities based on various facets of women's health to make the determinations.
I looooove books. Love them. I have worked for libraries and bookstores, and I at times really miss selling books and talking about them. So the chance to talk up some independent bookstores, and how great giving books on holidays is, just makes me too excited to not do it! It is, by the way, perfect to give books for presents. Who doesn't love reading?
A tip of the hat to 
I love the 
