90.3 at 9: July 2006

90.3 at 9 for Monday, July 03, 2006
To define green building, you could make a long list of typical attributes: energy efficient; non-toxic; non-polluting. But that doesn't get to the heart of the matter. Green building is not a collection of design elements. It's a process designed to minimize harm. Back in May, we had a discussion about what green buildling is, and why it's on the rise. Tune in for a re-broadcast on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Next week, the Indians will head into the All-Star break well below .500, and well behind division leaders Detroit and Chicago. Seems a long way from the 1990s - those were the years when Cleveland managed to redefine the phrase Indian Summer. So, how did we get here? And how was it that the Indians worked their way into playoff contention just last summer? Those are the big questions, and the man with at least some of the answers is Terry Pluto, sports columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal. His new book is called Dealing: The Cleveland Indians' New Ballgame, and it takes the reader inside the front office and on a journey from sellout games to shrunken payrolls and all the players and potential lost and gained in between. Join us for a conversation with Terry Pluto.

90.3 at 9 for Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Surgeon General Richard Carmona pulls no punches when it comes to second-hand smoke. He says any level of exposure can kill. In a new report, the surgeon general says the only way to eliminate nonsmokers' risk is by eliminating indoor smoking. Many workplaces already ban smoking. Still, 30% of U.S. workers are not covered by such policies. We'll talk about how likely that is to change on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Thursday, July 06, 2006
It's old news that Cleveland - like many U.S. cities - is losing residents. The question that's never quite been answered is: What's to be done? People choose where they live based on all kinds of factors, from neighborhood safety to commuting distance. Different qualities attract different people, which makes it hard to put together an effective large-scale effort that will lure people to the city and keep them there. We'll talk about efforts that are afoot, and how effective they are on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Friday, July 07, 2006
Not long ago, women were supposed to have it all - career and family - all at once. Now they're told: Have everything, one at a time. Most women who leave professional careers to care for kids later return. A new book tells them how best to navigate that path. Removing the structural barriers mothers face in the workplace is the focus of another new book. We'll talk with authors of both books, a local working mom, and the CEO of Working Mother magazine on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Monday, July 10, 2006
Despite technology that connects Americans to each other and to people around the globe, a new study finds we're more isolated than ever. Twenty years ago, according to this study, most of us had at least three people who were close to us, people we could confide in, people outside our own families. Now, that number has dropped to two. A huge difference in a short amount of time, researchers say. We'll talk about what's going on, and what it means on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Tuesday, July 11, 2006
You can list some of the topics she covers - religion, politics, love - but that won't give you a feel for the way she blends things together. She connects everything, you see; attaching religion to love, love to politics, and politics to something else again. But we can't speak for Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz, who won last year's Pulitzer Prize for commentary. She can and will speak for herself on 90.3 at 9. Originally aired April 21, 2006.

90.3 at 9 for Wednesday, July 12, 2006
It's already expensive to smoke. In November, voters in Cuyahoga County will decide whether it should become more so. The idea is to raise money for the arts by placing an additional 30-cent-per-pack tax on cigarettes. The county could raise $20 million annually this way - then distribute that money through a grant process to local artists and arts organizations. The proposal enjoys substantial support. We'll talk about what We, the People may say on the matter on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Thursday, July 13, 2006
Google This: New Words and How They Come to Be Nutrient, sebaceous, and succotash... all new words introduced in Webster's dictionary - in 1806. The current crop of new words reflects our on-the-go lifestyle of Internet use and fast food consumption. You can "google" the nutritional impact of "supersizing" your order of fries. But just last year, "google" and "supersize" weren't even considered words, merely cultural phenomena. We'll talk about what it takes for a word to go legit on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Friday, July 14, 2006
Vacationing Right at Home in Cleveland No need to spend $60 to fill up the tank, or get an elaborate color-coded triptych. Clevelanders are vacationing right here at home. We've got world-class museums and cultural attractions but there's also plenty of middle-brow summer fun to be had - like shopping and roller coasters. We'll also talk with one of the artists participating in the Ingenuity Fest on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Monday, July 17, 2006
African-American Drownings One of the last vestiges of segregation has deadly results for African-Americans, especially children. A six-year-old boy climbed to the top of the blue slide and then splashed into the pool - but he didn't come up. Real-life tragedies like that one are far more common for African-American children than for whites. This inability to swim has deep historical roots. We'll talk about it on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Rolling the Dice on Gambling State government is looking for more money and some say it's worth rolling the dice again on gambling. Business and horse racing interests hope to set up slot machines at Ohio horse tracks and other locations. Later, full casinos with blackjack and roulette would follow, but supporters will have to overcome a wall of opposition. A statewide referendum could come this fall. Guest host Regina Brett will talk with experts about it on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Inner-Ring Suburbs Fighting to Maintain Quality of Life Clevelanders continue moving to the suburbs only to find that big-city problems exist there, too. Crime, struggling schools and corporate migration are not just problems for Cleveland anymore. Our oldest, inner-ring suburbs are fighting to maintain the quality of life in the face of declining revenues and changing demographics. Join guest host Regina Brett for the conversation on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Thursday, July 20, 2006
The Risks and Benefits of Gay Bathhouses Cleveland's old Greyhound garage is being transformed into a first class bathing oasis, and when it opens, the city will have two bath houses where men can socialize, exercise and relax. Anticipation of the new bath house, coupled with a relaxed attitude towards AIDS among some of the younger gay population, is sparking new concerns over the spread of the disease in the region. We'll examine the risks and benefits of gay bathhouses on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Friday, July 21, 2006
The Battle for the Internet If you like your Internet service just the way it is, you might be on the side of those calling for net neutrality. That means you'd rather not allow large telecom companies to charge you or content providers like Google for the privilege of faster download times. But phone and cable companies say they are entitled to make money in this way, because of the billions of dollars they've invested to build their networks. The battle for the Internet, on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Monday, July 24, 2006
Black Voting in Euclid Is the City of Euclid systematically diluting the voting power of African Americans? No African-American candidate has ever held elective office in Euclid. The U.S. Justice Department thinks Euclid's electoral process has been rigged to prevent blacks from voting their own into office. But city officials say this reflects a lack of participation by African Americans. Black voting in Euclid, on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Aftermath of a Primary Fiasco Inadequate training, mechanical problems, insufficient staff. In Cuyahoga County's May 2nd primary, all kinds of things went wrong. Last week, the three-member board given the task of figuring out what happened, and why, released a scathing report - placing blame for the debacle squarely on the shoulders of Board of Elections Director Michael Vu and his deputy. Since then, an effort to oust Vu has failed. We'll talk about what happens now on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Wednesday, July 26, 2006
A Penny's Worth? It's happened before, and it's happening again. Our country's first coin, the penny, is in peril. Congress first considered eliminating the penny over 15 years ago, but didn't. And legislators have come back to the issue, partly because pennies now cost more than one cent to make. We'll talk about pennies and other coins past and present; what they mean to the economy and you on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Thursday, July 27, 2006
Economic Development: Success and/or Failure Some say Cleveland's regional economic development efforts are on target; others say they're missing the mark. In recent years, organizations like TeamNEO have formed, with the intention of making it as easy and as attractive as possible for companies to locate or expand in Northeast Ohio. But the success of a long-term process like economic development is not easy to gauge. And people disagree on how things are going. We'll talk about it on 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Friday, July 28, 2006
Owning Your Job Employees at Hoover Company in North Canton are the latest workers to consider taking some form of ownership of their company. It's been three decades since the federal government first authorized employee stock ownership programs. Thousands of firms across the country now have them. But experts say buying in to save an ailing company is very risky. We'll talk about the state of employee ownership in Ohio with the head of a company that's doing it, the state's leading expert on ESOPs and the president of the union local representing workers at the Hoover plant. Join us for 90.3 at 9.

90.3 at 9 for Monday, July 31, 2006
The Power of Siblings Parents generally get the blame - or the credit - for how their kids turn out. New research shows siblings should, too. It's an idea that probably comes as no surprise to anybody with brothers and/or sisters - whether those siblings are close confidantes, arch-rivals, or something in between. Siblings teach each other about conflict; about friendship; about the opposite sex. How siblings help shape our lives on 90.3 at 9.