Gorge Road: Photographed, But Didn't Exist?

My Blackhand Gorge obsession continues.  Don't tell my wife.

The latest issue of discussion is who owns the tunnel that is excluded from the common area of a nearby subdivision.  The deed for the subdivision calls out the tunnel and former railway land.  We know it was a  road after the railway left.  Knowledge after that gets fuzzy, though.

There is actually no evidence proving it was, even, a township or county road.  However, as just a few old postcards show, it was one of the most-photographed and documented roads in Licking County.

Did the Army Corps of Engineers buy it when they forced it to be closed to make way for the Dillon Dam project? Does a power company that took ownership after the railway company still own it?


Interesting questions like these and more abound.  How does a oft-photographed road turn up to never exist?  The answer, when its obtained, could be the key to opening up the north side of Blackhand Gorge to the public to see more often.  Stay tuned.

Look at the road here on the north bank of the Licking River.

And more proof it existed from still another postcard.

Scenic drive.

Gotta read the back of it too.

Even the "A" in Newark showed Gorge Road.

There's, even, a scene of the road at the Ohio Historical Society's online collection of  "New Deal" projects.

Blackhand Gorge, Again

Under escort of a duly-authorized person, I was back to Blackhand Gorge again.  This fact-finding trek produced a waterfall scene to go with a tunnel, towpath, canal lock, and Blackhand Rock view.

I sure do hope guided tours are made possible soon.

Here's sharing a few more photos from that Friday, October 28, 2011 trek.

It's 70 feet down to the Licking River.

Descending Council Rock.

Outside the Interurban Tunnel.  Who owns this tunnel today?  It's excluded from the subdivision plat and used to have a public roadway on it.  So who owns it now?  That's a little unclear by the tax maps.



You'll note the date for the rock carved with the "WPA" is 10-28-1936. That places the marker date for this apparent Works Progress Administration project at 75 years ago on the date of the trek. Neat.



"The World is Upside Down"

It's not what you think.  My son remarked on the thick fog today saying, "The World is upside down."

Here's a few fog photos from Dawes Arboretum where we went to enjoy the crisp, fall day with a heavy dose of fog.

STEM Speed Networking

Let's face it.  Academics and industry types don't always talk the same language.  It's hard to get them together at the table sometimes.  Yet, it's absolutely essential to a community's well-being that they do talk and learn from each other.

Licking County might be on to something.

Applause goes out to The Works, Licking County's science museum extraordinaire, and the Licking County Chamber, hosts of the hugely-successful Manufacturer's Council, for combining efforts to get schools and industry together.

The topic was science, technology, engineering, and math--the so-called STEM skills.


Executives from Boeing, Bionetics, Bayer, Owens Corning, Momentive Performance, PCA, Screen Machine Industries, and Goodrich were the presenters.  Each of these Licking County companies has extreme STEM skills needs in both engineering degrees and technician-level talent now and into the future.

School district superintendents, guidance counselors, and science teachers were the audience.

The format was "speed networking" which is a business-like version of speed dating.  The Chamber has done this sort of thing before and the model worked well for this purpose too.

Here's how it works: 

Each company rep was given eight minutes to talk about how they use STEM skills in their plant to a school district's table-full of people.  The setting is more networking-oriented than presenting to a wide audience in front of the room.

When eight minutes was up, the rep moved on to the next table and new company exec sat down.  And so on and so on for the lunch meeting until every table had heard from every company.

The company leaves having met leadership and teachers from every school.  They leave knowing they reached a broad audience of educators with their workforce needs conveyed.

The schools leave having met more companies and contacts for supporting their individual STEM efforts.  They leave having a broader view of industry needs too.

This is something able to be duplicated elsewhere.  Here's hoping it gets duplicated again next year in Licking County.

Thanks to The Works and the Chamber.  The Port Authority was proud to be a sponsor.  I was proud to watch it take place as one more tool in a strong STEM effort in Licking County.

The Northern Lights in Ohio

A photo submitted to NBC4 by a Newark, Ohio resident.

I don't keep a "bucket list" really but, if I did, seeing the Northern Lights some day would be on that list.

I missed them two nights in a row even though they were in my backyard.  Multiple photographs are cropping up of the Northern Lights in Newark, Ohio.

I tweeted with the hope that someone might find a modern way to alert people when they are visible again.  We'll see.

I also sent my staff scanning through the recordings of our security cameras hoping the familiar colorful glow might show up on the hundreds of images.  That would make a great website and Facebook page share for the Port Authority I thought.  We struck out though.  Looks like the parking lot lights tended to cancel them out or something.

Here's hoping they make an appearance again soon.

In the meantime, I found a website that forecasts the "Auroral activity."  See http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/2 even though they failed to forecast the lights' visibility over the Midwest this week.

I also found that the NOAA provides a map showing possible activity.

The Word From Outside Our Backyard

Sometimes you have to venture outside of your own backyard to get a sense of how things are going in your backyard.

The Daily Telegraph, with a piece published online Sunday evening, did that very thing.  It had shale gas, energy independence, demographics, manufacturing, and reshoring all wrapped up to go in 29 short paragraphs.

To think.  A must-read summation of the future of the U.S. economy requires us turning to a Europoean source.

Still debating on clicking through?  Here's a good summary of the summary:  "The American phoenix is slowly rising again. Within five years or so, the U.S. will be well on its way to self-sufficiency in fuel and energy. Manufacturing will have closed the labour gap with China in a clutch of key industries."

Another Course on Demographic Dividends

Call it Demographic Dividends 202.  Another lesson from professor Joel Kotkin on the link between demographics and economic growth was published at NewGeography.com yesterday.  It's another Kotkin must-read.

His piece reviews Census and WTO data predicting labor force and population declines in other countries for which the U.S. competes for production capacity.  He reminds us, "The populations of long term competitors among advanced countries—including the European Union, Japan and Russia—are all expected to stagnate and then decline."

He makes the case for letting immigration run its course.  Immigration is a part of our "demographic dividend."

Kotkin concludes with a warning of mimicking the policies of the EU and elsewhere, saying, "A growing population may create great environmental and economic challenges, but it seems clear that a scenario of persistent decline and rapid aging presents a far worse prospect."

Local Manufacturing Making News

This doesn't happen often.  Two news stories in two days about local manufacturers.

Sunday, The Dispatch profiled Ariel Corp. for their series on the soon-to-boom oil and gas industry.  The best quote:  ". . .Because of the Marcellus shale and the Bakken shale (in Montana and North Dakota) — oil and gas, not just gas — the United States could be energy independent. Really, truly."  Great news.  And I believe Karen Wright is right.

Today, a local machine shop gets profiled by The Advocate.  See the story, dateline St. Louisville.  Precision is the name of the game in this tiny shop.  The best quote:  "A lot of my work is held in (or only allowing a difference of) one-third of a hair strand."  Wow.  St. Louisville is a small town.  Proves skills can be found anywhere.

Keep them coming, news media.

The Cure For Twitterhea

Urban Dictionary defines Twitterhea well.  As the word combo of Twitter and another word implies, Twitterhea is an infliction of people who put out too many useless tweets.

I have the cure for it.

Of course, one can just unfollow the offenders.  For non-Twitter users, this means stop listing them among Twitter accounts looked at regularly.  This option is not so social, though. I did this with my daughter when I found her inflicted with a bad case of Twitterhea.  I think I greatly offended her though.

I think Flipboard is the best option.  Flipboard offers multiple ways to cure Twitterhea.  Flipboard is an iPad App that converts Twitter messages into newspaper-like content.  Since most Twitterhea has no solid information contained in it, Flipboard simply moves on without much notice of the offenders' messages.

Flipboard also has a way to take Twitter lists and only show those lists' contents.  Thus, you can list everyone on your Twitter feed except the Twitterhea offenders and simply follow that list. 

Viola!  End of Twitterhea.

NASA Soccer Machine

The Newark Area Soccer Association (aka NASA) is a virtual soccer machine.  My son's season winded up today, and I'm marveling at the place in North Newark.

It left me impressed, again this season, with the amazing, orchestrated efforts of Keith Laughlin and his army of volunteers. There are more games going on here than I can count.  Coaches, referees, concessions, and more work in concert about every day it's practical to play soccer in a year.  It really, truly is a machine.

In this electronic generation, it's great to see the horde of kids burning energy and staying fit.  NASA is playing a big part in a healthier, more prosperous community indeed.

Thanks, NASA.

Winning Demographics

Winning demographics.

On his PowerPoint handout, Brian Beaulieu left the space blank below the title "Winning Demographics."

His presentation filled in the blank.  The U.S., India, Indonesia, Australia, Chile, and Brazil were among the nations listed as those possessing winning demographics.  GDP and population growth are correlated.

China was on the underside of the PowerPoint slide. 

Though Beaulieu never said it, it's clear the implications:  It's time for the Chinese, like their German and Japanese counterparts three decades ago when their demographics began to slide too, to look at investing outside of their country to sustain their economy.

Beaulieu gave the Chinese five to six years before the "Negative Demographics" start to catch up with their economy.

Tidbits From the Beaulieu Brothers

It was Brian this time.  I got to hear from Alan Beaulieu at a Vistage All-City meeting talk about the economy two years ago, coming away with a slue of to do items and armed with a greater knowledge of our economy.  This time his younger brother, Brian (younger by eight minutes) put on the talk for 100+/- CEOs in Central Ohio.  It was another productive day by my standards.

Here's a few of my takeaways from the day:

• "Left to its own devices, this economy will grow."  Brian didn't have to say much more than that to get my attention.  He predicted 2012 to be a growth year, giving it a "B" grade among growth year grades at one questioners' request.
• Regrettably, I wish he had stopped there.  Brian also predicted another Recession in mid 2013 through 2014, one much like experienced in the early 1990's.  Since these brothers predicted the most recent recession, its best to heed their predictions.
• The message:  We have 18 months to prepare for the next one.  18 months.
• Brian pointed to leading indicators, exports growth, employment increases, and bank lending rises among eight listed signs of recovery.

• Demographics matter.  Though I never heard Joel Kotkin mentioned in name, the demographic correlations to help predict the future were omnipresent. 
• Beaulieu's ITR firm considers demographics a "mega trend" with a direct correlation between population growth and GDP growth. 
• It's why he's bullish on the U.S., India, and Brazil among "winning demographics" and less so on China, Japan, Europe, and Russia for their "negative demographics."

• A bit about Ohio was charted out for the Ohio CEOs.  Regrettably, our unemployment and other economic trends tend to mirror the nation.  However, construction industry employment is trending up as our building permits.
• He showed a trend line on the Ohio Housing Price Index showing we've hit the 30-year low and are on the rise, adding "the pain is behind us." 
• His analysis is that the low in commercial construction activity has happened in Ohio already too.
• His chart on median home sale prices in the Columbus market didn't show a housing price bubble. "Sane and boring" was Brian's label for our housing market. Yes, he's funny too.

• Manufacturing news was upbeat.  ITR's trend analysis is showing that near-shoring and re-shoring are real.  Beaulieu suggested everyone in manufacturing "needs to get a great training program going."
• The leveling of comparative labor costs and devaluing of the dollar are working in favor of export-minded producers in the U.S.

• Economic development in Licking County got some tidbits too.  Marketing campaigns have a purpose in 2012.  Finally.  It's good we are getting more ready, as a county, to move ahead in this area.
• News on the defense industry was not as upbeat with the strong warning:  "Wind down or minimize this part of your business."  Here's hoping maintenance and repair in the defense industry is a hedge.
• The industries that are "largely unaffected" by economic downturns also make for good target industries for Licking County, including energy, "green" industry, and food (including pet food and alcohol).
• Talking briefly about the Utica shale gas boom, Beaulieu's comments speak to the challenge in Ohio will be keeping the capital here that is earned here from leases and royalties.  His question in answer to a question was a bit of a wake-up call:  "What keeps these people from taking the money and moving to Florida?"  Yikes.

One final conclusion.  With time for a one-on-one question afterward, I asked Beaulieu about the oft-repeated prediction that China will surpass the U.S. in GDP in coming years.  He said, "It's not going to happen" and suggested most economists have backed off of those predictions now.

More good news.

Don't Vilify Them

Those are my neighbors.  The Sheriff deputies in Muskingum County may not be people I know, personally, but I am certain I know someone who knows them.  They are my neighbors.

Don't vilify them.

The blue dot is my family's home where my wife, four kids, and two little dogs live with me.  The purple dot is where one guy and 50+ wild animals, including carnivorous ones, lived until October 18 and 19, 2011.  Those carnivorous animals included dozens of ones capable of leaping 18 feet and killing a human being in an instant.

That the guy at the purple dot decided to take his own life and, before doing so, let loose his bounty of animals on the rest of us is not anyone but that guy's fault.

The Sheriff's deputies who took the lives of those wild animals did so for the sake of their neighbors, people like me.

All I ask.  Don't vilify them.  They did their sworn duty.  I'm grateful they did.  Thank you, neighbors.

Strategies for Growing Manufacturing at the Grassroots

If you can't get a national manufacturing policy going, you can at least get a grassroots one going. 

The International Economic Development Council's year-in-the-making report on manufacturing is now published and promises a grassroots approach to growing manufacturing jobs in the United States.  See the 11-page executive summary or download the full, 201-page report at http://www.iedconline.org/?p=EDRP_Publications. on the IEDC website (Warning:  may be members only).

Full disclosure: I am a member of the EDRP wing of IEDC that gave input on this report so I do have a bias.

The report's purpose is to arm economic development professionals with some talking points and case studies for manufacturing growth.    It does that and more.

The bottom line message is this:  You won't see the phrase "national manufacturing policy" one time in this national report from a national group.  This report is really a grassroots reference guide to getting manufacturing going in the U.S. one community at a time.

Even beyond the bottom line, there's a lot to like in this report.  If you're like me, you'll like these tidbits:

Page 26: Under  "Key U.S. Advantages" header is a list of reasons the U.S. future for manufacturing is so great.

Page 27:  The report mentions Joel Kotkin and cites demographics as a reason behind manufacturing strengths in the U.S.

Page 35:  The map on rail capacity in 2035 in the U.S. is a huge wake-up call for why infrastructure investment is so critical in a national manufacturing policy.

Page 66: C-TEC's 79|Seventy Manufacturing Certification Program gets mention in an inset box under the Workforce Development header.

Page 140:  C-TEC's program gets a full case study-level recognition.  Now, it truly can call itself a national-model program.

Page 170:  Though I'm a skeptic, there is a list of Federal resources to help economic development agencies go after helping their local manufacturers.

Can't Find Workers? Less A Problem Here

Ariel Corporation in Mt. Vernon has billboards in Newark recruiting workers.  Companies in Franklin County, including business development groups, have been known to post billboards here too from time to time.

Add to that Ohio Governor Kasich who continually points to the number of available jobs posted on OhioMeansJobs.com as a sign of unfilled jobs in Ohio.  There were over 80,000 when I was typing this.

Reuters just reported on the mismatch between 14 million unemployed in the U.S. coupled with reports of manufacturers not being able to fill job openings.  A Deloitte study published today says there are 600,000 unfilled manufacturing jobs.

There's a state and national crisis looming on shortage of available, skilled workers for manufacturing.

Yet, I just recently attended a meeting of manufacturers in Licking County and heard no such widespread panic about being able to find workers here.

What's going on?  How can Licking County be seemingly exempt from this issue?

I think part of the answer is that Licking County, though we still have much work to do, does a better job than most places in training under employed to ensure a constant pool of available job seekers for our manufacturers. 

C-TEC's national-model Manufacturing Certification Program is one example.  About to enter its next class on November 7, the program is marrying up underemployed people with job-needy manufacturers.  20 companies are enrolled in encouraging, interviewing, and, even, training people in the program.

COTC is also part of the equation. The associate degrees and customized training capabilities add to the pool as well.  Plus, COTC draws from an amazing number of counties in Ohio.

Our citizens are also part of the reason this issue hasn't hit here as hard.  Manufacturing is alive in Licking County and our workforce understands manufacturing remains a part of our future.

We also have a large number of out-commuters.  In fact, a March survey by Workenomics found that 9% of out-commuters report manufacturing skills.  That's a pool of thousands of workers who, given the chance, would want to work closer to home.

It's all about keeping pace. Licking County's capabilities come together better than most places in the nation to meet company workforce needs. That's the bottom line.

On Access

The Advocate is poised to run a story this morning on a recent "fact finding mission" to the Black Hand Gorge.  Look for it at http://newarkadvocate.com/ in the Life section.

Controversy will, undoubtedly, ensue.

The issue is access.  Some have it.  Some don't.  Some want it.  Some don't want others to have it.

In my view, access doesn't have to be seen as a divisible commodity. 

If one person has access to hike or walk, it doesn't mean someone else loses it in proportion.  Public access to the interurban tunnel, Black Hand Rock, and sandstone towpath in the Black Hand Gorge does not trample on the easement (or right of way) rights of the nearby subdivision's various owners.

I hope my prediction of controversy is wrong.

A Kids' Point of View

Seeing a colorful autumn sky caused my kids to start a talk about heaven.

Their point of view is great.  I just listened.

John said he thinks heaven would have tons of maps to look at and Chief Wahoo hats to wear. Future engineer?  Future die-hard Indians' fan?

Brynley was all about weather.  She thinks heaven would have rainbows, trees changing leaves, and other weather-related things.  Future meteorologist?

Brooks said all electronics would be in heaven.  His view would have battery-operated devices everywhere.  Future couch potato?

Some of My Favorite Personal Phrases

Some of my personal favorite phrases:

Landlord is two, four-letter words.  I use this phrase often to explain what our Port Authority does in a nutshell but give an understanding why we aren't always universally loved.  We own a property leased to multiple companies with multiple personnel.  It's been a great success for us, our customers, and their customers.  But sometimes you have to be a bad guy too.  It goes with the territory.

All I can take credit for is the weather.  This is my attempt at injecting humor and humility.  I'm not delusional so don't take the phrase literally.  I use this when there's good weather at an event and when I want to make sure other people are getting their deserved share of credit, not me.  This was the case this past Saturday with great weather and a great event organized by a great team of people.

Make it a project. I've used that phrase for years to get someone going on taking an idea to implementation.  This is a daily thing here with projects having time frames from one day to three years.

With credit comes blame.  I use this one a lot too.  Think about it.  No one ever gets 100% agreement on a course of action.  So, when someone likes something and gives credit for it to someone they are as much affixing blame for the people who don't like it.  It's also a statement about accountability.  Some people try to take credit for something when people like it and try to, in nearly the same breath, affix blame when people don't.  The message is that accountablity is an 100% thing, undividable.

Just a few.  Got any of your own to share?

Movie Review: Beware The Ides of March

Turns out, the soothsayer who warned Julius Caesar with the statement "Beware the Ides of March" may have actually been warning us of a bad movie coming out in late 2011 more than warning Caesar of his looming fate.

I saw the movie because it was a movie about politics, referenced Ohio, and had scenes filmed at familiar places in Ohio.  If all I could say was positive things about this movie, I'd have to stop right now.

It was pointless.  Unless the point was that politicians and all the people that work for them are valueless scumbags, I couldn't find a point to the movie.  If that was the point, I still conidr it pointless.

It was valueless.  Every single person with a line in this movie compromised their values.  Every. Single. One.

It was hero-less.  I don't quarrel with the acting.  The story, though, lacked any hero.  Every character in this movie was without character. 

It was just, plain worthless.  If there were ways to pay for a movie based on how much you liked it, I would have gotten every penny of my $7.50 back.

Listen to Caesar's soothsayer.  Beware the Ides of March.

Preservation Through Education, Access

This extraordinary view is part of the land under control of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. It's the view looking down on the Licking River from Black Hand Rock in the Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve.

This view, along with an intact canal lock, a sandstone towpath, an intact railway tunnel, and a WPA road project, is all part of a compact, easy-to-hike area in the preserve. History has been preserved along with stunning scenery.

The problem is that few people ever get to see it.

In recent years, the threat of being accused of trespassing has served to scare off the general public. Even though easily two-thirds of the Rotary members at Tuesday's meeting boasted having seen this area of the preserve, many confessed they hadn't taken their kids and grandkids given the confusing, at best, access privileges afforded the general public.

I am hopeful that is all going to change sooner rather than later. Stay tuned as a concept of guided, educational tours and improved land management promoted by retired Toboso School Principal Bill Weaver gets legs. An able, motivated preserve manager, ODNR's Jody Holland, has newly taken the helm. He is full of ideas and possessing a long list of volunteers ready and willing to help.

Hopefully, by this time next year, this view can be experienced by as many as choose to experience it. Hopefully, soon, the path through can be cleaned up and made safer for people to see and experience.

Now, that's preservation.

Blackhand Gorge: I'm Back!

Today, I go back to the north bank side of Blackhand Gorge near Toboso, Ohio.

It's not a pleasure trip.  It's a fact finding mission.  Who am I kidding?  It's a pleasure trip.

In mid July when this photo was taken, my kids and I treked the north bank side for the first time.  Inspired by the book Black Hand Gorge: A Journey Through Time, we went looking for the history mingled with the scenery.

Afterward, I boldly wrote a couple columns about my experience.

Turns out I may have, unwittingly, been trespassing, sort of, kind of.  Though, from what I can tell, the land is owned by the state, there are proper easement rights (or something of that sort) to allow a neary subdivision's various owners to set terms on whom can go through and when.

Suffice to say that has mostly been clarified and, hopefully, more people can see the wonder and experience the history of the Gorge without the shame of being labeled a trespasser in the future.

Today, I go with permission of the State ODNR and rightful easement shareholder.

Following a Newark Rotary presentation by the book author, Aaron Keirns, I get to trek the same path again, and then some.

Be assured.  I'll be writing about it afterward.

After The Energy Summit

Ohio Governor John Kasich hosted a two-day Energy and Economic Summit two weeks ago with many Licking County officials in attendance and, even, a big part of the program.
It’s clear that the oil and gas “boom” is coming to Eastern Ohio in some form. Here’s my observation: The impact here will be less measured in how many oil and gas wells are drilled here in Licking County (some will be and at least one Utica shale well already has been) but, instead, in how Licking County best capitalizes on the activity in other ways.

Capturing Ancillary Business. The supply chain is our Licking County niche. Bayer stands poised to use the wet gas product as a raw material for their compounding plant in Hebron. Marathon Oil’s Heath terminal likely has a role. The interstate gas lines can pump in reverse. These are a few thoughts. What can we do to help our economy with spin off work?

Capturing Workforce.  The average wage on an oil rig is $77,000 a year. Poaching of existing workers is a real threat to our existing companies. We, collectively, need to figure out how to make it an opportunity instead.  Our community needs to promote more and more ways to train our workforce with industry-in-demand skills.

Capturing Capital. A recent national op-ed in Forbes made a good point. With the land leases and soon-to-come flow of royalties into Eastern Ohio, a great number of Ohioans are going to be looking where to put their investment dollars. What can we in Licking County do to see it ends up in innovation and product development for our existing and prospective new companies?

Many at the Summit remarked that a Licking County-scaled version of the Energy Summit with a focus on how best to go about capturing economic impact from the oil and gas boom is a logical next step.

Just sparking the discussion a little.  Or so I hope.

Tying It All Together

Manufacturing and STEM education are linked. It's not always obvious they are, though, to most. Yesterday, a science show in front of the Boeing building at the Aerospace Center in Licking County helped show it. A picture speaks a thousand words.

Great, Positive Media Coverage

NewarkAdvocate.com has a fabulous article on the 15-Year, 50-Year Celebration and Open House hosted by the Port Authority and our customers at the Aerospace Center today.

When a story is good, there's little much else to say except, "Read it."

So, I say, read it!

History's Purpose: Inspire The Future

There will be people at our 15-Year, 50-Year event at the Aerospace Center tomorrow who can boast having worked here from Day One 50 years ago!   People who picked up and moved their families from Southwest Ohio, Eastern Pennsylvania, and other places around the globe to Licking County back in 1961 and 1962 will be there too. People who did the same thing 15 years ago when privatization came will be there too.  Amazing stories.

Looking at the past is worthwhile, but it's greatest worth comes when it pays forward in some way.

I believe looking backward will have served its greatest purpose when it inspires the next generation.    The STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) focus of the event is intended to be that spark of inspiration. 

That's why the most exciting thing for me tomorrow will be realizing, when I see their faces, that some children are inspired by what they see, hear, and experience.  The measure of success will if kids decide, then and there, that STEM skills are for them.

Here's hoping it works.

Fair Trade With China

One proposed it. The other backed it.

Both of Ohio's U.S. Senators are pushing a bill to impose trade sanctions on China if the Chinese government won't halt unfair trade practices. The Dispatch reports on the surprise backing by Senator Portman to a bill proposed by Senator Brown.

Free trade without fair trade is no trade at all. Best of luck, Senators.

Hoping for More Happy Talk

Jeff Thredgold only does this twice a year.  We need more "Happy Talk" postings from Jeff, but we'll take what we can get.

His latest version of Happy Talk includes a repeat or two (Men’s contribution to housework has doubled over the past 40 years, while their time spent on child care has tripled.) but it's the new happy stuff that I really liked.

Here's a few tidbits from the Tea Leaf intermingled with my parenthetical commentary:

• The U.S. accounted for 34% of the funds spent globally on research & development during 2010. (Another reason for STEM education in my book.)

• Roughly 47% of science and engineering degrees of those ages 25 to 39 are held by women, compared with 21% among those 65 and older.  (If we're going to keep R&D high, we need more scientists and engineers.)

• The country’s net petroleum imports peaked at 60.3% in 2005 and dropped to 49.3% in 2010.  (On our way to energy independence, unless some politicians get in the way of it.)

• America produces more steel today than 30 years ago, despite the shuttered plants and slimmed-down work force.  (We should be proud of this.  It speaks to innovation and productivity.)

• A record 85% of adults over age 25 now have at least a high school diploma, versus 24% in 1940.  (Another great trend.)

Thanks, Jeff.  I'm feeling better this morning, and I haven't even had my coffee yet.

More Energy and Manufacturing Link

"I came away from the summit hopeful about Ohio's energy future.  Our large manufacturing and agriculture sectors are major energy consumers and within our borders are diverse energy sources." 

This was a paragraph in Governor John Kasich's "Dear Friend" letter to those that attended the recent Ohio Energy and Economic Summit.  I like this message very much.

Right on.  Right on.

Energy and Manufacturing Linked

A piece in Forbes followed Joel Kotkin's last week and struck a familiar chord.  The oil and gas boom appearing to about to hit Ohio bodes well for Ohio manufacturing.  See Buckeye Oil Billions Will Unleash an Ohio Manufacturing Tech Boom.

The premise is in the conclusion.  It reads:  " . . .technology unleashes resources, resource wealth creates capital, the capital is re-invested in new technology, that in turn unleashes resources. And on it goes. Or it can if we unleash it.  Ohio is leading the way."

The author predicts the gush of new capital into Ohio will find its way into Ohio-based investments and, since Ohio is a manufacturing state, those investments will lead to manufacturing technology booms.

Here's hoping he's right.  I think he is.

On Re-Apportioning Apportionment Board

This isn't a partisan political statement. It's a pragmatic one. I believe the best government for Ohioans is when pragmatism prevails and pragmatic leadership gains the upper hand.

Two meetings of Ohio's Apportionment Board were held this past week.  The number of people who expect another meeting of such a body in Ohio is dwindling.  It's days may be numbered for sure.

I'm writing this before the Statehouse Press Corps gets ahold of this one.  I'll be surprised if the re-apportioning apportionment actions of this past week stay off their radar screen.  Editorial boards are already seizing the moment too.

The process is not making anyone look good. 

The solution was proposed a while ago from then-Speaker, now-Secretary of State Jon Husted.  Husted's proposal to do away with the partisan way that seats in the General Assembly and Congressional Districts in Ohio are apportioned and re-districted looks like it makes a lot of sense.  He's shown his even handedness by bringing it back up again.

Godspeed Jon Husted.

Choosing Excellent Schools

My kids start a new school Monday. They are departing an excellent school. The one they are moving to is a better fit and when we reached that conclusion, it was time to exercise our parental options.

One of the things I like about our home in Licking County is the options we have for a child's education. Newark City Schools are rated excellent under state standards and our experience, to date, has validated that.

Upon meeting the kids' new principal, I liked how, when I commented that her banner boasting the schools rating was outdated, that the updated one was posted the next day. Little things do matter.

Here come the Platt triplets!

See http://www.newarkcity.k12.oh.us/.