Award winning architect Frank Gehry is known for his work all over the world. Among his designs in Ohio is the University of Toledo's Center for Visual Arts.

I do not often to go to Akron, even though I do have family that lives near there - thankfully, it's not like they're on campus! And I have to say, I remembered Saturday night why I don't go to Akron more often: it takes forever to get there. Seriously! It's something like 45 minutes to an hour away from Cleveland, but let me tell you, it felt much longer.

But I had a big plan! Sidekick Girl had gotten hired to do a gig at Max McQ's bar, billiards, poker and apparently stand-up comedy club, and as a valiant friend, I wanted to support her. So I also dragged along another friend Kathleen, and we all sucked it up and bundled up and headed out to Akron. Max McQ's, I found out, is in a quaint area of Akron called the Valley, and I'm not going to lie - I still don't really know what that means. What does it mean? How much of a valley are we talking about here? I think it's because it's part of the larger Cuyahoga valley region, but I can't find this out for sure. Any Akron residents reading, please enlighten me. But surprisingly, Max McQ's had great martinis (and the drinks were so big, they were called maxtinis on the menu), and the comics worked hard against the poker game in one part of the room, basketball games on tv, and the lure of the pool tables next door. Rough.

So after a rousing hour or so of comedy at Max McQ's, we were still alert and looking for fun. So we did what all twenty-somethings in Akron do: we went downtown, towards the University, and hit the street of bars! We ended up at Thursday's Lounge, which had dancing. And while it took a really long time to fill up (what else was going on on a Friday night in Akron?! I kid!), the DJ had great choices and it was nice to kind of just get and shake it up while not wearing a giant winter coat.

Akron, I apologize. I assumed that with an hour's drive, there was nothing fun there! I was so wrong.

Bono, lead singer for U2 and advocate for improved conditions in the underdeveloped parts of the world, especially Africa, has partnered with students at Miami of Ohio to market African-made cotton t-shirts.

Students in Miami's Center for Social Entrepreneurship buy the edun Live brand T's for about $4 per, screen print messages and art on them, and sell them to other
campus and off-campus groups for around $10. Among the messages they've come up with so far is "I know who made my shirt: do you?" Proceeds for the shirts will be used to further the Center's mission by bringing in speakers and perhaps sending students to Africa.

edun Live hopes to expand the program to many other campuses. Bono started the company in order to provide jobs and trade to developing countries, promoting the idea of 'trade, not aid'.

I have found no explanation why the company name spelled backwards is 'Evil nude'.

If you're a history buff like I am, and obviously connected to the internet if you're reading this right now, you should take a trip over to Youngstown State University's Oral History Digital Program, where you can download transcripts of over eleven hundred oral accounts given by Northeastern Ohians since 1974. The histories recorded span subjects such as the World Wars, Vietnam, Immigrant Cultures, the steel industry before and after it settled and abandoned the Youngstown-Warren region of Ohio, the Holocaust, religion, and so much more.

I've read through a great many of the oral history transcripts myself, trying to familiarize myself with the region in which I grew up. You'd be surprised how much you don't know about where you come from. So take a dip into your heritage, and see if you can't find out some of the reasons why Northeastern Ohio is what it is today.

Kiplinger Magazine has released results of a new survey rating the value of education received at America's public universities. Only two Ohio schools made it into their top 100. Miami of Ohio finished 38th in value, but first in cost.

Results-

• Miami of Ohio, 38th for residents, 38th for non-residents
• Ohio State: 62nd for residents, 79th for non-residents

The top three schools in value received were North Carolina, Florida (OUCH!), and William and Mary.

The rating were based on a combination of cost and academic programs, with more weight given to the latter. Among the data factored into academics were SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, and graduation rates. Financial aid was factored into cost.

The average per-year cost of Miami is $32,377, which was a staggering $11,000 more than any other school among the top 100. (Why in the world is a state-supported school so overwhelmingly expensive?) OSU costs $17,157. Least expensive among the 100 was the Mississippi University for Women at $9,100.

On the bright side, since cost and quality are both factored into this table, Miami must offer some terrific education to finish on this list at all, given their costs. But where are the rest of our universities?

This towering steel and granite assemblage by Michigan artist David Barr stands in front of Columbus State Community College's new Center for Workforce Development in Columbus. Vault is mean to evoke math, geography and nature. I see the nature part. Check out other photos for different perspectives.

I was reading the New York Times article on Jim Tressel and the bizarre dichotomy between his sterling behavior and the not-so-sterling behavior of his players, and it mentioned a great statistic: how many Ohioans would vote Jim Tressel in as a major politician, based solely on his performance as the head coach at OSU. Quite a few, is the response. (Exact number?) I can't really blame them; I'm from Berea where the Tressels are from (I once had his brother as a teacher in sixth grade; and there is a Tressel street), so we love the Tressels without question.

But I'm also a Clevelander, and so here's my thought: who would win in a political race between LeBron James and Jim Tressel? That is a tough question. You have LeBron "King" James, bringing the Cavs and Cleveland's sports back into the national spotlight (sportlight?). He's young, he's energetic, and he'd obviously be able to get the entire youth vote. But what about Jim? Been around for a while, also getting national recognition for his team. A little more of a leader (corralling young football players year-round has got to be good for leadership) and obviously a little more mature than 22-year-old LeBron. But who would win? Let's see some votes!

Painful as it might be to revisit, I thought I'd pass along some of my game notes from yesterday's debacle.

Florida punched us in the I
Florida's defense packed the line whenever OSU went into the I formation, obviously knowing the Buckeyes mostly run from that set. The weakness of the I is the time it takes for the running back to reach the line, and on the crucial 4th and 1 run in the second half, by the time Wells hit the non-hole most of Florida was waiting for him. This formation works well against teams with weak front lines, which certainly doesn't describe Florida.

OSU lost the 5 on 4
OSU tried, unsuccessfully, to block the four-man rush with just their core linemen, sending four wideouts and the tight end out. Once Florida proved this was impossible, OSU began keeping in a blocking back, which made it even more impossible for Smith to find an open receiver.

Mano a mano they kicked us in the can-o
Judging from Smith's reactions, Florida's defensive backs must have blanketed OSU's receivers. I'm guessing once Ginn went out, Gonzalez drew the best of them, and never became a factor. This bodes ill for next year, and makes me wonder if the club has much outside speed coming back.

Blitz hits the ***ts
OSU began the game attempting to rattle Florida quarterback Chris Leak by bringing pressure with blitzing linebackers. Unfortunately, Peak proved very mobile,. The game plan had him rolling out frequently, and the pass plan was obviously to concentrate on short, quick passes. OSU didn't touch him until the game was essentially over. By then, they'd dropped into a three-man rush with eight in coverage, which was more successful.

Defensive line studs play like duds
Remember Quinn Pitcock? Was he with the team yesterday? David Patterson? At the beginning of the season, OSU's defensive line was touted as their strength. Last night, they not only failed to penetrate on pass rushes, but were consistently caught gawking on draw plays and failing to force runners wide on the corners.

Time of possession leads to depression
Bad offense leads to bad defense and vice versa. The Bucks inability to string together first downs kept the defense on the field way too long. The longer they were on the field, the less able they were to respond to Florida, so by the time the offense got back on the field, they were overeager and feeling pressure. In football, this avalanche picks up speed incredibly fast.

The good news is that this tends to exaggerate the difference between teams. A few good early breaks for the Buckeyes could have made a huge difference in the game. One less injury, penalty, reception or sack at the beginning of a game can change things dramatically, like a snowball starting down a snowfield. Keep in mind that the Gators only won the second half 7-0.

Tressel's creation was our deflation
Troy Smith won the Heisman by following Tressel's directions- refuse to throw into tight coverage, take his time to study the field before releasing, scramble away from slow Big 10 lineman, and toss the ball to Ohio-fast wideouts. These attributes came back to haunt him. He had time to find his primary receiver, but didn't release if they weren't totally open. He was able to juke the first line of rushers, but didn't realize that once juked, these players had the speed to recoup and run him down. He had a few moments to throw on the run, but OSU's wideouts were unable to separate from the Florida defensive backs. I suspect Smith dropped a full round in the draft with last night's performance.

The next new thing in football
After last night's game, look for half the teams in the country to incorporate aspects of Florida's confusion offense. Between this game and the whipping USC put on Michigan, we might be witnessing the death throes of Big-10 ball.

Fifth down
What about next year? The Bucks will need to rebuild the offense, but Tressel is a masterful recruiter, and I have no doubt there are more stars on the horizon. It takes a great coach to pick his team up off the mat of such a loss, but he's proven he is that coach.

Are you planning to watch the OSU-Florida national championship game with friends tonight, although you know nothing and care nothing about football? Don't panic! Just refer to Blog-O's Football cliches cheat sheet.

If you're trapped in a conversation about the game and expected to respond, say

1. "Florida may think they're fast, but we're going to show them they're only half-fast." Explanation- Florida is known for exception team speed, especially at wide receiver.

2. "That Troy Smith. What a pair of feet!" No, you aren't admitting to a fetish. Smith, the OSU quarterback, is known for his ability to dodge tacklers and run the ball himself. Most quarterbacks have tortoise-like speed.

3. "Nobody is going to catch Ginn in the open." No, he's not an immigrant trying to ford the Rio Grande. Ted Ginn, Jr. is a wide receiver for OSU known for blazing speed and elusiveness.

4. "Speed won't matter when Pittman and Beanie shove the ball down their throats." Here you express your belief that Ohio State's running backs, Antonio Pittman and Chris "Beanie" Wells, will be able to run the ball through the Florida line. This accomplishes two things; it results in OSU scores, and keeps the ball away from Florida.

Tonight you'll all probably be locked into the OSU-Florida game to decide the national championship. If the Buckeyes should win (and we sure hope they do), they will have taken the title for the 8th time.

Big deal.

With their recent 35-16 whipping of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the 34th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Mt. Union Purple Raiders of Alliance won their ninth NCAA Division Three national championship, and their second in two years. The nine wins are the most at any level in the history of college football.

Perhaps a greater achievement is their 55-game winning streak from 2000-03. Which started after a loss to Rowan in overtime, on December 11, 1999, ending a 54-game winning streak. For the statistically challenged, their record during this stretch was 109-1.

Match that, Buckeyes!

This video does a nice job of recapping the glory of their 2006 championship. Congratulations to the Purple!

Peat, that loamy stage of decaying plant material that forms in wetlands, has been used as fuel in Ireland for centuries. Parts of the US, especially Michigan, have large deposits of peat. Now a consortium of Ohio and Michigan colleges are working to convert peat to a useable liquid fuel, a form of ethanal they have named pethanol.

The Michigan-Ohio University Transportation Center, a federally-funded group including Bowling Green and the U. of Toledo, hope to convert peat to fuel that can power fuel-cell vehicles such as golf carts. This conversion will come via fermentation, resulting in ethanol. The focus of their current research is to locate synthetic enzymes that will accomplish this fermentation more efficiently than the natural ones currently used.

Currently, almost all of the ethanol produced in the US is made from corn. The cost of producing almost 4 billion gallons of ethanol annually is heavily subsidized by the US government, and critics claim that the production damages the environment, though in different ways than gasoline.

The Center hopes to show that pethanol is less expensive than ethanol to produce, and easily renewable. Critics express concern that harvesting the peat deposits of Michigan will carry an environmental cost.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to Autobloggreen.com for the lead.

As a person who was in my high school marching band (I was awful), I have a high appreciation for folks who can actually march and play at the same time. Here is the Ohio State Marching Band strutting their stuff. It will make you just want to jump up and grab a baton and start marching around your living room.

Two years ago I found myself needing to take college classes for credit--and quick, so I trotted down to the Ohio State University where I'd taken classes before. Signing up for a class fat OSU (even thought it is a fine establishment) felt more like an ordeal than I was looking for. Someone told me I should check out Columbus State. I did and signing up for a class was a breeze. Within an hour and a half, I had figured out what class to take, registered, paid my fees, had a parking sticker, an ID card and was back in the car heading home. It also cost quite a bit less than if I took that class at OSU.

On the first day of class I again found myself pleased. The professor was stellar, the class wasn't packed to the gills with students so I felt I wasn't competing for her attention, and by the end of the trimester, I had learned new things-and I have taught some of the same material myself. As it turns out, according to an article "Five Myths about Community Colleges" my experience at Columbus State was not that rare. Community colleges may get a bad rap, but there's a lot to be said for sticking close to home when picking a place for a higher education, particularly for the first two years of college. Read the article for yourself and also check out the Ohio Association of Community Colleges website that links to the 23 community and technical colleges in Ohio. There are also branch campuses of some of them which adds to the convenience factor.

Is it better to have no hope than to have hope dashed? That's the difference between Browns and Bengals fans this week.

The Browns played doormat to the hapless Tampa Bay Bucaneers Sunday, ending the day with their third-string quarterback at the helm. Once again, Head Coach Romeo Crennel looked shell-shocked in the post-game interviews, trying to explain why his team was unable to defend or score upon one of the league's worst teams.

The Bengals, by contrast, played one of the league's better teams in the Denver Broncos. And although the team, and especially quarterback Carson Palmer, struggled through the first three quarters, an exciting end-of-the-game touchdown drive had fans on the edge of their seats.

Until the team flubbed the usually automatic extra point, resulting in a 1-point loss 24-23. The loss drops the team to 8-7, and puts them at the mercy of another candidate for the league's worst team, Oakland.

The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their up-and-down performance, losing to Detroit, the team that beat them in seven games last spring for a trip to the finals. The team looked overmatched in that game, especially on the perimeter. They came back, however, to edge the Orlando Magic 86-83. LeBron continues to have another all-star season, but the question remains about his supporting cast. Do they have the scoring punch to compensate on James' off-days? The second leading scorer, Larry Hughes, has averaged 13.6 ppg, and most people expect more from him.

The Columbus Blue Jackets recently set a club-record five game winning streak, including a thrilling 4-3 win over Detroit on the Jacket's home ice. Fans were beginning to keep track of the final playoff spot and what the club would have to achieve to earn it. However, they ran into a couple of the better clubs in the league in the New York Islanders (4-0 loss) and a rematch with the Detroit Red Wings at their place (5-0 shellacking). That thud you may have heard was their ass hitting the ice.
Two things are apparent; Ken Hitchcock's coaching has turned around the club's attitude, but the club does not yet have the talent and/or experience to compete with the better squads. I am encouraged by the progress shown recently, though. Goalie Pascal LeClaire has gone on the disabled list, which will hurt the team.

The Ohio State Basketball team, at the time ranked #3 in the country, faced #4 Florida on Saturday. They now know that they aren't deep enough inside to compete, and not quick enough at the guard position to drive on tall, quick inside players. They were whipped, soundly, and for the first time looked like the young players they are. Don't expect miracles from this group. As talented as they are, they can be beaten by disciplined, physical squads.

Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research is probably best known as the builders of the Buckeye Bullet, the electric land speed vehicle that in 2004 set the national speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats for electric vehicles at 314.958 mph. The Buckeye Bullet was built to replace the previous generation vehicle, a Formula-1 style open cockpit car, the Smokin' Buckeye.

The Center is now working on hydrogen-powered vehicles. To that end, they have installed a hydrogen fueling station, the only one in the state. There are only 15 or so in the entire country.

In the true spirit of a school that excels in sports, for one of their first projects they chose to convert a golf cart to run off of fuel cells powered by the gas. The department has posted an interesting video about this experiment and the department's research.

My only question: when I play golf, metal clubs end up thrown around with considerable vigor. Are the hydrogen tanks shielded well enough to prevent a Hindenburg-type meltdown?