Rust Belt Bloggers Summit

[Jim Russell]

Where? I still like the idea of convening in Erie.
When? The next few months are bad for me, but that isn't a reason to meet later rather than sooner. Just the same, I'll throw mid-summer out there.

[Kenneth Thompson]

hi dick
not to make unnecessary distinctions, but to unite us all under a bigger tent, i am hoping you were referring to the metaphorical midwesterner in each of us, rather then to exclude those of us who are mountain people (pittsburgh) or upstaters/almost canadians (western new york).
rustbelt/farmbelt, industrial heartland/agricultural heartland, the new appalachia- may be these are the more inclusive terms?
dont get me wrong- love the midwest- even if is a tad flat in spots

ken thompson

[Dick Longworth]

Ken..........My Midwestern boundaries, as drawn in the book, are pretty arbitrary, laid down mostly to make this project manageable. You can make a good argument that part of Canada -- at least southern Ontario -- is part of this territory, economically and demographically speaking. Joel Garreau, in his Nine Nations of North America, stretched the farm belt from Texas to Manitoba. Well. I had to put limits somewhere, if I was ever going to get this book done. But I'm flexible, and areas and cities like Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester, etc., are definitely part of the heartland/globalization phenomenon that I write about. Various projects are spinning off this, and it looks like they will definitely include these cities. Some other areas may want in, too -- like southern Illinois or Indiana, or the Dakotas or Kansas. Sorry. They're in the South or the Great Plains and by any rational calculation lie outside the Midwest. But Buffalo or Pittsburgh? Sure. Best wishes.............dick

[Kenneth Thompson]

all right, i am with you. i admire flexibility. hasnt been much in this country for some time..
i am very interested in what is spinning off your work- and hope that you might share some of it on these blogs.
you mentioned canada- i am also really interested in knowing if you have made connections with other rustbelt regions around the globe? i recently learned that most of north china (manchuria) has been de-industrialized! as it is to be expected, lots of places somehow get caught in the middle.
take care
ken

[Jeramey Jannene]

Hey guys (and gals),

I'm new to this network, but it appears to be a worthy cause to get involved in. I run a company called Fresh Coast Ventures, LLC in Milwaukee dedicated to developing "community-minded, people-driven" businesses in the Fresh Coast (the beautiful name for the Rust Belt). To-date we've had a lot of success in the sports area with TheBratwurst.com (made it on ESPN, CNN, Sports Illustrated, and a lot of local news establishments) and are starting to see that replicated with UrbanMilwaukee.com (dedicated to championing urban life in the Cream City).

All that said, I'm totally in for getting bloggers together from around the region. I can make it to Erie on the 11th and 12th of July.

If we're not tied to Erie, I would be happy to host everyone in Milwaukee. We can have the Milwaukee School of Engineering campus (located right downtown) and be blocks from the lakefront and everything the City of Festivals has to offer. I've had great success hosting conferences here in the past. Hotels and couches to sleep on are all within walking distance, as is the train and bus station (connecting with the airport). But if Erie it is, Erie it is!

Looking forward to the summit, but please let's call it the Fresh Coast, not the Rust Belt.

-Jeramey-

[Jim Russell]

Jeramey,

Welcome to Rust Belt Bloggers. I'm a big fan of Milwaukee and I think a meeting there in the future is a great idea. We will be having the first Summit in Erie, but I would welcome Milwaukee as the site for the second gathering since it is closer to our members residing in the western part of the region.

[Judy]

Ed, I logged in this morning to see that Dick has already been in touch. Please let me know how I can be of help in organizing the summit. Given the NAFTA discussion at last night's debate it is clear that it will take more than traditional media to educate and move folks in this region to action.