thankful for new blogs to add to our local list

more explorations of Youngstown are blossoming on the blogosphere

from the initial oct 28 post of the blog Ytown and Beyond:

"We all have our opinions, I thought I'd share my experiences growing up in The Great Melting Pot of Youngstown, Ohio.

I used to be embarrassed to tell anyone I was from there. Now, it's like a Badge Of Honor!"

The author is "a Baby Boomer that grew up in the Youngstown, Ohio area wearing many hats in school, business, and life events. My Blog reflects that life and times, hopefully with humor."

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from the Screenwriting in Iowa blog:

"My grandfather earned a Zippo lighter for spending 30 years working at Youngstown Sheet and Tube before he died of a heart attack. I’m sure there are a lot of Zippo lighters floating around Youngstown. What I’ve never seen is movie that captures that era.

So the time is ripe for a son of a son of a steelworker (or a daughter) to rise up and write some screenplays and make some documentaries on the area. Watch Gran Tornio (about Michigan in transition) and Country (about the farm crisis here in Iowa in the 80s) and start adding notes into your idea bank.

That’s what regional screenwriting is all about and there is still some magic to tap into down by Yellow Creek . . . there in Youngstown."

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Finally, Reuters just published a series of stories about Youngstown in their ongoing Route to Recovery series.

It's a decent snapshot of what it's like on the ground in Youngstown:
- dreamers trying to marshal the resources to make an impact
- technology-based businesses succeeding and thriving
- how downtown is the location for future businesses
- real suffering exists due to poverty