Some Toledo-area celebrities will trade their offices for the Toledo Area Humane Society’s dog kennels on July 31 to benefit its “Celebrity lock-up” fundraiser.

Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop, Harvey Steele and Cliff Smithers of K100 FM, Buckeye Cable Sports Network’s Tom Cole and Toledo Free Press Editor in Chief Michael S. Miller will stay in the kennels from 8 a.m. until noon. They will raise funds for their eventual “adoption,” which will benefit the non-profit Toledo Area Humane Society (TAHS).
“We knew there were lots of local celebrities who love animals and are supporters of the Humane Society,” TAHS Executive Director John Dinon said.

Konop said he has a personal connection to the Humane Society and has remained committed to the nonprofit organization.

“Going back many years, I received my first pet, Ernie, at age 4 — a dog that was rescued from the pound,” Konop said.

TAHS hopes to raise $5,000 per kennel, and anyone may phone in donations with major credit cards. Those with cash or check may deposit it on site during the event. Dinon said TAHS selected local personalities who are a good match for the organization.

“We picked people who we know are animal lovers and supporters of the humane society…and who have a good enough sense of humor to be locked up in a kennel,” he said.

Despite the unconventional accommodations, Konop said his four-hour stay in a dog kennel is well worth the cause.
“I have never been inside a kennel looking out,” he said. “It’s definitely for a really good cause, so whatever discomfort comes up- it’s to raise funds for an extremely important cause in our community.”

A July 21 news release said Toledo political discussion group The Children of Liberty will conduct a two-part education series 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 27 and 28. Titled “The Facts about Government Health care,” the release said the group would focus on current health care legislation in Congress by conferring with medical and insurance professionals.

The release said the first part will take place at the Heatherdowns branch of the Toledo Lucas County Library. It is followed by the series’ finale at the Holland branch, the release said. It said the Heatherdowns branch is located at 3265 Glanzman Rd. in Toledo while the Holland branch is at 1032 South McCord Rd. in Holland.

Medical professionals will speak at the July 27 date, the release said, discussing concerns over the quality of medical care and efficiency. The July 28 date, the release said, will feature speakers from Kaminsky & Associates, Inc. and United Healthcare. The release said each of the two seminars is free.

The release said room at the speeches is limited, with only 100 slots remaining available. One could RVSP by e-mailing thechildrenofliberty@yahoo.com or calling (419) 705-3702, the release said. It said more information about The Children of Liberty is available at www.meetup.com/the-children-of-liberty.com.

The 15-year -old who allegedly attacked and killed Toledo activist and icon Robert Brundage on June 22 appeared for his first hearingJuly 21. That appearance begins the process to certify him as an adult.

Judge Connie Zemmelman found probable cause for Dailahntae Jemison to face aggravated murder, murder and aggravated robbery charges as an adult and set his pretrial for Aug. 11, said Lori Olender, assistant prosecuting attorney.

A court psychologist will evaluate Jemison to determine whether he can be rehabilitated and more court hearings will follow before the prosecutor’s office can certify him as an adult, Olender said.

Jemison could receive a sentence of 15 years to life in prison if he is certified as an adult, or he could remain at the Lucas County Juvenile Detention Center until he turns 21 if he remains in the system as a juvenile, she has said.

Police have said Jemison confessed to attacking Brundage on June 22 and stole his bike. Brundage died on July 7 after around two weeks of remaining in critical condition. Before Brundage died, Jemison only faced an aggravated robbery charge.

By Matthew Hathaway

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

A Fostoria, Ohio, man, fed up with deceptive junk mail, made the mistake of losing his temper while on the phone with a St. Louis company pitching an extended auto-service contract. Now he finds himself behind bars, where he is charged with making a terrorist threat.

According to court documents, Charles W. Papenfus, 43, allegedly told a sales representative during a May 18 telephone call that he would burn down the building and kill the employees and their families. He was indicted for making a terrorist threat, a Class D felony; and he could be sentenced to up to four years in prison if convicted.

Papenfus’ wife, Tracie, said she hasn’t seen her husband since his arrest on June 27, when he was lured to a Fostoria police station with a false story about being suspected in a tavern fight there. Charles Papenfus, a self-employed mechanic who sometimes works on the department’s police cruisers, dropped by the station to clear his name, she said.

Tracie Papenfus said she still can’t understand why her husband is held 450 miles from home at the St. Louis workhouse on a $45,000 bond she can’t afford to pay. (That amount could be lowered at bond-reduction hearing scheduled for July 27.)

“He shouldn’t have mouthed off on the phone, but this is overkill,” Tracie Papenfus said. “He just can’t handle it in there. He’s not a criminal. … They make it sound like he’s a terrorist, and he’s far from it.

Court records don’t name the firm that Papenfus allegedly threatened, but they say the business is located at 300 North Tucker Boulevard. The only firm in that building that sells service contracts — popularly known as “extended warranties” — is TXEN Partners, which does business as Service Protection Direct. The firm did not respond to requests for comment.

The Better Business Bureau recently accused the firm of sending mailers to consumers that incorrectly state factory warranties on their vehicles either have expired or will run out soon. Last year, then-Attorney General Jay Nixon sued the firm for misleading consumers, and a condition of that suit’s settlement was that TXEN Partners would refer to consumers’ expiring warranties only if the company believes “in good faith” that those claims are true.

Tracie Papenfus said her husband called a St. Louis telemarketing firm — she didn’t know the name — after getting a mailer stating that the factory warranty had expired for the 1996 Ford Taurus driven by his 23-year-old son. The car, bought as-is for $3,000, hasn’t had a factory warranty for years.

“He wanted to know, ‘Why are you sending this when we’ve never had a warranty?’” Tracie Papenfus said.

In fact, Charles Papenfus asked that same question several times. He called the firm after receiving the mailer, then he called the company back to complain some more, said Douglas Forsyth, a local attorney representing Papenfus. The call during which Papenfus allegedly made a terrorist threat was initiated by the firm, in a response to a voice-mail message left by Papenfus, Forsyth said.

“They insulted each other,” Forsyth said, adding that Papenfus called the company “a scam” and the telemarketer called Papenfus “a jackass or (an expletive) or both.”

Forsyth said that, several minutes into the call, Papenfus said something about burning down the firm’s building.

Tracie Papenfus said the outburst was unusual for her husband, who she described as “a cool-headed guy.” However, she said, he hadn’t quite been himself after taking prescription painkiller medication for a compound wrist fracture he received in a motorcycle accident a few days before the call occurred. Irritability can be one side effect from those drugs, Forsyth said.

Christopher Thetford, a spokesman for the BBB in St. Louis, said he isn’t surprised to hear of a consumer threatening a service-contract broker.

“While it’s not something we condone, it is something we can understand,” Thetford said. “Oftentimes, consumers feel pushed and pushed. … It’s a frustration we hear from consumers every day when they talk about the extended-service contract industry.”

Authorities would not discuss facts of the case, but one official said that business practices of a telemarketing firm shouldn’t be a factor.

“I think all sorts of people get frustrated with all sorts of businesses,” said Ed Postawko, chief warrant officer in the Circuit Attorney’s Office. “The solution is to don’t patronize that business, it’s not to break the law. … Two wrongs don’t make a right.

To read comments on this article on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Web site, click here.

A July 18 press release said rock group Devon Allman’s Honeytribe are scheduled for an appearance 9 p.m. July 31 at DeSimone’s Clubhouse in Toledo.

The release said tickets cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door of the 1633 W. Laskey Rd. venue. They are available at DeSimone’s, Culture Clash at 4020 Secor Rd. #1 in Toledo and www.niteoutproductions.com, it said.

Devon Allman

In addition, the release added, opening act Andrew Ellis will play a special acoustic set.
For more information about the concert, the release said, interested parties could call DeSimone’s at (419)-476-8161. In addition, they can visit www.myspace.com/andrewellisandthesettingsons and www.myspace.com/honeytribe for information about Andrew Ellis and Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, respectively.

Toledoans might see up to $200,000 worth of grant money put to work in communities to revamp development and improve neighborhoods across Toledo, after the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) selects project bids from non-profit organizations.

Marcy Kaptur

For the eighth year since Toledo’s LISC commenced in 1990, the organization might split $200,000 into up to four grants for nonprofits that submit proposals to take on community development projects said Hugh Grefe, Senior Executive Director of Toledo LISC.

Projects are not limited to physical development, he said.

“It’s all about what makes a neighborhood a good choice to live in or the dimensions of the characteristics,” Grefe said. “What about community safety and what about the quality of engagement of the neighbors and their futures? So you can get very quickly beyond the physical development and work on projects such as access to workforce training.”

LISC could present one or two grants that total $150,000 to support major, mature organizations that demonstrate clear and creative goals, have strong ties to other community groups and the private sector and have a strong track record of successful programming, Grefe said.

LISC might also award up to two “encouragement” grants up to $25,000 each to blooming organizations that have innovative ideas and need financial help to get started, he added.

The guidelines are flexible, however, so the amount of grants awarded could vary based on how creative the project proposals are, Grefe said.

LISC only operates in 31 cities across the nation and receives funding from federal money, while requiring each city to match the federal amount with private sector or other organizations’ donations, Grefe said. LISC has been responsible for building about 1,500 housing units in Toledo and developing 461,000 square feet of commercial space.

“I fought very hard for LISC to be here,” Representative Marcy Kaptur said. “LISC develops at the neighborhood level. They’re not this kind of organization that goes out into the country to develop a subdivision; they work right in the cities.”

LISC has spent more than $80 million in grants, loans and equity investments in Toledo over the past 20 years, Grefe said. Projects that received funding from the Toledo Fund for Neighborhood Development grants from LISC include linking East Toledo to the Marina District and providing economic development training for the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority.

Grefe estimated that the application period would last for about six weeks and then LISC could take about two months to review and select the winners.

Organization leaders who want to apply should attend the first meeting on July 28 at 10 a.m. and must make reservations by calling (419) 242-3836 or e-mailing Marguerite Benson at mbenson@LISC.org, Grefe said.

“We just need to keep our eyes on the horizon and not on the rear view mirrors,” said Mayor Carty Finkbeiner. He said he and Kaptur initially fought for the national organization to work in Toledo when he saw that Toledo had “lost a degree of vitality.”

Picky eater? Walt Churchill has brought a scratch bakery, hormone-free meat and fresh fish to Perrysburg, re-opening what was Bassett’s as Walt Churchill’s Market (WCM), doubling the size of the WCM in Maumee — and he wants everyone to celebrate with him July 27 through Aug. 2.
Though he’s run the market in Perrysburg for about three months, July 27 kicks off the re-opening celebration with free samples of different products every day of the week. July 27 is “Deli Day,” July 28 will offer samples of baked goods and July 29 is “Dairy Day.” July 30 will offer wine and beer tastings from 5 to 9 p.m. accompanied by jazz musicians and gourmet products that go well with beer during the day.

Walt Churchill

Customers on July 30 can sample seafood products and attend the ribbon cutting with Perrysburg’s mayor at 10 a.m. Aug. 1 is “Western Day,” when guests can sample different types of meat. The celebration ends on Aug. 2 with a local food theme.
“We’re exited about getting back into the community,” Churchill said. “We try to run a store that is fun to shop, easy to shop, friendly and if you like good food, then you’ll seek us out.”
He said he is particularly excited about the improvements on baked items that customers will soon notice. His bakery manager recently returned from the King Arthur Flour Baking Education Center in Vermont to learn about French bread-baking methods and has just began to use the new skills, he added.
Churchill owned the WCM in Perrysburg at 26625 N. Dixie Highway in the early 1990s, then sold the store as a Farmer Jack. The store later became a Bassett’s and now he is reopening it as a WCM again, he said. Churchill also runs a WCM in Maumee.

Politicians are devoting a larger amount of their campaigning energies toward the Internet. Toledo’s mayoral candidates are no exception — Democrats Keith Wilkowski and Ben Konop, Independent Mike Bell and Republican Jim Moody all sport a presence on the Web. In this fall’s decidedly 21st century election, who has the edge in cyberspace?
Toledo Free Press assembled a panel of four local Internet experts with Toledo connections to find out.

The quartet examined each candidate’s site before answering a survey prepared by Toledo Free Press. The results reveal the panel favors Mike Bell as the top of the technological pack, while the other mayoral candidates divided opinions.

The sites:

www.mikebellfortoledo.com, designed by http://communica-usa.com/.

www.konop4mayor.com, designed by www.markmichaeldesigns.com.

www.moodyformayor.com, designed by www.checkmarkstudios.com.

www.keithwilkowski.com, designed by www.krompakcommunications.com.

D. Michael Collins did not establish a Web site in time for this panel. His site is at www.dmichaelcollins.com.

The panel:

Here are the members of the panel, which responded between June 10 and July 16.

• Matt Braun is a Toledo-area consultant focusing on Web-user experience. His company, Magnate Interactive, creates Web sites, Flash applications, and iPhone games. Its URL is www.magnateinteractive.com.
• Shane Craig is a Web designer based in Rossford who runs www.shanesportfolio.com. Besides Web sites, Craig is also a Flash developer.
• Jaan Kanellis is a former Toledo resident who operates www.jaan kannelis.com, a marketing blog. Started five years ago, the blog site focuses on social media and search marketing for Web sites.
• Scott Showalter is a Perrysburg resident who runs Scottrageous Creative, a media design firm. Its URL is www.scottrageous.com. Showalter has designed Web sites for 10 years, primarily focusing on branding and development of e-commerce and client-manageable Web sites.

Toledo Free Press: Which candidate had the most visually attractive Web site?
Showalter: Bell. I get the feeling that the site may have been developed from a pre-designed commercial Web site template, but if so then this design was a great choice. The site has good color without screaming patriotism, and makes good use of space, with appropriate content in two sidebars.

Craig: I feel that the most visually attractive site is Bell’s. The white text contrasts nicely against the gray and red background of the navigation bars. Iconic graphics, such as the head shot of Bell, and the color of the Flash video player harmonize with the theme of the site, “Answering the Call.”
Braun: Bell. The site, which makes use of red, black, white and blue, stands apart from the other candidates’ sites, which use a predominantly blue color scheme. The photography of the candidate is sharper and better lit than the others. Overall readability is better on this site than the others.
Kanellis: My vote would have to be the Moody Web site as it definitely gives you a feel that this is a Web site of an American politician.
TFP: Which candidate has the most informative Web site?
Kanellis: They all seem to deliver when discussing their key issues, views and promises. The best way to keep visitors coming back to the Web sites is posting fresh content. It seems Moody and Wilkowski do this the best, posting almost daily news and updates to the web site.
Showalter: Bell and Moody are the most informative for me. These candidates both have clear plans for the city and outline briefly how they plan to accomplish these plans as mayor. Konop does not have this information on his site, and Wilkowski lists plans that I honestly felt were not within the mayoral scope. He also lists no specific actions he can and will set into action after the election. Only by downloading his PDF file can the viewer read his plan of action.

Craig: Bell and Moody are neck and neck on this one. Both candidates’ sites are easy to navigate and find the appropriate information on their backgrounds, issues, news and how to contribute to their campaigns. The edge goes to Bell because of black text on a white background. It is much easier to read. The stars and banners on Moody’s site are too distracting for the reader.
Braun: Bell. The Web site contains the most readily available information on himself as a person and as a candidate. Two of the other sites, at the time of review, had content that was purportedly “coming soon,” which isn’t particularly useful to those who might not visit the site more than once.
TFP: Which campaign has the best grasp of social networking?
Kanellis: Wilkowski scores well for linking out to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and RSS feed for Web site updates. The problem is that he has these profiles setup, but they are not effectively using them to attract voters. The YouTube page has not had a new video posted in four months. With the candidate’s Twitter page having only five updates and only 55 followers they have much work to do there. However, four of the Twitter updates are within the last week — maybe they are trying more here. The effort appears to be fully there, but the Web team needs to take the next step.

Showalter: Moody was the most active participant of the four, mostly via Twitter updates, and the number of people following him on Twitter was highest (65). However, his Facebook icon didn’t link to any thing. He does share various information and media on MySpace, despite the poor readability and design that is usually synonymous with MySpace pages.

Craig: Bell can be accessed from all the major social networking sites. All links work and open a new window. Icons are placed “above the fold” and are easy to find.

Braun: Wilkowski. The links to his various social networking outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are displayed prominently on the homepage. The YouTube content is a bit stale (the most recent seems to be about 6 months old), and his Twitter feed at the time of review had not been updated in two weeks, but the content is more findable via his Web site than the other’s.
TFP: Which Web site demonstrates the best use of technology?
Kanellis: My vote would go to Wilkowski for using Facebook Connect as a universal login. That is very trendy right now.
Showalter: This is interesting, because while the technology is available, is it necessary to use it? And is it used appropriately? Everyone has different preferences and tolerances regarding Web content. I personally do not like wasting time on something that’s not valuable. All the candidates have videos on their sites except for Moody, who put his videos on MySpace instead.
Braun: Bell. The creators of this site appear to have the best grasp of the use of modern and unobtrusive HTML, JavaScript and CSS techniques. They also seem to understand the importance of social bookmarking sites like Delicious and Digg (whose links are displayed under the “Stay Connected” section on every page). The embedded YouTube video on the homepage is also nice.
TFP: Which Web site is the most user-friendly?

Kanellis: My vote would have to go to Moody as it is very easy to find all sections at the top of every page. He also offers all the fresh news content right in the middle of the page for each user to read.
Showalter: Bell’s site, despite having rich content, worked flawlessly no matter what browser I accessed it in. It was just as easily accessible on the iPhone, and everything worked as it did on the desktop, including video content. I couldn’t say the same for the other sites, as some links and features were broken, or failed to work right in newer browsers like Google’s Chrome, or they used rich Flash content, which isn’t compatible with most mobile devices including the iPhone.
Craig: I felt that Bell’s site is more user-friendly than they other three because of page loading speeds, ease of navigation, information and readability.
Braun: Wilkowski. The site’s main navigation is clear and simple. While Bell’s is a close second, the combination of vertically and horizontally oriented navigation on that site diminishes its ease-of-use.
TFP: Rank the Web sites from best to worst, based on an overall impression of usability, visual aesthetic, use of technology and compliance with Web standards.

Kanellis:
1. Moody
2. Wilkowski
3. Bell
4. Konop
Showalter:
1. Bell
2. Konop
3. Moody
4. Wilkowski
Craig:
1. Bell
2. Moody
3. Konop
4. Wilkowski
Braun:
1. Bell
2. Wilkowski
3. Ben Konop
4. Jim Moody

Editor’s note: This is a continuing series on Toledo International Youth Orchestra’s trip to Toledo’s sister city Tanga. Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor Brandi Barhite traveled to Africa with the group.

I am No. 18. I will never forget that number. It was the number I had to yell anytime we did a head count.
I got so nervous about missing my number that I found myself yelling “18” whenever I heard my name, only to realize it had nothing to do with the count at all.
It’s been a long time since I traveled with a large group. I have never filed stories from rural Africa. I learned a lot on this trip and it’s hard to know where to begin.
1.   Many Africans have a cell phone, and not just one. Africans might carry three cell phones and change mid-sentence to another phone to get a signal. I learned to not complain when my one cell phone drops one call in one day.
2.   I learned how to carry a violin and to act like it’s mine. The Toledo International Youth Orchestra (TIYO) received violins to donate to African musicians and we had to carry them from Toledo to Chicago, Chicago to London, London to Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar and Zanzibar to Tanga. I was asked several times what instrument I played, only to explain I was not a musician. A few days into the trip, I proclaimed I was a violinist. I learned you don’t have to play a violin to be a violinist.
3.   I learned how to wrap myself in a mosquito net and sleep without strangling myself.
4.   Gate guards are common in Tanga, Tanzania, because robberies are prevalent. Most families have cooking and cleaning help as well. Not because they are rich, but because so many people live in one home.
5.   I learned how to pay in shillings, and learned that prices change in Africa, depending on how eager and how touristy you look.
6.   Having one arm has no bearing on your awesome ability to play the cello. TIYO member Tommy Canham was born without most of his right arm and plays the cello with the help of his prosthesis. He also plays sports and totally thought I was crazy when I asked why he would decide to play an instrument when he only had one hand. Duh, he loves music.
7.   Just because flower petals are sprinkled on your bed doesn’t mean you are staying at a four-star hotel.
8.   African tea is the best tea, and scrambled eggs in Zanzibar overlooking the Indian Ocean taste a lot better than “eggs a la Lake Erie.”
9.   Some women in Africa try to permanently dye their skin because they believe lighter is better. They damage their skin doing this, making it more susceptible to the below-the-equator sun.
10.   Cows are considered “bling.” The more bling you have, the wealthier you are considered.
11.  Young children walk unsupervised with babies on the side on the road and adults often mill around with nowhere to go. Everyone is outside all the time.
12. I learned to stop worrying about typos in my stories. I was filing from Africa, folks. My laptop was always dying; the Internet was never working and I was on a bus for a huge portion of the trip — holding that darn violin.
13. Tanzanian time is always late. No one is in a hurry. If locals have to work at 9 a.m., they might come in at 10 a.m., set up for the day and then take a nap.
14.  Tanzania has no garbage cans. A bucket on the side of the road is about it.
15. A method of advertising in Africa is buying time on a public announcement system. TIYO’s concert was announced via a van driving around with a PA system.
16. The mayor of Tanga, Salim Kassim Kisauji, stole an idea from Carty Finkbeiner when he visited Toledo in 2001. Just like Finkbeiner, Tanga mayor said he began holding town meetings so he could hear the concerns of the people he serves.
17.  I learned that I should not waste food or beverages. I habitually put food on my plate that I don’t eat. When you happen to meet the people who need those uneaten portions, you eat a little differently.
18.  I learned that home is good, and you don’t know that until you leave. But when you get to watch fireworks at the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania on the Fourth of July, it sure is cool to be at home in a foreign country.

E-mail Toledo Free Press Special Sections Editor Brandi Barhite at bbarhite@toledofreepress.com.

As the invitation hymn drones from the church organ, the altar call continues, and the worshippers are hitting the altar, surrendering their lives, repenting of past sin and promising different lives.  Quasi – evangelists are preaching an apocalyptic doctrine that trumps the Book of Revelation: The end of the world is nigh! Forget the Christian’s imminent, prophetic rapture; if global warming is allowed to effervesce, Jesus Christ will return to a desolated world, ruined by the gas humans He created exhale and His plants inhale — carbon dioxide. What irony.
Carty Finkbeiner, Marcy Kaptur, Keith Wilkowski and others of Toledo’s political class have been converted by the “green gospel”. Whether their faith is real or their repentance is phony doesn’t matter. They are diving head first into their faith, and you are expected to comply.
Kaptur was unsure about her faith when it came time for believers to stand for their faith and pass the Cap and Trade Bill in the House of Representatives — a bill that guaranteed higher energy costs to her constituents. California Democrat Henry Waxman exhorted and encouraged Marcy’s faith by blessing her with a $3.5 billion amendment that provided renewable energy ventures and other projects for Ohio and neighboring states. Just the sign her faith (and vote) needed.
Finkbeiner touts Toledo as a city that leads in the production of alternative energy. His faith has been bolstered by praise from CNN and ABC News.
Mayoral candidate Wilkowski believes “green- collar jobs” are the answer to Toledo’s economics problems. He wants to see energy-efficient homes and businesses be improved by green jobs created locally. He also believes that alternative-energy manufacturing jobs will be high-paying, valuable jobs.
It is silly that these political elites remain steadfast in their faith to combat global warming. Since the cycling between the dire warnings of global warming and global cooling since 1895 has become so dependable, the term “climate change” has been introduced to save embarrassment.
In 1895, the New York Times (NYT) warned of another Ice Age. The warning was repeated by the NYT in 1924. In 1933, the Times ran an AP story that declared the highest temperatures since 1776. In 1975, the New York Times reported on a cooling that was thought to be approaching.  To round out the cycle, the 2005 Times warned the world about the new global warming.
Fifty bucks says in 20 years, the Times will warn about cooling again.
Besides the change in temperature warnings, it is asinine for Toledo’s political elite to jump on the climate change bandwagon to reduce carbon dioxide because the earth’s temperature has not risen since 2001, despite massive surges in carbon dioxide production.
In America, who or what one chooses to worship is up to the individual, no matter how odd one’s belief may appear. Those worshipping at the green altar at the beckoning of green evangelists may seem ridiculous to me, but they can worship as they please as long as they leave me alone. However, the result of the green religion will cost citizens money and jobs.
In our depressed market, talk of bringing new jobs to Toledo is welcome with the popular emphasis on green jobs. But why should we discriminate? Bring any color job here and give those jobs the same drinking fountain and bus seat privileges that green jobs get. After close examination and observance of green jobs in Spain, one will understand that the hyped, faith-based green jobs are getting undeserved attention.
In Spain, an economics professor at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Gabriel Calzada, has released a report that some believe buries the myths behind “lucrative” green jobs. Spain has supported the production of renewable energy and the creation of green jobs like no other. Despite green jobs, Spain’s unemployment rate is more than 18 percent. Calzada has concluded that green jobs are often temporary and cost between $750,000 and $800,000 in subsidies. Wind- power jobs are priced at $1.4 million each. Calzada also found that for every green job created, 2.2 jobs were lost in other industries, costing Spain’s struggling job market 110,000 jobs.
Tolerance for those who have faith in the green gospel is possible, but tolerance ends when the faith demands one should waste money on jobs as worship is pursued. The example of failure Spain has set forth is not the model of disappointment Toledo needs to emulate. Let the alternative-energy companies operate, but let’s not invest Toledo’s capital in their operations.

E-mail columnist Tom Morrissey at letters@toledofreepress.com.