Wires - now you see 'em, now you don't

The wires of our light rail system acquired a silvery beauty this morning although they temporarily lost their primary function, to power the system's rapid transit cars.

Which reminds me how progress has always carried a touch of irony. Once communities took pride when they became wired -- for electricity, telephone service and cable TV. Today the buzz is all about wireless.

Of course, no one has figured out how to transmit power through the air, although it's a rediscovered source. That's why Cleveland's location on the shore of Lake Erie may not only give the city a leg up in the development of clean energy, it may improve our image.

Now that's what I call a wind-wind opportunity.