Cleveland Blows

1.05-1.12

Cleveland Blows

In this week’s issue:
* Cool Cleveland Commentary Cleveland Blows on glassblowing in Cleveland by Nicole Bryson
* Cool Cleveland Night Out with hors d’oeuvres, drinks & dance on Fri 1/14: get discount tix by midnight Thu 1/6 here
* vYbe Snapshot with writer, performer, and lecturer Kisha Foster
* RoldoLINK Commentary Run, Rokakis, Run by Roldo Bartimole
* Life’s Varying Degrees of Excruciation A Lost Art: Two-Way Conversations or “Enough About You, Really.”

Cool Cleveland Commentary
Cleveland Blows

Nicole Bryson leads the way into the artisan’s realm of glass blowing in Cleveland, its culture, how it developed here, and what its past and future look like. Read on to familiarize yourself with the personalities of the glassblowing world, and its underground culture of creatives. The first week in February, Burning River Glass will have a sculptural chandelier show in their gallery featuring Brian Bencheck and other emerging glass artists.

You’re starving for something new, something different to do in a downtown striving to capture the bustling nightlife of a modern metropolis; and the constructive and arcane world of glass blowing feeds this need – it flourishes within Cleveland’s decrepit structures. When most people think of art, they think of paintings. For many, walking around a cluster of galleries perusing a myriad of canvases is not the way to spend an evening. These so-called works of art are just canvases of indiscernible subject matter splashed with color and aligned with the laws of chaos. So, some may think indulging in a trendy, overpriced drink is not so impractical after all. An alternative to all this is Burning River Glassworks, one of numerous hot glass studios in Cleveland http://www.burningriverglass.com. Brian Bencheck, 28, is the sole proprietor of this public access studio. He is one glass blower with the younger generation revolutionizing this art. The inception of Burning River Glassworks was in October, 2003, and after five months of preparation, the studio opened. Brian offers classes in glassblowing to beginners, intermediates, groups, or private lessons. He caters to the professional glassblower by offering an Electroglass furnace. This digital electric furnace provides better temperature control for glass blowing. Most hot glass studios use propane furnaces. He proudly states that he uses a better quality glass than that used at the Corning Museum of Glass in New York. He also provides studio rental for blowers and studio tours…
Read Cool Cleveland Commentary Cleveland Blows here

Cool Cleveland Night Out: get discount tix by Thu 1/6 Thaw out in hot style with Cool Cleveland. If you were diggin’ on our last event in December, check out the photos here and make plans to hit the Cool Cleveland Night Out on Fri 1/14 with a cookin’ price that’s up for grabs. Save 44% by paying online before midnight Thu 1/6 with a scorching package here. Kick it at the Warm-Up Party from 5-7PM with prime vintage from the wine bar, savory hors d’oeuvres, and self-guided tours of the art and murals in the State Theatre lobby. Then, be swept away by the visionary dance performance of MOMIX, presented by DanceCleveland and Tri-C Center for Arts and Culture, for unrestrained socializing with everyone on the inside track. So bring a guest, or meet someone to run around with during the Cool Cleveland Night Out in Cleveland’s theatre district. Register and pay online by midnight Thu 1/6 for 44% savings, so order online now to get peaked-out price breaks at Newsletter/Party

Cleveland’s young, accidental entrepreneurs Our city has young, edgy businesses taking leadership in the arts. Check Cleveland Magazine as they acknowledge these artists’ new position in Cleveland as creative change agents. Read about the collaborative and very fly arts building, 1300 Gallery, that’s opening up symbiotic relationships between artists. It’s an effort that signals a different approach to business as it connects events, individuals and the arts within a communal arts space. Read Cleveland Magazine here

Cleveland assists and responds Cleveland-based International Partners in Mission works with the community-based Kanyakumari Health Trust here located on the Southeast tip of India in Nagarcoil to bring relief to those hit by the recent tsunami. The Health Trust provides mobile primary health care services to many individuals living in the coastal communities, but the Director of the Health Trust and her staff have been working for days without rest, assisting those injured by the tsunami and helping to bury those who did not survive. International Partners in Mission is responding by sending funding to assist the Health Trust in its relief efforts. To help out Tsunami Emergency Relief visit http://www.ipm-connections.org/donate.html or checks can be mailed to IPM, 3091 Mayfield Rd., Ste. 320, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118. All donations received go directly to the Health Trust to help the organization rebuild its community. http://www.ipm-connections.org or call 932-4082.

Cleveland ferry to Canada Resurfacing as “one of those ideas which refuses to go away,” Port Stanley, Ontario could initiate a ferry service linking its small Canadian fishing village with Cleveland to supplement economic development and tourism. Back in 1849, the two sides of Lake Erie were connected with a regularly scheduled ferry service, and our city is re-thinking trans-Erie service. The Cleveland Cuyahoga County Port Authority has taken the initiative by proposing a commercial and passenger ferry with a plan that’s legit. Netherlands-based Royal Wagenborg was recommended to revive the ferry service, and the port is approaching the federal government for funds to build a terminal behind Cleveland Browns Stadium. Read the article here

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A New Addition to Cleveland’s Skyline The Pinnacle Condominiums in the historic Warehouse District, with their contemporary architecture, are a great addition to Cleveland’s skyline. The first of their kind in the Warehouse District, these new condos will offer incredible amenities, panoramic views and the opportunity for you to design your own unique home. Draw up your dream house on Pinnacle’s canvas – spacious, light-filled rooms, gourmet kitchens, luxury baths, oak hardwood floors, and balconies with breathtaking views. Other amenities include a fitness center and indoor parking. You’ll be in the heart of Downtown Cleveland’s bustling Warehouse District – with restaurants, galleries, nightclubs, shopping and so much more just steps away. Plus, take advantage of special financing and 15 year tax abatement! For a complete list of open houses this weekend, please visit www.ProgressiveUrban.com
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Traffic kills Violent deaths in Cleveland rose only slightly in 2004, while traffic-related deaths jumped 15%. Cleveland stats show our city having 85 homicides last year, up 5 from 2003. What’s of more concern is the large increase in traffic deaths which now make up up 36% of total violent deaths in the city. Read the article here

Get your artwork into the crowd at the Cool Cleveland Night Out One way is to get your own CC artist table, now available for the upcoming Cool Cleveland Night Out on Fri 1/14. Display your art and talent to our inquiring crowds at the upcoming event on from 5-7PM. Sell your art and gain access to hundreds of Clevelanders looking for your locally made artworks. A few tables are still available, and it’s first come, first served. Cleveland artists interested in offering their creations, jewelry, canvases and wearable art can obtain full, half, and double tables. Contact Deby Cowdin at Vivid Art Gallery at 241-7624 or Deby@VividArtGallery.com

Playhouse Square hosts teens They’re seeking 40 local teens, ages 14-18, to participate in the two-week performance arts residency program, in a collaboration with artists who will instruct teens in developing their own creative, social and physical abilities. They’ll do skate-dance, free-style skating, street and break-dance, Hollywood-style martial arts, turntableism, rap and “MC” techniques, theatrical expression, acrobatics and production (marketing and stage design). The multidisciplinary hip-hop effort from Amsterdam, ISH Institute, will work with students to create a demonstration of their work for the Sat 1/22 performance at 6:30PM at Cleveland Playhouse’s State Theatre. Register by Wed 1/5 by calling 348-7909, or email cindi@playhousesquare.com and visit http://www.PlayhouseSquare.com

Save the ephemera! This group has got a handle on the preservation of ephemera collections within archives, libraries and museums, as well as privately owned collections, comprised of overlooked and hard-to-find historical odds and ends. http://www.Ephemera-society.org.uk/about.html

Valley Art Center call for art In collaboration with Habitat for Humanity of Geauga County, this presentation will target fiber art in the exhibit, “Common Threads,” that explores and examines the meaning of, development of, or hindrances to the community. They are asking for submissions in all fiber media: work may be mixed media, as long as fiber is incorporated. Works are subject to final approval by Habitat for Humanity. The best part is: a People’s Choice $50 cash prize to be awarded for best submission on Fri 1/28 from 6-8 PM at Valley Art Center, 155 Bell St. in Chagrin Falls. Work may be delivered to Valley Art Center, 155 Bell St., Chagrin Falls through Fri 1/14. For info call 440-456-5848 or Valley Art Center 440-247-7507 or contact geaugahabitatkt@alltel.net or visit http://www.ValleyArtCenter.org

Ride the next wave of marketing in 2005 It catches on like wildfire: the dynamism of word-of-mouth Internet marketing is making headline news because of its ability to surpass old school print ads. Bask in the additional exposure to audiences you never knew you had by advertising with CoolCleveland.com. We do it every week, connecting our sponsors to tens of thousands of our subscribers’ Inboxes, setting your message and brand in front of Cleveland’s best minds. Our readers click on the sponsored links, then forward Cool Cleveland to their friends, who then click on the sponsored links… you get the idea. Find out more by e-mailing us a note to Info@CoolCleveland.com

A study of when new words became common The genesis of words like “celebs” was first used in 1913, the word “sex” meaning sexual intercourse being first used in 1929, and “mobile phone” was first heard in 1945. Other fun findings: punk (1974), beatnik (1958), hot-desking (1991), and dumb down (1933). http://News.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/3755482.stm

Rokakis suggests that nonprofits help Cleveland schools One of the problems with older communities such as Cleveland that are blessed with a plethora of non-profit institutions is that none of them pay taxes, the Cleveland Clinic being one of the largest. And since about half of Cleve taxes go to the public schools, our non-profit richness has caused it’s own problems. Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis, who is considering a run for Mayor of Cleveland, is sportin’ a new study that recommends non-profits should make payments in lieu of taxes. For example, the non-profit Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore makes voluntary payments to the city. This is an idea that’s time is prime! http://PolicyMattersOhio.org/PILOT_Reports_2004_12.htm

Art on Wheels lends aid to tsunami victims The children at Luther Memorial School are working with Art On Wheels to help children who became victims of the recent tsunami. Communicating through visual images is what Art on Wheels does best, and they’re sending pictures created by their students. While learning about earthquakes and tsunamis with Art On Wheels, Inc., the students at Luther Memorial School are receiving guidance in creating images that make them feel better when they’re sad, so the recipients of the recent disaster will have positive images to focus on as they and their families rebuild their lives. Luther Memorial School is also working with instructors to package art kits to send with their artwork to the children. For info call Art on Wheels at 941-7643.

Listening to new Clevelanders Here’s a short series that’s a good idea: introducing readers to new business people who recently arrived in Cleveland. Some professionals profiled in these stories give insight that’s readable, while others give responses that are not as compelling; still, it’s worth checking out. Read the article here

Cleveland emerges Out of Darkness It’s January, and the digital movie and TV company Prelude2Cinema is beginning production on Out of Darkness, shot in Cleveland by Emmy winning writer Alex P. Michaels. Described as a combo between The X-Files and Cops, its location in our city fuels hopes that it will improve Cleveland’s image. This month, expect a press conference for the TV series; see it here http://www.prelude2cinema.com/dark.htm and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434262

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Upscale & Urban! There was a time when you couldn’t expect both from a downtown property. Somerville Developments changed how we think of downtown living with their beautifully renovated 1900 Euclid Avenue Lofts. In fact, they received the coveted 2004 Preservation Award from the Cleveland Restoration Society for their amazing work. The lofts are located just one block from Playhouse Square and the bustling theater district. You’ll never feel claustrophobic again thanks to the cavernous 9’-16’ ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. You’ve worked hard and have the privilege of choice. Now you can make the choice of the privileged. See for yourself by calling Towne Properties today at 216-241-9800 and scheduling a private showing. Mention Cool Cleveland within the next 4 weeks and receive a $100 rent discount on your thirteen-month lease! http://www.towneprop.com/euclid/
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Cool Cleveland This Week

1.05-1.12

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

First Annual Saxophone Shootout Shout out and celebrate Blue Lunch’s twentieth anniversary featuring top blues and swing saxophone players from around the country dueling it out in an old church hall. Setting the night ablaze and representing the East Coast is Boston’s Gordon Beadle; he has played and recorded with a who’s who of artists including Duke Robillard and New Orleans legend Earl King. From San Diego there’s Jonny Viau, who played and recorded with numerous acts including Blues Hall of Famer Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Defending the Midwest is Cleveland’s Tony Koussa, Jr, a multi-instrumentalist playing saxophone with Blue Lunch, Cleveland’s award winning eight piece blues and swing band. Hit the large dance floor and get blown by all the saxes you can handle on Thu 1/6 at 7:30PM for dance session; show begins at 8PM. Call 371-2877. The Old Parish Hall of Cleveland Public Theatre, 6203 Detroit Rd. http://www.BlueLunch.com

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Heat Up Your Winter Whether you know anything about dance or not, you will love MOMIX Dance Theater in Opus Cactus at the State Theater on Fri 1/14 at 8PM. Celebrated for its inventive use of lights, shadows, humor, and the human body, internationally-renowned MOMIX brings the American Southwest to life with a blend of modern dance, gymnastics, and acrobatics that create an artistry that is uniquely MOMIX. Co-presented by DANCECleveland and Tri-C Center for Arts and Culture, who each year bring world-renowned and rising stars to perform for you during their seasons. Cool Cleveland is bringing our own unique flair to this event with a warm up party that includes an open wine bar, hot hors d’oeuvres and a ticket to the MOMIX performance for a reduced rate of only $17.50 if you purchase online before midnight Thu 1/6. Click here to order tickets and enjoy the show! Visit http://dancecleveland.org and http://www.tri-c.edu/ca for more information on this unique performance.
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Procreation and Passing Viewers are encouraged to interact in the dual processes of creation and destruction, presented in a language of sculptural landscape of installation art from emerging artist Nora Hartlaub. In the artist’s view, elements of futility and repetition, coupled with an incessant need to (pro)create, continually battle the process of rationalization. It is this tension that Ms. Hartlaub’s work confronts and represents, in the attempt to straddle its innate and infinite confusion. The work must be made. The process must be endured. Materials exist. And everything falls apart. Opening reception hits on Fri 1/7 from 7-11PM. Call 939-9099. Miller-Weitzel Gallery, 5304 Detroit Ave. mwgallery@adelphia.net

Mo Pas Connin, or Torment Set in the balmy and sweltering summer heat of New Orleans, this theatre production takes you in with a 65 year-old inactive priestess, who receives orders from her higher power to reconcile with her family or they will be lost. Nina Domingue (playwright and performer) is a native New Orleanian, and the first African-American woman to graduate from the Master’s Program for Acting at West Virginia University where she began to develop Mo Pas Connin – or Torment. She is currently part of CPT’s education staff, and formerly worked at Great Lakes Theater Festival as a part of their actor-teacher program. It’s part of CPT’s Big Box Series, in which artists come in the theatre and take over with their own risk-taking productions. Opening night is Fri 1/7 at 8PM running thru 1/9. Saturday shows begin 8PM; Sunday show begins at 3PM. Call for tickets at 631-2727. Cleveland Public Theatre, the James Levin Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave. http://www.cptonline.org

Brighten your winter @ Pennello with original works by Cleveland artists in this unique co-op gallery: paintings, photographs, two & three dimensional art, jewelry, wearable art, ceramics and hand-painted furniture. Show opens on Fri 1/7 and continues thru 1/30; gallery hours are Tues., Wed., 12-5:30: Thurs.12-8, Fri.12-9, and Sat. from 12-6PM. Call 707-9390. 12404 Mayfield Rd. http://www.PennelloGallery.com

Mac’s Backs after the holidays poetry reading with Phil Metres, poet and asssistant professor at John Carroll University; he’s the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and his recent translations, A Kindred Orphanhood by Sergey Gandlevsky, and Catalogue of Comedic Novelties by Lev Rubinstein are up for grabs. Phil’s own book of poems Primer For Non-Native Speakers published by KSU Press is also available for dissecting. Joining him is Maine poet David Adams; his new book, Evidence of Love, reflects his kinship with the natural world; meet the writers and hear their stories on Fri 1/7 at 7PM. Call 321-2665. Mac’s Backs Paperbacks, 1820 Coventry Road in Cleveland Hts. http://www.MacsBacks.com

High School Rock Off at the Odeon Youths rock it loud and clear at the semifinals; hear music by stellar music generators Cellar Door, Erosion, Four Track, Marko and the Midnite Rockers, Red Weather, Rough Draft, Spike and the Nelsons, The Jukebox Graduates, Trip Wire, Unlikely Heros, Victor Rasgitis, Zeis McGrievey Trio, and raucous reunion band Hobo Brekfist on Fri 1/7 at 5PM. Get tickets at 574-2525. 1295 Old River Rd. http://www.TheOdeon.com/theodeon/faq.asp

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Find out why your bike rolls The wheels on the bike go round and round…but there’s a lot more to it than that. And you’ll feel super comfortable on the trail with more knowledge of your bike – especially if something breaks. Get ready for spring’s arrival by enrolling now in Century Cycles bicycle maintenance classes. Classes are offered through January and February at all four of their stores: Rocky River, Solon, Medina and Peninsula. There are classes with skill levels specific to beginners and advanced wrench-heads as well. Head out for your ride knowing that you can handle more than just road obstacles. Check out the website at www.CenturyCycles.com for all the details on this and other events. Visit a Century Cycles location in Rocky River, Solon, Medina or Peninsula; from first trikes to custom bikes, trust Century Cycles…and remember, browse globally, buy locally! www.CenturyCycles.com
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Bodwin Theatre Company presents a staged reading of a play based on Honoré de Balzac’s Colonel Chabert, and this adaptation about the casualties of war won the L. Arnold Weissburger award for playwrighting in 1984 from local writer and actor Peter Manoswith. Simultaneously submerge yourself in love, honor, error, and life after wartime with three performances on Fri 1/7 at 8PM; Sat 1/8 at 8PM; and Sun 1/9 at 2PM. Notre Dame College, 4545 College Rd. in South Euclid. http://bodwin_theatre.tripod.com

Peter Kuper: Blue Planet With illustrations and comics that appear regularly in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, and MAD, Peter Kuper is a Cleveland exile making waves. A graduate of Cleveland Heights High, he attended KSU and then moved to New York and studied at Parsons School of Design, and Pratt Institute in New York. He co-founded the political comix magazine World War 3 Illustrated, and his most recent books are adaptations of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis and Sticks and Stones (a wordless graphic novel about the rise and fall of empires). Check out his paintings, drawings, constructions, and comics at the opening reception with the artist Sat 1/8 from 6-9PM. Show runs thru 2/6. Call 371-3344. HeightsArts, 2173 Lee Rd. in Cleveland Hts. http://www.HeightsArts.org

Afro-Brazilian, Cuban/Haitian Drumming There are rhythms waiting for you at this culturally-forward class, blending conga and rumba. Students will combine their minds and hands to master various songs and dances associated with this drumming style, with instructor and educator, Adetobi. You can bring your own conga, or pick up a few at the venue on Sat 1/8 from 4:30-5:45PM. Call to register at 721-1055. Passport Project, Global Community Arts Center, 12803 Buckeye Rd. http://www.PassportProject.org

Kick off for the First Robotics Conference This much anticipated send off joins up to 20 teams from Ohio and surrounding states to preview the 2005 game, get a view of the playing field, and pick up their robot kits. With over 50 teams from eight states and Australia expected to participate in the actual event in March, the top-notch tech atmosphere will be thrumming at the regional conference kick off on Sat 1/8 from 9AM-1PM. Call 987-3048. Tri-C, Rooms 229 and 140, with overflow space in 112. http://www.tri-c.edu

25th Annual MLK Commemorative Celebration Nationally-known speaker Dr. John H. Jackson, NAACP National Director of Education, is arriving in honor of the holiday and speaking on today’s issues. He led the education advocacy agenda for the world’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, and in a bold effort to provide all students access to quality education, Dr. Jackson led the Association’s effort to implement a National Call for Action in Education to Governor’s nationwide. Get inspired and hear him on Sun 1/9 at 1:30PM; program begins at 3PM. Call 721-5722. The Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Blvd. http://www.wrhs.org

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland vYbe Snapshot
Writer, performer, and lecturer Kisha Foster

vYbe is Cool Cleveland’s continuing focus on Gen Y, people born in the ’80s or ’90s, tipping off 20-somethings to some of the alt culture, events and personalities that contribute toward reshaping the future of Cleveland.

As lecturer and full time student at Cleveland State University with an English major, Kisha lends her voice and kinetic expression to TRIO/Student Support Services, an educational oppportunity program, helping students overcome class, social and cultural barriers. Kisha has participated as a member of the 2003 Cleveland Slam Team, and traveled to Minneapolis, Dallas, Chicago and New Jersey for performances. She also participates in outreaches that benefit area high schools and organizations for the youth, in which she speaks to students about poetry and life situations, and she’s working on her debut book of poems, 359 Degrees. Cool Cleveland met up with her for an introductory lesson on spitting (verbal performance poetry), poetry as a personal responsibility to teach, and the influence it has on the greater Cleveland community.

Cool Cleveland: As a woman writer and performer, what are the gender limitations you have come across in your art, and how does this follow through to your job, your school, and your thinking life?
Kisha Foster: There aren’t any limitations, in my opinion, but I pray no one feels they can limit me or my performance because I am a woman. I am equally if not more concerned with the sociopolitical status of this nation and the people as the next male/female writer. There aren’t any gender limitations in my eyes, and if there are, I have trained myself to overlook anyone or anything that is not supportive of my craft. On a daily basis, I remind myself that I can do my art better. It is not competition-based, however there are people who feel it is, and I choose not to gravitate toward them; I keep away from all types of deprecating influences and have have no time for evil or malnutritioned thoughts…
Read vYbe Snapshot with Kisha Foster here

WCLVnotes Each month, WCLV 104.9 picks out a series of compact discs to highlight as Choice CDs. In January, there are several “home-grown” recordings being featured. These CDs are played four times a day a number of times throughout the month. Highlighted this month are: The Robert Shaw Legacy–Cleveland Orch & Chorus (MAA 40602); Panorámicos: Music by Griebling-Haigh, Morgan & Schulhoff–Mary Kay Ferguson, Lynne Ramsey & Friends (Self-produced); Live from the Cleveland International Piano Competition–2003 Laureates (CIPC 2004); and Raising Voices, Changing Lives with the Cleveland Boys Choir (Self-produced with the support of WCLV). For the schedule of broadcasts, go to the WCLV website at www.wclv.com and click on WCLV Programs. a Cool Cleveland partner www.wclv.com

Life’s Varying Degrees of Excruciation
A Lost Art: Two-Way Conversations or “Enough About You, Really.”

Cool Cleveland contributor TL Champion shares her humorous frustrations with the daily rituals of modern life in Cleveland, exploring the idiosyncrasies of human beings and the world around them.

I have to wonder what is going on in our society that allows people to believe that cocktail party monologue is the new fashion in conversation. Do they actually believe this is tasteful? Once the “discussion” is over and I can again breathe oxygen-rich air, I find myself asking the tough questions: Are these people doing shots of double espresso in the host’s bathroom? Are they lonelier than all get out? Or were they just recently let out of their cages?

All I know is that I am tired of being subjected to mind-numbing, one-sided exchanges that illicit no excitement on my part since major feats like the attainment of world peace, the cure for cancer or the location of their shut off valves are rarely discussed.
Read A Lost Art: Two Way Conversations by TL Champion here

RoldoLINK
Run, Rokakis, Run
By Roldo Bartimole

I think Jim Rokakis SHOULD run for Mayor of Cleveland.

He believes he can’t win. So why run, he reasons? That’s not a good enough excuse for not running.

Winning isn’t necessarily the essence of running; the process of running for the office could, in and of itself, be its real meaning.

Current County Treasurer Jim Rokakis, who I’ll admit has become a personal friend, offers intelligence and ability that has been lacking at City Hall for the past four years and a human quality that has been missing for a generation or more at 60l Lakeside.

Clevelanders at least deserve to hear what Rokakis believes should be done to improve the city.

Rokakis – known as Jim or Jimmy by friends – will be cheating himself by forgoing the challenge. A mayoral race will test him and, I believe, open other political possibilities for him that would remain closed without this challenge…
Read Run, Rokakis, Run here

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Yr Turn
Cool Cleveland readers write
We encourage our readers to speak out by sending us letters and commentary. Send your letters to Letters@CoolCleveland.com. You must include your full name (required) and you may include your e-mail address (optional). You may also create a new Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail e-mail address and submit it with your letter. Letters submitted to Cool Cleveland, or edited portions, may be published in an upcoming issue of Cool Cleveland at our discretion.

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

On urban life Although Cleveland has made good progress in promoting residential construction downtown, there is a long way to go. At this point, the unspoken strategy of Cleveland’s urban planners is to create an upscale/wealthy neighborhood in downtown. While it is a reasonable goal to attract a certain percentage of wealthy people to the city, it is unrealistic to think that such an economically homogeneous neighborhood can function and be self-sustaining in an urban setting. The effort to create a pseudo-suburb in the center of Cleveland misses the point–urban neighborhoods are qualitatively different from suburban ones…
Read more from Cool Cleveland reader Stephen Gross here

On Cleveland Crips It was great to hear that attitudes toward people with disabilities are changing — Rosemary Musachio, as a person with a disability, speaks to that change with humor and from her heart. Unfortunately, tho, the introduction to the article she wrote identifies Ms. Musachio as someone who is “confined” to a wheelchair. Wheelchairs provide access and freedom; attitude and outdated language “confines.”
from Cool Cleveland reader Joan Perch artmetrogallery@yahoo.com

On Cool Cleveland I applaud your e-newsletter I happened upon over a year ago. My husband and I returned to Cleveland from CA some 5 years ago, and looked forward to seeing how our “hometown” had progressed in our 8 year absence. We are the prototypical suburbanite couple with two teens still to grow, but have always had a taste for the more artful, creative side of what all lifestyles had to offer. Though we reside in Avon Lake, our weekend “dates” are now in and around the greater Cleveland areas so that we may experience all there is to offer. My husband and I look forward to the weekly updates from your newsletter to keep us informed of where we want to go during the year. Happy New Year to you and your staff and we look forward to more innovative and informative events open to all Clevelanders in 2005.
from Cool Cleveland reader Jane Vogel janevgl@yahoo.com

On Cool Cleveland This is great! Informative and Fun! Thanks.
from Cool Cleveland reader Ro Breehl ro@intmark.com

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Top 5
Cool Cleveland uses Opticast tools to track which articles were clicked the most. Here are the Top 5 from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Cool Cleveland’s Night Out in January Did you have a smash at Cool Cleveland’s riotous Art/Tech/Dance party in December? Pull out your planner for a new twist on nightlife, and join the Cool Cleveland Night Out on Fri 1/14 from 5-7PM on sale now. Newsletter/Party

2) Map every thought you think If you run out of things to do this holiday, here’s an instructional site that shows you how to make a map of your thought life. Think of it as taking a walk on the cerebral side; you might learn something about your inner self. http://www.speakeasy.org/~lion/nb

3) Unleash the Creative Person In You First tune-out the world, get relaxed, and then try something new. The world around us is waiting to be explored. Don’t let your ideas be pre-chewed; create your own. How I Am Creative

4) Your New Year’s Resolution for ’05: Buy a Cool House Who says you can’t afford your dream house? The Townhouses at Courtland Court are located in the Bridge Square area of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, on Cleveland’s newly done-up near west side. http://www.progressiveurban.com

5) Forbidden Library This site features books some people consider dangerous; so take a look at what people find offensive. You might marvel over it. http://www.forbiddenlibrary.com

Clash into different cultures in Cleveland At Cool Cleveland, we’re coaching others to catch the desire for experiencing new people, events, and communities. Expand your participation in the various communities and cultures of our city by reading Cool Cleveland; we make it easy to identify trends you’ll want to be part of. We’d like to thank our enthusiastic and active readers who support our media mayhem, and we hope to double our energy and coverage in 2005. Hungry for new happenings and updates? Now you and your friends can scope out our website, and take in the latest on life in Cleveland. Send along friends and co-workers to register for the no-charge e-zine at http://www.CoolCleveland.com or have ’em send an e-mail to Signup@coolcleveland.com

Hard Corps attack the New Year We did the unthinkable: jammed 52 weeks worth of events, interviews, and an arsenal of articles into the vehicle known as CC.com. All our appreciation goes out to the people who put the power behind the Cool Cleveland experience: Tisha Nemeth, Nicole Bryson, Deb Remington, TL Champion, Bill Nagode, Roldo Bartimole, George Nemeth, Ivan Jackson and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@coolcleveland.com

Which way’s the wind blowing
in Cleveland this week?

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com (:divend:)

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