Five Movies

9.13-9.20.06

Five Movies

In this week’s issue:
* Cool Cleveland Preview MOVIE interview with Lisa Nemeth of Sparx Gallery Hop
* Cool Cleveland Interview MOVIE interview with Mike Benz, President/CEO of United Way
* Cool Cleveland People MOVIE interview with filmmaker Robert Banks
* Cool Akron People MOVIE interview with Jesse Raynor of Akron Area Arts Alliance
* Cool Cleveland BizTech Profile MOVIE interview with Flashline/BEA’s Charles Stack
* Cool Cleveland Eats Tiramisu
* Cool Cleveland Sounds Elizabeth: Haunted By Ghosts from 20GOTO10
* Cold Calling Excerpts of a recorded phone conversation with Brian Deagan of Knotice
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here

Convergence is a word that’s been thrown around a lot in the media world, even after the broken promise of the AOL/Time Warner merger. You wanna know what convergence looks like today? Click on a couple of our five web movies below, peeling back the covers and granting Cool Cleveland readers exclusive access behind the scenes at this week’s Sparx Gallery Hop, Akron’s “Huzzah!” celebration, United Way’s audacious new fundraising goal, filmmaker Robert Banks’ own birthday party, and entrepreneur Charles Stack on what it’s like to sell your company. It’s one of Cleveland’s busiest weekends. Click on our vodcasts, then turn off the computer and check out this fantastic city. Shoot your own movies (or photos) and send them to Letters@CoolCleveland.com. We’d love to see ’em. –Thomas Mulready

MOVIE #1 *
Cool Cleveland Preview
 Lisa Nemeth
Sparx Gallery Hop
Movies Behind the Scenes

Cleveland is “bursting with art” when Sparx in the City’s summer-long series of art on the streets culminates with Ohio’s largest art walk, the Sparx Gallery Hop this Sat 9/16 and Sun 9/17. For the first time, they’ve brought in arts entrepreneur Lisa Nemeth to kick off the Greater Cleveland Art & Gallery Festival, representing 150 artists and galleries outside the Sparx footprint of Tremont, Little Italy, University Circle and Superior corridor. She’ll create mini-neighborhoods in the Galleria, 1301 E. Ninth St., where visitors can park at no charge all weekend long, and public trolleys will connect you to all Sparx locations. http://www.cleveland.com/sparx

WATCH THE MOVIE Sparx Gallery Hop’s Lisa Nemeth

Click here for Windows movie
Click here for Mac movie

MOVIE #2 **
Cool Cleveland Interview
 Mike Benz
United Way CEO President
Movies Behind the Scenes

Mike Benz flips a mean pancake. The United Way guru plans to raise an incredible $43.6 million to help out 130 local non-profit service agencies that served 500K people last year. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready cornered Mike Benz at their big pancake breakfast kick-off and talked on video about their new 211 phone service, the upcoming Guitar Mania, and how Cleveland stacks up nationally for its philanthropy. http://www.UWS.org

WATCH THE MOVIE United Way CEO Mike Benz

Click here for Windows movie
Click here for Mac movie

MOVIE #3 ***
Cool Cleveland People
 Robert Banks
40th birthday party
Movies Behind the Scenes

When Robert Banks throws a birthday party, you know there’s going to be 16mm film involved. One of Cleveland’s most prolific filmmakers, he’s had his films screened in over 100 film festivals, including Sundance. At his soiree on Sat 9/9 at the Tower Press Building, they screened Johnny Socko, Star Trek and Ultra Man while Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready caught Robert in front of the giant screen he’d set up and they discussed his illustrious career, the artist-subsidized lofts at Tower Press, and what it’s like to live as a working artist in Cleveland. See Wikipedia

WATCH THE MOVIE Filmmaker Robert Banks

Click here for Windows movie
Click here for Mac movie

MOVIE #4 ****
Cool Akron People
 Jessie Raynor
Akron Area Arts Alliance
Movies Behind the Scenes

Akron’s got it going on. Their compact cultural community is bustling with a newer Akron-Summit County Library, a massive (and impressive) rebuild by the Akron Art Museum, and, just a block away, a virtual beehive of artistic activity: the Akron Area Arts Alliance, the Bang and Clatter Theatre and Summit Artspace, all sharing the same funky facility in cooperation with Summit County. The Alliance’s Jessie Raynor talks on camera with Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready about the new exhibit Restless Akron opening on Fri 9/15 and their 15th birthday celebration “Huzzah!” on Sun 9/17, with Museum tour & champagne dessert. http://www.AkronAreaArts.org

WATCH THE MOVIE Akron Area Arts Alliance director Jessie Raynor

Click here for Windows movie
Click here for Mac movie

MOVIE #5 *****
Cool Cleveland BizTech Profile
 Charles Stack
Serial entrepreneur
Movies Behind the Scenes

Charles Stack is Cleveland’s resident tech visionary. Anticipating Amazon, eBay and the billions now transacted annually online, he created Books.com in 1992, the first-ever Internet retailer. Think about that. Now his latest brainstorm, Flashpoint, software that catalogues software, has just been sold to BEA Systems. Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready chatted on video with Stack about what it’s like to sell your company, and what’s up his sleeve next. http://www.Flashline.com

WATCH THE MOVIE BEA VP Charles Stack

Click here for Windows movie
Click here for Mac movie

Tech:Cleveland

A fast and furious round-up of hot tech and business news & events from around Cleveland and around the region. Send your business news and events to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

BizTECH NEWS

  • Key sells McDonald to NYC’s UBS for $280 million Read Read
  • BioLabs gets $750K contract from Cancer Institute Read
  • FLX Micro gets $400K funding from Cle’s JumpStart Read
  • Intel cuts 10,500 jobs, 10% of its workers, to save $3 billion Read
  • Tri-C builds Health Tech Center for Nuclear Medicine, Electroneurodiagnostics Read

BizTECH EVENTS

  • NASA Networking for entrepreneurs Wed 9/13 4-6PM Details
  • Intl Sales & Marketing Leadership Conference Thu 9/14 – Sun 9/17. Akron. www.smei.org
  • US Manufacturing Czar Al Frink on the future of manuf, Fri 9/15 11:30AM-2PM, Union Club. Register: sjv@wherryassoc.com
  • Finance for Non-Profits on internal controls & fiduciary responsibility Tue 9/19 8AM-noon. Register: 440-605-7223
  • Engineering Innovation Enhancing Our Quality of Life Tue 9/19 6:30AM-4PM Register
  • Nano@Case Materials, Manufacturing & Medicine Wed 9/20 6-8:30PM Register

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
A Global Tech Summit in Cleve? Did you know that Cleveland is an Intel Digital Community – a city considered to be among the best in the world for patient care and research? Did you also know that much of the hard core technology behind “Wi-Fi” was developed right here in Ohio? Meet with experts from the “healthcare capital of the world” – including area civic and business leaders – who are committed to growing a competitive 21st century economy in North East Ohio. Join healthcare industry peers and communications giants from around the world and learn about new and exciting wireless healthcare applications and products at the Global Tech Summit Tue 9/12 – Thu 9/14 at Case Western Reserve University. For more info or to register go here. The Beta Strategy Group, www.BetaGroup.us, is a working sponsor of the Global Tech Summit and a founding sponsor of Cool Cleveland Tech.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Cool Cleveland Tech Spotlight
 TechSync
A Cleveland tech revolution thru 9/15

  • Global Technology Summit
Select leading edge wireless health care technology orgs from around the world have been invited to meet civic and business leaders committed to growing businesses and facilitating success in Greater Cleveland.
Host: TeamNEO Public or Private: Private Date: 9/12-14 Venue: Dively Center at Case Western Reserve University
*HOT Case for Community Day
Designed to dedicate a half-day of community service by the entire Case campus: staff, faculty, students, and local alumni. There will be a special technology announcement by Case CIO Lev Gonick. Host: Case Western Reserve University Public or Private: Public Date: Wed 9/13 Venue: Case Western Reserve University http://www.Case.edu/events/cfc. See CC video interview with Lev Gonick here: Win or Mac
  • The CEO Forum
A forum to initiate dialogues between established company CEOs and emerging growth CEOs in order to learn from each other’s challenges and best practices, thus strengthening the region as whole, keynoted by Len Komoroski, President of Cleveland Caveliers.
Host: The City of Cleveland Tech Czar Michael DeAloia Public or Private: Private Date: Thu 9/14 Venue: Quicken Loans Arena
  • HOT Playhouse Square Discovery Tour
This year’s annual Theater District Discovery party tour salutes the area’s technology based companies and entrepreneurial businesses located in the new IdeaCenter Building and at Star Plaza.
Host: Playhouse Square Foundation Public or Private: Public Date: Fri 9/15 Venue: IdeaCenter at Playhouse Square Register: http://PlayhouseSquare.org/discoverytour

Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS

  • Sleek Cle Hts bridge over Lee Road links their ultra-new 110K sf library, plus community groups like HeightsArts, Dobama Theatre and more, opening Sat 9/16. Read. Read. www.HeightsLibrary.org
  • Lakewood analyzing Beck In an effort to “make the Beck Center more viable in the city of Lakewood,” Mayor Tom George proposed spending $20K on a development retention grant for consultants. Read
  • Cool Cleveland Kids You got kids, but you’re not lame. Tired of all the noise and inappropriate crap? Looking for fun and cool things to do with your kids? Take a hint from 10-year-old Cool Cleveland correspondent Max Mulready who has scoured the Internet looking for a few good events to recommend. Hear his short podcast here even if you don’t have special software. If you’re a whiz kid, you can download it to your iPod or your computer and listen with your own kid. Check below to see the events tagged CC KIDS under Cool Cleveland This Week for our recommendations for a fantastic family week. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids09.15.06.mp3. Add the CC Kids Podcast to iTunes using this link. Adding this link to your program that catches podcasts, will keep you up-to-date on the latest audio.
  • Browns fans #1 The team is “remarkably inept” but Bizjournals.com says Browns fans filled 99.8% of stadium seats for the past 7 years, averaging over 70K per game, and that makes us #1, even with the 4th lowest average Dec temp and 6th lowest per capita income. Fans in hot spots Arizona, Atlanta & Oakland rank lowest. Read
  • Arts Levy is Issue #18 Now we know the issue number. The arts initiative to tax cigs $.30 a pack will raise $20 million (!) a year for needy non-profit culture groups in Cuyahoga. Pass the word: YES on 18. http://www.CuyahogaArtsAndCulture.org
  • You may be registered to vote but maybe you know someone who isn’t. Send them this link to get registered, postmarked by Sat 10/7: Click
  • It’s sexy to vote absentee and it’s easy. Request Form 11-A here, and get it to your county board of elections by 7:30PM on election day, Tues 11/7. Click
  • European raves for Orchestra Their 12-concert Europe tour inspires drooling: “perfect synchronicity and precision…” “a tour de force…” “both touching and awe-inspiring…” Read more. See photos
  • Cleveland as magnet for filmmakers Hyacinth Lofts and this high profile article could start an avalanche. See New York Times.

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Verb Ballets: Proper Noun or Provocative Dance? Proper is so boring, isn’t it? Get a little wild, with a taste of entertainment that’s provocative, stimulating and sensual from a contemporary dance company that has the power to create goose bumps up and down your soul. Experience a new standard of dance with a company that always delivers over-the-top performances and standing O-o-o-hs. Check out Nature Moves by Verb Ballets at the Natural History Museum’s Murch Auditorium on Fri 9/15 and Sat 9/16 at 8PM. Tickets are $25 for the performance only (reserved seating) or $40 on Saturday with a reception afterward that includes Verb’s dancers, open bar, hors d’oeuvres and DJ. For more info contact www.cmnh.org or 216-231-4600.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS

  • R.I.P. Reverend Albert Wagner He was outsider before they had a name for it. His East Cleveland home, the People Love People House of God, was a found-object shrine to the Bible and his personal philosophy of life. Read
  • Case discovers “Rosetta Stone” of cancer In a stunning announcement, Case researchers have “given the research community the enemy’s blueprint” and have identified genes that may cause colon cancer. Read
  • Valtronic celebrates 20 years of making miniaturized high tech medical products for the medical device industry here in Northeast Ohio. Visit http://www.Valtronic.com for more info.
  • Cool Cleveland Podcast Cool things to do this week in Cleveland, at the click of a button. http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland09.15.06.mp3. Add the CC Podcast to iTunes using this link. Don’t forget, you can subscribe to this podcast by saving this link in your favorite program that catches podcasts.
  • Call for Ingenuity artists Ingenuity 07 is looking for some big ideas. If you’re a composer, musician, painter, video or filmmaker, sculptor, thespian, poet, chalker, street performer or…well, you get the idea…and you’d like to participate in next year’s event visit www.IngenuityCleveland.com and complete an artist application before the 11/1 deadline.
  • To ensure you receive Cool Cleveland every week, take a moment now and add CoolCleveland@CoolCleveland.com to your address book, trusted sender list, or corporate white list.
  • Cleveland Clothing Co. The recently launched Cleveland Clothing Co. makes handmade apparel designed for Clevelanders, visitors and ex-pats that reflects our sassy and slightly rebellious style – right down to the very last detail. Check them out at http://www.cccapparel.com.
  • Your Spamalot video wanted Playhouse Square invites you to recreate and film your favorite scenes from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Submit them to the Spamalot Video Contest before the 9/25 deadline. Check out the contest homepage and the sample video filmed in the PSC Men’s Room here.
  • Don’t pay for 411 calls It’s not a hoax. Especially useful on your cell phone to avoid those two dollar 411 calls for information. Read


Cool Cleveland This Week
9.13-9.20

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

WED

  • The Natural Flats Explore natural spaces in the Cleveland Flats on Wed 9/13 at 10AM. Call 206-1000. Click here for more info.
  • The Unrecovered Nationally-recognized Oberlin theatre prof Roger Copeland recorded 9/11 TV footage and used it in this debut film about a composer, a teenage girl and a conspiracy theorist, screened for the first time ever on Wed 9/13 at 7PM at CWRU’s Strosacker Aud. 421-7350 http://www.ClevelandArt.org
  • Listing Tip of the Week Don’t send an encyclopedia when a postcard will do the trick. Give us the 411 on your event and sell us on why it’s cool. Resumes for each band member, dental histories and transcripts just aren’t necessary. We’ll take your word for it. Keep those uber cool events, important civic meetings and empowering business workshops coming at us. Send them to Events@CoolCleveland.com.

THU

  • International Sales & Marketing Leadership Conference Toast the best and the brightest in sales and marketing in Northeast Ohio on Thu 9/14 through Sun 9/17. Akron. www.smei.org.
  • Giving Women Power over AIDS International exhibit comes to Cleveland on Thu 9/14 at the Great Lakes Science Center. Call 621-0766, x275 for more info. http://www.aidstaskforce.org.
  • Rules for Better Business Improve your communication skills and become a better leader, manager, salesperson, rainmaker or business owner during an all-day event on Thu 9/14. Register here. Akron.
  • Insights on Advocacy will provide training in epilepsy awareness and education. Learn how to speak with legislators, become a part of grassroots network and speak with Northeast Ohio legislators on Thu 9/14 at 12PM. Trinity Cathedral-Art Gallery. http://www.EpilepsyInfo.org.
  • Fast Focus Careers Open House Ready for a career change? Fast Focus Careers – a dynamic program to help you gain career clarity in just three sessions – will be hosting an Open House with complimentary beer, wine and appetizers at the Velvet Dog on Thu 9/14 from 5:30PM – 7:30PM. Visit http://www.FastFocusCareers.com for more info.
  • Arts & Culture Benefit featuring music by The Martin Porter Quintet, members of the Tri-C High School Jazz All Stars, and a string quartet from Red, an orchestra, plus cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres on Thu 9/14 at 5:30PM. Call 268-2655 for tix. Bratenahl.
  • My Architect: A Son’s Journey A riveting tale of love, art, betrayal and forgiveness on Thu 9/14 at 6:30PM. Discover the strange, secret and chaotic personal life of world-famous architect Louis Kahn. Akron. www.AkronArtMuseum.org.
  • U2Charist Hear the Gospel According to U2 during this worship service – in support of Bono’s One Campaign -that will have the walls of Cleveland’s 99-year-old Gothic Episcopal cathedral rockin’ with the sounds of the legendary and prophetic Irish rock band on Thu 9/14 at 7PM. Trinity Cathedral. http://www.TrinityCleveland.org.
  • Raise your cool quotient Promote your products and services (or your client’s) with the edgy, weekly e-newsletter that delights the senses, ruffles the feathers and gets down with Cleveland’s cool like no other. Click here for testimonials. Contact TL@CoolCleveland.com for info about advertising.

FRI

  • The Great Mohican Indian Pow-Wow Pottery, bead work, knife making, silversmithing, antler works, quill working, fur trading, silverwork, storytelling and more by 30+ top Native American artisans on Fri 9/15, Sat 9/16 and Sun 9/17. Call 800-766-2267 or visit http://www.MohicanPowWow.com. Mohican Reservation Camp Ground, 23270 Wally Road South, Loudonville.
  • Mfg. Czar Al Frink The Bush Administration point person on manufacturing will give the keynote address on Fri 9/15 at 11:30AM. Call 440-899-0019 or email sjv@wherryassoc.com for required advance registration.
  • Contemporaries: 8 View work by eight of the best contemporary, mid-career, female artists currently working in northern Ohio: Ruth Bercaw, Susan Danko, Mille Guldbeck, Kathleen Hammett, Peggy Kwong Gordon, Harriet Moore Ballard, Susan Squires and Garie Waltzer. Opening Reception on Fri 9/15 from 5 – 7PM. http://www.bonfoey.com.
  • HOT Steppin’ Around – Theater District Discovery Tour Discover all that the Theater District in Downtown Cleveland has to offer on Fri 9/15 from 5:30 – 9PM. Begin the evening at Star Plaza sampling Grey Goose martinis and sipping Stella Artois and Labatt Blue Light beers, Robert Mondavi Wines, RockStar Energy Drinks and scrumptious finger foods from area restaurants. District-wide scavenger hunt, an awesome “Tech Tent” at Star Plaza and a Dance Showcase at 7PM at the Palace Theatre. Hop the complimentary RTA E-Trolley to East 4th Street and the Warehouse District to continue your night of fun. www.PlayhouseSquare.org to learn more.
  • Covering History: Revisiting Federal Art in Cleveland (1933-1943) is an exhibit showcasing Northeast Ohio as a nationally important center for federally-funded art of the WPA era. Opening Reception on Fri 9/15 from 6-9PM. http://www.ClevelandArtists.org.
  • HOT Haunted Cleveland Take a peek into the other side of Cleveland’s Night Life on this 4 ½ hour tour of Rock Bottom Brewery, the Powerhouse on the west bank of the Flats, Gray’s Armory, Playhouse Square and the Cleveland Police Historic Society and Museum on Fri 9/15 at 6PM. http://www.HauntedCleveland.net.
  • CC KIDS Underground Railroad Experience the lives of slaves moving along the Underground Railroad – navigating the woods at night and using their senses to survive. Talk with an abolitionist and go into a “Safe House” to learn what “freedom” was really like for those who survived the journey. Tours on Fri 9/15 at 6PM; 6:30PM; 7PM & 7:30PM. No cost, but registration required. Call 341-3152. Bedford Reservation, Hemlock Creek Picnic Area.
  • Toppings! A Fashion Show of Accessories This collaborative show on Fri 9/15 at 9PM features local Tremont designers, artists, stylists, photographers, film makers, and musicians. Doors open at 8PM. http://www.AsteriskGallery.com.
  • Nature Moves 2 See performances of Chichester Psalms and Shadows of Nesmin, company premieres of Ku’ U Home and Heinz Poll’s Andante Sostenuto and the world premiere of an exciting new work by Verb’s Hernando Cortez on Fri 9/15 and Sat 9/16 at 8PM. Get tickets at www.cmnh.org.
  • Postcard Diaries Forget the Princess! It’s all about the outstanding art of Ohio’s own Mark Mothersbaugh as Standing Rock Cultural Arts kicks off the Postcard Diaries exhibit at the opening reception on Fri 9/15 at 8PM. Get details at http://www.StandingRock.net Kent.
  • Michael Feinstein Four-time Grammy nominee and Columbus, OH native, Michael Feinstein will headline a musical event with Cleveland Jazz Orchestra (CJO) for a grand tour of “The Great American Songbook” on Fri 9/15 at 8PM. Get your tickets at http://www.PlayhouseSquare.org. http://www.MichaelFeinstein.com.
  • HOT Heart & Vine David Shimotakahara, Artistic Director of GroundWorks Dancetheater and Gustavo Aguilar, GroundWorks’ Music Director perform Heart & Vine on Fri 9/15 and Sat 9/16 at 8PM and Sun 9/17 at 2PM. Call 691-3180, ext. 4 for reservations. The Akron Icehouse, 129 North Summit Street, Akron. http://www.GroundWorksDance.org. See video interview of David Shimotakahara here: (WIN) or (MAC).
  • Celtic Concert Hear a complimentary community concert featuring traditional Celtic music by The Muses from Colorado on Fri 9/15 at 8PM. Mayfield Library, 6080 Wilson Mills Road, Mayfield Village.
  • Nature Moves 2 Verb Ballets features five dramatic dances with very diverse themes on Fri 9/15 and Sat 9/16 at 8PM at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. http://www.VerbBallets.org.

SAT

  • HOT Voices & Choices Regional Town Meeting It’s time to put up or shut-up. Here’s your opportunity to weigh-in on important regional issues by attending the second Voices & Choices Regional Town Meeting on Sat 9/16 from 9AM to 4PM at the University of Akron’s James A. Rhodes Arena. Read this week’s Cool Cleveland Preview of the event below and visit http://www.VoicesChoices.org to learn more.
  • White Cane Walk Could you walk to your job with your eyes closed? People who are visually impaired or blind do, every day. The White Cane Walk, on Sat 9/16 at 9AM, will give sighted people this experience – and raise money for the Cleveland Sight Center. Call 791-8118 x220 or visit http://www.ClevelandSightCenter.org. Crocker Park, Westlake.
  • Western Reserve Writers Conference and Workshop All-day writers’ event featuring top-notch writers and editors, including Les Roberts, Janet Podolak, Kathy Dawson, Jack Marschall and more on Sat 9/16 from 9AM to 4:15PM. Register at http://www.lakelandcc.edu/comeduc. Kirtland.
  • CC KIDS To Fly! Learn first hand from pilots about the thrill of flight and the impact of aerospace research on our lives on Sat 9/16 from 10AM to 3PM. Presentations, make & take crafts and plenty of kids’ activities. http://glennevents.grc.nasa.gov.
  • HOT Sparx Gallery Hop Attention aspiring art aficionados – get a crash course in Cleveland Culture with the Sparx Gallery Hop on Sat 9/16 and Sun 9/17. This multi-venue weekend adventure is just what you need to get you grooving on the local art scene. For more information visit http://www.cleveland.com/sparx or call the Sparx Hotline at 426-7335.
  • CC KIDS CMA Chalk Festival Create a temporary work of art on the pathways surrounding Wade Lagoon during this fun family festival on Sat 9/16 and Sun 9/17 from 11AM to 4PM. No cost to attend; minimal cost to participate. Groups can pre-register at 707-2483. Visit www.ClevelandArt.org for more info. Wade Lagoon.
  • HOT Pandemonium This fundraising extravaganza on Sat 9/16 at 7PM is the cure for what ails ya – fab food, complimentary beer, wine and soft drinks and innovative visual and performing arts. Get the details on this sizzling event at www.cptonline.org.
  • Birds of a Feather Has Cool Cleveland become a friend that you can rely on? Then consider passing it on to a friend – who would also enjoy a good read.
  • Taste the Place & Purchase Your Produce Three of Holden’s signature events collide for one fun-filled, fabulous fall weekend on Sat 9/16 & Sun 9/17. Kirtland. http://www.HoldenArb.org.
  • White Out Attend the opening reception for this exhibit, featuring the work of artists, Yevgeniya Kaganovich and Anya Kivarkis on Sat 9/16 from 5 – 9PM. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Call 773-8277 for info. Gallery M, 1667 East 40th Street, #3B.
  • Heights Heritage Home & Garden Tour 7 beautiful Cleveland Heights homes and 3 gardens will be featured on Sun 9/17 from 12-6PM. Preview party Sat 9/16 6PM – 12AM, featuring late supper buffet, open wine and beer bar and dancing to Roberto Ocasio’s Latin Jazz Project. Call 321-6775. http://www.HeightsCongress.org.
  • Survivor Benefit Slip on your Island/Cocktail wear and enjoy delicious food provided by Arrabiata’s and groove to the sounds of Oasis during the “Survivor” Benefit on Sat 9/16 from 6:30 – 10:30PM. Call 440-871-2900 or visit http://www.lensc.org. Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, 28728 Wolf Road, Bay Village.
  • The Elemental Vision: Portraits in the Mische Technique View paintings by award-winning artist Krisztina Lazar using the mische technique – invented and perfected by the Dutch and Italian Renaissance Masters. Meet the artist and enjoy complimentary beverages and appetizers on Sat 9/16 from 7 – 10PM. Call 228-1802 for more info. http://www.LocalGirlGallery.com.

SUN

  • HOT Ohio City Garden Tour Enjoy the last roses of summer among fall flowers and foliage on Sun 9/17 from 10AM to 3PM. Email OhioCityGardeners@Yahoo.com for tickets or purchase day of event at Stone Gables Bed and Breakfast, 3804-06 Franklin Boulevard.
  • Tremont Market Get locally grown produce and locally crafted goods at the newest outdoor market in town at the lot across from 777 Starkweather on Sun 9/17 from 10AM – 2PM and every Sunday through 10/29. Send questions to tremontmarket@yahoo.com.
  • HOT Huzzah! Celebrate the arts with a progressive party on Sun 9/17 from 4:30 – 8:30PM. Enjoy music, dancers, theatre, food, wine and more while partying along East Market Street. Get a peek at Akron Art Museum’s bold expansion project then visit Musica, a new music scene and Summit Artspace, where Huzzah! concludes with a festive champagne and dessert reception. Call 330-376-8480 or email info@akronareaarts.org. Visit http://www.AkronAreaArts.org to learn more. See video interview with Akron Area Arts Alliance director Jessie Raynor here: (PC) 
  (Mac).

MON

  • Latino Fashion Show Enjoy a muy caliente gratis event to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Fly fashions, hot music and cool giveaways will turn up the heat on Mon 9/18 at 6PM. Call 664-2801. Sunset Lounge, 1382 West 9th Street.

TUE

  • CC Teens Slam It! Create and perform poetry with local slam poets Michael Salinger and Kelly Harris during a series of teen events that kicks off on Tue 9/19 at 4:30PM. Get the 411 at www.CuyahogaLibrary.org.

WED

  • Passport Professionals networking event Bring your business cards for an evening of networking, wine and beer on Wed 9/20 at 5:30PM. RSVP at 621-0222. Constantino’s, 1278 West 9th Street.
  • Pat in the Flats Rock it out with IfIHadAHiFi and Goose on Wed 9/20 at 8PM. More info here.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

WCLVnotes On Tue 9/19 at Corporate College East, just off I-271 at the Richmond exit in Warrensville Heights, WCLV 104.9 FM will present the fall Red Cross Celebrate Life blood drive. It’s a great social event with good food, superb classical music and WCLV Goody Bags with the latest edition of the WCLV coffee mug and other valuable gifts. It takes place in elegant surroundings – the exciting Corporate College East. And WCLV on-air personalities will be on the air all day from the Corporate College. Afterwards, you’ll feel wonderful for having given the gift of life, and the only price of admission is a pint of blood. For an appointment call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or go online to www.GiveLife.com. Enter the sponsor code – wclv919 – to choose your appointment time to donate. WCLV is a Cool Cleveland partner.

Emissions from the blogsphere Katherine wonders why no one goes to Sullivan’s. Hannah does a call out for young professionals to attend Voices & Choices Regional Town Meeting. At the Life In Cleveland blog, there are pictures of the Annual Lakewood Dog Swim. Lev Gonick offers ideas on preparing young people for the 21st century. Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, where Peter Chakerian talks up the Case breakthrough on cancer, Key selling McDonald and the potential bank-buying impact, the Town Hall held by Voices & Choices, Great Lakes Brewing Company’s bourbon and beer event, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and other juicy morsels. When you’re through, add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cool Cleveland Preview
 Voices & Choices Regional Town Hall Meeting

After engaging tens of thousands of Northeast Ohio citizens in 18 months, Voices & Choices is holding its second and final Regional Town Meeting forum at the University of Akron’s James A. Rhodes Arena. The event takes place on Saturday, September 16 from 9 AM to 4 PM and is expected to be the largest town meeting ever held in the region.

“We are hoping for 1000 total participants and stand at about 800 now,” V&C Project Director Shara Davis told Cool Cleveland this week. “We have consciously strived for input from people in all walks of life, and we have been monitoring demographics and geography to make sure all races, ethnicities and income levels participated. It is very important for us to get diverse perspectives, because there are a lot of tough choices ahead for Northeast Ohio.”

In advance of the Town Hall Meeting, Voices & Choices asked Northeast Ohio citizens to complete a series of “Online Choicebook” surveys at http://www.voiceschoices.org/choicebook.

Residents sounded off on solutions to the six key challenges facing the area: Attracting and Growing Business; School Funding and Accountability; Training Workers for Current and Future Jobs; Increasing Racial Inclusion and Income Equality; Addressing Sprawl & Racial Connectivity, and Reducing Government Fragmentation.

The idea behind the “Online Choicebook” (and the crux of V&C’s overall mission, ultimately) was to engage the citizens of the region to think about the future, take ownership of ideas and solutions, forge inclusion, and make participants a large part of the decision-making process as change agents. Davis said she is pleased by what she has seen to date and is looking forward to the weekend event.

“Almost 20,000 people from all 16 counties spent considerable time weighing in on the most pressing challenges in NEO,” Davis added. “And that really transcends how invested we are as an organization in this region’s future.

“If you look at those six issues that emerged, they culminated from the legacy established in Ohio as a whole. Education is a big one. Government fragmentation is another perfect example. Sprawl is another thing that has been happening for many decades. We’re just hopeful that people will come out and join us for this Town Hall event. This is an opportunity for residents to make their voice heard about those issues, learn and help make the tough choices about where we go from here as a region.”

The keystone to V&C’s “Online Choicebook” surveys was the “dashboard” idea of economic analysis, which concludes that competitive economic factors of other regions are creating an even larger gap between low and high income levels in Northeast Ohio.

“These factors have quantifiable impact on affordable housing, health care, education and workforce development. People want to know that we are getting at the root of those issues,” Davis added, offering that “while the issues are certainly taking a toll on Northeast Ohio as a region, they are not at all isolated to our part of the state alone.”

“We are at a really critical time in this process, in that we are shifting to solutions for the region and at a point in time prior to taking action on them,” Davis finalized. “The Town Hall meeting is a time for citizens to come together and really weigh in on their priorities on the six challenges identified during this year. This is about the how we transform the region.”

Voices & Choices is a project of the Fund for Our Economic Future, a collaboration of over 80 philanthropic organizations across Northeast Ohio striving for economic competitiveness in Northeast Ohio.

Visit the Fund for Economic Future online at http://www.futurefundneo.org. To learn more about Voices & Choices, or to make a reservation for the Town Hall event, call 1-800-929-2319 or visit http://www.voiceschoices.org.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Cool Cleveland Eats
Tiramisu

Like many foods, the origins of the popular Italian dessert tiramisu (“pick me up”) can be traced back through the centuries. Though a similar treat was created in 17th century Siena, Tuscany, for a visit by Grand Duke Cosimo de Medici III, the first recorded reference to what we know as tiramisu was by Giuseppe Maffioli in 1981. He wrote that tiramisu was just ten years old at that point, and was born at a Treviso restaurant called Le Beccherie. This is where the classic recipe–layers of savoiardi (ladyfingers) soaked in espresso, marscarpone cheese and bitter cocoa powder–was created. Unfortunately for Le Beccherie’s owners, they did not patent the recipe or the name, as tiramisu became incredibly popular. It was soon served at restaurants all over Treviso, and then spread across Italy. In 1980s America, tiramisu became a favorite dessert for couples on dates. Today, most Italian bakeries and restaurants worldwide sell versions of the original recipe tiramisu.

Tiramisu is one of those perfect desserts, full of flavor and textures, so pure decadent at the same time, that it is difficult to pick one that satisfies more than another. But at Narducci’s Bakery, the tiramisu is heavenly. It’s so light and creamy, I could have eaten the whole tray! The coffee flavor is not overwhelming, but it’s definitely palpable. My tongue absorbed each luscious layer like the ladyfingers soaked in the strength of the espresso, and I felt a great calm coming over me with every bite. The tiramisu alone is worth the trip out to Broadview Heights, but they also make other Italian specialties like flaky sfogliatelle, and assorted cakes and pies. Bravissimo, Narducci’s!

Mentor’s Michelangelo’s Deli Delight offers breads, cheeses and wines, and prepared Italian foods to go. Traditional tiramisu is one of their best desserts, but it’s their almond alternative that is the cleanest, most seductive flavor you can imagine. No espresso in this extravagant delight, but the almond flavor paired with savoiardi tastes like fresh-baked white cake, and the crumb and slivered almond topping sent shivers up my spine! No tiramisu-hunting excursion would be complete without a trip to Little Italy, and Corbo’s Bakery is the place to be for one-stop shopping. Fabulous apple, almond or traditional tiramisu, chocolate horns, cannolis, and Godfather t-shirts, all under one roof. Salute!

From Cool Cleveland contributor Dana Aritonovich mrsgrohl1@yahoo.com

Cool Cleveland Sounds
 Elizabeth: Haunted By Ghosts
20GOTO10
Plastiq Musiq

When last we spoke about local synth pop outfit 20GOTO10, their full-length Tears From the Electric Eye (reviewed here) was pulling in 80s technopop fans by eschewing conventions and gunning for a more emotional and macrobiotic approach. With a new effort Elizabeth: Haunted By Ghosts, they’re courting the concept album-loving, B-flick watching, black-leather-wearing Fangoria and Starlog subscribers out there who bliss out on vintage equipment and the Cinema of the Skull. Or maybe that’s just me. After Elizabeth, consider me a lifelong fan.

20GOTO10 has veered into more adventuresome, Enoesque territory filled with even more vocoders and vintage gear synths this time around. The ambiance is achieved in taking that period gear into shadowy exploration. Dark textures and shades are propelled by the group’s synth-architects Matthew Sturgeon and William Manke; new bassist Corey Jenkins and vocalist Sara Eugene (still the heartbeat behind those keyboards and processors) round out the sound.

Elizabeth is a vast, historical mystery set in 16th century New England that tells of a 14-year-old girl (Elizabeth Nichole Hobbs) who discovers a trail of human teeth leading off into the forest. The songs built around this concept explore themes of curiosity, intrigue, and fear of the unknown in the search for truth. The “ghost in the machine” of some synthpop acts is a twisted, “Hansel-und-Gretel” poltergeist here, delivering a gripping period-piece narrative.

But if you’re not into the concept—and it just might not work for some people—you sure won’t hurt my feelings: 20GOTO10’s purposeful sense of identity and solid songcraft works well enough separately to simply disregard it.

Eugene’s vocal timbre most often recalls Alison Moyet and Eurythmics-era Annie Lennox, warming up the programmed, mechanical layers typical of synthpop with every breath. And when things turn dark and stormy with more industrial-strength hooks, her voice brings order to the dissonance—much like David Bowie’s did on his chided Outside album.

Elizabeth pulls away from the Gary Numan, sandwiching itself between Eno, Outside and conjures a bit of Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music to boot. In the end, this concept album isn’t the injection-molded, cold “Plastiq Musiq” the group’s new label name might suggest. Far from it.

20GOTO10 performs at the Lime Spider in Akron this Friday, September 15 with Hello Stranger and the Great Fiction! For more information on the show and on 20GOTO10, visit their official website at http://www.20goto10.us and their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/20goto10

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

Wanna get reviewed? Send your band’s CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107

Hey Writers! Wanna write about Cleveland music? We’ve got a slew of recently-released CDs and DVDs by Cleveland-area musicians that could use your critical commentary for Cool Cleveland Sounds. If you’re interested, send us a note at Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Cold Calling
Brian Deagen of Knotice
Cool Cleveland’s CIO George Nemeth makes a call and it’s not a prank

No, this isn’t the Jerky Boys, or Crank Yankers. Periodically, I’ll be recording interviews with area business and technology leaders and posting them in the newsletter as MP3s. This week’s edition is a short phone call with the CEO of Knotice, Brian Deagan. Knotice is an Akron company that, well, I’ll let him explain that. The day we spoke, Brian was in Chicago, talking with Oracle about working together. Based on Brian’s explanation of what Knotice does, I wanted to know more about using SMS as a marketing channel, which sounded straightfoward, but I was curious who was doing that. I knew that Knotice had roots in the cable industry, so I asked Brian about it. Most of the background I had on Brian and his company came from watching a video on YouTube. Check it out here. Brian talked about moving to Silicon Valley and coming back here, particularly about the difference between the two. Though the difference is significant, it’s his opinion that you can start a business anywhere if you can address the talent issue. Since this is TechSync week, Brian and I talked about Guy Kawaski and wrapped up the call with him talking about how great it is to work with JumpStart. Make sure you send your comments or Cold Calling suggestions to Letters@CoolCleveland.com.

Instant Karma
Quick reviews of recent events
Going out this weekend? Take along your PDA and your digital camera. Scratch out a few notes to send us with a picture of it for our Instant Karma real-world reviews of what’s really happening. We’d love to hear from you. Send your stuff to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Michael Ruhlman @ Severance Hall 8/31 Food for thought. On Thursday 8/31, I attended Convocation, drawn by the promise of ritual and the prospect of hearing Michael Ruhlman, author of Case’s Common Reading for this year, speak. He wrote The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection more than 5 years ago, and so I hoped that his speech would go beyond the book into more elaborated thinking about what it takes to become an expert in one’s chosen field. He did not disappoint.

He addressed head-on a criticism he has probably heard many times about his writing on cooking: Isn’t it frivolous to write about fancy food in a time when there is so much serious stuff happening in world politics? His answer started with this assertion:

“Great cooking, in the end, has such power because it allows us to connect with our past, our future, and all of humanity, if we let it. I believe that America’s insatiable appetite for food and cooking know-how is really the beginning of a spiritual quest for the bigger things: a search for meaning, order and beauty in an apparently chaotic and alienating universe.”

President Eastwood looked quite comfortable listening to Ruhlman’s speech up until that point, but when Ruhlman made his next main point, suggesting that sharing what he learned about master chefs brought into relief how all of America has become a culture of mediocrity, the President started to look a little nervous…

… perhaps he worried that Ruhlman might suggest that Case has fallen prey to this same trap. (I would argue that we have not, but perhaps the President has been face-to-face with some blunt critics recently.) While no one will extol the virtues of undergraduate cafeteria food, that wasn’t where Ruhlman was going. Instead, he referenced a book called The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan, and described the vicious cycle that has been created in our country by centralizing all our food production around corn.

I’ll summarize the cycle: The beef we eat at fast-food places doesn’t come from grass-fed cows; we feed those cows corn, which is filled with pesticides that allow the corn to grow in a monoculture (highly unnatural). Because cows aren’t supposed to eat corn, they need all kinds of antibiotics to stay alive on this diet and in their near factory living conditions, too many cows in too little space with not enough attention to removing their waste products from their living environment. Because farmers need to pay for pesticides and antibiotics, the corn and the corn-fed beef isn’t really cheap, but the government subsidizes corn growing, which keeps the manufacturers of pesticides and antibiotics in business. We think the beef we buy at fast-food places is cheap, but it’s really got hidden costs — even if we don’t speculate about what ingesting all the pesticide and antibiotic traces in the beef we eat is doing to our own health. Plus, it doesn’t taste as good as lovingly raised, grass-fed cows taste when we slaughter them and cook them with care. And yet, we keep eating corn-fed beef, because we have grown accustomed to mediocre food, and our insatiable demand for cheap food induces the government to continue subsidizing corn farmers.

Can you imagine why this environmentalist rant might make a university president nervous? It’s a good thing that Ruhlman wasn’t giving his speech at a land-grant university like, say, Iowa, or Illinois, or Kansas. (I think those are states that grow a lot of corn, aren’t they?)

But Ruhlman did not go overboard. He did not preach veganism, he did not prescribe the magical solution to the dilemma. He simply encouraged students to find something they are passionate about learning to do well, and then pursue perfection, no matter how tough the path is that leads them toward meeting the highest possible standards in their chosen field.

It was an uplifting speech, taking us from the dour assertion at the beginning that “all humans have lazy tendencies” toward the hopeful conclusion that we also all share a desire for excellence. If we can keep the laziness at bay, and amplify our determination to practice and practice and practice some more, we can escape from the American tendency toward mediocrity, and find the deep joy of the soul that comes with the pursuit of perfection.

I walked away with a renewed commitment to the pursuit of excellence in my own work, and with a hope that I might find some downtime at some point to finish reading the Soul of a Chef, to pick up the Omnivore’s Dilemma as recommended by Ruhlman, and to find Ruhlman’s more recent works — notably House: A Memoir and Walk on Water: Inside an Elite Pediatric Surgical Unit.
from Cool Cleveland reader Sandy Piderit pideritATcase.edu

Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, Hispanic Business Association @ Crowne Pointe 9/8 The 24th annual “Entrepreneur of the Year Award” was held on Fri 9/8 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel with Stewart Emery, author of Built to Last as the keynote speaker. Emery’s message was a positive one, with tips for business leaders and entrepreneurs young and old, looking to go the distance in a world of global competition and personal and professional challenges. The four top awards went to Enrique Muniz, Jr., owner of La Borincana Foods, as the top businessman, Diana Mashini, Founder and & CEO of Corporate Choice Staffing Services, as the top businesswoman, Vicente Sanchez, owner of 83 Degrees, a Caribbean Restaurant, as the young businessman, and Janet Garcia, owner of Janet Garcia/Nationwide Insurance Agency as the young businesswoman, all under the category of “2006 Hispanic Entrepreneurs of the Year.” Frank Jackson, Cleveland’s Mayor, was in attendance and also gave some opening remarks.
From Cool Cleveland correspondent T.L. Champion tlATcoolcleveland.com

Goat w/Arielle Silver Band @ Wilbert’s 9/9

Saturday night was a tough homecoming for Goat, the Clevelander born Andy Rosen. To say the crowd at Wilbert’s was “intimate” was like saying that the OSU/Texas match on the projection TV screen before him was “just a game.” That game alone likely explained the sparse crowd (and the ruckus across the street at the Winking Lizard). Still, the solo-acoustic Goat delivered the goods on many of his Randy Newmanesque tunes from his new EngineRoom Recordings effort, Twisted Heart, including “Two Sides to Love,” “Come Today” and “Valium & Sodapop.” In the face of a quiet Saturday night in Cleveland, Rosen was affable and affectionate—offering up wise pro-and-con tidbits about traveling the Midwest in a Chevy Astro Van. He rounded out his hour-long set with “Star” and the jazzy reworking of “Great Life,” which, in that form, could easily get him another go-around. If things were tough for Goat, show mate Arielle Silver had it even worse. The spry, three-piece unit she has on tour played to a nearly empty bar after Goat left the stage. Everyone missed out on her nicotine-toasted voice, which often recalled Canadian songbird Mae Moore. Too bad.
From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

BAT 77th Reunion @ Beachwood Marriott 09/09

This was not to be another typical high school or college class reunion. Instead, on September 9, 2006 well over 250 men, (well over 400 attendees) aged 26 (Jacob Lohser) to 90 (Paul Milner), gathered as brothers at the Beachwood Marriott, not to celebrate the anniversary of their graduation but the founding of their Cleveland Heights High School fraternity, B.A.T., established 77 years earlier on September 10th 1929, one month before the stock market crash of 1929. Most, from their affluent suburb of Cleveland Heights, went on to college, then into the professions: medicine, law, education, business, the arts, the military. Many, troublemakers in their callow youth as active members, gained local renown, some, national. Albert Ratner ’46 is CEO of Forest City Enterprises was the main speaker at the dinner dance, Amongst the attendees were Robert Goldberg, President of Ohio Savings, the Belkin Brothers, Jules and Mike, household name as impresarios of entertainment, the first to bring in the first names: Frank, Elvis, Madonna. Doctor and Lawyers? Dime a dozen.

While B.A.T. folded in 1997 as an active fraternity at Heights High, it’s never been forgotten. A year ago a few passives, 60 and considerably older, decided they’d press their brothers’ nostalgia buttons by floating a reunion. Could there possibly be any interest out there? Over a dozen other brothers quickly formed a steering committee and within months the reunion of a high school fraternity that no longer existed was officially on. With an attendance of nearly half the brothers alive today, it turned out to be the biggest and – all agreed – the best in B.A.T.’s three-quarter-century history. Just to see the brothers, separated by as much as four generations reminiscing, laughing, and back-slapping, and to hear their off-key singing of our raunchy frat songs of old, was worth the nearly 3000-mile journey many took to get there.

We celebrated with a golf outing and a 19th hole, several pre parties and small diner parties on Friday the 8th. Saturday was the Ball-The 77th Reunion Dinner Dance all to be wrapped up by a family picnic at MeadowRidge farms and other brunches as well.

Nine years after our “death” we’re still together and mean to stay that way. After all, our hundredth anniversary is just 23 years away. from Cool Cleveland reader Kevin Goodman B.A.T. 1981 http://www.batboys.org

Romance @ The Bang & the Clatter 9/9
What: David Mamet’s rat-a-tat comedy of insult, a Three Stooges poke-in-the-eye to politically correct speech and representation, in the guise of a Alice in Wonderland courtroom farce. Think “Night Court” on crank.
Reasons to go: Sean Derry’s production and actors overflow with manic energy and when Mamet hits the mark — most often in his acid-penned asides — it’s laugh-aloud funny. Especially fun to watch are Ralph Cooley’s drug-addled judge and David LeMoyne’s tippling bailiff, and Scott Shiner’s Christian-baiting Jew has some hilarious moments.
Caveats: The play is something of a mess, as the “peace in the Middle East” plot is a red herring: it mostly exists to allow the stereotypes (Jews, Christians, gays, Muslims) and insults to detonate on stage like exploding cigars. And Derry’s direction has 3 volumes: loud, louder, loudest.
Shape-shifters: One of the pleasures of a trip to the Bang and the Clatter is walking into a totally reconfigured space. This time the audience is split down the middle, with the courtroom in the center.
Details: Thru 10/1 @ Summit Arts Space, Akron. http://www.bnctheatre.com/
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Poetry: Saturdays at Noon @ Gallery 324 on 9/9 What a terrific initiative! A few months ago, curator Marcus Bales from Art Gallery 324 instigated an ongoing program granting us an open window into Cleveland’s poetry scene: a regular reading that presents two or three featured readers, followed by an open mic. Last weekend’s offering was as perceptive & thought-provoking as ever. Featured readers Roger Craik, a charming & well-traveled British gentleman who currently teaches English at the KSU Ashtabula Campus, & Clarissa Jakobsons, former Kent State art professor & poetry extraordinaire, showered a receptive audience with words of wit & wisdom. While Madame Jakobsons vividly painted her visits to Paris, Master Craik reflected on the quirks of human nature; while she spoke of lovers & bouquets & classical concerts, he commented on poetry readings themselves & their sometimes unjustified supporters in his poem “The Visitor.”

The dialogue continued with the open mic that included, among others, the talented Vladimir Swirynsky & veteran Cleveland poet Chris Franke, with his own signature form of verbal manipulation. A mildly deranged Polish girl shared a nonetheless deep & dramatic translation of a passage from her native tongue, which met with a poignant response from Mary, a local wordsmith who shared a handful of verses by the much-overlooked American poet Edwin Arlington Robinson. Appropriately enough for a few days prior to September 11, a number of the open mic speakers addressed the idea of war, either in the specific or a more universal sense. Robinson’s line still lingers, “…and when all wars are done…”

And perhaps the greatest thing about this reading is that it will happen again: September 16, September 23, September 30, & every Saturday eternally thereafter. (Or, well, close enough.) Gallery 324 is located in the Galleria at the corner of E. 9th & St. Clair. With free parking off of Lakeside (the Garage does not charge on Saturdays) & complimentary coffee at the spot, what excuse have you not to go? Furthermore, selections of the readings are broadcast by the John Carroll University radio station 88.7 WJCU every Wednesday at 12:30 by Northeastern Ohio poetry guru George Bilgere. So be the first to catch these famous over-the-air voices live—every Saturday at noon.

For information, call the gallery at 780-1522 or write to marcusATdesignerglass.com, or just stop by one of these weekends & lend our local poets an ear. From Cool Cleveland reader Wanda Sobieska clueless1033atyahoo.com

The Wild Party @ Kalliope 9/10
What: Andrew Lippa’s musical about a Jazz Age flapper and her abusive boyfriend’s wild party — full of booze, drugs, sex, and more bare skin and lingerie than a Victoria’s Secret catalogue.
Reasons to go: The ensemble is outstanding — with tight direction by Paul F. Gurgon and sultry choreography by Michael Medcalf, they look great, and sing and move even better. The principals are swell, especially sexy Melody Moore as Queenie, leather-lunged Jodi Brinkman as her rival Kate, and Tommy Foster as the violent yet sympathetic Burrs. Lippa’s expressive music fits the tawdry tale.
Extra sizzle:. Four dancers from the Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre, including Artistic Director Medcalf, join the Kalliope company.
Caveats: The show’s a little long, and the 2nd act bogs down. But the production itself is a home run.
Details: Kalliope Stage, 2134 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts. 216.321.0870. Thru 10/15. http://www.kalliopestage.com
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein linda@coolcleveland.com

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

Dear ODOT (See ODOT reponds, sorta here) Dear ODOT–Well, you’ve done it again. That new West 14th Street ramp at the eastbound I-71/I-90 merge is certainly an exercise in futility, not to mention horribly dangerous and confusing. Do any of your people know what they’re doing? If so, would you please have them work on these projects instead of the “drunken monkeys” (as a reader so aptly put it last week) you’ve hired for the job? If this is the best you can offer, maybe you should all resign and we can start from scratch with people who do know what they’re doing. It is obvious the present staff do not, as evidenced not only by this fiasco, but the plans for the Innerbelt Bridge, with no exits off the freeways, eminent domain to take more land from residents for bike paths on the interconnectors, and the Fulton Road Bridge Project. Cleveland is considered a major city, although its downtown is sadly in need of rejuvenation, but your plans for diminishing its accesses will cause a terrific decline in an already sad state of affairs and its residents will go elsewhere for their jobs, needs and recreations.
from Cool Cleveland reader Marge Pauls mmpaulsATsbcglobal.net

On Cleveland’s technology (See TechSync here) I see that Cool Cleveland suggests that its time for Cleveland to move into the technology age and realize that is its future. What year is it? 1986 or 2006? You’re about 20-years years too late. Business forecasters in Japan and China have beaten you to it…decades ago. From the last ranked Governor to the Poorest big city in the nation to the nearly the highest taxed state in the union, being number 1 is presently not very sexy. For decades, the city cannot fill the store fronts of Euclid Avenue and no one has occupied the May Company building in what, 20 years? Higbee’s has been what, at least another ten? How about the lakefront development or that new convention center that will turn the town around? Since “technology is Cleveland’s future, and it’s high time we realized it” maybe they can start to work on the development of a thing called the internet. Insiders say it’ll be a big hit in the new millennium.
from Cool Cleveland reader Mark Schroeder

On the arts & culture levy (See arts levy here) Just wanted you to know that I support the Arts & Culture Issue. I have observed first hand school children benefiting from the educational programming provided by Karamu an arts and cultural organization in Northeast Ohio. Just this summer we had over 150 children participating in our summer cultural arts program where they were trained in music, art, drama, dance martial arts and creative writing. The children attended five days a week for nine weeks with classes in each day. Every two weeks the youth could demonstrate for other attendees what they’d learned. The shyness in many in their first week quickly disappeared as their confidence grew. I witnessed teens whose parents planned for them to be with us for just two weeks, beg their parents to let them stay longer because they enjoyed the dance, drama and writing classes. This issue needs to pass to establish a consistent flow of financial support to arts institutions such as Karamu.
from Cool Cleveland reader Vivian C. Wilson vwilsonATkaramu.com

Roldo Baltimore’s rant regarding the Cigarette Tax for the Arts [here]makes sense only if one can assume that all lawyers, top arts executives, foundation leaders and politicians don’t smoke.
from Cool Cleveland reader Lucinda (Cindy) Einhouse lucinda.einhouseATcase.edu

I am writing to express my strong support of the Arts and Culture Issue, which will be on the ballot November 7. The time is now! Our Arts and Culture sector has, within the past few years, been hit by tough economic times and the private sector has not been able to step up to the plate as a significant source of support. In addition, important support from the State through the Ohio Arts Council has been extremely limited and continues to decline. It is really astounding that a community so rich in arts and culture programming for all sectors, all age ranges, and varying economic status has currently no supporting, dedicated public funds. With the money provided by the proposed county issue, many arts organizations and artists will be able to continue and to extend their outreach into the schools, community centers, and throughout the county, and will continue to impact our economic development through attracting and retaining creative workers, which we desperately need, in order to strengthen and grow the economy of our region. I urge all of your readers to vote “yes” on November 7 for the county issue supporting Arts & Culture.
from Cool Cleveland reader Barbara S. Robinson, Co-Chair, Arts & Culture Action Committee GIBSONMAATaol.com

The Arts and Culture institutions of Cuyahoga County are a major asset to the region and deserve the financial support of our community. Several of our arts and culture institutions are nationally or internationally known and admired. Our smaller Arts and Cultural institutions, which would also be supported by the cigarette levy, provide valuable texture and liveliness to our community. Our arts and culture institutions provide positive and powerful magnets to attract new jobs to the region and to keep the good jobs we have today. These institutions greatly enrich the educational experience of our children (and adults alike) by providing hands-on experiences that stimulate lively minds. The region needs to diversify its economy and replace the manufacturing jobs lost forever. While our arts and cultural institutions provide substantial stimulus to our local economy, they have also suffered financially from the economic stagnation of our region. To be competitive with other regions, we need to support our arts & culture community with tax dollars like other communities do. While no tax is popular, this region must aggressively market and support its great strengths, including its arts and culture community, to secure our long term future. A vote for the cigarette levy is a vote for our future.
from Cool Cleveland reader R. Breck Denny Rbd19616ATaol.com

On parking near CSU’s new Rec Center & renovated Fenn Tower (See CSU upgrades Downtown here) [For CSU’s recent projects, Cool Cleveland mentioned, “Next up, additional parking”] What about the free trolley service that was extended to 11 p.m. M-F, so CSU students would not HAVE to waste gas and take up expensive parking places. Downtown merchants will also benefit. It’s not too late to report this. Click here.
from Cool Cleveland reader Jerry Masek, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority JMASEKATgcrta.org

On Cool Cleveland Why not make sure the news folks get this great news and get on the promotional airwaves to help Cleveland, instead of them crying about lost steel jobs. The bad news always gets 29.9 minutes, and these good events get :30 seconds.
from Cool Cleveland reader David Shaw dshawATclevelandart.org

I just wanted to herald what you are doing through CC to promote Cleveland and to keep people engaged in all that is happening. Also, thank you for running Eric Fingerhut’s piece in this morning’s issue. I know I’m preaching to the choir when I tell you that arts and cultural institutions have made a real difference for Cleveland through the city’s good and bad times.
from Cool Cleveland reader Bill Lynerd wlynerdATcmnh.org

Thanks for keeping me in the loop with this newsletter.
from Cool Cleveland reader Matt Hammes hammesATedr.com

Thank you so much for linking Pinky’s Daily Planner’s “Petite Open House” event to your weekly newsletter; we received @ four+ times more site hits yesterday than we do on an average day! I really appreciate the nod, and hope to meet you at our Showroom next week.
from Cool Cleveland reader Stephanie Fralick stereopinkATmsn.com http://www.pinkysdailyplanner.com

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Top 5
Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 from last week’s issue, with one more chance for you to click.

1) Cool Cleveland Interview Lev Gonick of CASE.
www.CoolCleveland.com.

2) RoldoLINK Roldo says no to another cigarette tax.
www.CoolCleveland.com.

3) Hunger in the suburbs See report from the Center for Community Solutions.
www.CommunitySolutions.com.

4) Lakewood AT&T box on your property? Get the story.
www.LakewoodObserver.com.

5) Mike’s Barn Photos from Doug Morris.
http://www.No-Mopes.com.

You Oughta be in Pictures Or maybe you know someone who should. Send us your video candidates, or perhaps just send us your video. (All we know, is that the CC Hard Corps biopic about Tuesday night deadlines would be called The Negotiator). Big thanks to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Dana Aritonovich, Kevin Goodman, Sandy Piderit, Linda Eisenstein, Wanda Sobieska 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

Download the Cool Cleveland podcast each week at http://www.CoolCleveland.com. Click on the Cool Cleveland Blog here. Read the Cool Cleveland column each month in Cleveland Magazine here. Listen to Cool Cleveland on WCLV-FM 104.9 twice each Friday during drive time. Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com, and your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com. For your copy of the free weekly Cool Cleveland e-zine, go to http://www.CoolCleveland.com.

Who should we shoot a movie of next?

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

all contents ©2006 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
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