Smokin’

02.25-03.04.09
Smokin’

In this week’s issue:

Whether it’s a smokin’ road trip to Akron to visit the Akron Art Museum and Crave (or a road trip to Cleveland, depending upon your orientation, to take advantage of Restaurant Week); a visit to our winter wonderful parks; or a visit with hot visual artist John Howitt, we’ll provide the smoke signals to keep you warm this week. Roldo cranks up the heat and turns up a smoking gun; Mansfield ponders street justice; Susan Polakoff Shaw coordinates PR for the Olympics; and we show you what you may have missed at our Carnaval last weekend. Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty more smokin’ Cool Cleveland events in the weeks ahead. And just remember: where there’s smoke… there’s fire. –Thomas Mulready

Head “South of the Border”
Get What You Crave… in Akron

Why not shake off those shivers and get what you crave? There is nothing like a mini-adventure to slough off those post-holiday, pre-spring ho-hums. A trip south of the Cleveland border will warm your belly and fire your musical interest with a fusion of good food and passionate music. “Cello goddess” Maya Beiser (left) might be the key. More on that in a minute…

The Akron Art Museum is a state of the art destination that warrants exploration not only because of its spectacular architecture, and first-rate exhibitions, but the museum’s hot new musical programming is just what you need to warm up to a cool new venue. If you are overstuffed with commercialized, redundant formats spun off by radio jocks through a revolving door of same-stuff different-day tunes, this is a station switch you can love.

And you can combine your trip with a walk across the street to Crave, a local publication’s “Reader’s Choice” for best eatery and you have an evening that will take the bitter chill off and leave you “craving more.” Co-owners and chefs Aaron Hervey and Deanna Akers always have some inventive delights in store for you…

Read more from Deb Dockery here

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HOT Cleveland Public Art Celebrates 25 Years, Launches New Web Site and can check it all out here
HOT ArtsinStark’s KIMONOfest is drawing raves Celebration of the Japanese arts, culture and entertainment is camped at Canton Art Museum. Visit the events page here
Renowned Hot 8 Brass Band brings New Orleans to town next week, just in time for your Fat Tuesday jones. Throw some beads!
HOT Hey kids: The Northeast Ohio Science and Engineering Fair is next week (starting Mon 3/2) and a record 610 students have applied! Check out their ingenuity here
WMMS catalyst John Gorman goes multimedia with appearance this week at Bay Village county library. Info
Are you hip to Dobama’s First Mondays? If not, you should click here
HOT Don’t forget COSE’s Arts Network Symposium this week Need a reminder? Click here
Call for Artists: Waterloo Walls Project The goal? Produce multiple works of public art that explore history, traditions, and future of North Collinwood. Proposals due this week! Hurry!
Cleveland Junior Jitterbugs looking for sponsors! You can help here
HOT Doing her civic duty on foreclosures Anne Trubek, Associate Prof, Rhetoric & Composition @ Oberlin College sent us a link that everyone in Cleveland needs to read/see
HELP Give blood to the Red Cross on Wed 3/4 at the RTA Main Office Building. Before work, after work. At lunch… Help
If you’re into indie film and not hip to the 1/3 movie night you really need to surf over here
Local Poet Philip Metres at Joseph-Beth Bookstore is not to be missed Check out what he’s up to here then learn more about his appearance here
Cle APL offers residents ten-buck spay/neuter for pets Also includes FVRCP Vaccines and Rabies shots. Spread the word. Click

Lauren Rich Fine [pictured], former Merrill Lynch newspaper analyst and Practitioner in Residence at Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information, delivering the keynote at the Tech Tools for Journalists Workshop at the Knight Digital Media Center in Berkeley, with her talk, “New and Old Roles for Tomorrow’s Journalism and Journalists,” in which she gives a shout-out to www.TheLakewoodObserver.com, where she serves on the advisory board.

Read the keynote.

Chicago doesn’t have this Visitor marvels at our year-round West Side Market: “I’ve said it before: Chicago can never seriously consider itself a world-class food city until it builds a market like this.” Chicago Reader

National Peace Academy Summit A diverse group of 300 leaders from business, government, academia, and civil society will gather for the event and move from discussing their dreams and visions of the National Peace Academy to building solid designs and plans for post-summit implementation. The Summit will runs Mon 3/2 – Wed 3/4 at at Case Western Reserve University. Register

HELP START Happy Hour This happy hour benefit hits Fri 2/27 from 6 – 9PM at the Blind Pig to benefit Support To At-Risk Teens (START). For a nominal door charge, you score beer, well drinks and pizza. The fundraiser will help support four youth programs including an afterschool program and a youth shelter that serves homeless and runaway teens. For more info call 696-8770 or visit http://www.LutheranMetro.org

Boardwines family band makes Final Six The CBS morning show The Early Show is looking for the best family band in America. They started with hundreds of applicants, and have narrowed it down to the final six. One of those six is the Boardwines, from Streetsboro! Check out the details here. The competition begins with live performances starting TODAY in The Early Show studio. Vote and help them score a record deal with CBS Records! Singing Family Face-off.

Correction: Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week As much as we love Cleveland Independents, they have nothing to do with the Downtown

Cleveland Restaurant Week (running through Sunday) which is organized by Downtown Cleveland Alliance and sponsored by The Avenue District. Both Cle Independents’ and the DCA events were inadvertently melded together when Claudia Taller’s piece was edited last week. We apologize for the gaffe. Bottom line is that both orgs do a fantastic job of promoting local food purveyors. Read more about Restaurant Week here and participate now through Sun 3/1.

Cool Cleveland Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events, in an easy-to-digest 3 minute audio format, for playback on your computer or iPod.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Podcast in iTunes.

Susan Polakoff Shaw
Press guru, Olympics and beyond

Susan Polakoff Shaw started in sports journalism when few women worked in this field, and went on to become one of the top PR Strategists and Media Operations Managers in her field. During her 25 year career, Susan has been Public Relations Manager for Turner Sports, Chief of Research for ESPN’s inaugural Extreme Games, managed PR and media operations for dozens of World Cups and World Championships and worked 10 Olympic Games, most recently the 2008 Games in Beijing. Susan has traveled the world managing press operations, including the Goodwill Games in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the World Cup in Italy. As if all that weren’t enough, Susan is also owner and “Chief Media Maven” of Polakoff Communications, which specializes in media and PR for small businesses, sports and events. While not a native Clevelander, Susan has lived here for 17 years with husband Bud Shaw. Her favorite thing about Cleveland: it’s cultural mix and great ethnic eats. Says Susan, “After a grueling tour on the road, I love to come home and have a great big plate of pierogies. That makes everything all better.”

Susan is busy preparing for the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, where she will once again assure smooth media operations. Watch the video here, featuring Cool Cleveland correspondent Laura Varcho, and to learn more about upcoming Olympic events, go to http://www.Vancouver2010.com, http://www.London2012.com, and http://www.chicago2016.org. Reach Susan at SusanATPolakoffPR.com.

Wanna be a Cool Cleveland correspondent? Contact us at InfoATCoolCleveland.com.

This Icy World
Taking Advantage of Our Bountiful Parks System During the Winter Months

Have we had enough snow yet? Apparently not, because the fine dust of powdery cold continues to fall, leaving our landscape beautifully cleansed. The outside air has a crystalline glow like drops of ice hanging in the air. After a recent snow, the branches sparkled in the low sunlight above pristine snow-dusted forest floors.

Winter can be a great time to be outdoors as long as you’re bundled up and moving around to heat up the body. Sparrows, wrens, and mourning doves feed on seeds in feeders outside the Cleveland Metroparks Nature Centers, and red-tailed hawks loop the skies above the quiet landscape. It’s quieter in winter and somehow more sacrosanct. Squirrels scurry up trees, while mice and shrews stay warm under a blanket of snow. Deer, coyote, and fox hover near, but unseen. In the winter, nature feels like an intimate blanket…

Read more from Claudia J. Taller here

SPONSORED: Photography, Sculpture, Video and Sound are just a few of the mediums explored by internationally-acclaimed artist Nina Katchadourian. Nina will discuss her artistry on Fri 2/27 at 5PM in the Ohio Bell Auditorium in the Gund Building at The Cleveland Institute of Art. Nina’s work has been exhibited domestically and internationally at places such as PS1/MoMA, the Serpentine Gallery, New Langton Arts, Artists Space, SculptureCenter, and the Palais de Tokyo. In January 2006 the Turku Art Museum in Turku, Finland featured a solo show of works made in Finland, and in June 2006 the Tang Museum in Saratoga Springs exhibited a 10-year survey of her work and published an accompanying monograph entitled “All Forms of Attraction.” The public is welcome at this no-charge event, and pizza will be served. Info: www.cia.edu

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HOT Food is Knowledge! As parents, it’s hard to keep your kids making healthy food decisions. Help keep them smart and engaged with this curriculum that includes food, math, science and literacy to keep the kids thinking about what their eating. With classes running over the next six weeks starting Sun 3/1, kids get to try new foods, learn a lot, and gain a foundation to make smart decisions for a long and healthier life. And hey, adults attend at no charge. Read the details here then surf to the over to the Children’s Museum of Cleveland site: http://www.ClevelandChildrensMuseum.org.

RENT This Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical is a story of a community of artists living in NYC continues at the Mayfield Village Performing Arts Center. This ground-breaking rock musical follows physical and emotional complications that pervade the lives of these young people. (Subject matter may not be suitable for young children). Check it out Fri 2/27 at 7:30PM, and on Sat 2/28 and Sun 3/1 at 2:30PM and 7:30PM. 6622 Wilson Mills Road (Corner of Route 91 and Wilson Mills Rd.) Mayfield Village. http://www.FairmountCenter.org.

The Cleveland Blues Festival hits PlayhouseSquare Sat 2/28 and if you’ve “got the blues” from this long, cold winter you’re bound to get some sympathy in this special musical shindig. Enjoy world-renowned blues artists Bobby “Blue” Bland, Clarence Carter, Latimore, Floyd Taylor, Bobby Rush, Shirley Brown and Theodis Ealey. http://www.playhousesquare.com.

HOT Shakespeare in Competition In partnership with Great Lakes Theater Festival, the PlayhouseSquare Arts Education Department is hosting the Cleveland Branch Finals of the annual English-Speaking Union’s (ESU) National Shakespeare Competition on Sat 2/28 Students from 37 Northeast Ohio schools are participating. Cleveland City Councilman Joe Cimperman will deliver the event’s keynote address at 9AM. The winning student from the Cle Branch Finals will travel to the National Shakespeare Competition in NYC in April; the winner of that competition scores scholarship to British American Drama Academy’s Midsummer Conservatory Program in Oxford, England!!! Watch the Bard come to life! http://www.PlayhouseSquare.org.

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 13-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

Click here to subscribe to the Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast in iTunes.

Nancy Pearl on Young Literary Icons
Writers Center Stage Series
Cuyahoga County Public Library

Nancy Pearl does nothing but read. She is the rock star of librarians, and she is moderating a panel of 3 literary superstars on Tue 3/3 at 7:30PM at the Ohio Theatre. MacArthur “genius award” winner Colson Whitehead’s first novel, The Intuitionist, was about an African-American elevator inspector, with superb writing exploring an invented world. Jonathan Lethem blurs the boundaries of mysteries, science fiction, westerns and writes unclassifiable books. Myla Goldberg’s best-selling Bee Season, was adapted into a critically acclaimed film. Watch the video and listen to Nancy Pearl’s passion for these new writers, and check out the panel discussion. WritersCenterStage.org

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A hot selection of tech and business news & events from around the region. Got business news? Send it to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com

Cle Clinic doctors weigh options for chimp attack victim who is in town now. Considering possible groundbreaking face transplant, weighing other options. CNN story
Ohio exports continue a hot streak detailed in a piece found here
Staying Afloat in Corporate America? The Cle 20/30 YP org explores the subject here
Strickland backs Obama retreat on free-trade deal and the details are here

2009 Connectors Choice Awards Celebration recognizes the best of the best in the corporate event and networking industries in NEO Wed 3/4 at House of Blues. Reg deadline is Wed 2/25. Click
Be your own marketing agent features Valeri Furst of Furst Communications Thu 3/5 at 7:30AM. YWCA Women’s Center, 4019 Prospect Ave. Register
Join Cle Professional 20/30 Club Recruitment Event Grand Slam event hits @ Market Cafe and Wine Bar Thu 3/12 at 5:30PM. Details
Engineering Leadership Breakfast Series offers Jeffrey L. Dean, CAE, ED and Gen Counsel, Int’l Society of Explosives Engineers Thu 3/26 @ Hilton Garden Inn Cle, 1100 Carnegie Ave.

Got Career? Cleveland State University’s Career Services Center will sponsor the 30th Annual Spring Career Fair on Fri 2/27 starting at 9AM in the CSU Physical Education Center, Woodling Gym, 2451 Euclid Ave. Learn more at http://www.CSUOhio.edu/career or call Career Services at 687-2233. For a listing of Career Fair employers, check out. http://www.CSUCareerFair.com.

Cool Cleveland Carnaval: Were you there? Last Sat 2/21 at Silk nightclub on the West Bank of the Flats, Cool Cleveland and partners TropicalCleveland.com hosted the hottest party this side of Rio. In a scene that made Vegas look tame, every niche of the club, from the stage to the seven(!) bars, was jamming with beautiful people, feathers, drums, musicians, fab food from Sarava, and the Cleveland-based Samba Joia drum line keeping everyone dancing.

Check out the cool video highlights here, then peruse the photos by Herb Ascherman here.

SPONSORED: Not What You Think The Cleveland Public Library is cool. Seriously, you can find the latest DVDs, CDs, and downloadable media, no-cost WIFI and business resources. If you haven’t visited the library lately, you haven’t visited the library! Call ahead for reservations and we’ll even have it ready for you. For extra convenience, you can pick up your reserved items at the Drive-up Window on Rockwell! Score! Info: www.cpl.org.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Olivia Brooks-Scrinavich The author will be discussing and signing Fiscal Pear and Shimmer in The Call of River Whale on Wed 2/25 at 7PM. Brooks-Scrinavich, who is a Cleveland native and Toni Morrison’s niece, has written a fantasy adventure book for her debut that features fun characters and is sure to delight readers of all dispositions. 24519 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst. http://www.josephbeth.com.

Passio The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town Series begins this year’s Lenten season with a performance of Passio by Arvo Part on Ash Wednesday, Wed 2/25 at 7:30PM. The work, a setting of the Passion according to St. John, will be performed by the Oberlin Choir and soloists of the Trinity Choir of New York City, conducted by Owen Burdick. Shrine Church of Stanislaus, Slavic Village, 3649 E. 65th Street. Special group and student rates are available. http://www.ClevelandArt.org.

HOT Cleveland Heights The Mandel Jewish Community Center (JCC) presents the world premiere play Cleveland Heights starting Thu 2/26. Commissioned by the JCC Arts & Culture Program, written by Keith Reddin, directed by Brian Zoldessy and co-produced with Tri-C Eastern Campus Theatre Arts group, it stages at their Performing Arts Center (4250 Richmond Rd., Highland Hills). With staggering relevance to the turbulence of our current economy, Cleveland Heights is a universal story of how families can be affected by the stresses of financial pressures. Read about the creation of this play here and click http://www.CleveJCC.org for schedule/tix.

Chuchito Valdes Born in Havana Cuba, Chuchito Valdes comes from one of the most distinguished musical families in Cuba. His father Chucho Valdes, and his grandfather, Bebo Valdes are both legends, and are still going strong. Chuchito has recorded and performed piano with the world renown Cuban band, Irakere, which he led for 2 years. He has performed at festivals, clubs and concerts throughout the world: from Cuba and the Caribbean, across the United States and South America, and throughout Europe. Check him out live on Thu 2/26 at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights. http://www.NighttownCleveland.com.

Authors Sharon Kaye & John Knoerle will read at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry (1820 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights) on Thu 2/26 at 7PM. The event is no cost, open to the public. Kaye is the author of Black Market Truth, Book 1 of The Aristotle Quest and is Professor of Philosophy at John Carroll University; Knoerle is the author of A Pure Double Cross, a hardboiled mystery set in Cleveland in 1945 — it’s the first book in his American Spy Trilogy. Details at http://www.MacsBacks.com.

Kurt Masur The former music director of the New York Philharmonic will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in concerts featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 at Severance Hall on Thu 2/26 (8PM), Fri 2/27 (11AM), Sat 2/28 (8PM) and Sun 3/1 at 3PM. Louis Lortie will be soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1. http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

HOT Faces and Places: The Photographic Art of Herb Ascherman, Jr. The Artists Archives of the Western Reserve announces the opening of this exhibition Fri 2/27 at 5PM with a no cost, open to the public opening reception. The show runs through early April. Ascherman, a well known Cleveland photographer, will give an artist’s talk at 6:30PM at the reception. Complimentary refreshments will be served. Look for Ascherman’s Cleveland, America periodic photo segments on CC starting this week. 1834 E. 123rd St. http://www.ArtistsArchives.org.

Window to Sculpture The exhibitions Embodied Space and In Between open at The Sculpture Center on Fri 2/27 with an opening reception from 5:30 – 8PM. Jake Beckman’s Embodied Space and Danielle Julian Norton’s In Between will also be flanked by Artist Talks that night. This is the second in a series of exhibitions of work by early career Ohio sculptors and installation artists. Both exhibitions close Sat 4/4. Details, directions at http://www.SculptureCenter.org.

HOT GroundWorks DanceTheater’s 10th Anniversary Season continues with their final performance before a New York debut! Check them out at the Westfield Insurance Studio Theatre at Idea Center at PlayhouseSquare on Fri 2/27 and Sat 2/28 Both performances are at 8PM and feature dances World Premier by San Francisco artist Alex Ketley, and Circadian and NANO by GW’s A.D. David Shimotakahara (with original music by Gustavo Aguilar!) Call 241-6000 for tix or log on to http://www.playhousesquare.org. http://www.groundworksdance.org.

Textile Art Inspirations This Heights Arts exhibition features members of the Textile Art Alliance and opens with a reception Fri 2/27 at 6PM at Heights Arts Studio, 2340 Lee Rd. (west side of Heights Library bridge), Cleveland Heights. New pieces that incorporate modern and historical textiles deaccessioned from the Cleveland Museum of Art’s Education Art Collection are highlighted. Used whole or fragmented, these textiles are incorporated into works of textile art or provide the spark of inspiration for entirely new pieces by the 45 artists. Amazing stuff! Exhibition runs through early April. Call 371-3344 or visit http://www.HeightsArts.org for details.

SPONSORED: This Saturday, 2/28 at 8PM, WCLV 104.9 does a reprise on a block-buster Cleveland Orchestra concert from 2003 that features two classical superstar singers – Malin Hartelius and Thomas Quasthoff – plus tenor James Taylor and The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus. Franz conducts. Haydn’s description of the beginning of the world may not square with the Big Bang Theory, but “The Creation” is a dramatic ride. Complete details on all of WCLV’s programming at http://www.WCLV.com.

HOT Waters of Immortality and Other Works The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town presents Waters of Immortality and Other Works by Maureen Fleming on Sat 2/28 at 7:30PM at PlayhouseSquare. Fleming, first seen in Cleveland in a 1990 appearance here with the Performance Art Festival, will be accompanied by Japanese shakuhachi (bamboo flute) master Akikazu Nakamura and pianist Peter Phillips. Fleming’s multi-disciplinary performance juxtaposes singular movement with 3D video projections, the still photography of Lois Greenfield and lighting by Christopher Odo. Note: performance contains partial nudity. Read more from Victor Lucas and Elsa Johnson in this week’s issue of CC! http://www.MaureenFleming.com. http://www.ClevelandArt.org.

HOT Lee Friedlander’s Factory Valleys series, conceived 30 years ago, has come to be recognized as a milestone both in the artist’s career and in the history of documentary photography. The Akron Art Museum, which commissioned the work, revisits the project by exhibiting around 60 vintage photographs [pictured], all from the museum’s collection. This exhibition coincides with a major Friedlander retrospective at the Cleveland Museum of Art. It’s on view starting Sat 2/28 and runs through the end of May. Get there. Don’t miss it. Nothing captures the Rust Belt quite like it. http://www.AkronArtMuseum.org. The Retrospective Exhibition at the CMA launches Sun 3/1, highlighting 50 years of the “Master American Photographer.” http://www.ClevelandArt.org.

Hard Bop The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra performs the music of legendary hard bop pianist Duke Pearson at the Fairmount Temple Auditorium in Beachwood on Sat 2/28 at 8PM. The forceful, hard-hitting Introducing the Duke Pearson Big Band performance features four trumpets, four trombones, five saxophones and a rhythm section. A favorite of CJO Musical Director Jack Schantz, Pearson was an underappreciated master who performed, primarily in New York, during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. http://www.ClevelandJazz.org.

Making Faces Television’s crime dramas have made forensic facial reconstruction — the process of recreating a face from just a skull — part of popular culture. The Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s newest exhibition, Making Faces: The Art and Science of Forensic Facial Reconstruction, will investigate this in-depth process from Sat 2/28 through mid-June in their Fawick Gallery. The exhibition will examine the art of facial reconstruction, its uses, methods and the ways in which it is employed to solve mysteries of the past and present. http://www.cmnh.org.

Rockin’ Under the Sea PlayhouseSquare Partners announce Cleveland’s “party of the year,” their 18th Annual Jump Back Ball (JBB), on Sat 2/28 at 7:30PM. This unforgettable night on the town promises enchantment under the sea in the State Theatre on Euclid Avenue. (VIP Party begins one-hour prior to the event at 6:30PM). Lavish dinner, dancing and drinks only scratch the surface on this see-and-be-seen YP event! http://www.PlayhouseSquare.org/JumpBackBall.

Transformations: Digital Art Award-winning digital photographer Sheila N. Markowitz exhibits her collection of complex digital montages that strike the right balance between spontaneity and control starting with an opening reception Sat 2/28 at 6:30PM. Using raw materials — photographs, scanned paintings, prints and three-dimensional objects her digital dexterity develops images full of intricate texture and detail and includes a group of elaborately altered photographs that speak to the blurring of memory. Her work has won six awards in juried exhibitions, four at Fairmount Center for the Arts, where this exhibition takes place. 8400 Fairmount Rd. (just west of Rt. 306). Call 440-338-3171 for more info. http://www.FairmountCenter.org.

Grammy-nominated legendary jazz guitarist Pat Martino and his trio featuring Ohio jazz organist Tony Monaco headlines the Lakeland Community College 37th Annual Jazz Fest on Sat 2/28 at 8PM in the college’s Performing Arts Center. For reserved tickets, call 440-525-7526 or e-mail tmyllykoski@lakelandcc.edu.

HOT Art & Power The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) presents Art and Power in the Central African Savanna, an original exhibition that explores the political and religious power of nearly 60 sculptures created by artists of four Central African cultures: the Luba, Songye, Chokwe, and Luluwa. Art and Power is organized by CMA curator of African art Constantine Petridis, and will be on view at the museum from Sun 3/1 through the end of May. The exhibition then travels to the de Young Museum in San Francisco! Carved primarily from wood, these figures act as containers for magical ingredients and serve purposes both religious and political. http://www.ClevelandArt.org.

HOT La Bruja Cuyahoga County Public Library will host the world premiere of award-winning Cle filmmaker/NYU film school grad David Manocchio’s latest film, La Bruja. The short suspense film tells the story of an un-superstitious man’s encounter with “La Bruja,” a reputed witch. catch the premiere Mon 3/2 at 6:45PM at the Maple Heights Branch (5225 Library Ln., call 475-5000) and Tue 3/3 at 6:45PM at the Strongsville Branch (18700 Westwood Dr., call 440-238-5530). A screening of Manocchio’s comic thriller Haywire — a double sellout at the Cleveland International Film Festival — precedes the premiere. No cost; registration required. Call the host branch or visit http://www.CuyahogaLibrary.org to register.

Legendary biologist Edward O. Wilson from Harvard University gives the Case Western Reserve University 2009 Distinguished Lecture on Tue 3/3 at 5:30PM at Severance Hall, 11001 Euclid Ave. This no cost, open to the public event is titled From So Simple a Beginning: Darwin and the Future of Biology. It’s one of the university’s notable events for its “Year of Darwin and Evolution” celebration — an exploration of how Darwin’s ideas have influenced science and the world. Details at http://CASE.edu/events/dsl.

Human Trafficking Survivor and author Theresa Flores will share her personal account detailed in her book, The Secret Bath: An American Teen’s Story of Modern Day Slavery on Tue 3/3 at 10:30AM in the Tri-C Western Campus Theatre, 11000 Pleasant Valley Rd., Parma. An encore presentation will take place at 1:30PM, with a book signing taking place outside the theatre at 3PM. Come hear her riveting story. Call 987-5491 or email Kathleen.Catanese@tri-c.edu for more info.

A lot of people ask: “How do I get my listing in Cool Cleveland?” We pick the coolest of the cool every week, from submissions and elsewhere. But we get a lot of requests and often they have too much, or too little, information. Improve your odds significantly by 1) offering the correct dates; 2) a correct location/address; 3) a contact phone number for verification purposes; 4) a website link, and 5) please keep what you send simple (e.g. searching an 18-page PDF for info and then having to hunt for items #1-4 online afterwards doesn’t usually pass muster). Follow these simple tips and improve your chances. Send your cool events and info to events@coolcleveland.com.

Ivan Schwartz The Executive Director of the Greater Cleveland Film Commission speaks at the City Club for their “Dialogues on Leadership” program Wed 3/4 at 8AM. Schwarz served as the location manager for the HBO series “Entourage,” co-produced Band of Brothers — the critically acclaimed HBO mini-series — and has credits as location manager on the My Name is Earl, From the Earth to the Moon, and The Comeback as well as other television series and movies. Learn about how he’s bringing Hollywood to Cleveland. http://www.cityclub.org.

The Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory Jazz Ensemble directed by Greg Banaszak, will present a no cost concert on Wed 3/4 at 8PM. Full of toe-tapping rhythms, the program features music by J.J. Johnson, Charles Chaplin, Steve Davis, Charlie Mingus and more. It will be held in the Kulas Musical Arts Building, 96 Front St., Berea. 1995 B-W alum Chris Anderson (trombone) and guest trombonist/composer Steve Davis join the group. Call 440-826-2322 for details.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

The Street Justice of God
… and does He really have a damn thing to do with it…?
Plus, a Teaser on County Government “Reform”

Cleveland Police Officer James Simone is one brave dude. He’s repeatedly put himself in danger — he’s been shot twice, stabbed, hit by fleeing cars, and recently jumped into the freezing Cuyahoga River to save a woman from drowning. He probably has more courage in his pinky finger than most of us have in our entire body.

Nonetheless, that still doesn’t give Simone the right to hold court in the street where he becomes the judge, jury and executioner all in a matter of a split second… and then to ask God afterwards why he — out of all of the officers in the United States — gets placed into these deadly force situations so often. He’s killed five people in the line of duty over his career, which has to be some kind of U.S. record, and every one of the killings was ruled justifiable… just as the current one that is set to go to the grand jury undoubtedly will be found justifiable also. But frankly, I don’t think God has a damn thing to do with it…

Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

“The breakdown of Cleveland’s civic process carries consequences.” says Ed Morrison. “We are seeing, in my view, a groupthink process at work in the med con. Sadly, the costs for this incompetence will be shifted to the next generation.”

BFD readers have this to say:

Read and add your comment on the BFD post Groupthink and the Med/Con

Profiling Visual Artist John Howitt

One of Cleveland’s current cool artists is painter/musician John Howitt. Howitt is originally transplanted from the Toledo area and moved around as a child. He attended the Kent State School of Art in the 1980’s to study art and play music. While a young student at Kent, he joined the band Fuzzhead where he still remains today. As an undergraduate at Kent, he studied with abstract painter Craig Lucas and focused on drawing and painting. When he moved to Cleveland after graduation, Howitt wound up creating several murals for corporations and restaurants during the downtown revitalization of the 1990’s. With this early success he was able to found his own small business (OM), support himself and still create his art…

Read more from Bridget Ginley here

Acclaimed Butoh Performer Maureen Fleming

The upcoming concert by dancer / performance artist Maureen Fleming caught our attention first for the uncommon beauty of its publicity photos by Lois Greenfield (no wonder they look so good). A Google search reveals effusive positive reviews of Fleming’s work. Her high level artistic collaborators are also impressive.

Greenfield’s photography is integrated into the performance and we learned later that Greenfield and Fleming have developed an intense collaboration far beyond the usual commission for publicity photos…

Read more from Elsa Johnson and Victor Lucas here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Slow Food Northern Ohio is proud to sponsor two screenings of the film Homegrown in the upcoming Cleveland International Film Festival, March 19-29 at Tower City Cinemas.
ZeroLandfill needs volunteers to distribute art supplies.
Congressman Tim Ryan talks about the Tech Belt Initiative at the City Club.
YBI hits the national airwaves.
All that is happening in the City of East Cleveland is not poverty, crime, single moms or grandmothers.
The Big Egg has reopened. Been there yet?
An unscientific look at the state of entrepreneurship in Northeast Ohio by JumpStart.

The Bird Runs
Tinamou
Tinamou Music

A Tinamou is a beautiful South American “mountain hen.” They’re one of the oldest living groups of birds, fly awkwardly (they’d rather walk or run) and are allegedly very “shy and secretive.” It’s a great name for this quartet of friends, whose love of music and friendship transcends all else. Band members Morgan Mecaskey (guitar/ piano/ vocals) and Cameron Schenk (violin/backing vocals) began collaborating when they were very young schoolmates; by the time the duo reached high school, friends Anthony Foti (drums/ percussion) and Nina DeRubertis (vocals) were a part of their musical/social network. And from the sounds of The Bird Runs, the power of acoustic indie folk binds this flock of rare, beautiful birds together.

The group’s 7-song EP, The Bird Runs is a carefully crafted folk montage that swirls in your head like some metaphysical Damien Rice with shades of Lisa Hannigan, Ben Gibbard and Fionn Regan’s The End Of History thrown in for good measure. Intricate, spiritual (though not exactly denominational) and poetically waxed, Mecaskey and DeRubertis pen emotional, uplifting songs that haunt the memory. “Little Child Lead Them,” the set-opener “Under the Sun” and “New Skin” in particular, showcase not just wise songwriting but a deft hand at arrangement — not always a strong suit for stripped-back folkies. I keep hearing moments of Duncan Sheik and Philadelphia singer/songwriter Denison Witmer in here, too. But these four Cle-folk are onto something that is completely original. You’ll find yourself returning to this slate of music again and again.

Tinamou performs with special guests Authors, Kadenjones Project and The Lighthouse & The Whaler this Thursday, Febauary 26 at 9PM at the Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd., Cleveland Heights. Visit the band at http://www.MySpace.com/TinamouMusic. Visit the Grog Shop at http://www.grogshop.gs.

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

Friendly Judge Helps CEI & Squire-Sanders

U.S. Judge Robert Krupansky knew how to toss a case the way he wanted it to go. He did it a simple way. The first jury voted against CEI with a single holdout. That was a bad sign for CEI. So Krupansky made a couple of simple changes. He finely tuned things for CEI.

There were two damaging examples of CEI’s legal manipulation that swayed the first jury.

Krupansky took care of both of them. He simply ruled that the city had no right to expose the second jury to the same material he allowed in the first trial. Even though the details were agreed and stipulated by CEI and the city as to fact.

One issue was the city’s “smoking gun.” CEI had hired a lawyer to sue the city twice. The purpose of the suits was to delay an 85-megawatt interconnection crucial to the operation of Muny Light. It allowed CEI to avoid an interconnection Muny needed badly…

Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

Quick reviews of recent events
Submit your own review or commentary to Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 2/12, 2/19 Maybe everyone gets tired reading how great the Cleveland Orchestra is, but dang! it’s good. In the past two weeks the orchestra has shifted to meet the requests of two very different guest conductors and soloists. The resulting concerts, each unique, each beautiful, made the heart sing and a snow-splattered highway trip worthwhile…
Read more from Laura Kennelly here

CSU Faculty Recital @ Drinko Hall 2/17 It would be a great thing to someday solve the mystery of why most of the local music schools have such a wonderfully rich and diverse schedule of recitals and concerts that are usually free and open to the public (many with free parking, even!) and yet they keep this information to themselves…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 2/19 Some guest conductors wear out their welcome with the first visit here; others could come back every other month and be greeted with open arms! One that falls into the latter category is this week’s guest — Kirill Petrenko. Not yet 40, he’s very old school in style, perhaps from his rather extensive background in the opera house. He’s almost a micro-conductor…
Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Crave — Theater Ninjas @ Asterisk Gallery 2/21 Sarah Kane, the author of Crave — now being staged by Theater Ninjas — was a very troubled woman. Even though she was hailed as a talented playwright by the press, she committed suicide at the age of 28. Her plays, from a psychological viewpoint, were cries for personal help from the demons who were at war in her mind…
Read more from Roy Berko here

Long Road @ Nighttown 2/22 Long Road, a group of long established local folk singers and musicians, put on a very enjoyable show of acoustic music to an almost capacity crowd on a cold and snowy Sunday night last week at Nighttown. The group, led by singer/guitarist/songwriter (and sometimes Cool Cleveland contributor) David Budin, played a 19-song set that included folk and rock favorites, several obscure gems, as well as a few ageless standards…
Read more from Greg Cielec here

Road to the Red Carpet @ House of Blues 2/22 It was a packed event. Imagine this: The searchlights beam in the brisk night air. Your car pulls up. The valet opens your door. You step out, revealing your glam choice of attire for the evening (sure to be a crowd favorite). You look ahead. The red carpet beckons you and the Paparazzi fawn over you. My, my. Are we in Hollywood…?
Read more from T.L. Champion here

Cool Cleveland readers write

All letters must include your full name (required) and you may include your e-mail address (optional).
Send your letters to: LettersATCoolCleveland.com

Michigan loves Cool Cleveland I know you don’t know me personally, but I’ve been writing to you for ages, in support of everything you do for Cleveland. And I’m in the Cool City of Ann Arbor! I miss my hometown of Cleveland, Parma, even. tilt, tilt. Thanks, Thomas!
From Cool Cleveland reader and Facebook friend Wendy Caron Zohar

CoolCleveland is great. I appreciate what positive things it does and you do for our city. Looking forward to following you on facebook!
From Cool Cleveland reader and Facebook friend Judy Borgen Deutchman

Send your letters to: LettersATCoolCleveland.com

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

1) 75 Things to Love About Cleveland This is what Cool Cleveland readers want. So here it is. Again.
www.PositivelyCleveland.com

2) Erie Island Coffee Company. Annalie Glazen leaves Starbucks to manage new E. 4th coffee shop.
Watch the video here and visit the site here.

3) Luxe Kitchen and Lounge Imagine you are on a European vacation, and you just hit the foodie jackpot.
CoolCleveland.com

4) Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week 2009 40 restaurants offering $30 3-course menus. Wow!
www.DowntownClevelandAlliance.com.

5) Charles Michener & Michael Eric Dyson Mansfield Frazier profiles two for cool Clevelanders.
CoolCleveland.com

Not blowing smoke Your friendly, neighborhood Hard Corps… wakin’ you up every Wednesday and bringin’ the heat! Thanks to the homecookin’ of Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Roldo Bartimole, Mansfield B. Frazier, Roy Berko, Kelly Ferjutz, Laura Kennelly, Deb Dockery, Greg Cielec and Bridget Ginley. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers 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.

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