Super

2.06-2.13.08
Super

In this week’s issue:
* Ingenious Something Super in Beachwood
* BizTech Wind At Our Backs?
* Reads The Courage To Survive by Dennis Kucinich
* Straight Outta Mansfield Spare The Rod, Spoil The Child?
* BFD Scientific innovation heads overseas as we disinvest in science
* Emissions from the Blogsphere Phoenix mugs, changing faces & Downtown development
* Sounds A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane by Turtle Island Quartet
* Roldo on telegraphed editorials
* Top 5 Anatomy of a dinner group, tolerable kids music, and, once again, a culinary tour of Cleveland
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, Brewed Fresh Daily here

Superman was created in a super city. Few know this, and fewer still promote Cleveland as a super city. We break the mold (again) with a superb line-up to carry you through for a stimulating week in Northeast Ohio. Besides our feature on the Maltz Museum, you’ll enjoy our piece on the race for clean renewable power on Lake Erie, a sublimely visionary effort. Our podcasts, for kids and adults, offer picks of the week’s best. You’ll want to read Dennis Kucinich’s new book, The Courage to Survive, but first, read our review. Mansfield offers a provocative solution to both juvenile mischief and discrimination, while the bloggers on BFD ponder our disastrous disinvestment in science. We review Turtle Island Quartet’s latest CD, and Roldo questions a disingenuous endorsement by our daily paper. Click on our sponsored links for entertaining and educational events from an eco party to a chocolate exhibition to an online virtual networking tool. It’s all just a click away, making you feel your own kind of superman. —Thomas Mulready

Something Super in Beachwood
An Appreciation for the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage

Guess Who is Coming To The Maltz Museum? It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane… it’s Superman. The Cleveland creation is coming to The Maltz Museum in the Fall in an exhibit titled ZAP BAM POW: The Super Hero, The Golden Age of Comic Books 1938-1950. Of course, Superman was born right here in Cleveland. Glenville High School student Jerry Siegel wanted to wow all the pretty girls, and he thought if he had something going on like “leaping tall buildings,” or “flipping cars around like peanuts,” he would have an advantage that none of the cooler guys had. As his alter ego Clark Kent and “Superman,” he got buddy Joe Schuster to draw the images… and Superman was born! Siegel and Shuster created Superman in 1933, but the character was repeatedly rejected until DC (then “National Periodicals”) took a chance on the Man of Steel in 1938. Buzz is going to be building all summer for this exhibition, but before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a closer look at the spectacular museum hosting this and other stunning exhibitions.

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage was founded by Chairman of the Museum, Milton Maltz, who envisioned the museum and brought it to life with his wife, Tamar, who is President of the Maltz Museum’s Board of Trustees. What they’ve created in Beachwood is nothing short of sparkling. The Maltz Museum is a truly rare diamond; the scope and magnitude of what this museum is skillfully exploring is amazing. Examining our world from Superman to international controversy is what makes this museum a stunner. Hearing about the museums’ most recent exhibition, Deadly Medicine: Creating The Master Race, sparked some interest in making the easy ride down Richmond Rd. off Chagrin to see what was going on. Roaming the galleries is a visual and thought provoking experience that will stay with you for its uniqueness and emotional impact. A look at this riveting exhibition gave a nod to the quality and comprehensive nature of the work being done there.

Remembering our past was a frightening reality as The Maltz played host to the exhibition Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race since last September. It was one of the most compelling looks into the origins of “The Final Solution” from its earliest rumblings to the devastation that became the holocaust. Eyewitness accounts, extensive photography, archival film footage, plaster cast models, and actual scientific equipment used in the experimentation on twins in the quest to build “The Master Race,” captivated the visitor in its scope and sense of pervasive evil.

The traveling exhibition from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) in Washington, D.C. was brought to the Maltz with impeccable care brought for extraordinary stories. Deadly Medicine demonstrated how in small incremental steps, buoyed by the distorted, “Survival of the Fittest,” theories of Darwin and Spencer, the “cleansing” of Europe took not only the lives of Jews, but Gypsies, alcoholics, homosexuals, the mentally ill, the handicapped, and disabled veterans.

Eugenics became a worldwide phenomenon, which rarely is seen in history books other than in the context of Germany. The power of the images and information covered here recognizes that these early practices of sterilization were not confined to The Third Reich, but to a lesser degree, were utilized even here in the United States. The exhibit creates some ideological squirming as it departs from other coverage of this arena in its sweeping look at the worldview of Eugenics prior to World War II.

We saw the gradual indoctrination of young Germans and the marching of the Third Reich through the streets of Berlin. Vaudeville style theaters scattered throughout the museum lend the nostalgic feel of being in the mid 20th century watching newsreel coverage of events as they escalated.

Every American should be exposed to the dynamic flow of energy that leaps from the pictured faces of children who died at the hands of scientific madmen. Most chilling is the miniature sized Klu Klux Klan outfit placed at the side of an adult in full Klu Klux Klan regalia. This is forever a reminder of what we teach our children, and is a part of the extensive permanent collection.

The nature of some of the images is truly intense, but the lasting impressions you will leave the museum with, is the sense of healing, and refocusing on the positive contributions that have emerged from the past. This is where the Maltz Museum absolutely scintillates. In all its exhibitions since the inception in 2005, there is a global look at all the angles. This is the integrity of art, science, and philosophy at its zenith.

Deadly Medicine, as well as some of the permanent collection examines the gamut of prejudice and bias, provided a clear look at all types of irrational hatred rooted in bigotry. Footage of the Columbine shootings play with the archival images of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights marches. The benchmark of this historic account is the evenhanded way all prejudices are scrutinized closely. Visitors are challenged to examine their own boundaries and prejudices; both adults and children alike stand to be moved by even a single visit.

Walk the Maltz galleries, view their upcoming exhibits and prepare yourself a fully realized, globally altering and intensely mindful experience.
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is located at 2929 Richmond Rd., Beachwood. Call 593-0575 or visit online at http://www.maltzjewishmuseum.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Deb Dockery dddockeryATaol.com

SPONSORED: Go Green! Join us for the “green” party of the year! EcoCity Cleveland and The Cleveland Museum of Natural History invite you to celebrate their recent merger. “Emerge: A Celebration” will be held Sat 2/23 from 8PM to midnight. Enjoy heavy hors d’oeuvres made with organic/locally sourced ingredients, cash bar featuring organic wine selections, Great Lakes Brewing Company beer-tasting and live entertainment by rock and blues band AbbyNormal. Enter a raffle to win cool prizes. Be among the first to hear about the new Center for Regional Sustainability and more! Proceeds benefit the new Center. Tickets: party only: $35 Museum members, $45 nonmembers; party plus private reception with Center for Regional Sustainability Director David Beach and Museum Executive Director Bruce Latimer: $100. Tickets: www.cmnh.org or call 216-231-1177.

Wind At Our Backs?
The Race is On For Clean Renewable Power on Lake Erie

This is an exciting time for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. More and more people are beginning to appreciate the importance of the region’s strategic location on the shore of Lake Erie. Not only is there easy access to a plentiful supply of fresh water, but the city and its environs also abut the site of a huge untapped energy resource. That energy is contained in the strong winds that blow across the lake.

Now, with every passing day, momentum is building in a movement to tap this abundant source of clean renewable power. Cuyahoga County, the City, The Cleveland Foundation, and Case Western Reserve University have come together to drive forward an initiative to build the world’s first freshwater offshore wind farm. This visionary program would build an array of tall elegant wind turbines a few miles out from Cleveland’s lakeshore. It would be an achievement that would bring honor, prestige, and esteem to Cleveland, and it could give a great stimulus to the regional economy.

A couple of years ago, to the north, some Canadian companies had begun to focus on developing this huge slumbering power supply themselves, and had appeared to be proceeding rapidly towards the establishment of a number of offshore wind farms. However, their initiatives had been stalled by the imposition of a moratorium, in November 2006. This was instituted in response to expressions of concern by some Ontario residents about the possible impact on butterfly and bird migration routes, and on recreational boating and fishing.

The resulting brake on projects that were being considered, or were in the planning stage, caught wind developers off guard, particularly those trying to raise money for their proposals. As well as suffering this setback, the developers also noted the growing interest in wind power generation south of their border. As reported in the Toronto Star: “The wisdom of halting development was called into question when it was discovered that some U.S. states, such as Ohio, were actively moving forward with offshore projects in Lake Erie despite the Ontario policy.”

On January 17, Ontario’s Minister of Natural Resources, Donna Cansfield, announced the lifting of this controversial moratorium on the development of offshore wind projects on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes.

So the efforts in Cuyahoga County have prompted a renewal of interest by the Canadians in developing their own offshore potential, along the north coasts of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Given that the planning stages for some of their projects are further along than those in the U.S., it might be assumed that our northern neighbors will soon be able to claim the credit for creating the world’s first freshwater wind farm.

However they face one hurdle that we, in Northern Ohio, fortunately, do not. Much of the proposed Canadian offshore wind development would be supplying electricity to communities quite far from the site of power generation. The cost of transmitting that power to consumers could be very high. In contrast, the customers for a wind farm offshore from Cleveland would need far fewer miles of cabling to hook them up, so that this aspect of the installation would be much more rapidly and cheaply solved.

While all the development of wind power over our Great Lakes that will take place over the coming years will be seen as beneficial to the planet as a whole, regardless of the national origin of the simple yet beautiful instruments that generate it, there will be a particular distinction associated with that first step into the water.

The international attention generated by such a move will stimulate not just business and job growth but the recognition that those taking that initiative will have become world leaders in addressing humanity’s need for the production of sustainable, non-polluting energy.

Question is, will that leadership come from Ontario or from Ohio?
From Cool Cleveland special correspondent Sarah Taylor sarahATwindustrious.org
Taylor is the founder of the Windustrious Cleveland website, previously featured in Cool Cleveland. http://windustrious.org.

SPONSORED: Dripping in Chocolate? Did you know that the Great Lakes Science Center has a Chocolate Store, a special Chocolate Bar and complimentary chocolate strawberries that are just waiting for you? It’s all at Chocolate: The Exhibition running Sat 2/9 – Sun 5/4. Tempt your sweetie with a special evening of Valentine fun at the Wine and Chocolate event on Thu 2/14 (adults only). Experience the Chocolate Bar and chocolate experiments with a culinary twist. Browse the Chocolate Store, where you can purchase luxury chocolates from around the world. Check out these mouth-watering events: Comp Chocolate Strawberries: 2/9 – 2/29; Sundaes on Saturday: 3/15 & 4/12; Candy Chemistry Spring Break Day Camp: March 22 – 29. Members get extra special treats! Details: www.GreatScience.com.

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

Lakewood now recycles plastic bags, all plastic #1-7, plastic caps, all in the same bag More
More jobs w/ competitive rewards expected for NEO this year. Click
Andy Tabar, a 21-year-old Cle native and junior entrepreneurship major at Belmont Univ., launches successful tech biz, featured in Smart Money. Click
Team NEO Qtrly report is released. Read
CWRU spinoffs attract venture capital money, attention. Click
CAK and COSE form a biz club and it’s all about taking flight! Watch
Northeast Ohio wins global award, one of Top 7 intelligent communities of the year. Read
New CSU Urban Affairs email is jam-packed aggregate, very interesting. Subscribe
Cle to offer $5M loan to a private developer? Hmmmm… Read
Goodyear transportation project is quickly garnering attention. Read
MAGNET announces 2008 Competitiveness Challenge. Click
Power 100 according to Inside Business Mag tracks those transitioning the economy of NEO. Click

Shifting your marketing online? Make Cool Cleveland a part of your marketing mix. Info@CoolCleveland.com

Plexus CIFF Preview showcases the upcoming March event on the Feb Network Night Tue 2/12. Patrick Shepherd and Bill Guentzler will there to talk about it. More
DMA Cle’s 11th Ann. Postal Update hits Tue 2/12 featuring Gary Seitz, EVP of C.TRAC info solutions. Register
How is advertising changing? Find out Wed 2/20 at 11:30AM w/ AAF networking at Windows on the River. Register
PRSA Ohio hosts a “Social Media” b’fast conf Fri 2/22 at 7:45AM. Shoreby Club, 40 Shoreby Dr., Bratenahl. http://www.prsacleveland.org
Best Practices feat. Lessons Learned from Cleveland’s Best Business Leaders at CSU Wolstein Ctr Thu 2/28 at 8:30PM. Register
Fight for the Lucite 2008 Addy show hits Fri 2/29 at Gray’s Armory. RSVP to 440-673-0020.
NEO Success Awards Luncheon hits Exec Caterers @ Landerhaven Tue 3/11 at 11:30AM. Register
Ohio-Israel IT Financial Trade Mission Mon 3/10 and Tue 3/11 starting at 7AM, Cle Marriott D’town at KeyCenter. Call 292-3399 for details.
Research ShowCASE 08 Scientists, scholars together for 2-day collaboration highlighting research done @ CWRU, OH Wed 4/16 and Thu 4/17. More
Networked Approach to Building Prosperity in Communities and Regions is a 2-Day Workshop at Punderson Manor Resort & Conf Ctr beg Wed 4/23. Details

SPONSORED: Come Face-to-Face with the Virtual Networking World at the official rollout event for IdeaCrossing, the online social networking resource from JumpStart that’s focused on creating connections between the entrepreneurial community and funding sources and business assistance. The site has gained national press for its matchmaking capabilities and since its launch, over 1,000 individuals have registered and connections are already being made! If you’re an Entrepreneur, Investor, Business Mentor, or Service Provider, plan on joining us Thu 3/13 at the Cleveland Botanical Garden for this complimentary networking event and see first-hand exactly how IdeaCrossing can help you create the connections that build great businesses. Click here for details.

Shaw High School Marching Band invited to perform in Beijing China for the Olympics. Read
Indoor bike park is a Mecca for its followers, cycle enthusiasts. Click
The “Euc” (aka Euclid Tavern) returns to Cle’s club scene after a lengthy hiatus. http://www.euclid-tavern.com
Sheryl Hoffman departs SPACES for the CMNH. Click
Civic Innovation Lab fuels creative innovation by providing mentoring and funding of up to $30,000 for ideas that improve the Greater Cleveland economy. Fund your great idea! http://www.civicinnovationlab.org
Making Cle a center for freshwater sustainability is the subject of this piece. Read
Cool Cleveland saves a blogger from thoughts of leaving the region. Read
Cle Museum of Art remembers Viktor Schreckengost with Jazz Bowl on display for public viewing. http://www.clevelandart.org
Protect Ohio Woodlands and help stop unnecessary clear cutting. Click
Mittal’s blasting has the neighbors rattled. Check It Out
NCB’s DeKaser tells NYT that economy can still avoid a recession. Read

Playhouse Square has been selected as an audition site for the Sixth Annual Cabaret Conference at Yale University, to be held July 25-August 3. Those interested must call the Cabaret Conference Hotline at 212-629-2000 to schedule an audition for Saturday, March 1 at the Idea Center at Playhouse Square (1375 Euclid Ave.). http://www.playhousesquare.org.

Speaking of that Wicked PSC… A day-of-performance lottery for a limited number of seats will be held daily for Wicked beginning with TODAY’S (Wed 2/6) performance. Each day, 2½ hours prior to show time, people who present themselves at the State Theatre Ticket Office will have their names placed in a lottery drum for tix to that day’s sold-out performance. This cash-only lottery is available in-person only, at the box office, with limit of 2 tix per person.

Cleveland Public Library’s $5.8M 5yr property tax levy, approved by Cle voters on May 6, 2003, expires this December 31. This 5.8 mill property tax levy provides 52% of CPL’s operating funds. The Library has held three Town Hall Meetings annually since 2004 to provide a progress report to Cle residents on the status of CPL. Community Meetings are no cost, open to the public are scheduled as follows: Jefferson Branch, 850 Jefferson Ave., 623-7004 (Thu 2/7, 7PM); Fulton Branch, 3545 Fulton Rd., 623-6969 (The 2/12, 7PM); Hough Branch, 1566 Crawford Rd., 623-6997 (Thu 2/21, 7PM). http://clevelandpubliclibrary.net.

CYO Headed to PGH After a grand world premiere performance of John Kennedy’s Horn Concerto (written for and performed by Richard King, principal horn of the Cleveland Orchestra), Cleveland’s Contemporary Youth Orchestra, under the direction of founder Liza Grossman, will take their show on the road to Pittsburgh. The concert, which takes place this Sun 2/10 at 3PM, will be held at the historic Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall, (4141 5th Ave., Pittsburgh, PA). Also performing will be the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh’s School of the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA). Tickets for the event are complimentary. CYO will also perform music from the film Spider-Man by Danny Elfman and Resphigi’s Pines of Rome. The CYO is the first and only youth orchestra in the country dedicated exclusively to the study and performance of contemporary orchestral literature. With 120 of the top high school musicians from Northeast Ohio, they are now in their 13th season under the direction of music director Liza Grossman. Learn more about CYO at http://www.cyorchestra.org Pittsburgh’s CAPA High School is a Creative & Performing Arts magnet school for students in grades 9 through 12, located in Pittsburgh’s downtown Cultural District. http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/capa/site/default.asp.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com

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SPONSORED: Celebrate Clev’s Young Mega Artists at CIA’s 62nd Annual Student Independent Exhibition (S.I.E). The exhibition opens Fri 2/15 through Mon 3/31 in the Reinberger Galleries, Cleveland Institute of Art. No admission fee. Open to the public. S.I.E is a juried exhibition of work created by more than 60 current students from the Institute’s BFA program. Students from all 16 majors were invited to submit works for review by three jurors, each of whom is a professional contemporary artist: Ryan Trecartin, known for his surreal videos, Tobias Wong, an artist/designer and Beth Campbell, whose work embraces the potential of a future existence. Opening reception: Fri 2/15 from 6-8PM. Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10AM – 6PM; Sunday, Noon – 6PM. Closed Mondays. Info: 216-421-7000 or www.cia.edu. The Cleveland Institute of Art…Making Art Work.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Longtime Councilman Joe Cimperman will sit down with Meet The Bloggers in the heart of the 10th Congressional District to discuss his decision to enter the race, the issues of his platform, and how his decision affects Ward 13 in the city at Gypsy Beans and Baking Co Wed 2/6 at 5PM. As usual, this conversation will prove to be a lively and interesting talk around the table. 6425 Detroit Ave. http://meetthebloggers.net.

Semele Baldwin-Wallace College presents George Frideric Handel’s opera from Thu 2/7 – Sat 2/9 at 7:30PM with a 2PM matinee held on Sun 2/10. With libretto by William Congreve, the opera will be guest directed by Benjamin Smith and conducted by B-W faculty member Stuart Raleigh. The opera will be held in the Kleist Center for Art and Drama, 95 E. Bagley Rd., Berea. http://www.bw.edu/academics/conservatory.

Creating and Sustaining Communities of Choice This forum concentrates on the Greening of Northeast Ohio’s Neighborhoods and features Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Tom Hicks, VP-LEED of the US Building Council Wed 2/6 at 4PM. Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs Cleveland State University, Glickman-Miller Hall, Atrium. No cost, open to the public with registration. Call 523-7330 to do so.

Karen Kunc The Mary Schiller Myers School of Art at The University of Akron will host contemporary printmaker as a Myers Artist in Residence beginning with a reception Wed 2/6 at 6PM. Kunc’s residency coincides with an exhibition of her work, Karen Kunc: Prints, in the school’s Emily Davis Gallery in Folk Hall. Kunc will give a free public lecture on her work; a reception will follow. Folk Hall, 150 E. Exchange St., Akron. For more information, call 330-972-5951 or contact dwatt@uakron.edu.

A Pre-Grammy® Celebration for the late Robert Lockwood, Jr. hits Fat Fish Blue Wed 2/6 at 7:30PM. A feast for the ears and the tummy honoring Cle’s late blues maestro. No cost, open to the public. http://www.mikesbarn.com/robertlockwood.html.

HOT C.S.I. Cleveland…? How does science determine cause of death in a suspicious death investigation? How does the coroner determine a murder, a suicide or an accident? Is DNA evidence reliable and never be refutable? These and other topics are uncovered Thu 2/7 at 5PM when Cuyahoga Cty Coroner Frank P. Miller III addresses the 2008 Journal of Law and Health and Criminal Law Society Lecture at Cleveland State University’s Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. The College is located at the corner of E. 18th St. and Euclid Ave. http://www.law.csuohio.edu or call 687-6886.

Urban Landscapes Join Cleveland Public Art as Ryan Jaenke and Paul Rogers exhibit recent works inspired by Cleveland’s urban landscape. This no cost opening event hits Thu 2/7 at 5:30PM at CPA, 1951 West 26th Street in Ohio City. Call 621-5330 or visit http://www.clevelandpublicart.org.

Trappist Monastery William Claassen, the author of Another World: A Retreat in the Ozarks, will be at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry, 1820 Coventry Rd. in Cle Hts Thu 2/7 at 7PM. No cost, open to the public. http://www.macsbacks.com.

Midtown Brews connects you face to face once a month with Northeast Ohio leaders in the technology, energy and creative industries. Join them and the http://www.smallerindiana.com network Thu 2/7 at 5:30PM to learn more about Our Ohio Energy Portfolio: Economic Development in Your Backyard. Contributors include Richard Stuebi (BP Fellow for Energy and Environmental Advancement at The Cleveland Foundation, NextWave Energy, Inc., Founder and President, Councilman Matt Zone (City of Cleveland, Ward 17), Nolan Moser (Ohio Environmental Council) and Andrew Watterson (Cle Sustainability Programs Manager). Live Video Broadcast and Chat available. Details. http://www.insivia.com/midtown-brews.

Mandel Center for NPO Open House The CWRU center holds an Open House for its Master of Nonprofit Organizations degree and Certificate in Nonprofit Management program — ranked in the top ten in the nation by U.S. News & World Report — Thu 2/7 at 5:30PM. Learn about the advantages of working in the nonprofit sector, the types of jobs available, and how a Mandel Center degree or certificate can impact your career in this field. Full tuition scholarships are available for Fall 08. Mandel Ctr Bldg, # 115, 11402 Bellflower Rd. RSVP to 368-6025. http://www.case.edu/mandelcenter.

SPONSORED: Playing this Weekend at Baldwin Wallace College: “Semele” the opera that tells of the beautiful mortal Semele, whose affair with Jupiter, King of the Gods, comes to a terrifying end thanks to both her own vanity and Jupiter’s jealous wife Juno. The opera is full of Handel’s most ravishing music, spectacular orchestral numbers and heart stopping arias including the exquisite aria “Where’er you walk.” Showing Thu 2/7, Fri 2/8, Sat 2/9 at 7:30PM and Sun 2/10 at 2PM in the John Patrick Theatre. Don’t miss it! Info: here.

HOT Orchid Mania Preview Party Cleveland Botanical Garden’s upcoming preview party for Orchid Mania hits Fri 2/8 from 6 – 9PM. Get your first look at the Garden’s 5th annual orchid show and enjoy sinfully delectable treats including a delicious chocolate mousse bar. RSVP to 707-2846. 11030 East Blvd. More info at http://www.cbgarden.org.

The Confessions of Punch and Judy Cleveland Public Theatre presents this wild, all-night argument that captures the anarchic spirit of the classic Punch and Judy puppet show. Slapstick, stylish, viciously honest, and full of surprises, the show launches a two-week run Fri 2/8. Leap between realism and surrealism and get exposed to the horror and beauty of a relationship. Call 631-2727 for tickets and showtimes. http://www.cptonline.org.

Turtle Island Quartet with guest artist/vibraphonist Stefon Harris pay tribute to Duke Ellington Fri 2/8 at 8PM at the Tri-C Metro Campus Auditorium. This Grammy® award winning quartet has fused the renowned talent of percussionist Harris to create a new sound take on the genius of Ellington’s masterpieces in The Divine Duke. Tickets at 800-766-6048 or http://www.tricpresents.com.

HOT Tremont ArtWalk Turns 15 What’s FREE, supercool ‘n chic and begins at 6PM on the second Friday of every month? Why, it’s your chance to check the fab galleries, studios, restaurants, taverns and establishments in the neighborhood, that’s what! The Tremont ArtWalk celebrates 15 years this Fri 2/8 starting at 6PM. Openings feature Doubting Thomas (856 Jefferson Ave.) opening Stupid Cupid featuring Laureen Deveney’s Tunnel of Love and Asterisk Gallery (2393 Professor Ave.) opening New Work by Paul Sydenko. Installations by Lauren Dombrowiak and David Spiegle round out the event. W. 14th and Starkweather. For more info: http://www.tremontartwalk.org or call 522-0006.

Tremont is for Lovers Start your Valentine’s Day celebration in Tremont. Take a lover (or find one) at the Tremont is for Lovers event on Fri 2/8 at Lago restaurant on Professor St. Enjoy champagne, chocolates and hors d’oeuvres with your lover (or even find a lover!) starting at 8:30PM. Call Lago to make dinner reservations for earlier in the evening, or plan on taking a stroll along Tremont’s famous ArtWalk after your chocolates and champagne! Cash bar available. Call 575-0920 for more.

Deep Cleveland Poetry Hour This month’s venerable poetry event features Michele F. Cooper, first-place winner in Poetry Canada’s Rhymed Poetry Competition and the TallGrass Poetry Competition. Open mike at the conclusion for seasoned and new poets alike to test their latest/ greatest works. Be there Fri 2/8 at 8:30PM. Borders, 17200 Royalton Rd., Strongsville. http://www.deepcleveland.com/borders.html.

Dana Schneider Meet the renowned jewelry designer in an event Fri 2/8 from 5 – 8PM. Also featuring Cleveland’s own b. fatica jewelry and artfully hand-made truffles by Chandler Chef de Cuisine. 28500 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere. http://www.lingg.us.

A Gee’s Bend Evening The Women’s Empowerment Board (WEB) hosts this fundraising event at The Cleveland Play House Fri 2/8 including the CPH’s current production of Gee’s Bend — a new uplifting play celebrating a small rural area nestled by the Alabama River, and its unique community of quilters. Proceeds benefit WEB and its efforts in mentoring and education of women to help achieve personal/ professional growth. Cle Play House, E. 85th & Euclid Ave. http://www.womensempowermentboard.com. http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

SPONSORED: WCLV 104.9 has a rich schedule of live broadcasts, and this week is no exception. Tonight at 8:00 PM, CIM Live from Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music presents the CIM Orchestra conducted by Karl Topilow in a program that features the Brahms’ Violin Concerto. On Friday, 2/8, at 8PM, an Oberlin Conservatory concert featuring the Imani Winds will be aired. And on Saturday, 2/9, classical superstar Pierre Boulez conducts The Cleveland Orchestra from Severance Hall at 8PM. Complete details on all of WCLV’s classical music programming can be found on line at http://www.wclv.com.

HOT A Really Big Shew! On Sat 2/9 at 6:30PM at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Friends of CIM will present a benefit featuring BackBeat… A Tribute. This fun-filled evening will allow guests to relive the experience of seeing the greatest rock and roll legends of all time, the Beatles! The event includes cocktails, a silent auction, a reception and dancing. Proceeds benefit the CIM Preparatory Division’s Young Artist Program. For tix and info: 295-0681. 11021 East Blvd. http://www.cim.edu.

Ribs & Brisket Revue Back by popular demand Sat 2/9 at 8PM at the The Mandel JCC Stonehill Auditorium, Paul Shapiro and his Midnight Minyan serve up heaping helpings of 1940s style Jewish Jazz, Yiddish Swing, and various kosher-style blues. http://www.clevejcc.org.

Go Red for Women! Join the Heights Libraries, Cedar Lee SID, and the American Heart Association in celebrating at the Lee Road Library (2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights this Sat 2/9 from noon – 5PM. Participate in free health screenings, enjoy crafts, entertainment, a belly dancing workshop, and great heart healthy food! Call 932-3600 or visit http://www.heightslibrary.org.

HOT Defending the Caveman Broadway’s history-making comedy about the sexes hits Playhouse Square for a pair of performances Sat 2/9 and Sun 2/10. Rob Becker is an absolute scream; he knocks Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus squarely on its ear. A near-perfect Valentine’s Day outing! http://www.playhousesquare.org. http://www.defendingthecaveman.com.

Nite at the Races Enjoy the hospitality of Bohemian National Hall while cheering on your favorite horse and helping to support the mission of Slavic Village Development at their 11th Annual Nite at the Races on Sat 2/9 (doors at 6PM). Betting, Beer and Broadway… what more could you ask for? If you have questions, or would like to donate a door prize for the evening’s Chinese Auction, contact Pete Gentile at 408-5396 or gentilep@hotmail.com. Bohemian National Hall 439 Broadway Ave.

Buckwheat Zydeco Born Stanley Dural, Jr., the accordionist is one of the few American zydeco performers to achieve mainstream success. He spices up your winter Sat 2/9 at 9PM with special guest Mojo Mama. Hosted by Carlos Jones. http://www.grogshop.gs.

A Fiction Writers Open Invitational Read from your work and receive feedback from others during this Sat 2/9 event, beginning at 7PM. Local writers (and those in training) are encouraged to bring their work for a critique. Each writer signs up for a 10-minute block to read. It’s not exactly a “workshop” per se; the quarterly event sponsored by Mac’s Backs is a great way to get informal feedback. Working on that Great American Novel? This just might help! http://www.macsbacks.com.

Chapel, Court & Countryside Back by popular demand, Case Western Reserve University Department of Music continues the 22nd season of Chapel, Court & Countryside: Early Music at Harkness on Sat 2/9 at 7:30PM. The program features the ensemble Rebel, which offers late baroque and rococo music, played on baroque violins and violas, baroque cello, recorder, baroque flute, harpsichord and organurday. Harkness Chapel, 11200 Bellflower Rd. http://music.cwru.edu/ccc.

Slovenian Presidency of the European Union is celebrated with a concert ant poetry reading Sat 2/9 at 7PM. Countries represented will include Germany, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, Sweden, The Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Serbia and others. Musical performances by Slovenian choir Korotan and Johnny Sršen & friends, conducted by Slovenian Consul General Dr. Zvone Žigon. Slovenian National Home, 6409 St. Clair Ave. No cost, open to the public. Cash bar following performances. Call 589-9220 for more info.

It’s Cold Outside, Mon! Tired of Winter? Take a break at the Annual Reggae Brunch at the Parkview Nite Club Sun 2/10 at 8:30. Features Carlos Jones & the P.L.U.S. Band. Parkview, 1261 W. 58th St. Call 961-1341 for more info.

HOT We Will Not Be Silent A benefit concert entitled Five Years of War, We Will Not Be Silent will be held at Beachland Ballroom 15711 Waterloo Rd. on Sun 2/10 at 7:30PM. Doors open at 7PM. Call it a Concert for Peace. Headlining act Mifuné performs. Reach out to all who are seeking a change in US foreign policy while taking in the Afro-electroniqué global fusion of Mifuné and others. Call 707-1138 or email katiedaley@att.net. Details at http://www.noacinfo.org. http://www.beachlandballroom.com.

Help! You need somebody, not just anybody. If you’ve not caught the “Behind the Scenes” insight on the Beatles’ movie at the Rock Hall, Sun 2/10 would be a good day to get into it. Running through the end of March, the exhibit features George Harrison’s original script, and a reproduction of Richard Lester’s working script with handwritten changes. Filming schedules, posters, tickets to the U.S. premiere of the film at the NYC Beacon Theater, costume and instruments and other promotional items are included. Beatlefan: there’s your Help! No excuse to miss it. http://www.rockhall.com.

GLBC Science Café The latest installment of Great Lakes Brewing Company’s ongoing series covers “Reading and Writing Genes” with Dr. Lee Thompson, CWRU Department of Psychology, and Dr. Barbara Lewis, CWRU Department of Pediatrics. It hits Mon 2/11 at 5PM and 7PM. Based on the European salon model, science cafés are informal events where scientists and other well respected experts discuss the current state of their field with the public in a casual setting. Details and Registration.

Sara Gazarek She’s may “turn out to be the next important jazz singer.” So says the La Times of vocalist Gazarek, who performs at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights this Mon 2/11 at 7PM with The Josh Nelson Trio (Josh Nelson, piano / Zach Harmon, drums / Hamilton Price, bass). Don’t miss your shot at a gal who could be the next Diana Krall in an intimate setting. Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Rd., Cle Hts. Call 795-0550 or visit http://www.nighttowncleveland.com.

SPONSORED: Last Year Sold Out: Get Tix Now! Join us for the “76th Anniversary Bach Festival,” Fri 4/18 through Sun 4/20 at Baldwin-Wallace College. Major Work: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244. Five concerts throughout the weekend: Fri 4/18 concerts: 4PM and 8PM (Gamble Auditorium). Sat 4/19 concerts: 1:30PM and 4:00PM (Gamble Auditorium). Sun 4/20 concert: 2:30PM at United Methodist Church of Berea. Special performances throughout the weekend by Baldwin-Wallace College Motet Choir, Baldwin-Wallace College Choir, Members of Opera Cleveland Orchestra, Festival Chamber Orchestra and Brass Choir, guest soloists and more. Reserve seats early. Last year’s festival sold out. For info and to reserve tix contact www.bw.edu.

Riot Girls & Rebels: A Celebration of Women Who Rock hits the InterContinental Hotel on Wed 2/13 at 6PM. The Rock Hall of Fame and Museum hosts the event — designed to honor women who are an inspiration both professionally and personally, and are involved in arts and cultural organizations. Music industry executive Barbara Carr and musician Joan Jett are honored, along with an area businesswoman, who will be selected from a pool of nominees. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are scheduled to perform. Call 515-1207 or visit http://www.rockhall.com.

Barley Wine Tapping What better winter warmer than a barley wine? And what better brewer than Great Lakes to offer it up? Exactly. Just in time for that mid-Feb hump, they tap their batch Wed 2/13 at 6PM. Specially aged since June 07, GLBC’s full-bodied Barley Wine presents a “smooth, velvety taste with a mellow hop nose.” Keep an eye out, as a certain CC Managing Editor wouldn’t miss this for the world!!! GLBC Beer Cellar, 2516 Market Ave. Details.

Ted Nordhaus & Michael Shellenberger The managing directors (and proclaimed “environmental bad boys”) of American Environics and founders of The Breakthrough Institute, will speak about their book Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility at noon on Wed 2/13 at The City Club of Cleveland. http://www.cityclub.org.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

HOT Wonderland Created by Cleveland native Sarah Savelli, this energetic, thought-provoking performance explores the messages within the lyrics of some of Stevie Wonder’s most recognizable songs. Combining his artistry with of tap dance and spoken word, this amazing evening at Playhouse Square is a one-shot deal, Fri 2/8 at 7:30PM. Call 241-6000 or visit http://www.playhousesquare.org. And both Intermediate and Advanced dance students can study in a master class with the cast members Sat 2/9 from 10AM – 4PM. Info on the master class at http://www.playhousesquare.org/artseducation.

HOT Chocolate: The Exhibition For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated with the sweet snack. Now journey through history to get the complete story behind it at the Great Lakes Science Center beginning Sat 2/9. Explore the plants, the products, the history, and the culture of chocolate through the lenses of botany and ecology, anthropology and economics, conservation and popular culture. From the rainforest and the Aztecs to Europe and Hershey, PA, this exhibition takes you on a whirlwind tour. If you wondered where your favorite treat comes from, this is a must-see. Runs through early May. Call 694-2000 or visit http://www.greatscience.com.

Make Mine with Ice Standing Rock Cultural Arts presents a very cool ice carving exhibition and community event Sat 2/9 from 1 – 4PM. Ice carving demos will by offered Kent State University and Akron University staff, hot beverages and chili by Anthony’s Cafe and pastries by Stahl’s Bakery. Keep that winter vibe alive! Home Savings Plaza, corner of Water St. and Main St. in Downtown Kent. Call 330-673-4970 or visit http://www.standingrock.net for updates.

Tackle the Tower The Ronald McDonald House® of Cleveland, Inc. invites runners and walkers to climb the 646 stairs of the Galleria and Tower at Erieview as it laces up for the 6th Annual Tackle the Tower Stair Climb on Sat 2/9 beginning at 8:45AM. Start the year off by racing up Erieview’s 37 flights of stairs — all to benefit the more than 1,100 families who stay at the House each year. Prizes will be awarded. Visit http://www.heremescleveland.com for more.

Rock ‘n’ Tot The cool kids dance party debuts at Velvet Dog Nightclub Sat 2/9 at 1PM. Described as a “fresh approach to community for families,” entertainment and family networking are just the beginning. And the kids get to do a whole lot of boogying. Visit http://www.rock-n-tot.com to learn more and purchase tix.

The Heart of Inlet is an exclusive performance and fundraising event for Inlet Dance Theatre Sat 2/9 at 2PM that will showcase the purpose and artistry of this exciting company. This family-friendly event offers dynamic dance performances from the full company plus the Inlet Youth Ensemble; a post-event reception will be held. Proceeds from the event will go toward fulfilling the mission of the non-profit Inlet Dance Theatre. Chagrin Falls Schools’ Performing Arts Ctr., 400 E. Washington St., Chagrin Falls. http://www.inletdance.org.

First & Main’s WinterFest Although most homes have packed away their holiday lights and decorations, First & Main Shopping District in downtown Hudson is creating a winter wonderland the whole family can enjoy on Sun 2/10 from noon – 3PM. Ice sculptures will be displayed up and down the sidewalks of First & Main and ice carving demonstrations will occur every hour. Plenty of family fun and activity for kids (and their folks). http://www.firstandmainhudson.com.

SPONSORED: Are You a “Mini” Master? Learn from the masters — Monet, Picasso and Warhol — in classes that encourage creativity for adults & kids! Spring session runs for six weeks (Saturdays) and highlights the permanent collection and our newest exhibit, “Arms and Armor of Imperial Austria.” Registration for CMA members begins Sat 2/2, general registration begins Sat 2/16. Classes: Mixed Media for Adults; Art for Parent and Child (age 3); Mini-Masters (ages 4-5); Wearable Art (ages 5-6); Art Experiments (ages 6-8); Medieval Mania (ages 8-10); Miscellaneous Materials (ages 10-12); Teen Drawing Workshop (ages 13-17); and Claymation (ages 11 and up). Sessions: Sat 3/15 – Sat 4/26. No class on 3/22. 10-11:30 AM or 1-2:30 PM. For information about classes for children/teens, call 216-707-2182 or www.clevelandart.org. Register: 216-421-7350 or 1-888-CMA-0033.

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 11-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

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The Courage To Survive
by Dennis Kucinich
Phoenix Books

You know you want to read it. And, as a good Clevelander, you probably should. Because you will learn something you didn’t know about Dennis Kucinich the child who grew into the man that our local media won’t be telling you. Since this is a personal story of Kucinich’s early childhood, up to his first unsuccessful run for City Council in 1967 and the discovery of his Crohn’s Disease, told in a matter-of-fact, humble tone that never preaches or veers into politics. Having worked as a hospital orderly, a surgical technician, a copy boy for the PD, a copy reader at the Wall Street Journal, and a golf caddy, often working two jobs at once, you learn that Kucinich doesn’t fear hard work, in fact, he probably requires it. You learn about the personal trials with family alcoholism, early death and challenging circumstances. You will learn that his family moved 22 times before Dennis was 12 years old, from one rat-infested hovel to the next, often being kicked out once the landlord found out that his parents had six children. And you learn that in between a few of those hovels, the family lived out of their car. Through it all, Dennis never blames his parents for their failings, nor does he feel sorry for himself. You will identify with Kucinich’s obsession with the massive open fire torch burning atop the steel mills, and the massive onion domes of St. Theodosius, to which he returns again and again for inspiration. You learn about his burning desire to get a good catholic education, working double shifts to pay for school, then almost not graduating because of $225 of unpaid tuition. Most of all, you see the world through Dennis Kucinich’s eyes, a view that will have many of his followers buying copies of this book to send to their friends. The Courage To Survive.

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

SPONSORED: We Just Keep Crankin’ It Out . . . thanks to the national media, which takes a discerning view of our region and repeatedly reveals good stuff for all to see. Take a look at the article the New York Times released that was, dare we say, incredibly appropriate called “Cleveland is Rocking,” which chronicled the Cavaliers as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. If that’s not enough to put some zing in your step, then how about the Wall Street Journal article entitled “Your Mentor Is Out There — in Cyberspace” regarding JumpStart’s IdeaCrossing website, as a tool to let both prospective mentors/investors and entrepreneurs in need of assistance build online profiles and find each other. These stories and more compliments of the Cleveland Plus Marketing Alliance here.

Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child?

As surely as day follows night, I knew that the proposed state legislation to ban paddling in public schools would spark outrage in some authoritarian quarters. Ever since, cries of “Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child,” have been heard throughout the state from folks who are justifiably concerned about violence in our schools, but who are totally clueless as to solutions.

Some of the behaviors we’re seeing — rioting 7th graders and wanton attacks on teachers — are so egregious, so outrageous, so far beyond the Pale that on some days I’d like to move way, way beyond mere paddling of these juvenile miscreants; I want to stomp a mud-hole in some of their asses. The only thing is, it wouldn’t accomplish much — other than to make me feel a little bit better … because that’s all retributive actions can ever accomplish.

But wait, what about Singapore? This nation is always cited by those wishing to make their case for the use of corporal punishment to keep disruptive kids in check.

Officials there use caning of students for what we here would consider relatively minor infractions, and man, does it ever seem to work. Juvenile misbehavior is virtually unheard of in Singapore, and this island nation of over 4.5 million people has a world-wide reputation as one of safest places on earth. Doors routinely go unlocked around the clock, and women feel completely safe walking alone at night on Singaporean streets. Sounds like heaven, right? But in this world everything comes at a price and commentators who try to use a totally different culture to justify corporal punishment here either haven’t done their homework or are purposely being disingenuous.

Souvenir vendors in Singapore sell T-shirts with the legend “In Singapore Everything is FINE,” but it’s a play on words. In addition to the accepted meaning of the word “fine” means everything is OK, locals know that the T-shirts are a sly way of tweaking one of the most authoritarian governments in the world. Citizens of Singapore receive serious “fines” for things like jaywalking and chewing gum. Yes, chewing gum was outlawed over two decades ago. Additionally, “crimes” like littering, and failing to flush a toilet after use (seriously, I’m not making this up!) can result in a misdemeanor criminal changes, and, again, substantial fines. So, everything really is “FINE” in Singapore. And don’t get caught with a Playboy magazine (which is considered pornography) … in addition to the “fine,” your ass cheeks could wind up looking like ground hamburger by the time prison officials get through caning you.

Which brings up another point about justice Singaporean style: Caning is only carried out as part of a prison sentence, and under rigorous protocols. But, similar to other forms of punishment there, it is very rarely used. Why? Because the crime rate is among the lowest in the known world. The next question could be: Why is it so low? Because Singapore ranks very high on the list of wealthiest nations in the world, enjoys the second highest per capita gross domestic product in Asia (Japan has the highest), and unemployment is virtually zero. Oh, did I mention that it enjoys one of the highest literacy rates in the world?

So, what’s their secret? How has Singapore seemingly solved so many of the civic, social and behavioral problems much of the industrialized world is beset with? By creating a regimented, dictatorial (and when necessary, brutish) society, culture, and way of life, that’s how.

In this country we only call for the caning of errant kids; in Singapore the punishment extends to errant adults as well. A public official caught taking a bribe might wish that he could get off with a light sentence, but it just ain’t happening; he’s going to get body slammed by the court, along with the businessman who gave the bribe, and they both could get spanked like grownup babies.

When police discovered an “old boy” network of insider traders looting stock markets a few years ago the judge told their families it was no use keeping a candle burning in the window for the criminals; it would be a long, long time before they came home. 50 years to be exact. No high-priced lawyers could get them preferential treatment like here in the US; in other words, a legal system that truly is blind to race, class, status — and most of all, money. “Egalitarian” is the word that works nicely in terms of Singaporean justice.

The last dude caught attempting to smuggle heroin into the country (in 2006) — a Black African — was hanged within the year. There are no appeals courts to speak of in Singapore to delay the process, but the question of racism could never be raised since the previous smuggler hanged on the island was a White Australian. We’re talking real zero tolerance here folks … but a completely fair form of the principle.

According to Wikipedia: “On September 16, 1963, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak were formally merged and Malaysia was formed.” However, after two years of racial unrest, sparked by Singaporeans who felt they were being treated unfairly and were being discriminated against, they broke away from the union and went their own way. And one of the first things the new government did was to outlaw discrimination against anyone, in any form, under any circumstances. Everyone, no matter their ethnicity, race or nation of origin, would be treated exactly the same … and the government let everyone know that it was very serious about the edict. Yes, it can be done.

Imagine if that would have happened in the United States after the Civil War — would people still be crying out to use corporal punishment on inner-city children? Probably not, and here’s why: If we had done what Singapore did (or, if we belatedly do now) every child would be provided with all of the requisites for success, and every parent would be equipped to help their child achieve that success. And, if a case arises where a family problem is discovered, if a parent is not equipped or is not willing to do their job, government-backed solutions are swiftly put in place. This truly would be “No Child Left Behind.”

In a society where every child-citizen is positive they will one day be incorporated into the economic and social fabric of life on an equal and fair footing (based only on their educational attainment); where decent-paying jobs are available to everyone who wants (and is able) to work; where advancement is based only on a person’s willingness to play by a fair set of rules … in that type of society I have no problem with using the cane on those — adults and children alike — who act in inappropriate ways.

In such a society the wild 15-year-old from Pepper Pike would be as likely to be caned as the equally wild kid from the King-Kennedy projects. But, on the real, in Singapore there are no slums, no poor people, or no high school dropouts. We want to use Singaporean punishments but not create Singaporean style equalities, and, keep in mind that this is a country that has long been the watch lists of international organizations that charge officials there with human rights abuses.

But if Singapore has achieved a form of true equality, would we want to attempt their tactics here? Would I — would you — be wiling to trade some basic notions about liberties, some illusions of freedom, or some of our lies about justice … for a well-regulated society (albeit somewhat totalitarian in nature) where racism is totally outlawed? It’s a notion and tradeoff Blacks would have to ponder.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Mansfield B. Frazier mansfieldfATgmail.com
Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

Less money for scientific innovations in the United States may push scientists to head to other countries. Readers react to Ed Morrison’s post:

Check the graphs and add your comment here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

“City of Cleveland proposes $5 million loan to downtown development, but where’s the money coming from?”
A woman she meets on the bus tells Beth how she ended up homeless—twice.
“Changing faces will not help, changing where the leaders come from will not help. Growth in behavior will help.”
Phoenix Coffee wants your mugs.
Carmelo Anthony on an Etch-A-Sketch video.

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane
Turtle Island Quartet
Telarc International

In the 1950s and early 1960s if you wanted to sound really “in” and really “cool” and oh-so-knowledgeable you’d say “so-and-so is groovy, but man–have you heard Coltrane?” Violinists David Balakrishnan and Evan Price, cellist Mark Summer, and violist Mads Tolling, the classically-trained musicians who make up the Turtle Island Quartet, definitely have studied the master carefully. (There’s another local connection aside from Telarc: both Summer and Price studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music.) This cool-jazz classical quartet — they play regular old classical instruments sans electric assistance — may earn its second Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album this weekend for A Love Supreme, a tribute to legendary saxophonist John Coltrane. A previous CD, 4 + four, won the 2005 Grammy in that category.

Turtle Island Quartet members speak of Coltrane (and play his music) as if they are engaging in conversation with the man whose music inspired them when they were teens. Balakrishnan has described making A Love Supreme as trying to breathe Coltrane’s breath and to incorporate his influence, not just give a classical twist to his greatest hits. At the center of this CD is the title work in which Coltrane’s 1964 recording of the same name (and the one that set him apart from other jazz masters) is taken apart and reassembled. Turtle Island’s version pays tribute to the four-part original and spins new work from it without losing the older work’s flavor.

The CD contains 13 tracks (including a “bonus track” with a Miles Davis piece). It includes “Moment’s Notice,” from Coltrane’s 1957 Blue Train; “La Danse du Bonheur” (1970s piece by guitarist John McLaughlin and violinist L. Shakar); “Round Midnight” (salutes Coltrane’s attention-getting solo on the Thelonious Monk recording with the Miles Davis Quintet in 1956); “Countdown” and “Naima” (both from the 1959 recording, Giant Steps); and “Song To John” (Stanley Clarke and Chick Corea’s tribute to Coltrane in 1975). It’s a complex CD that rewards repeating listening.

Turtle Island Quartet (with Jeremy Kittel replacing Price), along with Stefon Harris on piano, perform this Friday, February 8 at 8PM. Together, they offer up music by Duke Ellington in “The Divine Duke” at Tri-C’s Metro Campus Auditorium. Visit the group online at http://www.tisq.com

From Cool Cleveland contributor Laura Kennelly lkennellyATgmail.com
Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

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

Was PD Editorial Written with Straight Face?

Sometimes the Pee Dee is so laughable that you just can’t believe the ridiculousness of it.

I certainly got that feeling by turning to the Sunday Opinion pages and viewing the paper’s endorsement of Joe Cimperman in the 10th District Congressional election.

There certainly was no surprise in the choice. The paper had been telegraphing its desire to flak for Cimperman for weeks.

The Pee Dee used the entire space of the Sunday editorial slot to bless Cimperman. Actually, it was not so much to anoint Cimperman as to throw slaps at his opponent, Dennis Kucinich.

Talk about overkill. Is this the most important political race in decades to the Pee Dee? Does Cleveland teeter on a precipice with Kucinich to tip us into the abyss?

“We do not come to this conclusion lightly. We have watched Kucinich’s career for decades; he once worked in our newsroom,” said the Pee Dee.

“Not come to the conclusion lightly?” Pray tell, not so much how heavily you weighed the decision but when did you come to the conclusion he should go – the day after Kucinich was re-elected two years ago.

“We have watched Kucinich’s career for decades…” Well, you certainly haven’t spent much of those decades being fair in your “watching.”

And, “he once worked in our newsroom” – what does this mean? Dennis was a copy boy at the paper back in 1967 – 40 years ago – don’t make it sound as if he were someone of some importance in your newsroom yesterday – or that it has any significance at all to your “reasoning.”

What struck me as really odd was how little space the paper spent on telling us of any accomplishments of Cimperman. His major accomplishment, as I can see, is giving away city money to developers.

It will be interesting to read Pee Dee reporters covering this campaign to determine how much news coverage is biased and reflects the editorial stance.

The editorial ended with this whimpering call to action:

“In this election season, when voters everywhere say they want change, 10th District Democrats can show they mean it. They can vote for Joe Cimperman,” the editorial concluded.

Maybe the writer didn’t really have his or her heart in it.

Yet, it’s so symbolic of our feeble, continually disappointing daily newspaper.

Not even when it’s really against someone can it summon up only the passion of a potato.

I think I summed up my assessment of Cimperman when he gave backing to the subsidy-soaked (see below) Wolstein Flats project:

“Further, the once refreshing, now characterless Joe Cimperman, in whose ward the project will be, has now diminished to a hack politician going nowhere good.”

Here’s an Editorial Position I’d Love to See

I’m waiting for the Pee Dee’s passionate editorial telling Dick Jacobs and the Sam Miller/Ratner families to pay back the money they owe the city. Every penny of it.

The Pee Dee reported last week that both Jacobs and Miller/Ratner are balking at repaying the city at a discount, a plan by Mayor Frank Jackson to invigorate its financial position by allowing the loans to be paid before the due date but at reduced amounts.

The paper reported that Jacobs owes some $18 million and the Miller/Ratners some $25 million. These loans at no or very low interest rates were made back in the 1980s by George Voinovich and George Forbes, the two who worked to give away whatever they could to downtown interests.

I’d like to hear the Pee Dee show some citizen outrage ONE TIME against these public pirates, Jacobs, Miller and the Ratners.

It is always calling upon Mayor Jackson to show some vigor. Why not show some vitality itself, or is that too much to expect for the play-it-safe Pee Dee?

Will Reporters Follow Editorial Choice with Same Bias?

A week or so ago, the Pee Dee had two rather large photo shots of Kucinich campaigning for President. The thrust was that Kucinich said he campaigned on the weekends so that it didn’t affect his Congressional work. So here’s proof he’s a liar.

The Pee Dee caught him campaigning on days that were not weekend days.

I wonder if they would use the same reasoning by following Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I’ve observed her away from Washington, D. C. at a number of campaign functions with Sen. Hillary Clinton, who Tubbs Jones has endorsed over Barak Obama. Shame on her.

It just shows when a newspaper has an agenda, the staff follows the lead and can’t think anywhere near out of the box.

It would seem to me that the Pee Dee ought to be examining how African-Americans in her district feel about Tubbs Jones’s endorsement and passion for Sen. Clinton over Sen. Obama.

Cimperman – the Delivery Boy for Developers

Just to remind people of what the donation-gobbling Cimperman has become as the downtown councilman, I’ve listed below what the city and others, with Cimperman’s strong backing, gave to the Wolstein project in the Flats. The project is in Cimperman’s ward.

Of course, the city also helped with eminent domain to shift properties to Wolstein from others.

There’s an interesting battle now going on for downtown real estate development with several major corporations and law firms reportedly interested in new office space. Looking for new digs: Baker & Hostetler, Eaton Corp., Ernst & Young, Huntington Bank and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. So there’s demand.

It will be interesting in the climate of demand to observe how city officials – Mayor Frank Jackson and City Council – react to this renewed interest in new office space.

Since there’s high demand should the city avoid offering all kinds of subsidy incentives to developers to do what they must do – meet the demand by building? (It’s also unclear whether the new space will be added space or simply newer space to shift tenants from older buildings, in other words, rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic/Cleveland.)

The Pee Dee could do a service to the citizens by researching and telling us which downtown property owners got what part of the $100 million in taxable property that came off the tax rolls in recent years. Likely suspects: Forest City Enterprises, Dick Jacobs and John Carney interests.

The market is supposed to rule. And, to some degree, it does. The best example is the empty space on the west side of Public Square. The city in 1989 awarded Dick Jacobs the same sweet subsidy deal to build on that site as the developer received for the north side of Public Square (Key Center & Marriott Hotel).

Yet, 19 years later, the site remains fallow, a parking lot.

That’s because there has been no market for new office space and thus no development.

Now, since there is said to be demand, why don’t the developers meet the demand – but without seeking to wring out abatements and other subsidies from the depressed City of Cleveland? The answer is simple: greed.

They don’t because our political leaders are too eager (Cimperman) to serve their benefactors at the expense of their constituents.

Below are the incredible “incentives” given to the Wolstein partnership for the Flats East Side project. Here is the list:

With Joe in Congress just think of how much booty can be delivered to our developers.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roldo Bartimole roldoATroadrunner.com
Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

Quick reviews of recent events
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Double Nickel Blues @ CSU Factory 1/31
Monumental effort: This huge new piece about Cleveland’s Central area in the 40’s by Margaret Ford-Taylor, with bluesy music by Glenn Brackens and others, is more play-with-music than musical, and its structure is anything but traditional, but it has an amiable energy and some fine performances. In this sprawling portrayal of an African-American community, it’s the neighborhood itself that is the real protagonist. Along the way, there are nearly 50 characters to keep track of, from orphan children to journalists to ethnic immigrants, with almost as many actors — think Catfish Row without the dominating central love story. With dances by Terence Greene, and a mix of CSU students and capable community actors from the Cleveland Art Theatre, it’s an enormous achievement, even with its flaws.
Caveats: The nearly 3 hour show needs tightening — especially its 2nd act, which meanders — and some greater focus and raised stakes for fewer characters would probably help. Although they’re well-performed, a few of the interpolated atmospheric “war period” songs could be cut without harming the flow.
Details: Thru 2/10 @ CSU, http://www.csuohio.edu/news/releases/2008/01/14414.html.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Big [Box]: The One Who @ CPT 2/1
Strong performance & writing: Scott Plate performs his evening of five monologues about “invisible” gay men beautifully and much of the writing is powerful and moving. Plate is one of the area’s finest actors, and it’s fascinating to see this handsome guy transform himself with accent and physicality from piece to piece. Highlights: a Tennessee man sending a cassette tape to his long-time best friend/lover; an Irish priest’s coruscating conversation with God; and a dutiful caretaker son telling his elderly mother about his liberating Paris affair.
Caveats: Although it has funny moments, the transgender cable access TV shaman seems more sketch than play, and might better serve as comic relief between the more serious pieces rather than opener, and the NY dude’s confession to his wife needs work. Nevertheless, it’s a fulfilling evening.
Details: Cleveland Public Theatre, http://www.cptonline.org. Big [Box] continues thru 2/24.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

Kaputska Brothers @ The Winchester 2/2 Don’t be fooled by the fake Hungarian accents! These guys are really not recent émigrés from Central Europe, nor are they the sons of hard-working steel-mill immigrants. Their first-generation “buffoonery” (an accurte description from The Winchester’s promo) reflects the tradition of ignorant (fake) immigrant going back to Andy Kaufman, Steve Martin & Dan Ackroyd’s “Wild and Crazy Guys,” recently (and barely) updated by Sacha Cohen (the Kaputskas say, “Borat made us laugh”). If you say the same thing, you’ll enjoy the schtick by magician Jack Palur and stand up comic Mark Colella, an act saved by their relentless outreach to the audience for willing participants in their (self-rated) PG-13 act (for “general bawdiness”). Opening act Hot Carl was decidedly more R-rated, with more jokes on excrement (mainly his own) than one would think possible to remember without mixing them up. Maybe he did. The Winchester crowd laughed anyway, proving the theorem that comedy like this requires large quantities of alcohol to be available nearby. Upcoming at the Winchester: the return of the legendary Commander Cody on 2/15, whose Hot Rod Lincoln is so much more than just a novelty hit. Word is, his band is smoking. http://www.TheWinchester.net

Green Pavilion, Home & Garden Show @ IX Center, 2/2 Hang on! Spring is just around the corner. The opening of the Home and Garden Show (February 2-10) is living proof! No overcast gray skies here. Green is the color. Look at the blooming flowers, trees, and landscaping throughout the Show. Be sure not to miss the 12,000-square foot Renaissance-styled Entry Feature Garden.

And the Green Pavilion, of special interest this year, hosts 34 sustainable organizations and businesses advocating minimum use of energy, water, and materials while improving health and air quality. Spring fashion models walked the runway on the new seminar stage at the Pavilion. The eco-friendly fashion show, from natural clothing stores like Esperanza Threads, Alpaca Home, Revive Fair Trade, and Planet Green, featured clothing, jewelry, and shoes made from hemp, silk, organic cotton, bamboo, and Alpaca wool Rebecca Reynolds, Lakewood business owner of Green Clean http://www.greenclean.biz, presented educational seminars.

After being laid up for two years with a rare blood disease, to regain her health she began investigating the chemical formulations in the cleaning solutions in her environment. “Do you know all of the ingredients in your window cleaner, air freshener, and cleanser?” she asked. The manufacturers do not have to get FDA approval for the chemicals used, and they have protection from full disclosure under the Proprietary Laws. The manufacturers only have to report on the acute affects, not the long term affects of exposure to these cleaning solutions.

“Our grandmothers had the right idea using vinegar and baking soda as natural cleaning agents,” she said. “I know you want to protect your family,” she added, “but these commercial surface cleaners have high levels of chlorine and leave a chlorine residue.” Research into chlorine has shown a strong connection with the incidence of breast cancer. When you spray the house with air fresheners or use sweet smelling plug-ins to get rid of the pet or cigarette odor, you are dispensing more neurotoxins into your environment. Why not just clean the carpet instead, she asked. The more Reynolds talked about pollutants in the home, the more she got questions from the concerned audience.

A new green company called A Piece of Cleveland (APOC) http://www.apieceofcleveland displayed their wares at the Pavilion – redesigned and refinished wood items recovered from Cleveland homes and businesses. Each handcrafted item comes complete with an official Re-Birth Certificate giving a history and the location where in Cleveland the lumber came from.

Other green companies in attendance included the Mustard Seed, the Great Lakes Brewery, Earth Healers, CityWheels.com, the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, EarthWatch Ohio, and the Cleveland Metroparks.

Visiting the Green Pavilion at the Home and Garden Show is a great way to get educated about how to live healthier with less of an impact on the environment. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, six years ago, the green building products market was valued at $800 million. By 2010, it will be worth $32 billion. Apparently living green is a growing trend and important to us all. Learn more at http://www.homeandflower.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Susan Schaul susn1ATatt.net

Sholiton’s All Things Being Equal @ Notre Dame College 2/3 Cleveland playwright Faye Sholiton’s newest script, All Things Being Equal, is in production at Notre Dame College’s Tolerance Resource Center. The student-faculty project, which was directed by Peter Manos, addresses the tension of a “reverse discrimination” lawsuit in which a suburban Cleveland school board is confronted with having to lay off a social science teacher due to budgetary cuts. The teachers, one white and the other black, were hired the same day, so the first in-first out union rule does not hold. The script adroitly probes into prejudices, how one’s history forms who a person is, and the legal aspects of discrimination. The play, which won a 2007 Ohio Arts Council grant, and several honors in national competitions, is presented as a staged reading and lasts about 90 minutes.

Capsule Judgment: This is a well-written, thought-provoking script. The performance is followed by a question-and-answer session with the writer and cast. The production, which is free of charge, will be presented on Saturday, February 9 at 7:30PM and Sunday, February 10 at 2PM in the Little Theatre at Notre Dame College, 4545 College Drive, South Euclid. No reservations are necessary. For further information go to: http://bodwin_theatre.tripod.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

Walk, Don’t Ride @ Cleveland Play House 2/3 Also of interest from the Tolerance Center of Notre Dame is Walk, Don’t Ride, which will be presented at the Cleveland Play House on February 12 at 7PM, immediately preceding CPH’s Gee’s Bend. Written and directed by Peter Manos, Artistic Director of Bodwin Theatre Company, the production recalls seminal moments in our nation’s history when heroes endured brutality and injustice for the radical idea that race does not determine the worth of a human being. For information go to: http://bodwin_theatre.tripod.com.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

The Marriage of Figaro @ Opera Circle 2/5
Delightful Divas: This intimate rendering of Mozart’s comic opera had many strengths, but none greater than the four superb sopranos who dominated the production. Sharon Shaffer brought an effortless silver voice and sharp comic timing to the lusted-after servant Susanna, Artistic Director Dorota Sobieska’s golden tones and world-weary persona made the Contessa shine, while Anna Kostrzynska’s coloratura trills as Marcellina and Nicole Boeke as the soubrette Barbarina lit up the smaller roles. Jason Plourde was a commanding Figaro, and visiting conductor Andrzej Knap led a spritely baroque orchestra of 28.
Caveats: Clad in his Chippendales’ golden bowtie and barechest, tenor Jordan Ruefle looked hunky enough as Cherubino, but his pitch problems made the music (usually sung by a mezzo) problematic. Though the 3-quarter staging at the Polish American Cultural Center was wonderful for sightlines — each seat no more than 3 rows from the stage — it occasionally brought balance problems with the orchestra, and the close quarters meant that the acting flaws (especially Peter Bush’s nicely sung but grimacing Count) were magnified.
Details: http://www.operacircle.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

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

1) Anatomy of a Dinner Group by Claudia J. Taller.
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2) Culinary tour of Cleveland by Cle food writer Michael Ruhlman. Top 5 again for 2nd week.
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3) Tolerable kid’s music by Jennifer Keirn.
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4) Roldo bites back.
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5) Green jobs for a blue city.
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More Than X-Ray Vision If there’s Kryponite out there for the Hard Corps, it’s that they’re all absolutely weak in the knees for everything this city has to offer. Why fly away? Thanks to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Deb Dockery, Laura Kennelly, Linda Eisenstein, Kelly Ferjutz, Roy Berko, Sarah Taylor, Mansfield B. Frazier and Roldo Bartimole. 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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