Taking Care Of Business

11.17-11.24

Taking care of business?

In this week’s issue:
* Cool Cleveland Interview with risk-loving entrepreneur and growth consultant Andy Birol
* Cool Cleveland Commentary Art as Manifestation of Spirit by local artist Kristina Lazar
* Birol’s Business Cleveland’s business attitudes and practices by Cool Cleveland columnist Andy Birol
* Cool Cleveland People Jennifer Madden, Associate Director, Donor Relations of The City Mission
* RoldoLINK by Roldo Bartimole on Cleveland’s mortgaged comeback

Cool Cleveland Interview
Andy Birol

Cleveland entrepreneur and incisive commentator Andy Birol jumps into the Cool Cleveland mix, examining our city’s conflicting business attitudes, habits, and practices with examples of success and failure. Starting this week, he contributes a regular commentary on Cleveland business called Birol’s Business, found below. Cool Cleveland caught up with this fast-moving growth consultant and listened to his opinions on Cleveland’s tipping point, our civic lack of confidence, and the idea of a merit badge in failing.

Andy Birol: I see too many companies not confident enough to charge enough for the value they are providing. There are a lot of self-esteem issues with companies that don’t feel confident enough to provide a premium service and get paid for it. There’s a sense of “We’re not worthy.”

Same as our civic sense of who we are, this lack of confidence…

Exactly. Why would you have a conference on poverty? You should have a conference on wealth. I would have gone to that one. They majority of what I do is move them from ambivalence and apprehension to confidence and conviction. It’s like The Wizard of Oz, we have the courage, we just have to know and realize we have the courage. The fact that we’re so philanthropic as a region is a form of co-dependence. It’s like we’d rather help other people rather than fix ourselves. Instead of doing good by doing well, it’s like, “It is OK we are not doing well, because we’re helping others.” There’s a cache to it. I’ve said it before, “Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a loser.”

How bad does it have to get in Cleveland before we realize that the large corporations are gone forever from our region, and we need to focus on entrepreneurialism?
I think the pain of change has to finally be less than the pain of not changing. The longer we believe that the calvary is coming over the hill, the longer we can delay the personal empowerment that we need…
Read the Cool Cleveland Interview with Andy Birol here

Playhouse Square reports $43 million economic impact Read about Playhouse Square’s arts programs that cause a huge economic impact on Northeast Ohio: community, education, and rebuilding downtown Cleveland. Check out recent Playhouse Square real estate investments and other inspiring projects that are in the making in our city. Read the data here

Ohio is #2 in wind power Read the report from the Renewable Energy Policy Project here, which states, in part, “The results indicate that a national investment in wind has the clear potential to benefit regions of the U.S. other than those with a wind resource. The 20 states that would potentially benefit the most, receiving 80% of the job creation, are the same states that account for 76% of the manufacturing jobs lost in the U.S. over the last 3 1/2 years.” Is this one of Ohio’s big opportunities for growth in manufacturing? See CrainTech here.

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Urban Living Fit For a King The King’s Terrace (phase II) Condominiums are located at W. 54th and Herman Ave. in the heart of the exciting Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. You will command outstanding lake and downtown views, plus 2,400 sq. ft. of living space, hardwood floors, 9-10 ft. ceilings, 2½ ceramic tile baths, roof decks, two car garages and gas fireplaces. Plus, you’re minutes from Edgewater Park and the walk/bike path to the lake, the excitement of Ohio City and Tremont, and the pulse of downtown. While you’re in the neighborhood, you can grab a pint at the Parkview or catch a show at the always edgy Cleveland Public Theater. Seal the deal with special financing and 15 year tax abatement. For a complete list of properties and open houses this weekend, please visit www.ProgressiveUrban.com
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Here’s how you collaborate Case and CIM have finalized an agreement with Apollo’s Fire students to participate in a pre-professional training orchestra. The Joint Music Program between Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Music and The Cleveland Institute of Music has formalized a partnership with Apollo’s Fire, Cleveland’s professional baroque orchestra, for a pre-professional baroque training orchestra. Hear the majesty of authentic Baroque with Bach’s Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor on Mon 11/22 at 7:30PM. Call 368-1004. Harkness Chapel, 11200 Bellflower Rd. on the Case campus. http://www.Case.edu.

Shaker Square celebrates Now that Cleveland-based Coral Company have purchased Shaker Square, all eyes are turned towards that once-majestic civic asset to see if it will be able to compete with the Legacy Villages and Crocker Parks of the world. The Grande Dame of neighborhood shopping centers turns 75 and is celebrating with a big splash on Sat 11/20 from 11AM-4PM. Party plans include historical re-enactments, a marching band, a choir, Lolly the Trolley, birthday cake and refreshments beginning at the former Joseph-Beth retail space on the northeast quadrant. Cleveland Institute of Music will ring out the tunes while actors dressed in period clothing from 1929 welcome the guests. At 11:15AM, dignitaries such as the honorable Judith Rawson, Mayor of Shaker Heights and Kenneth Johnson, Ward 4 Councilman will speak briefly. In addition, Peter Rubin, CEO and President of The Coral Company will speak to the audience about the vision for the future of Shaker Square and dedicate four permanent outdoor benches that will be painted during the day by area artists. http://www.TheCoralCompany.com

Rock n’ Reel CSU gets you on the fast track of filmmaking with workshops in January with a Filmmakers Program at Cleveland State University. Cinematography, producing, lighting, grip, and directing for short films will be on the roster, and instructors will select apprentices to the director, cinematographer and producer on the set. The program is a chance for participants to gain filmmaking skills from instructors with professional experience in the field, as well as become a part of the production, and you’ll be producing an award-winning short screenplay in the winter of 2005. Weekend workshops happen on 1/7/05 thru 1/9/05. Call 687-5086 or visit http://www.csuohio.edu/com/picturethis

Pump up your business With advertising that works hard for you. Viral marketing is the future of business marketing, stimulating people to pass along your word-of-mouth messages. Think about how many of your associates read Cool Cleveland, then tell others what they’ve read. Advertise with CoolCleveland.com and witness firsthand how weekly advertising directly into the Inboxes of tens of thousands of our subscribers can impact your company’s bottom line. People actually read Cool Cleveland, then visit the links to our sponsors, and then they forward the CC e-zine to more readers who are exposed to our advertisers. Find out more by e-mailing us a note to Info@CoolCleveland.com and we’ll get right back to you.

Tour the Peter B. Lewis this holiday We love object adoration, especially with art and architecture, and here’s a way to have fun with it. Each weekend the new Peter B. Lewis Building designed by Frank Gehry is open to the public for tours between 1-4PM on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. This architectural tour is one of the things you’ll want to do while living in Cleveland. Call 368-6339. Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University http://www.Weatherhead.cwru.edu/tour

Soundtrack for a sustainable culture Cleveland-based F.Christopher Reynolds has put together a collection of songs from musicians for activists to download for free and distribute as they want. Just click on http://www.urrealist.com/voicesindex.html or go to http://www.urrealist.com and click on the sustainable culture icon.

Weekends on Waterloo Sell your art work at the Third Annual Weekends on Waterloo! Arts Collinwood has a large space available for the holiday season and is opening it up for artists to sell their work. Also up on public view at their newly acquired building will be members’ art work for their juried exhibition on 12/3. Get in on the fund raiser at the Beachland on 12/4 to help support Arts Collinwood and this new undertaking. Call 383-9468. Get full details at http://www.ArtsCollinwood.org stop by the Whatnot Coffee Shop, at 16001 Waterloo Rd. Get a membership application by calling 404-0751.

Then again, maybe gay is OK As the election results are analyzed more closely, it appears that a rampant anti-gay sentiment may not have had much effect on voters, especially in swing states with gay marriage initiatives on the ballot (Ohio, Oregon & Michigan). A conservative think tank commentator is ‘unconvinced’ that anti-gay cultural warriors made the difference in the presidential vote. A multifacted ground game gave Bush his win. See story here. The ‘values-vote’ myth: Explaining the election outcome as the result of homophobic ‘values-voters’ might be the theory, but it is wrong. The exit polls were misleading; gay rights have more support than most pundits will admit. Read it here. The ‘gay marriage’ myth: How to explain Bush’s re-election? Was it the morality factor or fear of terrorism that drove people in record numbers to the polls? Read it here. Anti-marriage initiatives: did not help Bush, as it turns out, when you look closely at the voting stats. According to gay spokesman Andrew Sullivan, it’s “fiction” that anti-gay initiatives gave Bush a special edge 11/2 here.

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
The Purrrfect Gift Make your gift the mane attraction this holiday and help Cleveland Metroparks Zoo when you ADOPT a lion this year. Your unique gift helps ensure the highest quality care for the Zoo’s lions, Chloe and Moufasa, and for ALL our Zoo’s animals. This is a great gift for that special someone who has everything… but a lion. Your gift package includes: a collectible stuffed lion, a personalized adoption certificate, a gorgeous photo of Chloe and Moufasa and a fun fact sheet. Upgrade your gift and you’ll also receive a ZooParent t-shirt and an invitation to go behind-the-scenes of the Zoo’s African Savanna. The entire gift package can be sent to you – or directly to the recipient – in time for the holidays. Order by December 10 to guarantee holiday delivery! Show your Cleveland pride (and help The Zoo’s pride!) – click here to ADOPT a lion today.
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

Lakefront planning maps online Whether you attended one of the recent public meetings the City of Cleveland held on planning our new lakefront, you can visit these interactive maps and click on the purple links to use the scroller to navigate. Edgewater, Downtown Harborfront, and Kirtland Quay & Gordon Park. The City’s been quoting the guy who designed Cleveland’s original plan, Daniel Burnham, who said, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work.” http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/lakefront/cpc.html

Visible City and the Photographic Occasion relays recent street photography that invites viewers to consider “What kind of place is the city?” The images are presented in sequences meant to evoke the experience of looking around while moving through urban space. In noticing the gestures, movement and coincidences of form that make up life on the street, the gallery itself becomes a site of experience and viewers part of the processes that create a visible city. Exhibit is by by Helen Liggett, Ph.D., a Cleveland State University professor of Urban Studies; it’s now on view Mon-Fri 9AM-9PM, Sat and Sun noon-5PM thru 2/14/05. Call 523-7495. Thomas F. Campbell, Ph.D., Exhibition Gallery, CSU’s Glickman-Miller Hall, 1717 Euclid Ave. http://www.csuohio.edu/news/releases/nr2004/nr2004-10/pr13466a.html

The Zipper Comes Down Cleveland-based Koyono is in NYC this week pasting 20,000 stickers with their zipper graphic on subway cars, telephone poles, and the few remaining phone booths in Manhattan. They’re also meeting with Playboy, Maxim and the producers of the Howard Stern Show to promote their new hi-tech t-shirt with zippered front that holds your walkman or cell phone, and their second super-light weight men’s overcoat, the AirGo, their Slimmy wallet, plus their slick new site. We wish them the best, and we wish other Cleveland companies had the chutzpah to hustle their products the way CEO Jay Yoo and Chief Experience Officer Jim Haviland do. http://www.TheBlackCoat.com

NEOH Music Northeast Ohio Music is a new web venture focused on promoting the Northeast Ohio music scene’s many talented artists as well as connecting these bands’ fan bases and exposing them to new artists. With user forums, there are opportunities for anyone to submit news, concert and CD reviews, music business tips, and stories from around the region in this interactive event calendar. The site is now accepting submissions for its first Digital Compilation CD to be released 1/1/05. Submissions are due no later then December 15th. All genres are accepted, and there is absolutely no cost for participating. http://www.NeOhMusic.com

Unchained Cleveland Unchained America day is coming up, a national event sponsored by the American Independent Business Association, and on Sat 11/20, Americans are encouraged to shop at Independent Businesses rather than national chains, since studies have shown that $ spent at locally owned businesses generate 3 to 3.5 times the amount of local economic activity as compared to $ spent at national chains. Phoenix is making a big deal of it: when a Phoenix customer brings in a friend this Saturday, who would have otherwise shopped at a national chain, you’ll both receive a complimenary pound of coffee at all three Phoenix store locations: Cleveland Heights, Downtown and Lakewood. Call for caffeine at 522-9744. Phoenix Coffee 2157 Superior Ave. http://www.PhoenixCoffee.com or http://amiba.net/Unchained.html

Books have secret lives It’s better to purchase and collect used books; if you’re a bibliophile, riddles and remnants of previous owners await discovery in secondhand books: shamrocks, notes, locks of hair. Other found oddities in books include pressed flowers, love notes from the 1890s, and sometimes papers worth a whole lot more that give clues to stories within stories. http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/13/Floridian/The_secret_lives_of_b.shtml

Closing Celebration After nine successful years, Bockrath Gallery will be closing its doors at the end of December, and you can get with them to celebrate nine successful years of business on Fri 11/19 from 6-10PM with generous discounts on all available work! Hook up with Bockrath’s available works and look forward to finding Lyssa Bockrath’s art at different area venues. Bockrath Gallery, 2026 Murray Hill Rd. in Little Italy. Call 721-5990. http://www.BockrathGallery.com

Buy art in Cleveland Congrats to Cleveland Magazine for pointing out the obvious, but not-so-easily understood truth: “Now that you’re all grown up, you know it’s time to bag the posters and look for some real art… Cleveland is not Paris. Even if it were, buying art shouldn’t be intimidating.” Check it out for a thoughtful article and easy links to Cleveland’s gallery districts of Tremont, Little Italy, Ohio City, Downtown, Cleveland Hts/University Circle, and Shaker Hts/Larchmere. Site registration required at ClevelandMagazine.com here

Cool Cleveland This Week
11.17-11.24

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Web Smackdown You’ll have a ringside seat as tag-teams of Cleveland’s most opinionated web designers go toe-to-toe on hotly debated design issues ranging from Tables vs. CSS, Flash vs. HTML, Dreamweaver vs. hand-coding and more geek-powered topics that’ll be a modified debate, with short, fixed time limits so no one hogs the floor, and will allow plenty of opportunity for audience interaction on Wed 11/17 at 7:30PM. Event is open to the public and is presented by the Geeks + Gurus Visual Communication & Design Lecture Series. Call 987-5212. Tri-C Western Campus, 11000 Pleasant Valley Rd. in Parma. http://www.tri-c.edu

Instrumental Evening for the Earth is Earth Day Coalition’s seventh annual gathering to provide education, inspire leadership, and encourage action for a healthy environment. Be part of this conscientious movement, and you’ll be treated to a gourmet reception and chamber music with Cleveland Orchestra members. Then grab an opportunity to bid on fantastic items in a silent auction on Wed 11/17 from 6-9:30PM. Call 281-6468. Cleveland’s Trinity Cathedral, 2230 Euclid Ave. http://www.EarthDayCoalition.org

WCLVnotes Tonight, Wed 11/17 at 8PM, WCLV 104.9 on CIM Live will broadcast the faculty recital by Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster William Preucil, in which he and pianist Arthur Rowe will perform all of the Violin Sonatas by Brahms. Like orchestral concerts? Thursday nights at 9PM, WCLV has the San Francisco Symphony, Friday nights at 9PM (sometimes 10PM) the New York Philharmonic, Tuesdays at 9PM, the Minnesota Orchestra, and, of course, the “best band in the land” – The Cleveland Orchestra – is heard Sunday afternoons at 4PM. a Cool Cleveland partner www.wclv.com

Celebrating our Successes SayYES! to Cleveland is back at it again, showcasing entrepreneurs who’ve built successful companies in Cleveland and remain committed to growth in our region. They’re bringing together venture capitalists to talk about what they look for in start-ups and where they put their money, along with a serious line-up of speakers. Topics will include New Faces of Business in Cleveland: Successful Entrepreneurs Who Are Forming New Business Partnerships, Business and Innovation: Working Together For Growth and good stuff on where venture capitalists are spending. Get on the inside track on Wed 11/17 from 8:45AM-4:30PM. Call 776-6172; registration is required. Intercontinental Hotel and Conference Center, 9801 Carnegie Ave. Register on-line at http://www.YesCleveland.org

Stelarc an Australian-based performance artist explores and extends the concept of the body and its relationship with technology through a human-machine interface incorporating medical imaging, prosthetics, robotics, VR systems and the Internet. This event is definitely scoop-worthy and provocative for its alternative, intimate and involuntary experiences on Thu 11/18 at 7PM. The Cleveland Institute of Art’s Ohio Bell Auditorium, 11141 East Blvd. http://www.stelarc.va.com.au/index2.html and visit http://www.cia.edu/galleries/reinberger/wish-you-were-here.asp

From the Heights: Holiday Store Start your X-mas off right and organize early before the holiday craze. Select sizzling gifts for yourself and others at the comfortably sophisticated Heights Arts store; stop in to see what’s newly available, where you’ll have first choice of desirable, authentic gifts from over 50 visual artisans displayed in a stimulating, community space. Opening reception hits on Thu 11/18 from 5-10PM. Call 371-3344. 2173 Lee Rd. in Cleveland Hts. http://www.HeightsArts.org

Young Professional Group of the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland are rolling out celebrities from around Cleveland in a line-up to entertain participating guests. Your entry fee, tips and raffle tickets will be donated to the Ronald McDonald House, and throughout the evening you’ll receive non-stop entertainment, a souvenier cup, raffle ticket, two drafts or non-alcoholic beverage and sinful selections of appetizers on Thu 11/18 from 5-8PM. Flannery’s Pub, 323 Prospect Ave. Get tickets from the Young Professional Group at youngpros@rmhcleveland.org

Touched: Bodies of Work Wild Plum returns to Cleveland delves into the hot topic: who or what touches you? This question of sexuality, sensuality and spirituality will be explored in this festival of works that target love, lust and the trials that come with both. Movement, poetry and one-acts will present a slice of LGBT life, the performance begins with a queer spin on Romeo and Juliet (whole cast) and segues into original works by local writers, including noted Cleveland playwright Linda Eisenstein, Miriam Axel-Lute and director Maura Haas on Thu 11/18 at 7:30PM running thru 11/28. Call 651-5428. Cleveland Public Theatre’s James Levin Theatre, 6415 Detroit Ave. http://www.lgcsc.org/wildplum.html.

Night Before Christmas Cleveland’s premier multicultural dance ensemble, Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT), presents its original holiday production that tells the story of a young sister and brother who wish to be reunited with their birth parents for Christmas. The siblings find themselves swept up in a fantastic and emotionally charged dance and theater experience with adventures and discoveries while traveling the globe. Directed and choreographed by Executive/Artistic Director Michael Medcalf and written by local playwright, Margaret Lynch, the evening begins Thu 11/18 at 6:30PM; attire is festive. Show runs through 11/21. Call 791-9211 for tickets. Tri-C’s Metropolitan Campus Main Theatre, 2900 Community College Ave. http://www.ccdt.com

Wor(l)ds Apart/Open Space Wor(l)ds Apart is a group exhibition by some of the country’s best artists creating original handmade books. Each book is a collection of related parts or pages, bound together in some fashion to be experienced as a whole, or in some specific sequence. Open Space Networking is an alternative business networking experience, where people build relationships around self-organizing shared interests. Think of it as a way to bind people together. Come see great art and connect with excellent people on Thu 11/18 from 6-9PM at the Buzz Gallery, 1836 W25th St. http://clevelandevent.ryze.com

Home on the Edge Home makeovers, feng shui, aromatherapy, and dish soaps? Come on in and make yourself at home, and whether you feel right at home or not, you’ll relate to this exhibition of work by nine US artists who investigate obstacles of domestic bliss with familiar images and objects manipulated to illustrate ideas of desire, constraint and freedom. Opening reception begins Fri 11/19 from 5-9PM. Also on view is Katarina Sevic, SPACES World Artists Program artist in residence based in Budapest, Hungary. SPACES Superior Viaduct, Call http://www.SPACESGallery.org

Highway Ulysses This modern music epic is not your predictable tragedy! Get into a contemporary retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, in which Ulysses is a war veteran who is ill adjusted to life at home and tragically aware of his inability to leave his battlefield experiences behind him. Make the opening night on Fri 11/19 at 8PM. Call 932-3396. Dobama Theatre, 1846 Coventry Rd. in Cleveland Hts. http://www.Dobama.org

Hammering It Out: As I See Art with featured lecturer James Elaine, Hammer Projects Curator at the UCLA Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, who has curated over 30 solo projects of international and emerging artists and group exhibitions. His lively discussion will focus on trends in contemporary art that will impart advice to newer artists entering the arts arena on Fri 11/19 at 6PM. Call 421-8671. MOCA, 8501 Carnegie Ave. http://www.MOCAcleveland.org

Maurice Silverman: A Retrospective See a lifetime of work by this gifted watercolorist who gets his inspiration from nature and news events; also view the original works by other Cleveland artists in this unique co-op gallery. Lose yourself in paintings, photographs, 2&3 dimensional art, jewelry, wearable art, ceramics and hand-painted furniture at the opening reception on Fri 11/19 from noon-9PM. Show closes 11/27. Call for info and hours at 707-9390. Pennello Gallery, 12404 Mayfield Rd. http://www.PennelloGallery.com

Fully Committed is a comic tour de force about a harried reservation clerk at a super hot and chic restaurant, and the hordes of people who make his job impossible – no one who has ever dined out or worked in a restaurant should miss this show! Opening night begins Fri 11/19 at 8PM; show runs till 12/19. Reserve tickets at 521-2540. Beck Center for the Arts, 17801 Detroit Ave. http://www.BecksCenter.org

*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************
Internet Marketing Works With Optiem At Optiem, we design and implement results-oriented customized Internet marketing programs. We develop and integrate promotions that build communities of interest around brands, create viral campaigns that multiply marketing efforts, develop and deploy relevant branded content and bring to bear an expanding arsenal of convergent creative approaches across the rapidly changing universe of Internet advertising. To learn more about Optiem’s interactive marketing solutions, contact Optiem at info@optiem.com?. Optiem. Fuel For Bright Companies. www.Optiem.com
*************** SPONSORED LINK ***************

RFID in the Supply Chain Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is all the rage, but have you ever wondered what the experts are saying regarding this controversial and emerging technology? As it phases out the existing bar code system, this new next wave of automatic detection is capable of tracking items through their life cycle, which is kinda cool and kinda scary. Recent RFID initiatives by Wal-Mart, Target, and the Department of Defense have some suppliers jumping on the RFID bandwagon, and other companies are evaluating RFID to improve efficiency and profitability. Keynote speaker Sue Hutchinson, Director of Product Management, EPCglobal US will cover the latest developments in RFID standards and the truth behind the arguments on Fri 11/19 from 7:30AM-1PM. Paul E. Martin University Center, 105 Fir Hill, The University of Akron. Register early at http://www.Neosa.org/events/more_info/041119RFIDSeminarFlyer.pdf

Inky’s World Cleveland native Inky Lorain has created a guitar for Guitar Mania that was sponsored by Eaton Corp., and her artfully crafted Stratocaster made it back to the Rock Hall for the auction. Now you can meet this intrepid, offbeat artist, see her other works and get in some laid back people watching on Fri 11/19 from 6-9PM at the artist’s reception. Check out an eclectic range of art from fine to functional at Vivid, offering art and wares that introduce new collectors to art, and more pieces to appeal to the discerning collector. Call 241-7624. Vivid Art Gallery, 530 Euclid Ave.

Garden Images of David Bergholz is an exhibition of garden and household photographs. About his polaroid work, Bergholz says that it “had a similar genesis, beginning in a single object or flower that captured my imagination and affection.” Bergholz’s collection is assembled in multiple-image presentations. Some works are small, made up of three, four or six images, and others are quite large, including as many as 80. The montages are blooming images of outdoor gardens on Bergholz’s property, in a public exporation of indoor plants and household objects. The In and Around Our House exhibit opens Fri 11/19 through 1/9/05. Call 721-1600. Cleveland Botanical Garden, 11030 East Blvd. at http://www.CBGarden.org

CAAO Entrepreneurial Empowerment Circle Meeting is a vehicle of support for African American professionals whose diverse backgrounds and level of business experience offer fundamental opportunities for growth and empowerment. Through networking and solution sharing sessions, this event will stimulate business relationships and assist in developing economic opportunities for business owners on Fri 11/19 from 9-11AM. Call 432-9481. Midtown Innovation Center, 4415 Euclid Ave., Suite 201. http://www.caao.net

Folk Alley Round Town is part of the 38th Kent State Folk Festival Folk Alley Round Town, as well as the Festival’s other mainstage events and folk music workshops, which draws thousands of people to Kent from around the region. This year’s festival, which has expanded to two weekends and doubled the number of participating Kent venues, is poised to be one of the most well-attended in years. Master guitarist, singer/songwriter Pat Donohue is familiar to many through his frequent appearances on A Prairie Home Companion, where his blend of blues and folk guitar have made him a favorite of host Garrison Keillor. It all begins Fri 11/19 from noon to 1AM. Kent Stage at the Kent State University campus. http://www.KentStateFolkFestival.org

Thrive Tango Several Cleveland-area musicians and Argentine tango dancers will heat up in a collaboration of the visual arts with tango music and dancing (milonga). Live tango music will be provided by Tamburro, Kirk, and Friends with slinky introductory tango lessons given before the dance. Gear down after cutting up the dance floor with appetizers and socializing on Sat 11/20 at 8PM. Cleveland-area Argentine tango dance instructors will then dance in a solo showcase at 9PM. Call 795-0310. Thrive – An Artspace located in the Galleria, 1301 East 9th St. with complimentary parking in the Galleria parking garage.

Jazz, Jokes, Jones An evening of merriment, music and socializing in Cleveland Public Theatre founder and Cleveland Arts, Culture and Technology Festival co-director James Levin’s very cool Ohio City loft space. This cordial affair is in support of staunch arts supporter Peter Lawson Jones, President of the Cuyahoga County Board of Commissioners, with music by Herb Wilborn, Jr. and Friends. Comedic relief will be served up by Michael Cheselka and the Fifteenth Annual Funny Bone Award Joke Contest on Sat 11/20 from 7-9:30PM. Please RSVP at 615-4847. 3099 Vine Court in Ohio City.

4th Cultural Awareness Workshop will weave a day-full of presentations by Native American Indian, Chinese American, and African American cultural groups. Move your body to Tai Chi, hear a sampling of code songs that were sung by slaves, and partake of light breakfast or lunch while you try out ancient activities for adults and youth. This event is complimentary and open to the public on Sat 11/20 from 9AM-3:30PM. Register in advance at 561-3548 or anjw12@aol.com. The First Unitarian Church, 21600 Shaker Blvd. in Shaker Heights. http://www.FirstUnitarianCleveland.org

5th annual Choreographers Showcase This Cleveland State University Dance Program is facilitated by Studio Sessions guest artist Claire Porter. The Choreographers Showcase offers Northeast Ohio artists the chance to present new work in a format including lively and informative exchange with audience members on Sat 11/20 at 1PM. The admission charge is 3-6 nonperishable food items, which will be donated to Cleveland Food Bank. Call 687-4883. Hathaway Brown School Dance Studio, North Park Boulevard. http://www.csuohio.edu/dance

Tortured Soul: Afro Beat fusion moves you by filtering club sounds like Afro Beat and Samba in a new concept of “world house” music. Simple and organic, the drums, electric bass, vintage keys, and soulful vocals evocative of Stevie Wonder and Jamiroquai take you down to a lounging level of consciousness. Paired with local musical funk tastemakers Aphrodesiatics and MisterBradleyP, the evening promises a live direction of blazing modern sound on Sun 11/21 at 9PM. Call 321-5588. Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Hts Blvd. in Cleveland Hts. http://www.GrogShop.gs

Acclaimed novelist Mark Winegardner Random House named former Clevelander Mark Winegardner as artistic heir to Mario Puzo’s Godfather series and is releasing his The Godfather Returns this month, and under Winegardner’s pen, the Corleone family saga will continue where Puzo’s 1969 novel leaves off. Winegardner has won numerous awards and high praise for the unique vision and energy with which he crafts his stories. His 2001 novel, Crooked River Burning, is a comic love story woven through the highly charged sociopolitical landscape of mid-20th Century Cleveland, that was touted by critics as a vibrant postmodern masterpiece. He’ll be stopping by the library as their special guest Sun 11/21 at 2PM. Call 623-2800. The event is open to the public at Cleveland Public Library’s Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, E. 6th St. and Superior Ave. http://www.CPL.org

Tellabration is an international event that celebrates the oral tradition of stories, verse, and tales in a festival of storytelling. Thousands of years of stories have enchanted, edified, and uplifted people of all cultures, and this program carries the torch with extraordinary talents of performers from the Cleveland Association of Black Storytellers, The Jewish Storytelling Circle, teen poetry slam participants, and other local storytellers. Kick back and sit around the fireplace at the University Heights Branch for non-pop culture entertainment on Sun 11/21 at 2PM. Call 932-3600X3. Cleveland Heights University Heights Public Library. 13866 Cedar Rd. in University Heights. http://www.HeightsLibrary.org

Impure Thoughts features Michael Wolff, pianist extraordinaire, who has played with the likes of Nancy Wilson (for whom he was musical director and arranger) and Sonny Rollins; he’s returning to Nighttown for his CD release party of Impure Thoughts, a CD that’ll grab your ear with its blend of creative and improvised elements from around the world. Head out for a riveting show on Tue 11/23 at 7PM. Call 795-0550 for tickets. Nighttown, 12387 Cedar Rd. in Cleveland Hts. http://www.NightTownCleveland.com/events.html

Cleveland Restoration Society Royce Yeater, Midwest Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, will present new national thinking on the renovation of existing school buildings at CRS’s 32nd Annual Community Luncheon. Topics will cover how historic schools can meet 21st century education standards, save tax dollars and revitalize neighborhoods. His talk will highlight the issues surrounding school renovation and replacement decisions and illustrate the process with examples of successfully rehabilitated schools across the country on Tue 11/23 from 11:20AM-1:30PM. Call 426-3111. Cleveland Marriott Key Center Ballroom, 127 Public Square. dbremer@clevelandrestoration.org.

Agents and Assets was acclaimed in its Los Angeles performances in January 2001, and in 2002 in Detroit, and has remounted with a combined cast of Los Angeles and Cleveland residents, from communities that have been severely impacted by drugs and drug policy. The entire Agents and Assets script is taken from the hearing transcript from the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the committee charged with the oversight of the government’s intelligence agencies. The heart of the issues addressed is the misuse of U.S. intelligence agencies by the executive branch of the government; see four profound performances only on Wed 11/24 at 7:30PM, Thu 11/25, Fri 11/26 and Sat 11/27 at 8PM and Sun 11/28 at 3PM. Call 631-2727. CPT’s Orthodox space, 6203 Detroit Ave. http://www.cptonline.org

See even more events listed on our website at http://www.CoolCleveland.com

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland People Jennifer Madden

Cool Cleveland: What are your thoughts on our city and your work?

I would just encourage people to be active in their community and in their city. We live in such an isolated culture these days; it’s so easy to go to work and then go home and never even talk to your neighbor. Life is about so much more than that. The fact that Cleveland has now been marked as the poorest city in America is a call to action. I love this city and am committed to seeing good things happen, and although I didn’t grow up here, I intend to stay here for a long time. I’ve lived here for eight years now, and I know I will build a career here and stay for many years to come. Good things do happen in Cleveland – everyday, and that’s why I work here. I’m committed to change and growth and new things. The City Mission brings life and hope to the people that the world sees as worthless. In this way, I’m all about living out [Biblical scripture] Matthew 25: Jesus Christ arrived to radically change society. I think that investing in and redeeming that which is worthless is the most radical thing you can do with your life…
Read Cool Cleveland People Jennifer Madden here

Birol’s Business
On Our Own
by Andy Birol

This is the first installment of Birol’s Business, from a Cleveland entrepreneur offering up a regular mix of research and reaction to Cleveland business attitudes, habits, and practices. Andy Birol is the owner of Birol Growth Consulting. Read the Cool Cleveland Interview with Andy Birol here.

As much economic success as large corporations, associations, boards, and government once brought Northeast Ohio, now intermediaries and employees (not just leaders or entrepreneurs) run them. While most are well meaning, many more are just blocking the way…we need to question why more of our “A” list is not out starting and growing new businesses instead of enabling, empowering, and embalming those of others. Meanwhile, Northeast Ohio’s formal, centralized business culture will remain suffocating and obsolete. The constant recasting and redirecting of boards, groups, and committees has created a whole society of “usual suspects”. These “Cleveland Insiders” are too often “grin-faking” sycophants. Leaderless, but needing constant affirmation, established business in Cleveland has turned into an endless waltz of wannabees chasing should-bees. Too many in Cleveland will agree to a meeting to talk about building relationships not outcomes. Craving loyalty and reciprocity, but terrified of meritocracy or results, they continually ask for another meeting, tell you to see someone else, or just wish you all the best…
Read Birol’s Business here and here

Cool Cleveland Commentary
Art as Manifestation of Spirit
by Kristina Lazar

Kristina Lazar is a local artist who not only shows her work, but also writes with a mind for the esoteric but essentialness of art as a forum for new ideas, new perspectives and a tremendous instrument for integrating concepts and transmitting knowledge. Currently she is featured at Paradise Gallery until 12/4 at 2199 Lee Rd. in Cleveland Heights, at CSU People’s Art Show on view till 12/10, and at the Chagrin Valley Art Center’s 33rd Annual Juried Show Valley Art Center, 155 Bell St. in Chagrin Falls till 12/17.

That transmission of beauty is achieving the same goal as all the meanings and explanations emotionally, and not so much cognitively. Also, the truth is, people respond to beauty in art more than anything. People like things that are beautiful and aesthetically pleasing to look at and enjoy. This simple equation is such an essential part of the communication I try to achieve. There are two other artists beside myself that I would like to incorporate into the fabric of my discussion. They deal with beauty and the underlying patterns in our realities – like myself – but while the three of us are ultimately saying very similar things with our work, we all have very different perspectives and approaches to that ultimate message. My focus is on integral spirituality and cultivating that internal essence within my viewer to look around them and appreciate life. I have colleagues who concentrate on having audiences re-focus the space they exist in by using her own memory and dreams to render a new logical syntax of patterns. With emphasis on our everyday spaces, it inspires us to inspect even the very tiniest details and see the true beauty that they contain by using symbols as a springboard into our own personal universe of references. Another confrere of mine uses emotions and interpersonal relationships to create a system of patterning to transmit sentiments of tender feelings. They are a physical manifestation of not only interactions with others, it’s also a visual kaleidoscope of the very intrinsic exchange between one human being to another….
Read the Art as Manifestation of Spirit Commentary here

RoldoLINK
Cleveland Did Mortgage Its Future With Little Return
By Roldo Bartimole
Has the mortgage come due? Do we have the payment ready?

In 1996, the Economist magazine – when Cleveland was near delirious about its “progress” – asked the question in a headline: “Has Cleveland mortgaged its tomorrows?” That was a relevant, and prescient, question based on Cleveland Tomorrow’s promotion of Cleveland as the “comeback city.”

Well, now eight years later that heady estimation of Cleveland’s leaders looks more a mirage or a memory gone sour.

What some critics – count me among them – saw as the mirage was well described by the Economist piece of July 20, 1996.

“How secure is its resurrection?” asked the Economist of Cleveland’s well-promoted comeback.

“Cleveland, they say, is America’s leading ‘comeback city.’ A civic organization, Cleveland Tomorrow (now folded into the Greater Cleveland Partnership), declared a few years ago that the city ‘has the prototype revival strategy other American cities turn to, learn from and use.’ (That was before Cleveland became known as Poverty City.)

“But Cleveland’s revival is not quite what it seems. This is a story of carefully massaged redevelopment” that the magazine said has been heavily publicly subsidized. It went on to describe what Cleveland and Cuyahoga County did…
Read RoldoLINK here

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

Oglebay Festival of Lights @ Wheeling, WV 11/13 When iron ore tycoon Earl Oglebay died, he not only left the legacy of being John D. Rockefeller’s first employer, he left his West Virginia farm to the city of Wheeling, which turned it into the Oglebay resort. They moved the company Oglebay Norton to the Hanna Building in Cleveland in 1957. Starting in 1985, the Oglebay resort got smart and commissioned a Dutch lighting expert to create a winter Festival of Lights, now featuring six driveable miles of lighting displays that draw thousands of people from surrounding states. The displays are easy to categorize as pedestrian at best (Christmas Kittens! The Playful Pup!), but hotel rooms at the only area lodge now fetch close to $200 a night, and there is a traffic jam of interested patrons lined up to eat in the restaurants, shop the retail, and generally open their wallets wide. As Cleveland considers its own annual Festival of Arts, Culture and Technology for the Summer of 2005 and beyond, it’s important to remind ourselves that cities without a tenth of our appealing assets make good with large festivals that draw visitors and enhance the local reputation, while leaving behind buckets of money. http://www.Oglebay-Resort.com/fol.htm

Our Friends Electric @ Asterisk Gallery 11/12
If you’ve ever been to Asterisk Gallery in Tremont, perhaps you noticed a certain grittiness that aptly disregards mainstream affectations of slick perfection and white cube sterility. While this can generate fertile stirrings from the underground, it can at times become cavalier and amateur. Irrespective, it is often the case that great artworks shine like beacons in the dingiest of our cultural corners. In Asterisk’s current exhibition, Our Friends Electric, there is certainly evidence of this, and curator Daiv Whaley has assembled a commendable collection of bright artists for his show that looks at light as medium and content. Perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Our Friends Electric, is the diverse scope of tactics used to employ light. From a mesmerizing content-driven video projection by Kristen Baumliér to the sleek stainless steel functional lamps of Damon Drummond, Whaley’s theme is well explored, and the diversity makes for a show where there is something for everyone. Although individual pieces are hit and miss, Whaley’s curation gives credibility to even the weaker works by creating an overarching sense of orchestrated unison. It is a welcome sense of design and intentionality that contrasts the oft-disheveled crudeness characteristic of the in-house productions of the Asterisk clan. In fact, passing the curatorial leadership torch for this exhibition, Asterisk’s front man Dana Depew is in the artist lineup. Although the quantity and scale of Depew’s works in the show seems verbose and nepotistic, one piece called Jalopy is an easy candidate for best in show. Jutting from a center column, like a bulbous growth on an old tree, Depew has constructed an assemblage of antique containers, luggage, and boxes covered in sepia-toned memories from antique photos and negatives. Additionally, some containers have been retrofitted with voyeuristic peepholes where viewers are invited to peer into anachronistic images of disco balls and beer signs. It is an interesting reversal of part and counterpart – of past and present, where surface is nostalgic and the gaze is cast onto times more current. Here, Depew gives us the historical in broad daylight while encouraging scrutiny of things contemporary…
Read the review by Kristin Bly Rogers here

The Lark @ Kennedy’s 11/12
What: Jean Anouilh’s drama about the political trial of an insurgency martyr whose religious voices told her to wage jihad against a mighty occupying power: Joan of Arc.
Reasons to go: Buried in this talky production are speeches and ideas that ring with a chilling topical resonance, which is doubtlessly why Cesear’s Forum Artistic Director Greg Cesear chose the piece. “We rule by persuading fools that what we tell them is their own opinion,” opines Lord Warwick (an oddly placid Ron Newell). “God isn’t on the side of the strongest,” insists Joan (a haunted Laura Borgione), urging on her insurgent fighters, “He’s with the bravest.”
Caveats: Unfortunately, most of the performers resort to declaiming their philosophical speeches rather than creating layered characters. Add an awkward set, inert direction, and cheap period costumes that reek of church pageant, and the overall result is a dull, sacred-cow museum piece. Too bad: put Joan in a kaffiyeh, and the arguments about holy war, political show trials, and the ethics of an insurgency might have made your hair stand on end.
Backstory: Director Greg Cesear’s minimalist theater specializes in infrequently performed, literary works. This version of Anouilh is an uneasy marriage of 2 adaptations: one by Lillian Hellman and another by poet Christopher Fry.
Target audience: Theatregoers with a high tolerance for much talk and little action.
Details: Kennedy’s Down Under, Playhouse Square. Through 12/11. Call 241-6000. http://www.cesearsforum.com.
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein Linda@coolcleveland.com

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

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

On Cool Cleveland People Mike Jones and spirituality I appreciated the article on Mike Jones here] and his forty days of prayer. I would also like to encourage him in his efforts to follow where God is leading him and spreading Gods message of mercy and grace. The title in the heading, “vYbe Interview with performance artist Mike Jones on contemporary spirituality” is a little misleading by labeling this contemporary spirituality. So much of the western world is mislead that the way to Gods heart and salvation is thru works and deeds (religion and law) which is in direct contrast to the God of mercy and grace that Mike is discussing which is in the teaching of Jesus and the Bible that is thousands of years old. Mercy and grace is understood in the context that there is nothing you can do to make God love you more or less. He loves us for who we are. We are taught as children in the west to believe in only what we can see, tangible acts, and we lose the faith that Mark described.
from Cool Cleveland reader David Krebs dkATaodkinc.com

On ballplayers While I agree with Roldo’s stance on Cleveland pro ballplayers not donating enough to [the community], he overlooks the basic problem— the outrageous salaries that they receive in the first place. If professional ballplayers’ salaries decreased to those of real working individuals, the need to give to charities would dwindle. Cleveland would have enough money to house the poor, revitalize its slums, save its staggering school system, and secure tougher police support. As the recent election has reflected, America’s values have swung towards helping the rich, whose one percent of their income trickles down to charity cases, otherwise known as hard-working, deserving Americans.
from Cool Cleveland reader Rosemary Musachio rosemary02ATsbcglobal.net

On Cool Cleveland objectivity Once again I must express my thoughts about you allowing Cool Cleveland to become a partisan and biased web. With Roldo and now you endorsing Kerry and Fingerhut you have lost your objectivity. If we expect to unify our region some media source has to come forward. It is greed and infighting that has caused the decline of our region. Not to late to mend your fences, or just stay with covering the arts community.
from Cool Cleveland reader Albert Knute Oberst,JD KnuteOicpATwebtv.net

On the election and Michael Moore It’s astounding. I am so amazed by Frank Mixon’s perspective [Yr Turn here] I hardly know what to say; but I’ll try. First, Michael Moore is NOT a documentary film maker. He is a producer of Film Noire-like movies that use documentary techniques such as handheld camera, available light, and non-professional actors/performers. He has a shooting script along with an agenda. He goes out to FIND images that support his preconceptions. While you may like his work, you do a disservice to all filmmakers by calling what he does a documentary. Even the hard left knows the truth of this one. Therefore, ALL of his content is suspect from the perspective of it being true. Certainly MM has the right to produce the things he does; you, Frank, have the responsibility to view it with the proper perspective and understanding. Second. No one, I repeat NO ONE, believes the media is conservative. It simply is not true. Reviewing organization after reviewing organization reports that the mass media is largely Liberal and has been for years and years. Frank, that’s a fact. What’s probably bothering you is that recently there has been an influx in the availability of conservative outlets; places where one can hear the other side of what the mainline media would like you to believe. If not for these sources, as well as the blogs, we would not have known about Dan Rather and CBS’s brazen attempts to swing an election by influencing voters using counterfeit information. Their very audacity in producing and promoting this should have you worried, Frank. Yet, I’m willing to bet you don’t see it that way. Nice try; no cigar. Your logic re: the PD and local news was totally out of phase. There are several reasons it wasn’t reported. First, most folks who watch local TV news aren’t interested. The tuneout factor would have them going to the competition. Second, by mentioning the controversy, the local LIBERAL media would have been telling its viewers that someone IMPORTANT at the PD prefered President Bush. If the local media is promoting Kerry, why would they even bring this up and create even a bit of doubt? Better to ignore it altogether. By the way, I couldn’t follow your Saudi-Bush-Kuwait thing at all (although I well know the conspiracy theory). Sorry, there’s nothing there. Nice try; no cigar.
from Cool Cleveland reader Randy Martin randymartinATameritech.net

On the media & the election I don’t know how letter writer Frank Mixson [Yr Turn here] comes to the conclusion that the media is conservative. Lets look at some facts during the recent election. Dan Rather uses forged documents to try and discredit President Bush. Rather and CBS have never apologized. Network media has admitted that for every three negative stories about John Kerry, they had seven about Bush. On Larry King Live, Walter Cronkite suggested that Carl Rove called Osama Bin Laden to release a video tape on the eve of the election. Larry King did not challenge Cronkite on this obsurd idea. Yesterday, Peter Jenning on ABC Evening News said the following as a lead in to a story on conspiracy email that ABC has been receiving. “We’ve been a little bit surprised by how many e-mails we’ve had suggesting that maybe once again the country got it wrong.” “Once again the country got it wrong!” Jennings is not even trying to hide his opinion that President Bush should not have been elected in 2000 or 2004. On election night, the Kerry Campaign called the networks and asked them not to call Ohio for Bush. CBS, CNN, and other networks said “OK.” There are many other examples of liberal bias in the main stream media. Fortunately there are other media outlets such as Fox News and the Internet. Americans are seeing through the liberal slant of the elite main stream media and the rating show it.
from Cool Cleveland reader David M. Davala dmdavalaATearthlink.net

On the persistent myth of “liberal media” I agree with Cool Cleveland reader Frank Mixson (11/10) [Yr Turn here] regarding the lingering, popularly held misconception that the news media is “liberal.” As one who toiled for major metropolitan daily newspapers for 15 years in the ’80s and ’90s, I can assure you that the media has become increasingly less “liberal” since the Reign of Reagan. Once the watchdog of its public, much of the media has degenerated into the lapdog of its government. If the names Bill O’Reilly and Tucker Carlson ring a bell, you know what I mean. Thank God, all media aren’t skewed to the right to the degree that they are. Not yet, anyway.
from Cool Cleveland reader Jeff Woodard woo2u2ATyahoo.com

Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com

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

1) Top 10 things to love about Cleveland From Fine Living magazine, mostly the usual suspects (Rock Hall, Playhouse Square), but also a few interesting choices: the recent Urban Gallery Hop, where Cool Cleveland recently partied. www.FineLiving.com

2) Best and worst cities for sleep Cities with the most sleep problems? Detroit and Cleveland scored lowest, with Cleveland having the least number of good sleep days. www.WebMD.com

3) Cleveland as a top-tier city Out of towners continue to recognize what’s hot in our city, while civic leaders are putting voice to the various ideas on improving Cleveland. www.ClevelandJewishNews.com

4) Cool Cleveland vYbe snapshot: Mike Jones Mike recently completed his performance Hiding Place, Meeting Place, the second installation in a series exploring intimacy with God, voyeurism, mediated reality, public and private space, social interaction, and endurance in a performance-installation. www.CoolCleveland.com

5) Stay tuned, Cleveland for our next A/T/D (that’s Art/Tech/Dance parties in case you haven’t heard…) the next one’s coming up in December; we’ll keep you posted on the 411. Eastside or Westside, everyone is invited to get together with us for a damn fine evening of downshifting, chilling, socializing and networking. www.CoolCleveland.com

Cool Cleveland sets the pace We’re continually working to set ourselves apart as change agents in our city, and we appreciate our readers who invite us into their Inboxes each and every week. Thanks to all who are noticing and checking out Cool Cleveland – you’re helping us do our thing with alternative media by reading CoolCleveland.com. Now you can tell people you regularly engage with to visit our website and discover the newest stuff in town. Tell your friends and co-workers to register for their own free copy of the Cool Cleveland e-zine at http://www.CoolCleveland.com or have ’em send an e-mail to Signup@CoolCleveland.com

Hard Corps rip it at breakneck speed So fast it’s scary – these people are undaunted when it come to hitting the deadlines every week at Cool Cleveland. Good karma to Tisha Nemeth, Kristin Bly Rogers, Linda Eisenstein, Deb Remington, Andy Birol, TL Champion, Bill Nagode, Roldo Bartimole, George Nemeth, 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

See the Cool Cleveland column each month in Cleveland Magazine. Listen to Cool Cleveland on WCLV-FM 104.9 twice each Friday during drive time. Send your cool events to: Events@coolcleveland.com. For your copy of the free weekly Cool Cleveland e-zine, go to http://www.CoolCleveland.com

The cavalry isn’t coming…

–Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com

 (:divend:)