Sustainability

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10.15-10.22.08
Sustainability

In this week’s issue:
* Ingenious Video Open Student Television Network Media Fest
* BizTech Profile Blue-collar city, meet green-collar jobs
* Video Interview Peter Chakerian on his Browns Fan’s Tailgating Guide
* Straight Outta Mansfield YouTube documents Strongsville rally
* Sustainable Cle’s Blue Bag [Recycling] Revolution
* Cellular An “Open Call” for Cell Phone Fotogs…
* RoldoLINK Where’s the leadership, Cleveland?
* Signs of Life That “Hot” Palin and Teaching Your Children Well
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, Brewed Fresh Daily here

What do we mean by sustainability? Living your life, or running your business or government, in a fashion that is feasible for the long term. Certainly our region has a long way to go in recognizing it’s place in the 21st century economy, and in re-booting itself in a more sustainable mode. Case in point: ride your bike. Ray Petro did his part by converting a vacant factory warehouse into a world-famous bike park. You’re invited to join us this Thu 10/16 with discount tix available until Midnight Wed 10/15. Or read the feature on how our blue-collar city is meeting green jobs. Or how B-W just initiated the first-in-Ohio sustainability major. Artists move into the future with spotlights on a cell phone photo exhibit and a student media fest. This time of year we can’t avoid politics, with features on Palin’s hotness, Strongsville’s visceral YouTube moment, and blogging about Issue 5 to curb payday lending, and watch for our endorsements in the coming weeks. For now, we endorse a long-range view of how to jumpstart our economy. You can start by clicking below, ignoring the TV, and stepping out this week. That’s the kind of lifestyle we should all be able to sustain. –Thomas Mulready

Come enjoy world-famous fun
at Ray’s Bike Park this Thursday 10/16. This event is SOLD OUT!

Don’t ride? That’s fine. Come have a drink and a bite to eat this Thu 10/16 at Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park, and watch the area’s best riders navigate the 100,000 square feet of custom-designed ramps, flips, elevators and foam pits. Ray’s attracts riders from around the world, and he’s received press and praise from everything from the Discover Channel to the national Rodale’s Mountain Bike magazine (pictured).

Join us on Thu 10/16 from 5:30-7:30PM with open bar and delectable delights, while the best of Cleveland’s trick riders shred the Park while we watch in amazement. We’re celebrating sustainable new businesses: Ray’s MTB turns 4, the Civic Innovation Lab celebrates their 5th birthday, and Cool Cleveland is all of 6 years old. Both Ray’s and CC have been supported by the Civic Innovation Lab, and we’ll have a factory full of cool displays showcasing the cool projects that the Lab has supported over the years.

Check out the video that Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max shot & edited here. More info & map here. This event is SOLD OUT!

You get all this for one low ticket price:

* Open bar with red & white wine and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer from 5:30-7:30
* Hot dogs & bratwurst from the one and only Hot Dog Phil
* Asian Slaw, Hot German Potato Salad, Bleu Cheese Slaw, and Garden Pasta Salad and Mediterranean Bean Salad
* Deluxe Mediterranean Antipasto with Meats, Cheeses, Olives and Crostini from Constantino’s Catering
* Special Brownies: Fudge, Peanut Butter, Oreo and Cream Cheese
* Constantino’s Signature Dessert Bars: Lemon Bars, Raspberry Swirl cheesecake, Organic Oatmeal with fruit filling, Lemonberry Jazz, Rockslide Brownie Bars
* Classic Cookies: Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal, Sugar, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Macadamia
* Trick Riders on the track at Ray’s for your entertainment pleasure
* Civic Innovation Lab champions showcasing sustainable innovation fueling the region’s economy

This event is SOLD OUT!

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American Planning Association names West Side Market one of 2008 Great Public Spaces in America!!! A huge accomplishment! Click
Rep. Dennis Kucinich is bringing Melissa Etheridge into town for a fundraiser at CPT. Details
Want unbiased reviews of judicial candidates up for election? Click
Cleveland Independents Restaurant Week is on the way and we can’t wait. Details
Learn all about RTA “fuel surcharge” by clicking here
Akron brewery’s hops are on top. Read
Supporting Secretaries of State who will protect their respective elections. This site is interesting. Click
Want to keep oil rigs out of Ohio State Parks? Sounds like a no-brainer. Click
GREEN Let candidates know that green policy is important to you! Click
Are you worried about your “little texter?” If so, this is a good one. Click

GREEN B-W goes green Baldwin-Wallace College will become the first college in Ohio to offer a sustainability major, as highlighted in this article from The Columbus Dispatch. Combining a focus on our society, the economy and the environment, this comprehensive program melds theory with real-world study and has an internship component to help students looking to grow into areas such as corporate or municipal sustainability officer, non-profit environmental work, testing and marketing of green products or environmental consulting and analysis. More.

GREEN B-W hosts sustainability symposium It’s not enough to offer a sustainability major, or to build the first dorms in Ohio heated & cooled by GeoExchange technology, now Baldwin-Wallace College is hosting a Sustainability Symposium on Mon 10/21 and Tue 10/22 featuring a keynote by Stuart Hart on Sustaining Humanity: Sharing Spaces/Sharing Places, panel discussions on sustainable corporations, college, communities, and citizens, and local luminaries such as Dave Nash, Pat Conway, David Beach and Tom Morley, plus others in the fields of gov’t & ethics. Open to the public at no charge. Wow. Info.

Adoption Network Cleveland’s Youth Volunteer Night hits Wed 10/22 All kids age 9 and up are invited to come and help label and sort their Annual Meeting invites. Enjoy pizza, meet new friends, help get out the word about their Annual Meeting and earn service hours for your club or school! Parking is no charge and parent or guardian may participate or relax in their family room. New youth volunteers need to have a consent and medical form completed by parent or guardian upon arrival the first time they volunteer. Contact Robin at robin.ott@adoptionnetwork.org or 325-1000, ext. 101 to sign up to attend or for more info.

From Behind The Wall Cool Cleveland columnist Mansfield B. Frazier offers tremendous insight every week in our e-blast. His book, From Behind the Wall: Commentary on Crime, Punishment, Race and the Underclass by a Prison Inmate (Paragon House) is an engaging, inspiring read that will have you wondering just how far we’ve come as a society. Quote: America remains vitally concerned about crime, reentry and recidivism, yet the only thing that has changed over the last half century is a dramatic and costly increase in the incarceration rate…without a corresponding increase in the perceptions or reality of public safety… Originally released over 13 years ago, the book has been called “intelligent and forceful” and “wise and fiercely poignant” and it is available now in hardback. Learn more about the book and snag an autographed copy from Frazier by visiting http://www.frombehindthewall.com.

Luxurious blog Our contacts at the Cleveland Museum of Art sent this note: “I thought you might be interested to see that our Curator of Decorative Art and Design, Stephen Harrison, is doing some blogging on the upcoming exhibition, Artistic Luxury: Faberge, Tiffany, Lalique.http://artisticluxury2008.wordpress.com

SPONSORED: Do you own a Les Paul? If you do, or if you’re at all interested in contemporary music then don’t miss the Nov. 10-15th American Music Masters series , The Wizard of Waukesha: The Life and Legacy of Les Paul, a program honoring the 93-year old legendary performer, musical innovator, and inventor of the solid body electric guitar. A co-production of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at CWRU and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, festivities will include performances, panel discussions, films, and a daylong program entitled, Rock and Roll Retrospective: The Les Paul Phenomenon, featuring scholars, guitarists, friends, and fans of this extraordinary musical innovator, which takes place on Sat 11/15 from 9AM to 5PM at CWRU’s Wolstein Auditorium, 2103 Cornell Road ($30, includes lunch), an all-star tribute concert will follow at Playhouse Square that evening. Conference info: BakerNord.org, 216.368.8961. Concert Tickets: Playhouse Square box office 216.241.6000.

A Chorus Line Like a little bit of NYC in your own backyard! Long before the show So You Think You Can Dance? an empty stage holds a handful of Broadway dance hopefuls who have put it all on the line. What happens next? Gotta hit Playhouse Square to find out. Runs Wed 10/15 through through late in the month. Details

HOT International Media Fest Open Student Television Network (OSTN) & the National Broadcasting Society (NBS) is hosting a massive International Media Fest Thu 10/16Mon 10/20 right here in Cleveland! The orgs are expecting over 500 students from all over the globe to converge for this event with a party at the Rock Hall, an awards ceremony, VIP speakers, training seminars, tours and some other really cool events. Great for kids and adults. Learn more about it and plan to attend by scoping out all the details here.

MidTown Cleveland Healthline Classic This 10k/5k race is coming up on Sat 10/18 is a chance for businesses and residents of the area to celebrate the grand opening of the RTA’s new Healthline service. All proceeds from the race will support public art projects in MidTown, including the “MidTown Crossroads”, the urban redesign of the intersection of Euclid Avenue and East 55th. Registration begins at 7AM; race begins at 8:30AM AM Participants can find info and register online at http://www.hermescleveland.com or by calling 623-9933.

Kids Mask Making Workshop Bring your imagination to the Children’s Museum of Cleveland for a special child-only workshop Sun 10/19 at 12:30PM. Children will participate in an interactive story and then use their creativity to design their own masks from plain paper mache. Decorate masks with paint, pipe cleaners, paper, feathers, costume jewelry, buttons, and other fun collage items. Each participant will take home a booklet of mask making projects including complete instructions for the paper mache mask project. Call 791-7114 x22 for info and registration. http://www.clevelandchildrensmuseum.org.

Harvest Hoedown ISES Cleveland presents this Fall Frolic with fun for the whole family at Lake Metroparks Farmpark (8800 Chardon Rd.-Rt 6, Kirtland) on Tue 10/21 at 5:30PM. Take a mile long ride on the family oriented Halloween hayride through Festival Field, walk through a haunted hair salon, wander through an enchanted pumpkin patch and enjoy a monster band. Of course no Halloween gathering would be complete without a costume contest. Enjoy hamburgers, BBQ chicken, baked beans, potato salad and soft drinks. Cash bar available. No charge for admission with a paid ISES ticket. Additional info by email at beth@party411.com or call 525-1657.

Join us at our first-ever Cool Cleveland Kids party!
Thursday, November 6. Info. Tix.

Bring the kids to this Cool Cleveland party! After 6 years, Cool Cleveland is finally hosting a Cool Cleveland KIDS party. Our first-ever family get-together takes place on Thu 11/6 from 5-7PM at the Maltz Museum and your kids will get to enter a post-Halloween costume contest and parade (prizes for best costume and best superhero), ride in a Batmobile that’s just their size, draw their own comics, watch cartoons and vintage serials and read as many comics as they wish.

You get kids refreshments, all activities and admission to the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage as well as the exhibition Zap! Pow! Bam! The Super Hero: The Golden Age of Comic Books 1938-1950, which immerses visitors in an interactive world of Super Heroes, and illuminates the creative processes that drove their originators to provide America with timeless icons such as Superman (created in Cleveland), Batman, Captain America and Wonder Woman. Discount price of $15 for one adult and one child, or special family discount of $20 for up to two adults and up to three children. Complimentary copy of new Cool Cleveland Kids magazine (pictured) for each family. More info on our Kids Party Page here.

Reserve your tix here: https://coolcleveland.net/tickets/110608.

Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast Weekly roundup of cool events for kids & families from 12-year-old Cool Cleveland Kids correspondent Max.

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

SPONSORED: Drown Junot Diaz will appear at Cleveland Public Library on Sun 10/19 at 2PM to discuss his first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner. His other book, Drown, a collection of short stories, became a national bestseller, winning numerous awards and is regarded one of the most important works of fiction published in the past 20 years. Don’t miss this event! Info: 216-623-2800 or writersandreaders.cpl.org

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Ash Bhardvaj
Open Student Television Network Media Fest

Ash Bhardvaj moved to Cleveland from New Delhi, India to help run OSTN, the Open Student Television Network, a program of the CampusEAI Consotium. In an effort to give college students all around the world an opportunity to showcase their film and video talents, the Open Student Television Network has put scheduled their annual International Student Television, Broadcast, Journalism and Film Convention, featuring Emmy and Academy Award winning presenters, right here in Cleveland this Thu 10/16 thru Sat 10/18 at Idea Center, the Wyndham Hotel, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. To top it of, on Fri 10/17 from 8-11PM, they present the OSTN Media Fest at the Allen Theatre at Playhouse Square, featuring an awards ceremony for the finest student films, video and broadcast work. But the story goes much furter. CampusEAI has hired scores of young Northeast Ohioans to work in technology, media, video and film, with offices right near East 4th Street where Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready grabbed Ash outside Pickwick & HOB to talk about life on the edge of tech, media and Cleveland’s future. The conference and Media Fest are open to the public: OSTN Media Fest

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

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

SPONSORED: “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” will be presented by Michael Swiger at Lake Erie College on Thu 10/23 at 4PM. Swiger spent 16 years in prison after being convicted of complicity to involuntary manslaughter. In prison, Swiger wrote two novels, “A Trial of Innocents” and “A Murder of Innocents,” under the pen-name Michael Andrew. Following his release, Swiger is now a chaplain in prison ministry. He signed a three-book deal with Capstone Fiction in 2007. The first, “Lethal Ambition,” is a Cleveland-based thriller that appeared for eight consecutive months on Amazon.com’s bestseller lists in both the Legal and Political thriller categories. In July 2008, his latest legal thriller, “Lethal Objection,” was released. This event is free and open to the public. Contact www.lec.edu.

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

Nat City moves up to #7 of nation’s largest banks. Click
Progressive celebrates 10th anniversary of their groundbreaking website Click
Matthew Charboneau has joined COSE as the Arts Network Leader. Details
Economic well-being of Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown is the focus of Western Reserve PBS Special Click
GREEN Liked Lee Chilcote’s Green-collar Jobs story in this week’s CC? Read more about it here and then Watch This

GREEN Lakewood Green Project Debut Check out The Green Project Debut — a house project spearheaded by Villa Collections Design using low cost green rehabilitation techniques and materials at 14001 Lake Rd. The house will be open to the public Fri 10/16 from 12 – 6PM, Sat 10/17 from 9 – 6PM and Sun 10/18 from noon – 5PM. Call 440-333-4640 for more info.

Plexus Akron LGBT biz-networking night feat. Sage Lewis of SageRock Wed 10/15 at 6PM. Details
The Great Workplace Conference hits on Wed 10/15 from 9AM – 4PM feat. Pat Perry on being competitive in the market. Details
Civic Innovation Lab celebrates 5th anniversary with party Thu 10/16 at 5PM. Details
Cle Prof 20/30 Club holds bi-annual membership mtg for YPs on Tue 10/21. Learn all about the group and get the details here

GREEN Future of Green Building in NEO is subject of latest E4S event Tue 10/21. Details here
Card Sorting vs. Texas Hold-em? What’s better for site navigation? Find out Thu 10/23 at this NEOUPA event by clicking Click
Hispanic CoC Ohio’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Banquet hits Sat 10/25 at LaCentre in Westlake. Details
Cleveland + Pittsburgh + Youngstown Regional Learning Network mtg hits Fri 11/7 and details are here
6th Ann Medical Innovation Summit This amazing three-day event starts Mon 11/10 and runs through midweek. Jim Tobin, Pres/ CEO of Boston Scientific headlines. Learn about it all here
Crisis Communications & Media Relations is a seminar for board and senior staff members of NPOs Thu 11/20 at 8:30AM. Call 736-7711 or email: ckotkowski@busvol.org with any questions. Register

Are you the Cool Cleveland type? You’ve got experience in sales, but you’re not fired up by your current job. Put the passion back in your career by joining the Cool Cleveland team, helping to promote the coolest stuff around. Send a good letter & resume to: InfoATCoolCleveland.com.

HOT GREEN Bioneers 2008 Bioneers is truly a place where it is impossible not to be inspired; to find the resources and colleagues to create the change everyone is talking about. Be there to take one of 9 tours, attend some of the 16 local workshops, listen to the 15 national speakers brought from the headwaters conference in California (http://www.bioneers.org), practice yoga, NIA, Tai Chi and PARTY starting Fri 10/17 and running through the weekend! Just added: an eco-friendly fashion show! Get all the details and register for one, two or all three days at http://www.gcbl.org/bioneers.

Jonah Weinberg
Director of Marketing, Strengthening & Growing Jewish Cleveland
Cleveland Plus

When Jonah Weinberg moved to the Cleveland Plus region from San Francisco, his first experience was a snowstorm, which he calls, “really kind of fun…” But it was the sunshine in the Spring that really shocked him, since in SF it is always overcast and cloudy. Plus, on a good day, his commute in the Bay Area was 45 minutes. On a bad day, it could take 90 minutes. Now, in the Cleveland Plus region, his commute ranges from 15-25 minutes, and he feels like he is giving himself 2-3 hours a day, which he uses to go to the gym or hang out at home. While culture in San Francisco is abundant, Jonah found the cost prohibitive, while in the Cleveland Plus region, ticket prices are reduced by a factor of a half. “The number of theatres here is surprising. When you think of Cleveland, you think of manufacturing, you don’t think about how many cultural venues there are…” http://www.ClevelandPlusLiving.com

Doesn’t your business or organization deserve a series of Sponsored Videos from Cool Cleveland? We produce, host & post them, you put the links on your website & emails. Find out how easy it can be. InfoATCoolCleveland.com.

SPONSORED: FITTech Alert -Storage Area Network Do you have large amounts of data to store or large media files that clog your server? Then a Storage Area Network, also known as a SAN, could be the answer. A SAN is an array of hard drives clustered together, which allow you to backup all your data with more speed than backing up to a tape drive. You can also combine the SAN with virtualization capabilities for even more efficiency to store a virtual version of the server. Medium and small businesses can afford this solution- as the cost of servers has declined, so has the cost of a SAN. Keep your data secure and your systems running smoothly. Learn more at http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/video/sanFIT.html.

Green Machine
Blue-collar city, meet green-collar jobs. Are you ready?

Ed Weston spends his days working with companies that make wind turbine parts, an industry that he says is bringing jobs to Northeast Ohio, but as he meets with companies across the region, he’s vexed by one question: Why do they have trouble finding workers?

“I’m talking about good jobs that pay fifteen dollars or more per hour,” says Weston. “You walk into a foundry, the same old foundry that’s been there forever, and the lines are jammed. They’re making castings and parts for wind turbines. But they’re always looking for people.”

Part of the issue, he says, is lack of training. Ohio companies supply a large portion of the wind turbine parts built in the U.S., his research shows. Yet while the state’s 7.4% unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country, the companies that supply parts to this growing industry are often hiring
Read more from Lee Chilcote here

SPONSORED: Who’s on FIRSTS? The Pittsburgh International Festival of Firsts brings 8 premieres from around the world–performances and exhibitions that defy expectations and challenge the senses. Experience artists who boldly cross boundaries, mixing film, theatre, dance, music, ancient, modern, the real and the surreal to create something completely new. All in three whirlwind weeks, October 10-25. Listen to the exclusive Cool Cleveland podcast with organizer Paul Organisak here. Learn more about Festival performances, see video, and order tickets at PIFOF.org. The Festival takes place during the celebration of Pittsburgh’s 250th anniversary; to save on travel, accommodations, and event tickets, book online at VisitPittsburgh.com.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

The Funnies and Race: Why is Everyone So Touchy About Stereotypes? The award-winning journalist, cartoonist and TV producer Hector Cantu offers this no-cost, public lecture at Cleveland State University Wed 10/15 at 6PM. Part of CSU’s 08-09 Cultural Crossings Lecture Series: Memories, Reflections and Recollections, Cantu speaks at Mather Mansion, 2605 Euclid Ave., room 301, located at 2605 Euclid Ave. http://www.csuohio.edu.

Vic Flick On Wed 10/15 at 7PM, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum will host An Evening with Vic Flick. This event, which will take place in the Museum’s 4th Floor Theater, is part of the Museum’s popular no cost From Songwriters to Soundmen: The People Behind the Hits series. People are invited to get up close and personal as Flick, an acclaimed session guitarist, talks about working in the music business. He’s performed with Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and the Dave Clark Five and is best known as the guitar player of the legendary theme song for the James Bond movies. http://www.rockhall.com.

Hoppy Hour with Great Lakes Brewing Co. at the Cleveland Botanical Garden is a perfect way to usher in autumn — especially for beer fans. Enjoy a delightful fall evening on the Geis terrace Wed 10/15 from 6 – 8PM, all while sampling award-winning seasonal craft beers like the robust Nosferatu and nutty Oktoberfest from the ever-popular local microbrewery. Details at http://www.cbgarden.org.

Local Indie Music Cornucopia @ Bela Dubby This week is huge for the wi-fi hot bar-cafe at 13321 Madison Ave. in Lakewood. On Wed 10/15 at 8PM they feature Cle acts Shreds of Batvein Power and The Pith and Root of Sleep; on Fri 10/17 at 8PM area solo acts Alan Madej, Corissa and Sarah Nowicki take to the stage; and on Sat 10/18 at 9PM, Cle combos Tree No Leaves and e.react join the Bowling Green group Surrent. And that says nothing for their Chucklef-ck comedy gigs on Monday nights. Call 221-4479 or visit http://www.myspace.com/beladubby for all the details.

HOT Goldstar, Ohio Cleveland Public Theatre opens their 08-09 season with the world premiere of a new play by Cle native Michael Tisdale. This exciting new work launches Thu 10/16 at 8PM and tells the stories of the families of 22 Marines from the 325 Battalion based in Brook Park, Ohio who lost their lives in Anbar Province, Iraq in 2005. Goldstar, Ohio is a work of non-fiction created from transcripts of interviews with the families of the fallen Marines. Based on memories and words of four central Ohio families who invited Tisdale into their homes, the unforeseen and often hidden consequences of war on personal relationships and on the national consciousness anchors the work. Runs through early November. Schedule and ticketing at http://www.cptonline.org.

GREEN Greening Your Home In four consecutive Thursdays starting Thu 10/16 from 7 – 9PM, Environmental Health Watch’s Affordable Green Housing Center will help you learn how to make your home energy efficient and healthy. Matt Burges, BPI Certified Professional and Mandy Metcalf, LEED AP will cover landscaping and stormwater management; greening your basement; building envelope; insulation, air sealing, and windows; heating, ventilation, and hot water; renewable energy options and healthy interior finishes and maintenance. Please call 961-4646 to register. Cleveland Environmental Center, 5th Floor Meeting Room, 3500 Lorain Ave.

A King is Crowned Apollo’s Fire is launching its 17th season with a virtuosic flourish of chorus, brass, timpani and orchestra. Music Director Jeannette Sorrell will conduct this exhilarating performance fit for a king starting Thu 10/16 and running through the weekend in Fairlawn, Cleveland Heights and Rocky River. The program consists of five works by George Frederic Handel including The King Shall Rejoice from the coronation of King George III of England and the uplifting Zadok the Priest from the coronation of King George II of England. Details and locations at http://www.apollosfire.org.

HOT Saints in the City A film about the late Cleveland poet extraordinaire Daniel Thompson will be offered Fri 10/17 at 6PM, accompanied by a vegetarian potluck. Come out and see what this wordsmith provided to the city. 11917 Lorain Ave. Watch some footage of Saints in the City by clicking here

HOT Screaming Tiki Pop Culture and Comic Con It’s out in Niles, OH (near Youngstown) but we’re here to tell you, if you’re into pop culture kitsch, this is ALL YOU starting Fri 10/17 and running the entire weekend. Get a load of special guests Adam West (Batman), Julie Newmar (Catwoman), Margot Kidder (Lois Lane), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca from Star Wars) and a whole lot more. Ride in the 60s Batcopter and score yourself some great loot in the process. We could write about this event all day… better for you to get all the details for yourself at http://www.screamingtikicon.com.

Democracy at The City Club The City Club of Cleveland’s 2008 Fall Debate Series hosts nine debates for federal, statewide, and local offices starting Fri 10/17 at noon. 10th Congressional District candidates Paul Conroy, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and James P. Trakas square off first. One of the hot match-ups for the series? Cuyahoga County Commissioner Peter Lawson Jones and Bay Village Mayor Deborah Sutherland debate at the end of October. Get all the details and a complete schedule at http://www.cityclub.org.

Angels in America This upcoming stage event benefiting the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland hits Fri 10/17 at 8PM at the Cleveland Play House (8500 Euclid Ave.) In collaboration with the Case MFA Graduate Ensemble, CPH presents the special benefit performance of Tony Kushner’s brilliant, award-winning Angels — political epic about the AIDS crisis during the mid-1980s. http://www.aidstaskforce.org. http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

Stan Hywet’s “Gin Joint” Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens presents an Opening Night Reception Fri 10/17 from 5 – 7PM for their symposium On Display: Historic Homes and Great Estates during the weekend. Get all “dolled up” as the Manor House transforms into a 1920’s speakeasy. Guests can hobnob in a crowd of socialites and servants. It’s the bees knees with music, mobsters and moonshine (and learn about the preservation efforts for country house estates of the period for future generations). http://www.stanhywet.org.

Boston Mills Brandywine Open House The 2008/09 Season at BMBW kicks-off with their annual Open House starting Fri 10/17 and running through the weekend. This is the time to get the best prices of the season on a variety of passes and lesson programs at BMBW. The Buckeye Sports Center hosts the largest ski and snowboard equipment sale in the Midwest there, with incredible deals on tons of new gear, and the The Ski Patrol runs a Swap Sale where you can sell your “old” equipment and get some great bargains on used equipment. Fun weekend events include their 2nd Annual OktoberSTEEZ Rail Jam, a Level One Productions video premiere on their outdoor Big Screen, Nintendo Wii games, and more! Details and admission info at http://www.bmbw.com.

SPONSORED: Real live outlets for recorded music are few and far between. But the biggest of outlet of all is available ay your computer keyboard. Get to WCLV’s music partner ArkivMusic through the station’s website at www.WCLV.com, where you’ll find a treasure trove of 95,000 classical CDs, including re-issues of out-of circulation gems. You can search by composer, title, performers and label. And when you make a purchase through the WCLV web site, you’ll support classical music on the radio in northeast Ohio. www.WCLV.com.

Lura: The Music of Cape Verde The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town Series presents the first performance of the 2008-09 season, Lura: The Music of Cape Verde, on Sat 10/18 at 7:30PM at the Murch Auditorium in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Lura brings the lilting Afro-Latin rhythms of the Cape Verde Islands, made famous by Cesaria Evora, to entirely new audiences. She draws on the islands’ pungent blend of trade route cultures that have created a unique musical tradition embracing French Afro-pop, Brazilian rhythms, and earthy traditional African music. http://www.clevelandart.org/events/Lura.aspx.

HOT The Sweetest Dada Something Dada Improvisational Comedy Company has been making Clevelanders laugh for 14 years and they’re hosting a Sweetest Day blow-out Sat 10/18 starting at 8PM to celebrate. Improv comedy in Cleveland never had it so good; patrons will get a taste of their fast-paced, in-your-face humor along with food and drink, prizes and an auction featuring items that have been donated by local businesses. And we’re told the party will “keep rocking” after the show at a favorite haunt, Becky’s Bar and Grill (1762 E. 18th St.). Visit http://www.somethingdada.com or call 696-4242 for details.

A Writer’s Bootcamp features Emmy and Golden Globe award winner Erik Bork (Band of Brothers, From Earth to the Moon) and is presented by The Greater Cleveland Film Commission Sat 10/18 from 10AM – 5PM at the Tri-C Metro Campus (2900 Community College Ave.) Lunch will be provided at this no cost, open to the public event (registration required). Register with Sara Dering sdering@clevelandfilm.com. http://www.clevelandfilm.com.

HOT In Her Shoes “Taking Steps to End the Violence” is the focus of this Women’s Empowerment Board partnership with the YWCA Domestic Violence Outreach Program to assist domestic violence survivors. In Her Shoes is an art installation comprised of 385 pairs of women’s shoes to represent the nearly 385,000 instances of domestic violence occurring every year in Northeast Ohio. The shoes will be painted red and then decorated by various community groups and individuals, some of whom are domestic violence survivors. The preview party, which raises money for the YWCA Domestic Violence Outreach Program, hits Sat 10/18 at 7PM. Enjoy live jazz, martinis, a celebrity shoe auction and extravagant raffle prizes! The Galleria at Erieview, 1301 E. 9th St. Click here to purchase tickets.

HOT GREEN Band-Aid Bash With proceeds benefiting MedWish International, this House of Blues shindig Sat 10/18 at 7PM features performances by local bands Run Avril Run and View From Everest, delectable cuisine from the HOB, and “the premier silent auction in the region,” they tell us. Funds raised from the bash are critical to MedWish International’s mission of saving lives and the environment through recovering and recycling donated medical supplies and equipment and redistributing them as medical humanitarian aid to developing countries in need. Log on to http://www.medwish.org or call 692-1685 for tix and details.

An Armenian Cultural Garden Party The Cleveland Cultural Gardens in Rockefeller Park were dedicated in 1925 and exist to educate the community about Cleveland’s rich heritage and recognize the immense value of our cultural diversity. In 2007, the City of Cleveland approved a garden site to honor the Armenian Community. It is time to celebrate, and unveil plans for the Armenian Cultural Garden of Cleveland Sat 10/18 at 6PM at St. Gregory of Narek Cultural Hall, 678 Richmond Rd. A wine and cheese reception and short program are included. RSVP by calling 765-9886 or email armenian.cultural.garden@gmail.com. Facebook page.

Junot Diaz The Pulitzer Prize-winning Dominican-American writer presides at Cleveland Public Library’s Writers and Readers Series on Sun 10/19 at 2PM. Diaz’s critically-acclaimed first novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, the Sargent First Novel Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award for 2007 Best Novel. Miramax acquired the rights for a film adaptation. No cost, open to the public. Main Library, Louis Stokes Wing Auditorium, E. 6th St. and Superior Ave. Seating is first-come, first-served. http://www.cpl.org.

HOT GREEN Uprooted: Reconnecting Food and People Check out the latest City Fresh Monday at Great Lakes Brewing Company for an advanced screening and feedback session of Uprooted: Reconnecting People and Food Mon 10/20 starting at 6PM. LESS Productions and the New Agrarian Center will preview the first 30 minutes of the film to potential funders, sustainability advocates, moviegoers and people who are just interested in learning more about innovative ways food is being grown and distributed in Northeast Ohio. The film will portray how local food systems contribute to health and happiness on various levels: personal, community, economic, and environmental. 2516 Market Ave., Basement Pub. http://www.localfoodcleveland.org. http://www.gotthenac.org.

Bio Ritmo The Richmond, VA based group is releasing Bionico on their own label, Locuter Records. After being together for 16+ years in one configuration or another they decided it was OK to take liberties with salsa music… which spawned their latest, 1970s-flavored collection of hot tunes. They drop into the Brothers Lounge (11609 Detroit Ave.) on Tue 10/21 at 9PM. Call 226-2767 for details. http://www.brotherslounge.com.

HOT Film (And Other Arts) Feasts The Cleveland Film Society presents 13 “deliciously hip” happenings beginning in October and continuing through February 2009. The series will kick off with a screening of Sideways Wed 10/22 at 7PM, hosted by Patrick Shepherd, Jennifer Vinson and Jason Lansdale at the historic Shaker Square Cinemas. After the film, enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, and desserts at Sergio’s Sarava where the rhythm, sophistication, and energy of Brazilian street life is evoked at one of Cleveland’s finest restaurants. Part of a great series. Details for all events at http://www.clevelandfilm.org or call 623-3456 ext. 14.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

SPONSORED: RACE: Are We So Different? A series of Town Hall Meetings has been scheduled to further discuss the contemporary experience of race and racism in the United States and our local community. Each Town Hall Meeting is free; however, registration is required. Event dates: “Race, Politics, Biology, Anthropology and Sociology” – Tue 10/28; “Let’s Talk About Race” – Wed 11/5; “Race and the Law” – Tue 11/11; “Race Where Do We Go From Here?” – Wed 1/19. All start with a 6PM reception with 7PM conversation. Info: www.cmnh.org/site/AtTheMuseum/OnExhibit/Race/TownHall.aspx.

Peter Chakerian
The Browns Fan’s Tailgating Guide

Peter Chakerian is well known to Cool Cleveland readers as our Managing Editor, but he has turned his passion for pre-game tailgating into a book published by Gray & Company, The Browns Fan’s Guide to Tailgating, a one-stop answer book for the novice, the expert or the maven. So, Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready met Peter at the pedestrian bridge from the Mall over to the Stadium just before a recent Monday Night Football game as they discussed some of the more outrageous “usual suspects” (“Dawg Pound Mike” Randall, Tony “Mobile Dawg” Schaefer, The Bonelady…), tailgating etiquette (it’s a short chapter), essential accoutrements, tailgating games, and even recipes. Fortunately for Browns fans, it’s not if you win or lose, it’s how you party in the parking lot before the game, and at that, Clevelanders are a winner every week. Buy the book.

True Colors?

A YouTube video of soundbite interviews of folks entering a McCain-Palin rally last week in Strongsville is making the rounds on the Internet, and some Obama supporters are getting their underwear all bunched up about it. The most disturbing aspect of the videos, at least for me, is not that the all-White crowd (and I do mean all-White… as White as a Republican National Convention, as White as a Wasilla, Alaska pee-wee hockey game, as White as… well, you get the point) were supportive of the Republican standard-bearer, but how viscerally-based their comments seemed to be. They obviously are reacting to Obama’s race when forming their opinions, not weighing his arguments… and using something as juvenile skin color to make their decision as to who should lead the country — and that’s really scary.

We got into this current mess because voters made bad decisions, and while I detest the current president, it his nothing to do with his skin color… it has to do with his lack of gray matter…

Read more from Mansfield B. Frazier here

Bottled Up
The Blue Bag’s Glass Gifts Are Pretty and Eco-Friendly

From the outside, it looks like your average home on a well-kept street in a Cleveland suburb. But just beyond the cozy living room, a small business booms. Production takes place in the basement. Two first-floor bedrooms double as shipping and storage areas and the owner’s office. From here, orders are processed and filled; boxes are loaded with fragile gifts and sent off to places around the world.

In just a couple of years, the Blue Bag has become a highly successful specialty gift company and a leader in Cleveland’s efforts to reuse and recycle.

Artist Deby Cowdin has been working with glass for 15 years. In 2006, she had an idea to heat and flatten glass bottles so they could be used as serving trays. As she worked with the glass, she discovered she could flatten all but the top and bottom of the bottles, which would serve as “legs” for the trays. The glass serving items could hold hot or cold foods and could be placed in the refrigerator, oven or dishwasher without being damaged…

Read more from Diane DiPiero here

This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

“Vote YES on Issue 5,” says Rosemary Palmer “If you want to keep the Payday Lending fees in check.” Readers react:

I agree with Rosemary, we need to keep payday lending fees in check! Have you noticed that the payday lenders refuse to mention “payday lending” in their deceptive ads? It seems their product is so great that they’d prefer not to mention it. They are trying to scare voters so that they can continue to extract billions from our families and communities. We need to stop predatory lending in Ohio. Vote to keep the reforms passed in June in place! Vote yes on issue 5 for lower interest rates! comment by Steve

A “yes” vote on Issue 5 is really a vote for reduced credit options for people with no or poor credit histories. Restricting payday lending fees will reduce the amount of capital available for these borrowers — for some of whom this is the only available option… comment by J Murray

This issue can just as easily be seen as a bid to reduce deceptive business practices directed toward a vulnerable population. If the past few weeks has taught us anything, I think events have taught us that our political economy involves a mix of public and private interests and that pursuing the fiction of “free markets” (whatever that means) can lead to simplistic policies with huge unintended consequences. comment by Ed Morrison

we want more “credit options” why don’t we legalize loan sharks and knee breakers. That would fit your logic, too. Yep, unlimited interest rates and “consequences” in the form of contusions, concussions and lacerations. No reason the be a “nanny” and protect folks from these business practices, either. Let’s go further. Laws against false advertising, how nanny-ish can you get? Mandatory drug labeling, wow, how paternalistic. Anti-spam rules, pure socialism. comment by Tom Zych

Read and add your comment here

At the Cellular Level
A Call for Artists: Cell Phone Photography Exhibition

Cool Cleveland contributor and independent curator Daiv Whaley (pictured) and Brandt Gallery in Tremont are hosting an open call for submissions of cell phone photography for an exhibition entitled At The Cellular Level — Cell Phone Photography. The exhibit, which will open in November 2008, will feature cell phone photos from both professional and amateur artists from around the world and “promises to be a stimulating visual dialogue on the use of convenience technology in the 21st century,” according to Whaley.

“Not so long ago, photography wasn’t viewed as a fine art,” Whaley says. “I wanted to up the ante and really challenge the professional photography crowd to work in this more limiting medium of cell phone photography and see what kind of amazing images they can come up with…”

Read more from Peter Chakerian here

Leadership – Know Enough To Criticize It?

The Plain Dealer can whine all it wants about Cleveland’s leadership but for the last 40 plus years I’ve been an observer of the newspaper’s leadership from inside (as a PD reporter) and outside (as a critic). Let me tell you, the paper’s leadership I can attest has been absolutely putrid. Why?

Over and over, year after year, decision after decision, The Plain Dealer has been unable to take strong and independent positions on major decisions made by the town’s elite. That’s why. It’s such an elemental requirement for a newspaper. However, it is such a difficult duty for a money-making corporate business.

I can’t remember an important deal or decision of any consequence where The Plain Dealer has stood up to the real powers that be. It has been a go-along, get-along policy…
Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

Teach Your Children Well

A friend of mine — the director of a Cleveland arts organization that deals with youth and the arts — was talking to a kid who’s involved with that group. He’s a smart kid who will be voting for the first time on November 4. He’s excited about the prospect of voting. When my friend started telling me about this, it sounded encouraging to me. Young people have never voted in great numbers, even after the voting age got lowered from 21 to 18 in 1972.

In their discussion, she asked the young man what he thought about the candidates and whether he had decided on whom to vote for. He said he had — McCain. She asked him how he’d arrived at that decision. Because, he said, “Sarah Palin is hot.” My friend offered her succinct opinion of Sarah Palin to him. She said, “Sarah Palin is an a-hole.” His response: “All hot chicks are a-holes.”

Wow…

Read more from David Budin here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Cleveland Art Project shares photos of the Counting Days opening.
Rolling Stone calls Youngstown ‘The Armpit of Ohio’. Should we even care?
Yard signs don’t vote.
NYT says Ohio GOP gearing up for voter removal.
Time Magazine debuted a photo essay entitled Tough Times in Cleveland documenting the recession and economic problems the city has been having lately.

Agua Y Fuego
Justo Saborit
Sabor-Ritmo Records

Havana native Justo Saborit began his music studies in his Cuban homeland, studying and performing a wide range of classical, blues and jazz material. In his recordings, the Cleveland-based musician does an exquisite job of fusing those elements together with a consciousness and honesty toward each style while the results sound unique and effortless. Agua Y Fuego (water and fire) sounds just like the title indicates — it has hot and zesty moments and precious cooldowns as well. Saborit’s Latin jazz blend is soulful, romantic and engaging and sounds like it belongs on a much larger-than-local stage. From the dramatic opening strains of “La Corrida” (the bullfight) and through delicate moods on “Mystified,” “Cool Blue” and “Rite of Passage.” Think Jose Manuel Dapena meets Editus, Ottmar Liebert meets Manitas De Plata. And if you think that Saborit’s work sounds effortless, check him out live. You’ll walk out thinking you could pick up the guitar and sound just like him. Which, of course, is probably not in the cards for you unless you’ve got some mad six-string skills to draw upon.

Experience Saborit’s “Latin Soul CD Release Party” at the Sunset Lounge this Saturday, October 18 from 9 – 11PM. He’ll perform as a part of this Tropical Rhythms event. Get more details at http://www.tropicalcleveland.com/NewSite/InfoSunset.html.

Learn more about Saborit at http://www.justosaborit.net.

From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com

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

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

Noises Off @ Cleveland Play House 10/8 If you need a good laugh, hie thee to the Cleveland Play House, where the current production is what has been called by many knowledgeable folks, the funniest play in the English language… Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Cleveland Orchestra feat. Lang Lang @ Severance Hall 10/9 The sold-out audience clearly came to see and hear Lang Lang, the superstar pianist who wowed the world at the Beijing Olympics, and they were not one teensy bit disappointed. Oh, no! For the first time that I can recall, the members of the audience were so eager to shout and clap and jump to their feet they didn’t even wait for the final notes… Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

Into the Woods @ Great Lakes Theatre Festival 10/10 Have you ever asked yourself what happens following the “…and they lived happily ever after” at the conclusion of most fairy tales? Do you think everything is rosy for the prince and his beloved, or for Jack and his mother after they get the hen that lays the golden eggs…? Read more from Roy Berko here

Noises Off @ Cleveland Play House 10/11 Noises Off, now on stage at the Cleveland Play House, is a farce. In fact, it is considered to be one of the best written of the modern farces. A farce, as the CPH program states, is “a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay, typically including crude characterizations and ludicrously improbably situations…” Read more from Roy Berko here?

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

1) Cool Cleveland party at Ray’s for Civic Innovation Lab’s 5th b-day at Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park
Party info and Online discount tickets

2) An End to Panhandling? Mansfield Frazier asks a tough question.
CoolCleveland.com

3) Complimentary Internet consulting This is how Jim Kukral plans to bail out Cleveland, one person at a time.
JimKukral.com

4) Speaking of complimentary This no-charge night of theatre should be interesting.
ClevelandTheater.com

5) DEVO performs in Akron for the first time in 30 years.
AkronCivic.com

Keepin’ on… That’s another episode of Cool Cleveland brought to you by the hard work, dedication and quill-bending action of the Hard Corps, comprised this week of Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Diane DiPiero, Kelly Ferjutz, Linda Eisenstein, Lee Chilcote, Mansfield B. Frazier, Claudia J. Taller, Jeannie Fleming-Gifford, Roldo Bartimole, Roy Berko and you! 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.

Download the Cool Cleveland podcasts and videos each week at http://www.CoolCleveland.com
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Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com, and your letters to: LettersATCoolCleveland.com
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We’ll see you Thursday,
–Thomas Mulready
LettersATCoolCleveland.com
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