Up From The Roots

5.28-6.4.08
Up From the Roots

In this week’s issue:
* Edge F/X Better Living Through Garbage
* Kids Hurricane Roz
* Straight Outta Mansfield Aging Out of the System
* Ingenious The Galz send up Matt & Ben
* Sounds goodmorning valentine tests out their third effort
* Roldo Downtown Jobs Fight Not Simple as PD Describes
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, BFD here

It’s not really about getting back to our roots. It’s about discovering what’s really important, and building our community up from our own roots. So it’s worth a closer look as we profile Rosalind Strickland leading a new program to teach 2nd graders about science and health. Or our focus on how gardens can address both health and solid waste problems. Or how some innovative programs can help kids who outgrow social service safety nets. Or how some innovative Downtown programs may be inadvertently depriving city workers of their jobs. We’re digging down to the roots to find the real stories. And a bunch of cool things to do this week. —Thomas Mulready

Better Living Thorugh Garbage

I have a suspicion that if I suggested that one of the keys to many health problems confronting urban neighborhoods lies in the bags, trash cans, and dumpsters strewn about the city, I might not get second consideration.

Yet, consider this: A significant amount of the solid waste coming out of the Cleveland includes food waste, yard waste, coffee grounds, cardboard, newspaper, and other bio-degradable materials that can be composted and turned into topsoil. In fact, these materials can be stacked through a process called “sheet mulching” to quickly convert vacant lots, turf lawns, or even blacktop into productive beds of growth. What’s more, installing these gardens can bring people together, build community, sequester atmospheric carbon, and add to the available food supply in neighborhoods that have lost grocery stores.

So, before you jump right into that classic American practice of just throwing things away, look at what Maurice Small from City Fresh and some sturdy volunteers did to begin to turn a turf lawn at the Jones Farm house into a productive edible landscape in just two hours…

Read more from Brad Masi here

Call her “Hurricane Roz”
Catching up with Rosalind Strickland of the Cleveland Clinic

A perfect storm is when certain essential ingredients to produce an extraordinary event all happen to be in the same place at the same time. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a destructive event. Such is the case with Rosalind G. Strickland, Senior Director of the Office of Civic Education Initiatives at the Cleveland Clinic. That’s a supremely imposing title for a friendly, outgoing woman who radiates cheer and helpfulness. And a great deal of pride in the accomplishments of those who fall under her guiding hands.

Currently, she’s basking in the glow created by 17-year-old Kaleigh Eichel of Strongsville, who won a top prize in the very recent Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held in Atlanta. For teaching goldfish how to herd their mates to the food court, Kaleigh won an $8,000 scholarship, a laptop and a trip to this year’s Nobel Prize ceremony in Sweden.

But Kaleigh, Creative Learning Intern, is only one of Roz’s shining stars. Another 17-year-old, Alex Chaitoff of Solon, Science Intern, just presented his research poster at the International World Congress of Cardiology in Buenos Aires.

Of course, what would you expect from a woman who leads a new program to teach second graders about science and health?

Read more from Kelly Ferjutz here

HOT UpStage Underground The division of the UpStage Players theatre group is designed for young adult actors aged 13-18; they’re holding auditions for their 8th Annual Summer Show on Thu 5/29 at the North Collinwood Salvation Army (17625 Grovewood) from 6 – 9PM. This year’s collection of one-act, “PG-13” play performances is entitled No Autographs Please: A Rock-N-Roll Series. Visit http://www.upstageplayers.com for more.

HOT School of Rock goes over The Wall Students from Cleveland’s newest Paul Green School of Rock Music will debut their budding rock & roll skills by performing their adaptation of Pink Floyd’s The Wall on Fri 5/30 and Sat 5/31 (both shows begin at 6:30pm) at the Grog Shop (2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Cleveland Heights). The Paul Green School of Rock Music is the original, performance-based, rock music school in the country for students up to age 18. Call 440-684-ROCK for more. Press.

Dreamgirls The Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will present its 9th annual All-City Musical, Dreamgirls to crown the District’s 2007-08 series of All-City Arts Programming. The production features the talents of over fifty CMSD students from across the District and will take place on the stage of the Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square Fri 5/30Sun 6/1. Tony Sias, Director of Arts Education for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, directs the production. Friday and Saturday at 7:30PM; Sunday at 3PM. http://www.playhousesquare.org.

Strut Your Mutt Northeast Ohio dogs, dog owners and dog lovers are invited to attend the first-ever Cleveland Clinic “Strut Your Mutt” dog walk, an event organized to support the Cleveland Animal Protective League (APL) and to promote walking and wellness in people and their pets. Participants can choose from a one-mile fun walk or a two-mile wilderness hike in Cleveland Metroparks Brookside Reservation. The APL’s “Rover” Adoption Mobile will be on-site for people interested in adding a new furry and four-legged member to their family. Walkers without dogs are also encouraged to join the fun. It all happens Sat 5/31 starting with 8AM registration. To register online, visit http://www.hermescleveland.com/roadracing/default.asp, or call 445-4097.

Plum Brook Station Open House Don’t miss this no-cost, open to the public tour and exhibition at the NASA Glenn Research Center Sat 5/31 and Sun 6/1 from 11AM – 9PM. Call 433-5555 for details.

The Bellaire Puritas Arts Festival This festival is one of the most eclectic in town, with live polka, Motown, reggae, rock and folk music, hands-on arts and crafts for kids, professional art exhibits, homemade- and festival food, community and civic group displays and more. The fun hits Sun 6/1 at noon. No cost, open to the public. Jefferson Park, W. 133 & Lorain. Call 671-2710 for more info.

Tri-C Concert Band’s 30th Anniversary The Cuyahoga Community College Civic and Collegiate Concert Band will mark its 30th anniversary with a concert Sun 6/1 at 6PM in the Western Campus Amphitheatre, 11000 Pleasant Valley Rd., Parma. No-cost, open to the public. http://www.tri-c.edu/community/pages/band.aspx.

Will Classical Music Make My Child Smarter? This unique workshop for parents & kids is presented at CHABAM The Educational Playcenter with child expert Dr. Arthur Lavin and Cleveland Orchestra violinist Miho Hashizume and her young daughter Natsumi (also a violinist!). Learn more Sun 6/1 at 1:30PM. 28700 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere. Call 464-8500 for details and registration. http://www.chabam.com.

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

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

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Vote for your fave Cle nosh, watering holes simply by clicking a link
We just had Cle Bike Week… now it’s time for Ohio Bike Week. Are your legs ready? Click
Cleveland Pride is on the way, too. Save the date! Click
Lots to do on Waterloo! Just announced: this year’s Waterloo Arts Festival. Details
Touched by cancer? Participate in Relay for Life events this summer. Details
Post-mortem on local artist Scott Miller shows no foul play. Click
Gordon Square Detroit-Shoreway n’hood gets props in the daily paper. Click
Citizens visit OH lawmakers to urge equality bill’s passage. Click
C-town is one of only 3 cities to host Vatican Splendors exhibition checking in at WRHS. A stunning and gorgeous collection; we’re in exclusive company yet again! http://www.wrhs.org. http://www.vaticansplendors.com.
Tri-C offers a way to be a savvy traveler in their latest Foreign Language and Culture Classes coursework. (They’ve got a ton of cooking going on there, too!) Parlez-vous?

Parker Hannifin is contributing $50K to the Shaw High School Marching Band in support of their trip to China; the funds will provide new light-weight uniforms and instruments for the marching band to proudly represent NEO in China for the International Marching Band Salute to the 2008 Beijing Olympics! The presentation takes place on Fri 5/30 at 6035 Parkland Blvd., Mayfield Heights at 11:30AM.

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: “Race, Politics and Cities: 40 Years After the Stokes Era” will be held at CSU on Thu 6/19, 4-6:30PM. In 1967, Carl Stokes became the first black Mayor of a major American city. During Stokes’ first year in office, MLK Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were shot. And Cleveland, like many cities around the nation, erupted in riots. Leonard Moore, author of “Carl B. Stokes and The Rise of Black Political Power,” is the keynote speaker. He has provided analysis on ESPN, 60 Minutes, CNN, National Public Radio and more. Free and open to the public, this forum is moderated by Mansfield Frazier, Cool Cleveland contributor. Roldo Bartimole, also from Cool Cleveland, will be on the panel. Held at the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at CSU, 1717 Euclid Avenue. For more info go to www.urban.csuohio.edu/forum/.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

HOT Trio Mediæval + Cantus The Cleveland Museum of Art’s (CMA) acclaimed VIVA! & Gala Around Town concert series welcomes this special vocal ensemble performance Wed 5/28 at 7:30PM at Trinity Cathedral. This is the only other appearance of Trio Mediæval + Cantus performing together outside of a performance at Kennedy center in Washington, DC. The Trio Mediæval women and the nine men of Cantus combine for a “splendid concert of rich ethereal sound.” What a collaboration! http://www.clevelandart.org.

Hamlet in Hebrew In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel, The Cleveland Play House presents The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv’s production of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, beginning Wed 5/28 and running through the weekend. Sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland’s Israel@60 program, the production of Hamlet will be performed entirely in Hebrew, with simultaneous English translation through personal headsets. 8500 Euclid Ave. http://www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

Jim Rokakis The Cuyahoga County Treasurer will discuss a proposed Ohio bill to land bank foreclosed properties at noon on Wed 5/28 at noon at The City Club of Cleveland. Rokakis took office as treasurer in March 1997 after serving for more than 19 years on Cleveland City Council, the last seven as chairman of the finance committee. He has brought sweeping reform to the treasurer’s office, overhauling county property tax collection system and improving the county’s investment function. http://www.cityclub.org.

HOT Matt & Ben This week, Linda Eisenstein previews this cool, inventive performance at the Cleveland Public Theatre starting Thu 5/29 and running through mid-June. Matt and Ben is a “funny, scathing, delightfully venomous story” of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck — a pair of struggling screenplay writers hanging out in their rundown apartment back in 1995. Much to their surprise and delight, the script for Good Will Hunting falls from the sky and into their laps. And, oh-by-the-way, they are played by two women! How d’ya like dem apples, ah?!? http://www.cptonline.org.

HOT Velocity/2008 This supercool event celebrates NEO companies accelerating our economy with innovative practices, strategies and approaches. Explore what’s happening in the region Thu 5/29 at 4:30PM at the Idea Center; RSVP for the event by calling 375-7974, email: danyoung@dxysolutions.com or click the link to register.

Troubadours of Divine Bliss They were voted the Best New Folk Band by Offbeat magazine in New Orleans, now catch the outfit this Thu 5/29 at 8PM Wilbert’s. The harmonies of the Troubadours of Divine Bliss are “soft as Kentucky Bourbon and Spanish moss,” with the wild soul of Janis Joplin and a tag-defying blend of life-inspiring music. The Elderly Brothers open the show. http://www.wilbertsmusic.com.

Adrienne Zurub The author of Notes From the Mothership: The Naked Invisibles will have a book signing Thu 5/29 at 11AM at Crooked River Bookstore at the Galleria at Erieview, 1301 E. 9th St. http://adriennezurub.typepad.com.

Ivan Lins Live and direct from Brazil, the singer/songwriter, pianist and South American superstar makes his Cleveland debut with his All-Brazilian Quintet at Nighttown in Cleveland Heights for two shows, Thu 5/29 at 7PM and 9PM. http://www.myspace.com/ivanlinsoficial. http://www.nighttowncleveland.com.

SPONSORED: As The Cleveland Orchestra season at Severance Hall draws to a close, don’t miss this chance to hear Viennese classics under the direction of Franz Welser-Möst — music by Schubert and Strauss’s Emperor Waltz. Also Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin ballet music. All this at a very special price for Cool Cleveland members: Bring a friend for free! Yes, that’s right, get 2 tickets for the price of 1. Thu 5/29 at 8PM and Sat 5/31 at 8PM. Use promo code 4075 and call (216) 231-1111 or visit http://ClevelandOrchestra.com to order. Limit 4 tickets per order, offer expires at 6PM on evening prior to each concert.

HOT In the Garden The dynamite convergence-continuum continues their offbeat stage production ways with this irreverent dramedy starting Fri 5/30 Written by Norman Allen, the lives of four urban sophisticates are rocked by their encounters with Gabe, a beautiful young man who is everything but what he seems. The show continue’s convergence-continuum’s 2008 Season entitled Cross the Threshold The Liminis, 2438 Scranton Rd. Details and schedule at http://www.convergence-continuum.org.

Sheet Composting and Asphalt Gardening Inspired by this week’s Edge F/X in CC? Don’t miss this no-cost workshop Fri 5/30 at 10AM at Huron Hospital in East Cleveland, 13951 Terrace Rd. Their garden is located on Belmore Ave one block from the hospital. Bring your shovels and join this garden workshop run by Maurice Small. Learn the basics of sheet composting and asphalt gardening while while helping to create a new community garden. Rain or shine. Call 761-7935 or 220-5532 for details. http://www.gotthenac.org.

The Lake Front Ghost Tour We’re crazy about the bone chilling ghost stories and local folklore found in these tours! Don’t miss the latest two installments this Fri 5/30 and next Fri 6/6. Find out where many of the sailors superstitions originated. Hear true stories of mysterious, Lake Erie-based poltergeists! Haunted Cleveland Ghost Tours depart from the parking lot of the Powerhouse, on the west bank of the Flats. See site for details, their Torso Murders tour and their fall schedule. http://www.hauntedcleveland.net.

HOT Creatures of the Night Canoe Float As the sun sets and most of us are tucked between sheets for the evening, a whole host of creatures are waking up and welcoming the night Fri 5/30 from 7 – 9PM. Paddle the dark waters of the Upper Cuyahoga River and meet up with some animal nightlife at the Creatures of the Night Canoe Float being held in Eldon Russell Park located at 16315 Rapids Rd., Troy Twp. Canoes are available for use (or bring your own canoe or kayak!); life vests are required. To register: call 440-286-9516 or 800-536-4006. Details and registration online: http://www.geaugaparkdistrict.org.

Jean Luc Mylayne The French artist’s first solo exhibition in the US opens at MOCA Cleveland on Fri 5/30. The exhibition features 23 monumentally-scaled color photographs of Mylayne’s intimate encounters with birds, including bluebirds, sparrows, and starlings all taken against the landscapes of Western Texas. In an unusual and idiosyncratic approach to his trade, Mylayne created 50 special lenses that allow him to explore multiple focal point perspectives in a single exposure. And don’t miss Jamie Davis’ work while you’re there!! http://www.mocacleveland.org.

Marking Time The sculpture work of Jamie Davis is on display at MOCA Cleveland starting Fri 5/30 and runs through mid-August. The Akron sculptor’s creations — which are composed in such a way as to chart her life — are composed of everything from charcoal and cotton batting to wax. Don’t miss Jean Luc Mylayne (see above) while you’re there. http://www.mocacleveland.org.

HOT The Annual Playhouse Square Partners Spring Fling will take place on Fri 5/30 outdoors at Star Plaza from 5:30 – 9:30PM. Come for live music, food, drinks, dancing, a treasure hunt and more. For tix/info, contact Laura McCaskey at 348-5265. Playhouse Square Partners are the young professional donor group of Playhouse Square. Learn More.

“Paging Carrie Bradshaw…” Strap on your Manolo Blahnik’s and head over to Shaker Square Cinemas on Fri 5/30 for an evening of Big Apple-style glamour and pampering as we celebrate the opening of the Sex and the City movie. The event kicks off at 6:30PM with a mingle-mixer reception in the Shaker Square Cinemas lobby and outdoor patio area, followed by a screening of the new flick at 7:30PM. Mini spa and salon treatments are available to attendees prior to the film, along with appetizers, wine and soda. Complimentary popcorn and gift bags featuring goodies from local purveyors caps off the evening. Tickets: call 440-349-3306 or visit http://www.clevelandcinemas.com.

Nature League Happy Hour & Planetarium Show Don’t miss an out-of-this-world social at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History Fri 5/30 starting at 6PM. Enjoy an informative Planetarium Show with astronomer Clyde Simpson (two shows at 6:30 and 7:30PM) along with complimentary hors d’oeurves, a beer & wine bar in the courtyard and a shot at the latest exhibition, Alien Earths. Spacey beats will be provided by DJ Ay. Due to limited seating reservations are recommended. Call 231-1177 or click here for more info. http://www.cmnh.org.

Countryside Concerts Apollo’s Fire’s latest endeavor is entitled Scotch Snap! The program — which runs Fri 5/30Sun 6/1 at their Baroque Music Barn in Hunting Valley, and again Tue 6/3 and Wed 6/4 at Happy Days Lodge (formerly Happy Days Visitor Center) in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park — features 18th-century music from Scotland and Nova Scotia. Guest director David Greenberg will lead the group. http://www.apollosfire.org.

Pabst Polka Party feat. Johnny Koenig The kid wears a squeeze box on his chest and if you hit this party at the Beachland Ballroom Fri 5/30 at 8PM you’ll get no rest. Yep, he’s a prodigy of polka accordion from NYC who calls Cleveland home; his new album The New Kid in Town is pretty damn good. At 7 years old, he performed with America’s Polka King, Frankie Yankovic… and by 15 was gigging like mad. Tasty nosh, bevvies and door prizes round out the fun. http://www.beachlandballroom.com.

One Nation, Under Prog Don’t miss a night of offbeat time signatures and virtuosity Fri 5/30 at 9PM with a progressive rock triple-bill of Ego, Animus and the venerable Black Key Projekt. We know, prog rock is for geeks, right? How about that it’s been the most “underground” music there’s been over the last 30 years of popular music history (c’mon, Rock Hall!). Rawk out at Wilbert’s Food and Music, 812 Huron Rd. E. http://www.wilbertsmusic.com.

HOT Illuminations Verlezza Dance shines a bright light with new choreography and collaborations while honoring modern dance tradition in an ambitious company program of two world premieres, historical May O’Donnell choreography and offerings from the students of the School of Verlezza Dance Sat 5/31 at 7:30PM. Illuminations is delivered at The Performing Arts Center Tri-C Eastern Campus 4250 Richmond Rd., Highland Hills. Call 314-0900 for details/tix. http://www.verlezzadance.com.

Garlic Mustard Pest-ival Join the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes Sat 5/31 from 6 – 8PM for an evening of fun and learn about an important environmental problem that affects nature in Northeast Ohio. Their 3rd Annual Garlic Mustard “Pest-ival,” which celebrates the progress made in the fight against the invasive plant species known as garlic mustard. You know what they say: If you can’t beat it, eat it! A feast of bread, salad, homemade garlic mustard pesto with pasta, and wine is to be had by all attendees. 21+ only please. 2600 South Park Blvd., Shaker Heights. Register by calling 321-5935 ext. 235 or online at http://www.shakerlakes.org.

HOT “Health for Good” Festival Join the Cleveland Botanical garden for a day of fun, fitness and healthy living as the Garden teams up with Prevention magazine for an all-new inspirational event Sat 5/31 from 8:30AM – 4PM. Cleveland’s Big Stretch starts on Wade Oval at 8:30AM with fitness guru, Chris Freytag. Complimentary breakfast, health experts and exhibitions and a host of health-related prizes are part of the fun. http://www.cbgarden.org.

Fire Up! The Chagrin Foundation for Arts & Culture’s first-ever benefit will be held on Sat 5/31. The event will feature a special, private performance by Apollo’s Fire of highlights from its popular Scotch Snap program followed by a strolling supper at a nearby private home. Details and schedule at http://www.chagrinfoundation.org.

Vatican Splendors from Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Swiss Guard opens Sat 5/31 for a limited, exclusive regional engagement through early September. Don’t miss the stunning collection at the Western Reserve Historical Society, 10825 East Blvd., University Circle.http://www.wrhs.org. http://www.vaticansplendors.com.

SPONSORED: This Saturday, 5/31, WCLV 104.9 is live at Severance Hall for a Cleveland Orchestra concert conducted by Franz with viola superstar Kim Kashkashian as soloist in Bartok’s Viola Concerto. Also on the program, Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin, and for something completely different, Johann Strauss’ ‘Emperor Waltzes.” Details on all of WCLV’s programming at http://www.WCLV.com.

HOT ‘Nawlins Night Oh, my NOLA! Cleveland Independents’ first fundraiser features incredible food from top member restaurants including fire food and drink, Moxie/Red, Sergio’s in University Circle/Sergio’s SARAVA, Bistro 185, Fat Fish Blue, J. Pistone Market and Gathering Place, The Leopard, Paladar/Boulevard Blue and more on Sun 6/1 at 6PM. Live music from the legendary Buckwheat Zydeco starts at 8PM. Cash Bar. B-Side Lounge & Grog Shop, 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd., Coventry Village. For info and tix, call 932-3322. http://www.clevelandindependents.com.

Lake View Cemetery Architectural Walking Tour Just like it sounds. The event begins at the President James A. Garfield Monument Sun 6/1 and is led by Dale Serne, historical architect and partner of Gaede Serne Architects, Inc. Space limited to 40, so reservations are required. Call 421-2665 for time and details.

“So you think you can improv?” The Cle-based improvisational comedy company Something Dada will be the judge of that. They’re holding open auditions; if you have a willingness to play, have fun and take chances, you might be what they’re looking for Mon 6/2 at 7:30PM. Formal training is not required; comfortable clothing and shoes is recommended. Something Dada @ Wooltex Gallery, Tower Press Building, 1900 Superior Ave. http://www.somethingdada.com.

Knockemstiff Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff will be at Mac’s Backs Books on Coventry, 1820 Coventry Rd. in Cle Heights on Wed 6/4 at 7PM. Pollock’s book is a collection of hard-knock, compelling stories from a guy who spent the last 31 years working in a paper mill in Chillicothe. No cost, open to the public. http://www.macsbacks.com.

Nikki Turner has been called the “Queen of Hip Hop Lit” and is the author of four best-selling novels including A Hustler’s Wife. She signs her new novel about love, loss, and revenge entitled Black Widow on Wed 6/4 at 7PM at the Borders Books and Music at Cleveland Heights (Severance Town Center, 3466 Mayfield Rd.) Call 291-8605 for details. http://www.nikkiturner.com.

Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com

Dr. Michael Schoop
President, Cuyahoga Community College, Metro Campus
Cleveland Plus

Dr. Michael Schoop moved to the Cleveland Plus region to head up the Metro campus of Cuyahoga Community College, from his previous home in the Chicagoland area, and he couldn’t be happier. He’s found that the Cleveland Plus region offers a lot for his family and his two little boys, and one of the first places they visited with their kids was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where Cool Cleveland’s Thomas Mulready spoke with him. He and his family also enjoy the cultural institutions around University Circle and the rest of the region. As an educator, Dr. Schoop says, “I think this region is incredibly well positioned for teaching in the digital age,” because of Ohio’s commitment to higher education and the fact that one of the major backbones of the Internet runs right down Cleveland’s Euclid Avenue. Cleveland Plus rocks the digital age! http://www.ClevelandPlus.com

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

NYT on Kucinich: “neighborhoods are blameless” in sub-prime mtg crisis. Read
Sherwin-Williams awards Cle Housing Network first-ever grant of $50K. Click
Cle Clinic & Google launch the “Walk for Good” nat’l campaign. Click
Israeli tech co. moves to Akron w/ city hoping to anchor a biomed corridor. Click
Ontario wind farm shows promise for a similar future for Cle and the Great Lakes region as a whole. Click

Weird Science…. ooooh! Build a machine that that moves like a cockroach, salamander or fish?!? Yup. Over 100 of the world’s pioneering engineers, biologists and neuroscientists who have contributed to building biologically inspired robots will be on the campus of Case Western Reserve University from Sun 6/1Fri 6/6 to discuss new developments in the field of biorobotics during the Fourth International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines (AMAM). It’s “science fiction of yesteryear turned into today’s reality,” including a “Robot Zoo” on public display Thu 6/5 from 1-2PM at Cleveland’s Great Lakes Science Center. http://amam.case.edu.

The Association of Litigation Support Professionals (or ALSP) hosts the first mtg of the new Cle Chapter to be held from noon to 1:30 on Thu 5/29 in the Shatten Board Room, located in the Higbee Conference Facility of COSE at Tower City on Public Square. More
HOT Velocity/2008 celebrates NEO companies accelerating our economy with innovative practices, strategies Thu 5/29 at 4:30PM at the Idea Center. RSVP? Call 375-7974 or email: danyoung@dxysolutions.com. Register
Social Media Case Study: Online Video w/ Web Assoc. helps identify viral ideas to help yr biz Thu 5/29 at offices of Authentic Films. Register
”’Surf’s Up! Can NEO Catch the Sustainability Wave? feat. BP fellow Richard Steubi @ CSU Levin college Thu 5/29 at 5:30PM. Register”’
Manfg for the Med Market Hear from area manufacturing leaders Thu 5/29 who have successfully diversified their biz to participate in the biomed industry. Register
Doing Business in China: Hurdling the Great Wall is a one-day forum event on Fri 6/6 from 9AM – 1PM. Details here
E4S leader Holly Harlan and GCBL Institute’s David Beach headline June Corp Club at Landerhaven lunch Thu 6/12 starting at 11:30AM. Click
Kolman Rosenberg The successful photog/bizman speaks at the Lake Communicators luncheon Wed 6/11 at 11:30AM at the Lake Metroparks Pine Ridge Country Club, 30601 Ridge Rd. (SR 84). RSVP: 440-255-8932 or email: wolfeshirley@yahoo.com”’

Aging Out of the System

There certainly are no shortages of social service concerns that deserve our attention — especially when youth are involved — but I’m pleased that this particular issue is finally rising to the top in terms of our national and local priorities. The problem is simple and straightforward, we need a more effective and realistic safety net to catch children when they “age out” of the foster care system.

Eighteen is the magical age of emancipation in America (and many other countries as well) and when youth gain their majority, the foster care system is no longer legally bound to protect them — although some services are still provided and paid for through the early 20s. However, few, if any, 18-year-olds are ready to go out into the world and make a success of their lives. Even the best prepared 18-year-olds struggle, and youth coming out of foster care struggle even more…
Read more from Mansfield Frazier here


This week’s most active post on BrewedFreshDaily.com

Who are “the right people” to move into new developments in Downtown Cleveland? Scott Wolstein recently said echo boomers “demand a great education and you start to see a lot more progress… parents (will) follow-through the way they do in the suburbs. That will happen if you get the right people living in this town.” BFD readers said:

One countywide school district (the same for the other 87 counties as well) is an idea that deserves consideration. The suburbs would mean nothing if it weren’t for Cleveland. Without the working class folks of Cleveland and the inner-ring, the exurbanites would have to do their own damn work and would not be as prosperous. comment by Derek Arnold

Wolstein has it exactly wrong. What he’s talking about is what will make him the most money. The city & we are making a big mistake because you can’t have a downtown “neighborhood,” as they enjoy calling it, without a mixture of people… not just young (or old retired) people who can simply afford to live in an expensive place, not the outer suburbs but a created luxury downtown… comment by Roldo Bartimole

New models of inner city development are emerging around open networks. Gentrification rhetoric (”the right people living in this town”) and “fixing problems” (housing, education, crime) reflect tired thinking that do not lead anywhere. The challenge and opportunity for wealth creation come in re-imagining communities… comment by Ed Morrison

Add your comment on Brewed Fresh Daily here

Sending up the Boyz with ‘Matt and Ben’
The Galz @ CPT Nail It… How do you like them apples?

Want a recipe for hellacious fun? Take your classic buddy comedy: control freak versus loosey-goosey slob. Now ratchet it up by making the duo Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, just out of college before they get famous. Then triple the stakes by having them played by terrifically funny women. That’s the delicious premise of the off-Broadway comedy hit Matt and Ben, opening at CPT this weekend in a must-see production. I talked to the dynamic duo responsible for the hilarity about what to expect.

“I’m embracing my inner maleness,” laughs Elizabeth R. Wood, who promises that her portrayal of Ben Affleck is more “essence of dumb lug” than precise imitation. Director Dan Kilbane chose the play for Wood, a CPT regular who is one of the area’s comic treasures. Remember her whiny, fat-suited Little Nell in Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge, her cortically-challenged, kewpie-doll Columbia in Rocky Horror, her shy drag king in Pulp? Funny and endearing, Wood always manages to make even the most extreme characters sympathetic…
Read more from Linda Eisenstein here

Links to interesting NEO blogs

Convention Center Current site vs. Tower City meeting notes.
The Women’s Community Foundation of Cuyahoga County is shutting down.
AGBA tenant awarded “Top 10 Invention” by Popular Science Magazine.
David Giffels latest book is about his family’s restored Tudor home.
Making change is a noisy business for leaders.

the thrill of a goodmorning valentine

Call it essential late night listening. At least that’s what singer-songwriter Joey Beltram suggests for the third (and as-yet untitled) release from his Cle-Akron indie collective, goodmorning valentine. For those of you music fans keeping score at home, the group’s twilight-tinged folk/chamber-pop blend offers nods to everyone from Dylan and Waits, to Costello and Tweedy… with a smattering of dreamy Belle & Sebastian drama folded in for good measure. The band’s previous two efforts Easter Park and Steady Your Hands have met with critical acclaim; demos recently heard by Cool Cleveland confirm that their third long-player promises to carry on the tradition. And it showcases their collaborative with Kent’s Six Parts Seven and that group’s delicate, indie-pop sensibilities.

After a rather spacious absence from the NEO rock scene (“You have to reappear every now and then or people wonder if you still exist,” laughs Beltram) goodmorning valentine will perform some of this great new music along with the members of Six Parts Seven this Friday, May 30 at 9PM at the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Rd. Their lineup currently features (L to R) Will Rigby (drums), Beltram (guitars/vocals), Carol Schumacher (bass) and Matt Haas (guitars, not pictured). Opening the evening’s festivities will be local groups The Twilight (Tempest in a Teapot) and Lines Across Lines (Octopussy). It’s a great line-up of the area’s better acts and the debut of some new music. Don’t miss out.

Visit goodmorning valentine at http://www.myspace.com/goodmorningvalentine.

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

Downtown Jobs Fight Not Simple as PD Describes

If you read The Plain Dealer about the court fight among the City of Cleveland, the Downtown Cleveland Alliance (DCA) and Laborers Local 1099, over jobs downtown, you would think, “Boy those city workers are really a greedy bunch.”

No, the Laborers Union 1099 is just looking after the economic interests of its members. That’s the job of a labor union. Maybe The Plain Dealer doesn’t understand that. The DCA, meanwhile, tries to provide services for its interests downtown. However, DCA does work that is encroaching upon someone else’s turf, said arbitrator Gregory James Van Pelt correctly. The use of a private workforce to do public jobs raises serious questions.

With low paying jobs especially you’d think that the PD would show concern about city workers. Unfortunately, no such thing. The PD frets about their downtown friends…
Read more from Roldo Bartimole here

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

Cleveland Orchestra @ Severance Hall 5/22 It’s always good to welcome home the maestro. Franz Welser-Möst will spend the next weeks here, ending with the greatly anticipated concert version of Dvorák’s opera Rusalka. For this week, however, it was Mozart, Bartók and Berg. Surprise! It wasn’t the Mozart that featured pianist Mitsuko Uchida, however, it was the Bartók! It was very special Bartók, at that. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was the last music composed before his death in 1945, and in fact, was not quite complete—the final seventeen bars being fleshed out by his friend Tibor Serly.

This Bartók concerto is vastly different from the two previous works. Written for his second wife, the accomplished pianist Ditta Pásztory, certainly there are phrases and octaves reminiscent of the earlier concertos – one knows immediately who wrote them – but this one is far more lyrical, and even romantic in places. In fact, there are small bits scattered throughout that are downright perky. They’d trip up anyone in a name-that-composer contest if heard just by themselves.

Ms. Uchida, whose stage presence is that of a sinuous and graceful butterfly, also has a steel underpinning and was never overly challenged by any of the concerto’s demands. In the first movement there were moments of great charm, expressed in echoing thirds by the piano and various winds. In some ways, this playfulness carried over to the second movement. After the tranquil opening, strong chordal modulations by the pianist gave way to a sequence I can only compare to ‘twittering birds’. The final movement was more of the Bartók of his earlier works; explosive octaves and chords calculated to really test the pianist. Needless to say, Ms. Uchida passed with flying colors!

Mozart’s next to last symphony – the No. 40 in g minor, K. 550 – opened the concert with a brisk and robust first movement. The second was more languid, highlighted by wind solos and a section featuring subtle emphasis to the off-beats. A lyrical third movement had tunes virtually tumbling out all over each other. The basses sounded especially strong, rumbling around in their lower register. Although still in the minor mode, the finale was buoyant and upbeat.

Alban Berg’s fairly early Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6, closed the program. Berg was still in his transitory period when these pieces were composed, departing from the lush romanticism of the late 19th century but not yet having arrived at his atonal destination. Consequently, they’re a slightly disjointed amalgam of both styles, using a BIG orchestra! The first is frenetic in places, more calm in others. Especially notable were some improbably high notes, gorgeously played by principal trombonist Massimo La Rosa. The third was the most organized, and the energetic Mr. Welser-Möst prompted me to think this must be a rather fun piece to conduct. It’s the kind of work that includes a little bit of everything—even the kitchen sink, perhaps. Certainly, there was the huge hammer back there in the percussion section, which is usually only seen in Wagner or Mahler. It was nearly larger than its operator.

The mostly full house seemed to enjoy the entire concert, with many cries of “Bravo” or “Brava” (as the case may be) after each work.

This week, it’s violist Kim Kashkashian as soloist in another work by Bartók – his Viola Concerto, also edited and completed by Tibor Serly). Bartók’s Miraculous Mandarin ballet music is also on the program, along with two Viennese cream puffs: a symphonic fragment by Schubert and the sumptuous Emperor Waltz by Johann Strauss, Jr. For tickets or more information, call 231-1111 or visit the website: http://www.clevelandorchestra.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com

2 Plays by Gao Xiingjian @ CPT 5/23 Anyone seeing Two Plays by Gao Xingjian, now on stage at Cleveland Public Theatre, will immediately be drawn into a strange world, a world of abstract, almost absurdist dimensions, which echoes the works of Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco. Yes, this is not theatre for anyone looking for clear messages, traditional staging, or scripts that allow you to leave the theatre feeling good.

The author, Gao Xingjian was born in 1940. He is a Chinese writer and artist. He was the first of his countrymen to win the Nobel Prize for literature. In contrast to most winners who become national heroes, the 2000 victor was denounced and his plays banned in China.

In 1966, during the Cultural Revolution, Gao was one of many Chinese artists and intellectuals who were sent to “reeducation” camps to perform manual labor. During this time he was compelled to burn a suitcase of his writings. When the Revolution ended in 1976, Gao gradually started to produce his plays which combine experimental forms with traditional Chinese styles. Though his stagings were popular, they drew the condemnation of Chinese government ministers, who shut productions as part of their campaign against “intellectual pollution.” Harassed by the government, he left the country and settled in France.

Gao’s plays combine Zen philosophy and a modern world view, stressing the gritty realities of life, death, sex, loneliness, and exile. As Gao says, his plays are “manifestations of the idea of the tripartite actor, a process by which the actor neutralizes himself and achieves a disinterested observation of his self in performance.”

Abstract? Yes, and that’s exactly what his plays are. Interpretation is left to the individual, which is part of an absurdist’s goal. Both plays are about journeying onward, much like China and Gao have both done.

Between Life and Death is basically a one-woman monologue which concerns the space between life and death, between reality and imagination. It appears to examine the journey of China as it was and is being transformed. In the words of the script, is that “history,” “story,” “fable,” “joke,” riddle” or “empty words?” Is it all an illusion? “The me you see is not me.”

The show is well directed by Holly Holsinger. Anne McEvoy is brilliant as The Woman. She is well assisted by Mark Cipra and Melissa Crum in non-speaking roles. The use of video (designed by Neil Sapienza and Dred Geib) is enveloping. The use of authentic Chinese string and flute music helps create the proper moods.

The Other Side showcases director Raymond Bobgan’s ability to creatively stage dramatic pieces. He has a knack for involving the audience’s imagination through clever visual images. In this case he used blue ropes, paper, candles and choreographed movements to generate vivid visuals.

The play asks the question, “Why do we want go to the other shore?” It seems to examine the killing of China, the China before the Communists took over, in order to get to the new place. It echoes the need of the Communists to create a unity of “all in it together.” Creating a “common language,” a “wisdom” and a “vision.”

The large cast molds together well. Nick Koesters, as the narrator and center focus, is excellent.

Capsule judgement: This production is not for everyone. It is an unnerving and abstract evening of theatre which will be appreciate by those who like absurdist and mind-bending drama, but may be of little interest to others.

The plays run through June 14. For tickets call 631-2727 or go online to http://www.cptonline.org.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

Roy Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2008, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.

2 Plays by Gao Xingjian @ CPT 5/24
Gorgeous: Poetic, dense, powerful, and mysterious, the two experimental plays by Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian are true works of art. In the hour-length tour-de-force 1991 monologue Between Life and Death, Anne McEvoy is haunting and unforgettable, while Joan Horvitz’ design and Neil Sapienza’s video projections are so stunning the audience gasped out loud. The piece, directed by Holly Holsinger, was as good as any cutting edge work I’ve ever seen at BAM or Lincoln Center.
Group-think: Raymond Bobgan’s ensemble rendering of Gao’s earlier play The Other Shore makes it clear why the work is banned in China: it’s an imagistic deconstruction of the perils of herd mentality. Though it doesn’t have the intensity of the first piece, there are many memorable sections, especially when the Individual (Nick Koesters) is bullied by the group.
Caveat: The evening is long and surreal, but it’s soul-satisfying as only great art can be.
Details: Thru 6/14, Cleveland Public Theatre, http://www.cptonline.org.
From Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein LindaATcoolcleveland.com

The Bank Guards @ Fourth Wall Prod. 5/24 Fourth Wall Productions, which is now staging the world premiere of Matthew Sprosty’s The Bank Guards, is one of those new small theatre companies whose dreams often exceed their results. Sprosty, a promising playwright, is the author of one of last year’s top local plays, Malicious Bunny. I recognized the author and the play with a Times Theatre Award. He has a “hip” way of writing, a new wave attitude, and comes up with clever plot twists. The hip, the new wave and the plot twists are present in his newest work, The Bank Guards but, they don’t work as well this time.

The play is filled with too many improbables and the staging leaves much to be desired. The story centers on a group of bank guards who plot to hold up their own bank. They, of course, have no, or at best, a vague plan. A teenager, who has pulled off a series of bank robberies, finds out about the plot and tries to weasel in on the heist. There is in-fighting and counter-plotting. And, a “surprise” ending.

Sounds like an interesting premise. It is, kind of. The problem is that there are just too many improbables. Why are the guards, who say several times that they are not allowed to thwart robberies in the bank, wearing guns while off-duty? Since this takes place in Cleveland, which has a law against carrying unconcealed weapons, why would these guys be walking around with exposed, holstered guns?

Why are the guards so concerned about wiping fingerprints off door knobs after “the” murder (I don’t want to give too much of the plot away here), but are oblivious to the blood in the middle of the floor? (By the way, even though the blood is referred to, we never see it.) How does the teenager find out where the “meeting” is being held? Are these guys really that stupid that they would go into this plot without a plot? The over use of calling one character “old” and another “kid” becomes tedious after a while.

I could go on, but hopefully you get the point.

The production, under the directorship of Rebacca Cole, is as uneven as the play. Several of the performances, however, are quite good. Michael Riffle (Ben), as the Iraq vet, has some nice moments, especially after he loses his faked attitude and becomes the real Ben. Ric Barr, as the “old” man is believable in his portrayal. The rest of the cast is inconsistent in character development, going in and out of character…alternating feigning anger and control and angst and more control. I didn’t believe any of them was a real person with real motives. It may be the writing, it may be the directing. The over-lapping of spoken lines, the mumbling, the use of obscenity for no purpose than to sound “hip,” all add up to a lack of smooth ebb and flow of ideas and reality.

Capsule judgment: I really want Fourth Wall Productions to succeed. It is dedicated to doing shows that appeal to and should draw in younger audiences, which local theatre desperately needs. However, their productions are so inconsistent that it will be hard to build a loyal audience. In addition, their location, on E. 105th Street in Cleveland, though there is a lighted parking lot, may turn off the less secure from attending.

(Oh, and by the way, someone should really edit the programs. My wife, a former English teacher, whipped out her trusty red pencil and started to make corrections as soon as she started reading. She wound up making lots of red marks! Also, why was there no notation of the place in which the play took place, or the time and whether there was an intermission?)

Fourth Wall Productions is located at Enterprise Center Building at 540 East 105th St. #221 in Cleveland, at the Bratenhal line. Obtain tickets by calling 330-283-2442 or e-mailing tickets@fourthwallproductions.com.

From Cool Cleveland contributor Roy Berko royberkoATyahoo.com

Roy Berko’s blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2008, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info.

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

1) RoldoLINK Who rules in Cleveland now?
www.CoolCleveland.com

2) Mountain biking in the city No, really.
CAMBA.us CanalWay Center video

3) Cleveland City Living has picked up on Cleveland’s latest edge neighborhood.
ClevelandCityLiving.blogspot.com

4) Burning River Fest is back, it’s alive, and it’s burning.
http://www.BurningRiverFest.org

5) Rooftop cabana party That’s what we need right about now.
TropicalCleveland.com

And now for the Fine Print Give a nice hand to the Hard Corps, who make your clicking experience worthwhile every week! Thanks to Peter Chakerian, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Douglas O’Bryon, Mansfield B. Frazier, Linda Eisenstein, Roldo Bartimole, Kelly Ferjutz and Roy Berko. And lastly, though certainly not least, thanks to our readers and everyone who partners with us. Want to volunteer and contribute your writing to Cool Cleveland? Send your reviews, articles, or story ideas to: Events@CoolCleveland.com.

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