‘Tis the season, so we can recommend a Howl-ween event raising money for pets, spooky music at CMA, a VHS bad-movie night at the Grog, a Think and Drink with a Monster Mash theme at CMNH, an examination of the paranormal at WRHS, Hale Farm and Village’s All Hale’s Eve, a Slow Roll in costume, and the show of skull art at a new venue in Akron.Don’t miss the Cleveland Arts Prize awards event, a talk about the legendary Cleveland music venue La Cave, and the series of four free CityMusic concerts conducted by the rising young Cleveland maestro Lorenzo Lopez.
This week, CoolCleveland columnist Claudia Taller asks the question “Which presidential candidate is best on the immigration issue?” But her conclusion won’t surprise anyone. Kamala Harris’s family is made up of immigrants, while her opponent turned down a bipartisan immigration bill.
And what about the critical Ohio Supreme Court judges, you might ask? After all, they will be essential in enforcing the reproductive health amendment that Ohio passed last year. Well, we’ve got some helpful information on that, as well as a reminder to VOTE YES on Issue 1 to ban gerrymandering. Before things get too scary.
The U.S. is a country built on immigration. Virtually all of us are descended from immigrants. But this election season has seen demonization of immigrants and refugees raised to an absurd level and, as we saw with the GOP ticket’s comments on the Springfield, Ohio, Haitian community, the attacks have been riddled with flagrant lies. (No, most Springfield Haitians are NOT “illegal.”)
Our columnist Claudia Taller looks the story of immigration in this country, its ups and downs, and the atrocious treatment of past immigrants who are now accepted as citizens. “Kamala Harris’s parents were immigrants,” she points out. “She understands the immigrant issue. She proposed a wall to secure the border, but the bill she proposed failed in the Senate and again in May, and it included $650 million for new border wall construction.”That was the bill that the former president ordered his lapdog Republicans in Congress to oppose so he could use it a a campaign issue to pretend to be “tough.” “Vote for Kamala Harris to assure that immigrants are welcome, as we look back on who we are and who were have became,” Claudia concludes. Read more.
Seven years ago, Jen Nickler got an iPhone and started taking walks of discovery, uncovering images that inspired her. A few years later, she became one of Ingenuity Fest’s Ingeneers. The diverse creativity she found there inspired her to take her work as a photographer to the next level: her first-ever solo show, Wonder Wall: A Photography Expedition, opening this Saturday October 26 at Negative Space Gallery in AsiaTown, which will also be celebrating its 12th anniversary that evening.
“I chose the name because I hope this exhibition of both abstract and concrete images inspires in viewers a sense of wonder and a feeling of having gone on a fun visual voyage across the Wonder Wall,” she says. “Some things you’ll see are pretty obvious, and you’ll go, I don’t have to wonder about that one! Other photos you’ll look at and you ask, what is that or where is that, how did you take that, where is that from and it makes you wonder what you’re looking at.” Read more.
In addition to one more reminder about voting for the Democrats — Melody Stewart, Michael Donnelly and Lisa Forbes — for the state Supreme Court, to create a more balanced and thoughtful court, we’d like to point out the list of county judges also on the ballot. Unfortunately, this year the Democrats in the contested races (there are six; the rest are uncontested) chose not to participate in the helpful rating site, Judge4Yourself. If you insist on bringing a Democratic sample ballot to the polls with you, we’d like to suggest you depart from it to vote for Judge Joan Synenberg, one of the best judges currently on he bench here. Read more.
It’s almost time for the games to be over, and that means Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s nakedly partisan attempts to defeat anti-gerrymandering Issue 1 with lies and manipulation. Just go in and vote yes & don’t read what’s on the ballot — all of it lies written by LaRose to convince you to vote against fair representation. The ballot will say Issue 1 requires gerrymandering when it does the opposite, and that it repeals protections against gerrymandering, the “protections” that the politicians who currently draw the districts chose to ignore. Get the facts and just vote YES. Read more.
WED 10/30 Share the Journey
Sephardic Jews lived in Spain and Portugal until they were expelled in 1492, and spread around the Middle East and North Africa. Learn their history in story, poetry and music at the Maltz Performing Arts Center.
