1.03-1.10.07
Akronite
In this week's issue:
* BizTech Profile David Giffels
* Interview Chad Treboniak and John "Shorty" Oldwine of FoxxyBeverages.com
* Sounds The Surprise of Being-Live At Birdland from the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra
* RoldoLink When the Cleveland Press Really Died
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here
Akron's a cool town. This week we vodcast Akronite David Giffels, writer, musician, and columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, and offer a review of First Night Akron, one of the tightest community events in NEO all year. Cle-based Foxxy Beverages will set you on edge as they launch a new energy drink with a recipe that former inmate John "Shorty" Oldwine discovered in prison. As for Cool Cleveland, our eyes and ears are open. Tell us what you got going on, and we'll spread the word of mouth. Stay tuned, Northeast Ohio, it's going to be a high octane year. —Thomas Mulready
David Giffels
Author, Columnist, Musician, Akronite
David Giffels may be the quintessential Akronite. A columnist for the Akron Beacon Journal, his thrice-weekly missives eyeball the community with a passionate, sometimes critical, and always rigorous eye for detail. He's written two books, Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron and We Are Devo! Deviants in a Post-Modern World, which, while being as disparate as can be, are both so Akron. He's also a musician, and he's taking a leave of absence from the ABJ to work on his 3rd book. Cool Cleveland's Thomas Mulready interviewed him at the corner of N. High & E. Market in Akron, at the center of the burgeoning "Akron's Own Historic District," where they discussed the new Akron, brain gain, and what it feels like to live through the massive layoffs at the ABJ. http://www.TheBeaconJournal.com
WATCH THE MOVIE Writer David Giffels
| Watch The Movie: |  Windows movie |  Mac movie |
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Want to Get the Edge on Your Career? Advance yourself with a graduate certificate in Nonprofit, Real Estate, or Local and Urban Management from Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. Levin College offers these and many other graduate certificate courses to give you the edge. Most certificate programs can be completed in two years or less and the courses can be counted towards a master’s degree. The Levin College is one of the Top Ten Urban Affairs Schools in the Nation, ranked second in the graduate specialty of city management and urban policy in U.S. News and World Report’s 1998, 2002 and 2005 issues of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” For information and a complete list of certificate programs contact www.urban.csuohio.edu/academics/certificates/ or (216) 523-7522 or gradprog@urban.csuohio.edu.
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A wild and wonderful array of hot tech and business news & events from around Cleveland and around the region. Send your business news and events to: EVENTS@CoolCleveland.com
Online holiday sales jump 26% to $23B reflects 38% surge in week b4 x-mas sales: Amazon, Dell, Yahoo! Read
Cle Sports Commission lands US Figure Sk8in Championship for 2009, estimated to bring in $25M to local economy Read
How Cleveland stole A Christmas Story Indiana writer laments they ignored writer Jean Shepherd & we cashed in Read
Cle tourism bounces back 2006 was best year since 9/11 Read
Cincinnati sues Sherwin-Williams to remove lead paint hazards, joins Cols, E. Cle, Toledo & Lancaster Read
Clinic spins off 18th company from incubator: CSF Therapeutics treats aging brain diseases Read
Cle's Special Olympics bid could pay $120M, 7500 athletes & positive exposure, based on NC's '99 experience Read
Cle's CheezHead blog wins best recruting blog in the US, according to Recruiting.com. Congrats, Joel Cheesman! Read
OneCommunity wins Wi-Fi award for best practices from Wireless Internet Institute, as the only US org Read
Cle photog Herb Ascherman included in international retrospective View
Online advertising spurs word-of-mouth 2nd only to web sites for informing social influencers Read
Ohio-Israel IT Mission planned for 1/21-25 in Akron, Beachwood & Cle, with 20 Israeli companies visiting Info
MOCA Cle launches$25M campaign for new museum at Euclid & Mayfield, kicked off with $1M Cle Found grant Info
Cle City Council may end new-home tax breaks 15-yr tax abatement has helped spur residential development Read
$20M Gordon Square Arts District to include Capitol Movie Theatre with art films, Near West Theatre, shops & restaurants Read
Entrepreneur's Boot Camp @ Corporate College East, 4400 Richmond Road, Warrensville Hts on Wed 1/3 through Fri 1/5 from 8:30AM-4:30PM. Info or call 987-2946.
PR Business Strategy @ Charter One Global Ent Center, 737 Bolivar Road, Cleveland. No-cost seminar feat. PR Newswire guru Tony Santana Wed 1/10. Register: erin.reed@jumpstartinc.org or call 363-3412.
NEOSA and COSE: "To Blog or Not To Blog" on Thu 1/18. We know bloggers are implied as Time "Persons of the Year" but is blogging sensible/viable for sm bus and corps as promo tool? Info
A New Energy Future at CSU Levin College Thu 1/18 feat. Ronald B. Richard, Pres. and CEO of the Cle Fndtn. No-cost event begins at 4PM. Info or call 523-7330.
JumpStart's Annual Public Mtg documents progress of org, celebrates NEO entrepreneurship and economic dev. Carl Schramm (Pres. of EM Kauffman Foundation) and Lee Fisher (OH Lt. Gov) are scheduled to speak Thu 1/25 @ LaCentre, 25777 Detroit Road, Westlake. Info
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We Deliver the “Goods” with a monthly review of positive stories about the region that have appeared in the national media the previous month, as part of the Greater Cleveland Marketing Alliance’s (GCMA) national media relations program. To see the December edition of the National Media Coverage Update, including articles from BusinessWeek, The New York Times, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and even Oprah.com, visit www.gcpartnership.com/gcma_media.aspx. To learn more about the GCMA, please visit www.gcpartnership.com/AboutCleveland.aspx or contact Rick Batyko, Vice President for Regional Marketing, The Greater Cleveland Partnership at rbatyko@gcpartnership.com or 216.592.2225.
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BlogCritics picks best DVDs & albums of '06 Clevelander Eric Olsen's BlogCritics is "a sinister cabal of superior writers" from around the globe, the best of citizen journalism, operated from NEO Albums DVDs Your favorites? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
Cle & Y-town reinvent themselves as "European-born Shrinking Cities movement" takes hold: if we can't grow smart, maybe we can shrink smart. USA Today quotes: "Everybody's talking about smart growth, but nobody is talking about smart decline," says Terry Schwarz, senior planner at Kent State University's Urban Design Center of Northeast Ohio. The center runs the Shrinking Cities Institute in Cleveland, a city that has lost more than half its population since 1950. "There's nothing that says that a city that has fewer people in it has to be a bad place." Read Your thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
10 of the best 25 films of 2006 were (or will be) premiered at the Cleveland Cinematheque, according to IndieWire.com, incl. #1 The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, #5 The Army of Shadows, #6 Three Times. Info
Donate your stuff with the popular Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District's new guide: Pass It On: A Resource-Full Guide to Donating Usable Stuff. We're guessing this makes it into our Top 5 next week. 698-2265 Guide
Are your Cleveland kids cool? You don't want to miss what 11-year-old Max has for you and your family this week in the Cool Cleveland Kids Podcast. Listen here: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolClevelandKids01.05.07.mp3. Click here to subscribe: iTunes or other.
21st Century Denver Promising "cool days, cool nights," the "Wall Street of the West'' has the occasional blizzard, but learns from Cleveland's mistakes, and develops regional cooperation, local stewardship, reinvestment & reuse (not abandon & move out), an educated population, and affluent neighborhoods close to Downtown. Read. Your thoughts? Letters@CoolCleveland.com
Cle-based film Hero Tomorrow wins awards His family keeps telling David, a struggling comic book creator from Cleveland, to "get real," and finally, with a superhero Halloween costume by his fashion-designer girlfriend, he does. The flick, shot in Clevo, just snagged two awards at the North Texas Film Fest. View Trailers
Cool Cleveland Podcast You know how to do it. Click here to listen: http://www.coolcleveland.com/files/audio/CoolCleveland01.05.07.mp3. Click here to subscribe: iTunes or other.
Call for Art Submissions Cleveland Public Art and the Buckeye Area Development Corporation are seeking proposals from Ohio artists artists and designers to create new, site-specific works of art for installation on one of two highly visible building walls in the Buckeye Neighborhood. Download details here. Visit http://www.ClevelandPublicArt.org for info. Deadline is Fri 1/5 by 5PM.
To ensure you receive Cool Cleveland every week, take a moment now and add CoolCleveland@CoolCleveland.com to your address book, trusted sender list, or corporate white list.
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Annie Leibovitz, American Master America’s most influential woman photographer, Annie Leibovitz, is profiled in “Life Through a Lens” premiering Wed 1/3 at 9PM on WVIZ/PBS. Affectionately filmed by her younger sister for the award-winning American Masters series, “Life Through a Lens” reveals Leibovitz’s artistic process and career journey balancing fame and family. Also on the schedule, see “Wired Science” the first of three new PBS programs exploring the latest science and technology stories and their impact on the world. It airs Wed 1/3 at 8PM, with “Science Investigators,” then on Wed 1/17 at 8PM with “22nd Century.” Independent Lens presents award-winning short films from its Online Shorts Festival in a special entitled “Short Stack 2006,” Fri 1/5 at 10PM. Visit www.wviz.org for additional information.
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Every week, all of us here at Cool Cleveland pour through gads of fantastic things happening in CLE and NEO, all in an effort to answer that ever-nagging question: "What's cool to do this week?" Submitted for your approval, here's a snapshot of what we found. Got a unique event coming up? Know of something that is a totally Cool Cleveland worthy event? We want to hear from you about it; our tens of thousands of readers do, too. Be a civic and cultural activist and turn on your fellow readers.
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
CC KIDS Polar Bear Days Other zoos are trying to get polar bears. But in Cleveland, whenever WNWV The Wave predicts the high temperature for the day to be 32 degrees or below, now through 1/31, our Zoo visitors receive half-price admission on that day. http://www.CleMetZoo.com.
CMA Panorama Film Series Catch the local premiere of some of the most promising new films of 2007. 49 Up, the latest in Michael Apted's ongoing documentary series that has charted the lives and aspirations of a group of British schoolchildren in seven-year intervals since they were seven, will be shown tonight, Wed 1/3 at 6:30PM. http://www.clevelandart.org/film.
Both Sides of the Family is a funny, touching, but not "heart-warming" series of vignettes and anecdotes about interfaith parenting, childhood and marriage. No-cost performances on Wed 1/3 at 8PM to Sun 1/7. Gallery 324 in The Galleria. http://www.charenton.org.
Porsche's on the Autobahn have built a massive following from their insanely high-energy concerts and Internet music videos during their 4 years in the United States. Check the group out on Wed 1/3 at Wilbert's.
Mummies - Preservation of the Dead The Egyptians perfected mummification through trial and error, but they didn't invent it. Take a glimpse into the ancient practice of preserving the dead within various cultures while exploring how heat/cold, desert/salt, and an oxygen-free environment were the keys to Egypt's success on Thu 1/4 at 7PM. Age 10+. Medina. http://www.medinacountyparks.com/Pages/Programs.html.
Is it Love? Do we make your heart pound a little faster every Wednesday morning, as you scroll through CC, looking for the absolute best things to do with your weekend? Show us the love and introduce us to your significant other(s). You will both be eligible to win a Video iPod compliments of Cool Cleveland. No purchase necessary. Enter often. The more friends you enter, the greater your chances of winning. Sign up by going here.
HOT Big Box Experience the thrilling self-expression of local artists through new works in drama, dance, poetry, performance art, etc. Be there on Fri 1/5 thru Sun 2/18. This week, 1/5-7, Clevelander Mike Geither's Living Tall, about a businessman trying to increase sales who ends up in Genoa in a funeral procession, mistaken for a lost relative. www.cptonline.org.
Adam Grochowski Grant, a Polish artist who was born in Warsaw, survived both Auschwitz and Mauthausen, settled in Toledo and has been exhibited from the Butler Institute of Art in Y-town to Krakow, will be discussed by his widow, Peggy Grant, this Fri 1/5 at 8PM at the Polish-American Cultural Center, 6501 Lansing Ave. http://www.PolishCenterOfCleveland.org
Games People Played Before computers, TVs, and video games, what games did people play? The folks who came before us liked to as much as we do. Come test your skills and luck with games from the past. The evening ends with a story around the campfire. A healthy, hearty buffet dinner will be served on Fri 1/5 at 6PM and followed by a ranger-led program. Call 330-657-2796 x100 or visit http://www.cvnpa.org to register in advance.
CC KIDS Splashing Away the Winter Cattail Carl and the Naturepiece Theatre puppets come to life singing and “splashing” away the winter blues with enough fun and excitement to fill everyone’s shoes on Fri 1/5 at 7PM. Enjoy original songs by Hank Mallery and puppets brought to life by Naturalist Mindy Murdock. Registration required. www.DayInTheValley.com.
Listing Tip of the Week Submit your cool events online. It's the latest craze. Everybody's doin' it. That really cool gallery across town; the super-snazzy restaurant across the street; and ALL of your competitors. Get the picture? Get up to speed on your submission etiquette here by scrolling down to Hints. Then submit your events online or email them to Events@CoolCleveland.com.
Home is Where the Hurt Is Ah, family. If we weren't related, we wouldn't know those crazy people. This original comedy sketch skewers the notion of the happy family. Hit Chi-town for this one on Fri 1/5 at 7:30PM or any Fri thru 2/9. Chicago. http://www.SecondCity.com.
Of Mice and Men Clinging to each other for support during one of the most challenging times in our nation's history, drifters George and his simple-minded friend Lennie dream of a place to call their own. One of the great classics of both literature and drama in American history. Show runs Fri 1/5 at 8PM thru Sun 1/28. www.ClevelandPlayHouse.com.
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WCLVnotes The Cleveland Orchestra begins its Miami residency at the Knight Concert Hall on Fri 1/19 and Sat 1/20 and WCLV 104.9 FM will be there to broadcast the Saturday night concert live to Cleveland and the nation (and to the world via the Internet). Music director Franz Wesler-Moest conducts the Orchestra, soloists and the Master Chorale of South Florida in a classical blockbuster - Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Choral." Also on the 8PM concert, Leonard Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony. And WCLV will also broadcast live the Orchestra's Miami concerts of Sat 1/27, at 7PM and Sat 3/17, at 8PM. Complete details on all of WCLV's programming can be found on-line at www.wclv.com. WCLV is a Cool Cleveland partner.
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HOT 52 Weeks 52 Works Opening reception and celebration of calendar supporting artistic community on Sat 1/6 from 6 - 9PM. After party at Mullens, next to gallery. The Pop Shop Gallery & Studio, 17020 Madison Ave., Lakewood. http://www.myspace.com/thepopshopgallery.
Get Intimate with Cool Cleveland Besides the content, Cool Cleveland readers like having their weekly news distributed through the intimacy of their inbox. And the proof is in the numbers: Tens of thousands of loyal subscribers and growing. Contact TL@CoolCleveland.com for info about advertising.
From the Tsars to the Stars is a 10-film retrospective of classic Soviet science fiction and fantasy films from seven decades. Series runs from Sat 1/6 at 7PM through Sat 1/27 at Cleveland Cinematheque.
Radiant Vista Inspirational Photography Weekend at Lakeland Comm College in Kirtland on Sat 1/6- Sun 1/7 with pros Craig Tanner & Mark Johnson teaching digital capture, digital darkroom, & Photoshop techniques. Register: http://www.RadiantVista.com/workshops/workshop33
CC KIDS 2007 High School Hockey Face-off Hockey action will heat up the ice when six of Cleveland's best high school hockey teams meet on Sun 1/7. Lake Catholic vs. North Olmsted at 1PM; Holy Name vs. Parma at 3:30PM; St. Edward and St. Ignatius to face each other at 6PM. www.TheQArena.com.
Sit, Stay, Forward . . . We double dog dare you to forward your favorite e-zine to several friends that you think would enjoy it while supporting the online newsletter that was recently awarded the "Excellence in Journalism" award from the Society of Professional Journalists.
Guy Bovet The world-renowned organist gives a complimentary performance on Sun 1/7 at 2:30PM at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, East 9th & Superior. Advance tickets required. www.ClevelandArt.org.
HOT Get to the Ponte Plexus is Cleveland's new LGBT chamber of commerce, and their Community & Allies Networking Event on Tue 1/9 from 6 - 8PM features notable Cleveland photographer Herb Ascherman, Jr. as speaker. http://www.ThinkPlexus.org.
Meet Jom Wolpaw who will discuss and show his 30-minute, Academy Award-nominated film, Keats and His Nightingale: A Blind Date, and 10 to 15 minutes of his documentary film on Emily Dickinson entitled Loaded Gun: Life, and Death, and Dickinson, on Tue 1/9 at 7PM. Bertram Woods Branch Library, 20600 Fayette Road, Shaker Hts.
CC KIDS Princess Wishes Tinker Bell guides you through the timeless tales of seven inspiring princesses whose dreams come true on Wed 1/10 at 7PM through Sun 1/21. www.TheQArena.com.
HOT Beehive The aisle ways are open for dancing during the revival of this 60s musical featuring six talented girls, a six-piece rockin' live band on stage, and 37 hit songs that defined an era in music. The show runs Wed 1/10 through 2/24. Get tix at http://www.CarouselDinnerTheatre.com.
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
Chad Treboniak and John "Shorty" Oldwine of FoxxyBeverages.com
Leave it to local short-order cook/former inmate John "Shorty" Oldwine and fellow Clevelander restaurateur Chad Treboniak to bring to market the ultimate in no-frills energy drinks, "Foxxy," the flagship of their recent beverage start-up, http://www.FoxxyBeverages.com.Cool Cleveland: Who is a typical Foxxy drinker? Urban youth?
John "Shorty" Oldwine: Basically it's from the streets and for the streets, you know what I’m saying? It can be urban, suburban, it’s for everyone.
I was a bit thrown off by the Tropical Fruit Punch meets Instant Coffee flavor at first, but it really is an "original prison drink" recipe, as the labeling suggests, isn’t it?
Yeah and for real, it’s the original energy drink before all that corporate stuff came out. A lot of people talked about [marketing it commercially] when they got out [of prison], but once you get out, you know, you get back with your friends and your family and all that went to the back of their minds...
Read the interview by Peter Chakerian here
Links to interesting NEO blogs
Brian Emerson reflects on 2006 and concludes that Cleveland isn't so bad after all. Link
Jill Miller Zimon looks at the future of Cleveland media. Link
Cee Jay visualizes a peaceful world where we "value increased leisure time for family, study, reflection, and creative pursuits." Link
Paula Tobias asks the citizens of Lorain to resolve to take back their city. Link
Valdis explains the differences between social and business networks. Link
Bobzilla reviews Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings @ The Beachland Ballroom. Link
Check the Cool Cleveland weblog here, where Peter Chakerian comments on the FDA's "ok" on cloned meat (one step closer to veggie starting today), the USA Today cover story featuring KSU's Shrinking Cities Institute, Frank Jackson's "job interview" w/ Feagler, the S&S memorial war protest and "Mr. 3000" and the "realities" of Ohio Brain Drain... and some other odd lots, sundries and housekeeping (no at-home dad jokes). When you're through, add your own comments, questions and attitude. Letters@CoolCleveland.com.
The Surprise of Being-Live At Birdland
Cleveland Jazz Orchestra with Joe Lovano & Judi Silvano
Cleveland is well-known for the variety of music and musicians it houses and shares with the rest of the world. One of our own came home the Saturday night before Christmas to celebrate the release of a CD made from a concert in New York that featured the home-town jazz band in performance at Birdland, the legendary jazz house in the Big Apple. Tenor sax whiz Joe Lovano actually played here at the Bop Stop with the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra last November. It was such a smash hit that they then went to New York for four nights in July. If you weren’t able to be at any of these events, not to worry. Just pick up the CD titled The Surprise of Being and you’ll have a great majority of the music right there in your hand. You’ll play it over and over and over again, marveling at the virtuosity and originality on display...
Read the review by Kelly Ferjutz here
Wanna get reviewed? Send your band's CD (less than 1 year old) to: Cool Cleveland, 14837 Detroit Avenue, #105, Lakewood, OH 44107
Hey Writers! Wanna write about Cleveland? If you're interested, send us a note at Letters@CoolCleveland.com. Tell us your story ideas, your hopes and dreams, deepest desires and secrets... er, hmmm... well, let's stick to the first two.
When the Cleveland Press Really Died
Ah, how we miss you.
Still.
The Cleveland Press, circa 1982.
The Press often had better street creds than the Plain Dealer did. It was more the working stiff’s paper, open a bit more to dissenting views.
This year will mark the 25th anniversary of the death – or murder – of the Cleveland Press. It left the Plain Dealer a newspaper monopoly. It deprived the PD of healthy competition...
Read RoldoLink here
Quick reviews of recent events
Going out this weekend? Take along your PDA and your digital camera. Scratch out a few notes to send us with a picture of it for our Instant Karma real-world reviews of what's really happening. We'd love to hear from you. Send your stuff to Events@CoolCleveland.com
Both Sides of the Family @ Charenton 12/28
What: Two interwoven monologues about people in interfaith Jewish-Christian marriages, featuring some powerhouse writing/performing by Maryann Elder Goldstein.
Reasons to go: It's the woman's story that has the most juice in this poignant piece, being given a workshop by Charenton Theatre. From going through her box of now-forbidden Christmas ornaments, to trying to crack the secrets of kosher cooking (the gefilte fish looks like "organs in a jar"), Goldstein is both funny and moving as the well-meaning Episcopalian girl trying to raise her flame-haired daughter as a Jew. The writing is piquant and not always politically-correct, which makes it an interesting journey.
Caveats: The piece would be stronger if there was more interaction between Goldstein and her fellow actor Jeffrey Grover, whose material isn't nearly as compelling.
Backstory: Charenton first performed in this pleasant downtown gallery during their run of Burn This. Now Artistic Director Jacqi Loewy and Gallery 324 owner Marcus Bales are exploring a longterm collaboration: building a permanent theater space here. Good call.
Details: Thru 1/7 @ 8 pm, Gallery 324, the Galleria, Cleveland. http://www.charenton.org
from Cool Cleveland contributor Linda Eisenstein linda@coolcleveland.com
Appliance Toss @ NPR Weekend America 12/30 & Live in Cleveland 12/31/06-01/01/07
"Dangerous and cleansing" said the promo pitch on "Weekend America." The story coming up that afternoon was on Cleveland’s own Appliance Toss (http://www.appliancetoss.com) held New Year’s Eve at a private residence on the "East Side of Cleveland." So far, from my first hand experience, the Toss hasn’t been dangerous, though it has been cleansing and fun. Show host Bill Radke read the email that tipped them off to the Toss. "‘You asked about New Year’s? Me and my friends throw appliances at midnight while listening to The Flight of the Valkyries.’ Actually that pretty much sums up what Marvin Richardson does for New Year’s Eve," said Radke.
True, the AT is a basic affair. Stay out from under falling appliances and chances are the New Year will be off to a good start.
The Toss started in the Hessler neighborhood in University Circle in 1986. According to Scott, who started the Toss, it happened because New Year’s was coming up and his friends and he, mostly 20-something then, had a lot dead appliances and a near-dead car sitting around. It served as a target vehicle. After over a decade in Hessler the Toss moved to the Collinwood neighborhood for a couple years. Now it is somewhere else.
Toss host Chris commented that the affair’s organizers, who by trade are technical repair people and a mechanic, "spend the year repairing stuff, then spend one night a year breaking things up!"
And it was a smashing time again at the 21st annual Toss! The resulting pile this year was especially high, including two large water heaters atop a crushed Toyota Corolla FX hatch back. In the quiet time before midnight women draped themselves across the hood of the target vehicle while their boyfriends and husbands took their pictures. A couple, who declined to be named, took romantic pictures of themselves from the side of the site. The before photo with the placid pre-Toss scene in the background and the after photo, with a scene of total destruction in the background. "The trick is for us to have the same look on our faces in each photo, as if nothing had happened," said the photographer.
Steve, from the West Side, used his cell phone to send the sound of the initial toss happening at midnight on to WCSB FM which simulcast the moment over the air. The first Toss is always to Richard Wagner’s rousting comeback hit, The Flight of the Valkyries, blasting from big speakers. "The young ones keep at it for a while," said Andy the mechanic who provides the target vehicles. Indeed, over the years, many parents have brought their teenagers to take a turn at beating on the rubble with vacuum cleaners and other debris and dump larger appliances over a second floor banister.
As NPR radio reporter Mhari Saito who visited the Toss site asked, "What happens to all the junk? It gets cleaned up and recycled. It’s a brand New Year!"
Find the 5-minute audio story here.
Review and foto from Cool Cleveland reader Oliver Broodno
First Night Akron 12/31/06
With balmy, drizzly weather bringing out the crowds, the 11th First Night Akron seemed to hit on all cylinders. From kids fireworks at 9PM (and the real thing at midnight) to strolling jesters, to make-and-take crafts everywhere, this is one event that is so super kid-friendly that they'll beg to return. And at $10 with kids under 9 comped, it's a lot cheaper than another trip to Orlando. But the beauty part is, parents are never at a loss, either, with the Akron Symphony at the renoavated Civic Theatre, authentic German culture at the Christkindlmarket, and major regional musical stars to keep everyone humming the same tune. The comp trolleys actually get used, hotels are steps away, churches become musical venues, storefronts sprout traditional holiday window displays, and everyone gets in on the act. Leveraging a compact Downtown with major institutions clustered within walkable proximity, and admirable cooperation between venues and institutions, the Akron community made a good case for the value of collaboration. We suggest every executive director of every major institution in Cleveland attend next year. Akron has a lesson for all of us. Click here for exclusive photos 
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Al Oberst responds to Roldo (See Roldo responds here) My new years resolution was to respond to Roldo's column. It is necessary and proper to set the record straight about Roldo's column going after me on my blaming labor for all of our problems in Ohio.. Clearly what I had in mind was the report done by Dr. Wilbur Thompson while he was at Cleveland State's Urban Studies College. His report "Comparative Position of the Cleveland Metropolitan Area Among 32 Largest Metropolitan Areas... Economic Development Paths"; the major cause of loss of jobs, was because of the labor management problems. Our Metropolitan Area was 31st worst out of these 32. Thus making it very difficult for a company to survive here or any new companies to want to be here. While I was the Economic Development Coordinator for Commissioners Boyle, Brown and Hagan, we did a bench mark study of nearly 2500 companies in Cuyahoga County. The results indicated that the companies needed help with union demands among other crucial areas. My New Years resolution is to get this region focused on coming back with more economic development/jobs. Rondo's column does not focus on solutions but, rather the blame. Dr. Mettler while Chairman of TRW set up a Labor Management association with the specific intent to try to get them to work together to save jobs in Northeast Ohio. Sad to say the program did not get much support from either labor or management. In order to save jobs in North East Ohio we must work on bringing a cooperative effort between labor and management for our survival. A perfect example of the lack of cooperation among the regions leaders was the strike at Goodyear. No one gains with these long strikes. I know, I worked at Jones and Laughlin Steel after their devastating strike in the late 1950s. A strike from which the steel industry never recovered. Lets all work together to save our region and stop trying to point the blame for its failures. Perhaps Cool Cleveland is the only facility to bring all people together on one web. http://community.webtv.net/KnuteOicp/GeneralsLafayette from Cool Cleveland reader Albert Oberst knuteoicpATwebtv.net
On Rocky Horror, CPT, and alternative theatre in Cle I'm sitting here in the middle of the night on a break at my job as an RN writing this and hoping it is the appropriate place to get this message to it's intended recipients. First, this is not a review of Cleveland Public Theater's production of The Rocky Horror Show (even though I enjoyed it immensely!). I can't review it...I'm too close to it. I played the role of the Narrator in CPT's original production 20 years ago, and it was one of the best experiences of my life! So no, this isn't a review, this is a love letter to an alternative theater. A thank you for taking me back two decades. A thank you to Alison Garrigan for being just the right Janet back then dammit!...and for being just the right Frank now! A thank you to Wendell McDowell for being a great Eddie then and a great Dr. Scott now! A thank you to the rest of the cast, crew and the director for coming up with such a wonderfully twisted Victor/Victoria vision for a show that was twisted to begin with! And a thank you to Jim Levin for allowing such insanity 20 years ago! Other obligations prevented me from staying after the show to say this in person, so I just wanted to let you all know! It made me miss performing so much, it got me thinking about investigating getting a voice demo done in the hope of maybe getting a little VO work just to give me an outlet for what was rekindled that night! Also, I don't want to forget a thank you to Cool Cleveland's own Tom Mulready, our mad drummer for the first production. CPT is the embodiment of cool Cleveland! from Cool Cleveland reader Dan McCord dam2AThotmail.com
Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com
Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 from last week's issue, with one more chance for you to click.
1) Glazen launches Outdoor Film Fest on Kelleys Island on a huge blow-up screen.
www.Cleveland.com
2) Party and play at The Corner Alley A brand-new entertainment concept combining hipster bowling alley vibes with a sleek martini bar.
www.TheCornerAlley.com
3) Clevelanders on Broadway Cleveland connections making waves in the Big Apple.
www.Cleveland.com
4) Interview Jef Etters & Mike Polk of Last Call Cleveland.
www.CoolCleveland.com
5) Traffic cameras neutered In the Top 5 for the 2nd week.
www.Cleveland.com
High Octane If there's one thing we hope for at Cool Cleveland every week, it's to provide you with some high octane alternatives. Shut down the motor, pull back the clutch and stay a while. Mad props to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, T.L. Champion, George Nemeth, Roldo Bartimole, Oliver Broodno, Linda Eisenstein and Kelly Ferjutz. 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 podcast each week at http://www.CoolCleveland.com. Click on the Cool Cleveland Blog here. Listen to Cool Cleveland on WCLV-FM 104.9 twice each Friday during drive time. Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com, and your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com. For your copy of the free weekly Cool Cleveland e-zine, go to http://www.CoolCleveland.com.
What you got going in the new year?
--Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com
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