Tech & Talk
In this week's issue:
* TechSync BizTech Profile Tech Czar Michael DeAloia
* TechSync BizTech Profile Jay Yoo of Koyono clothing
* TechSync BizTech Profile Doug O'Bryon of Kush Life
* Voices and Choices Profile Carolyn Lukensmeyer, founder/president of AmericaSpeaks
* Voices and Choices Profile Voices & Choices participant Silvia Hoffmanbeck
* Voices and Choices Profile David Abbott, executive director of the Gund Foundation
* Cool Cleveland People Eric Schulte and Holly Whisman of WCSB-FM
* Cool Cleveland Eats Matt Fish of Melt
* Cool Cleveland Sounds Beautiful Struggle from David St. Phillips
* Cool Cleveland Preview Covering History: Federal Art in Cleveland Revisited @ Beck
* Cool Cleveland Kids podcast click here, CC podcast click here, CC Blog click here
It's one of the baked-in myths of this region that we talk too much while doing precious little. But we're seeing some unprecedented collaborative community discussions forming around some of our most intractable problems. Below we feature movie interviews with tech CEOs who attended last week's TechSync CEO Forum, and key players and participants in Voices and Choices, the single largest community conversation ever, which convened over 900 citizens at Rhodes Arena in Akron last week. The arts and culture levy has a number (Issue 18), and a weekly strategy huddle starting this Friday. Plus a startlingly diverse range of sweet special events to keep your week interesting. Click on the movies, listen to your community, and do some talking yourself. Then let's get active, just in time for the upcoming November 7 election. –Thomas Mulready
Tech:Cleveland
BizTECH NEWS
BizTECH EVENTS
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Expose Yourself to forward-thinking ideas and global awareness at the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival on Fri 9/22 at 7PM. The evening kicks off with a reception featuring local land conservation organizations, grassroots preservation groups and other environmental nonprofits. Enjoy live music and organic food, beverages and beer. Then share the powerful messages of The Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival. Witness the struggle for environmental justice, an adventure on the world’s highest peaks, an educational tale about an endangered species, and more. Either way, you’ll be inspired to do more for the environment after attending! Reception 5:30PM. Hosted by the Nature League Committee. All proceeds benefit The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Tickets: $20 (Museum members receive a $5 discount). For more info contact www.CMNH.org or 231-4600.
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TechSync BizTech Profile
Michael DeAloia
Tech Czar
Movies Behind the Scenes
WATCH THE MOVIE Cleveland Tech Czar Michael DeAloia
TechSync BizTech Profile
Jay Yoo
Koyono clothing
Movies Behind the Scenes
WATCH THE MOVIE Koyono Founder & President Jay Yoo
TechSync BizTech Profile
Doug O'Bryon
Kush Life
Movies Behind the Scenes
WATCH THE MOVIE Doug O'Bryon of Kush Life
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The $10 Million Bet Which Cleveland medical innovation would you place a $10 million bet on? An artificial spinal disc? A new imaging technology to detect cancer? A new prescription drug plan company? A direct-to-consumer health care screening service? A medication cabinet and cart system? Or all of the above? Click here to see who won – and how investors decided to spend their money. Then learn more about these innovations.
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Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS
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Perhaps the Best Blues You've Ever Heard! Check out Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans at Fat Fish Blue on Fri 9/22 at 9:30PM. Inspired by Soul, Samba, Calypso, Son, Second Line, Rock-Steady and anything lilting, clacking or true, they are unyielding in their devotion to Afro-Cuban rhythms and 1940s jump music. And they incorporate contemporary influences such as hip hop and (reggae) toasting. Don't miss this show! We love them! Fat Fish Blue is located downtown on the corner of Prospect and Ontario. Five dollars at the door. For more info contact 216.875.6000 or www.FatFishBlue.com.
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Cool Cleveland NewsLINKS
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Countdown to Issue 18 The kick-off meeting for Issue 18 was a great success with over 100 people in attendance, representing over 35 arts organizations. But we want to include all of the arts and culture community (large and small) and would like to see more organizations involved, so please join us at our next meeting. Please RSVP for our upcoming Campaign Committee meeting this Fri 9/22 at 8:30AM in the Cleveland Play House (8500 Euclid Ave.), Rehearsal Room C. With 47 days left there is no time to lose. We need your support and your help! Please RSVP to Erin Kaminski at ekaminski05@gmail.com or 216-479-0555. Thank you for your continued and enthusiastic support! The Issue 18 Team, www.Issue18.org.
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Cool Cleveland This Week
9.20-9.27
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
THU
FRI
SAT
SUN
MON
WED
Send your cool events to: Events@CoolCleveland.com
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Beethoven: Caught Red-Handed on Sun 10/8 at 3PM with his masterful Seventh Symphony revealed in an explosion of unusual percussion filtered through the vision of John Cage’s Credo in Us during the remarkable first half. Then we follow with the twentieth century orchestral showpiece Fantasia on an Ostinato by John Corigliano (The Red Violin), which explores the famous theme from the second movement of Beethoven’s symphony. Then the real thing: Ludwig's original. For more info and good tickets while they last, contact www.RedAnOrchestra.org or 216-361-1733. Tickets start at $15. Concert held in the Masonic Auditorium, Euclid and E. 36th, downtown.
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Voices and Choices Profile
Carolyn Lukensmeyer
AmericaSpeaks founder & president
Movies Behind the Scenes
WATCH THE MOVIE
Voices and Choices Profile
Silvia Hoffmanbeck
Voices and Choices participant
Movies Behind the Scenes
WATCH THE MOVIE Voices and Choices participant Silvia Hoffmanbeck
Voices and Choices Profile
Dave Abbott
George Gund Foundation executive director
Movies Behind the Scenes
WATCH THE MOVIE
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Experience the Energy of the Cleveland Institute of Music! CIM offers hundreds of exciting concerts throughout the year, most free of charge, from talented students, acclaimed guest artists and an unsurpassed faculty, including 38 members of The Cleveland Orchestra. Don’t miss Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin in a special benefit performance with the CIM Orchestra on Sat 1/20 at Severance Hall. For tickets call 216-231-1111. Celebrate the completion of the first phase of the CIM expansion Fri 10/13 and Sat 10/14 with the dedication of the Fred A. Lennon Education Building, a state-of-the-art facility for Distance Learning, Audio Recording, Electronic Music Production and more. Be inspired by the next generation of classical musicians. For a free concert guide to the season call 216.791.5000 or visit www.cim.edu.
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Cool Cleveland People
Eric Schulte and Holly Whisman, WCSB-FM
Celebrating 30 years of Cleveland State University's Real Alternative
CC: 30 years on the air is a long time for a college station, what’s the secret to WCSB’s longevity?
ES: I think WCSB has a very laid-back (feel), very – even our ethnic programming – kind of punk rocking, do-it-yourself ethic. I think you can go very far if you have that kind of home-down, DIY, salt-of-the-earth kind of ethic, there’s really nothing to stop you.
HW: Plus we’re an independent, student-run station rather than being run by a university’s (communications) department. We make our own decisions, and our own rules. We write our constitution and our job descriptions...
The WCSB 30th anniversary bash will take place Saturday, September 23 at the Beachland Ballroom. Doors open to the public at 9 PM and music will begin at 9:30. For more information visit http://www.wcsb.org or http://www.beachlandballroom.com
Read the interview by Leslie Basalla here
Cool Cleveland Eats
Grilled Cheese Redux with Matt Fish of Melt Bar & Grilled
Cool Cleveland: So why do you like cheese so much? I'm a cheesehead myself, and my best friend and I, we're so excited (about your restaurant). I'm like, "Oh my God! We're gonna live there!" I mean, we could eat cheese morning, noon and night and be very happy with it.
Matt Fish: My three favorite things are bread, cheese and beer. They've always been--well, not beer as much when I was a kid, obviously--but it's always been my fallback, it's always been something that's like, no matter where you are in the world. You can always find bread and cheese. You always can, and they're always pretty prevalent, and they're always different varieties. I've been playing in bands for years, and we did a lot of touring, and bread and cheese were always a main staple, breakfast, lunch and dinner...
Read the interview by Dana Aritonovich here
Cool Cleveland Sounds
Beautiful Struggle
David St. Phillips
JUMBO Records
A warm and engaging antidote for 21st century hustle and bustle, Beautiful Struggle is pure St. Phillips. He plays nearly all the instruments on Beautiful Struggle and handles all of the vocal tracks. He goes for the picturesque when vocalizing the characters he sings about. You get the feeling he knows these people and situations intimately.
Beautiful Struggle is filled with joy, disbelief and pain, and for his part St. Phillips coaxes out a sense of honesty not always found even in veteran musicians. Music is his second life's calling--the Bay Village native is a film/video producer and television reporter by trade-- but he tackles the guitar and his compelling songs with the kind of authentic gumption that AM Gold fans love.
Highlights from this release include "Jonathan's Favorite Room," a Cat Stevens-like travelogue called "Mercy Bound" and a bluesy "Night Vision," which features guitarist Michael Seeholzer adding some electric guitar licks. Nick Koesters engineered and co-produced the disc and it's a dandy, especially if you prefer your music neither shaken nor stirred. But in the end, this kind of music thrives in a live setting.
For more information, visit St. Phillips at http://davidstphillips.com/ and at http://www.myspace.com/davidstphillips.
From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com
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Smart Seats = $10 Tickets to Playhouse Square! Over 22,000 Smart Seats are now available for only 10 bucks each! Stock up on tickets with thousands of seats now available to see Broadway Shows, Comedies, Dance performances, Plays, Family Shows, Concerts and much more! Here’s your chance to sample a variety of performing arts, so take a chance . . . see something new . . . and leave Playhouse Square smarter for the experience. Get smart entertainment at a smart price with Smart Seats by visiting www.PlayhouseSquare.org/SmartSeats often, as new shows will be added throughout the year. These tickets will sell fast, so get yours today! Check out the exciting 2006-2007 Playhouse Square season, visit www.PlayhouseSquare.org or call 216-241-6000.
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Cool Cleveland Preview
Covering History: Federal Art in Cleveland Revisited
Artists looking for reprieve from desperation and gainful employment found themselves applying for the WPA (“New Deal”) Federal Art Project work. By 1936, some 75 artists were hired by the FAP to produce murals, historical maps, paintings, sculptures and other works in an old factory building. Some say the work done in Cleveland signaled a major transition in art production, ushering in an era of commercial art and industrial design.
Many of these works are a part of an in-depth exploration of Depression-era federal art presented by The Cleveland Artists Foundation. Organized, curated and cataloged by CAF Executive Director Sharon Dean, Ph.D., Covering History: Federal Art in Cleveland Revisited showcases Northeast Ohio as a nationally important epicenter for WPA art. CAF worked in partnership with key arts and educational institutions, including Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, the Library of Congress and the Cleveland Public Library.
Covering History: Federal Art in Cleveland Revisited opened on September 8, and runs through November 25 in the foundation’s gallery at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood. It features Ernest Bohn's WPA poster collection (Case) and the Jeliffe collection of African American WPA art (CSU). For more information on the exhibition, log on to the CAF online at: http://www.clevelandartists.org
From Cool Cleveland Managing Editor Peter Chakerian peterATcoolcleveland.com
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Can we Live without the Arts? Wouldn't life be drab, boring, unchallenging and unrewarding? Help the arts in our region thrive by voting for Issue 18, a non-property tax that will allow our great art institutions (large and small) to live on, and help spread the news before the election on Tues 11/7 in the following ways: Communicate by writing a letter to your local paper. The News and Media section of the website www.Issue18.org shows you how. It takes minutes and getting it in print means thousands of people will see it! Be sure to send us a copy at info@Issue18.org. Participate by signing up on our homepage to volunteer at an event, make phone calls or distribute literature. Donate by clicking "Contribute" on our homepage, helping Issue 18 reach out to thousands of voters in Cuyahoga County. Only 47 days left!
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RoldoLINK
Lose & Lose, Not “Learn & Earn”
By Roldo Bartimole
You can fool some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time.
Or
There is a sucker born every minute and someone to take him.
The Jacobs and Ratner Families believe in the second wise adage and they are ready to fulfill the role of the taker. I am hoping the first adage will win this time.
Jacobs and Ratner (and do not forget old Sammy Miller) have been taking this city to the cleaners for decades.
They float on the gifts given them by politicians that they keep afloat, including apparently the latest Cleveland mayor, Frank Jackson. Jackson this week took a “gamble,” as the Plain Dealer quaintly put it, blessing this smelly deal to be controlled by Jacobs and Ratner exclusively.
The proponents are so cynical about it that they label their latest money grab “Learn and Earn.” It has little to do with learning but a lot to do with earning by special interests.
This shell game means profits in the hundred of millions of dollars for the two families and racetrack owners.
Read RoldoLINK here
Instant Karma
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
Discovery Tour @ Playhouse Square 9/15
WATCH THE MOVIE
Porgy & Bess @ Beck Center 9/16 How does Scott Spence do it? The perennially under-funded, mis-managed and under-marketed Beck Center has recently stirred up a tempest of their own making by announcing that they are considering leaving Lakewood for a better offer at Westlake's Crocker Park. But through it all, artistic director Spence continues to put on some of the city's most exciting, professional and relevant stage productions. His Porgy and Bess showcases a powerful 30-strong African-American cast, making Lakewood look like Karamu House West, while never flinching from the Gershwins' intense mileu of casual sex, drug dealing, pimping and neighborhood disintegration. The trio of William Clarence Marshall (Porgy), Dion Parker Bennett (Bess) and Brian Keith Johnson (Crown) blow the roof off with their stentorian pipes, begging the question: if the West Side is so interested in holding on to the Beck Center, why are the same couple hundred 65+ seniors huddled in the seats of the 465-seat Mackey Main Stage? Use it or lose it, Lakewood. http://www.BeckCenter.org
Michael Feinstein and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra @ Allen Theater 9/15 The fall cell-phone concert season is now officially underway. Along about the third line of Michael Feinstein’s opening song the first counter-melody telephone ring was heard in the audience. It was too much to hope for, I guess, that this perfectly splendid benefit performance would not be interrupted by such a rude and inappropriate sound.
Nevertheless, this was a match made in music heaven—Feinstein and the CJO. Spectacular music, spectacularly played—this was a show for adults. It was a trip through America’s songbook of the 20th century, with words—real words—so clearly sung that each syllable of each word could be clearly understood. What pure joy!
Feinstein’s warm baritone winds it way sinuously around the melodies making each syllable understandable, although occasionally he ventures into tenor or falsetto range. Regardless, each song is invested with clarity and longing. He claims he does sing new songs (indeed he did do one) they just sound old when he sings them. But they’re not old—they’re ageless and very adult.
The CJO opened with "I Love a Piano" that segued into a bit of Gershwin before Feinstein appeared to sing the first piece, "Moondance." A tribute to the recently-deceased Maynard Ferguson followed with "The Very Thought of You" which led to a high energy version of "Hooray for Hollywood" plus "The More I See You" and "I’m Gonna Love You Like Nobody’s Loved You"--the latter in a slightly down and dirty, yet truly gorgeous rendition!
Leaning on the piano in the very essence of nonchalance, Feinstein sang "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else," followed by "How do You Keep the Music Playing?" (the newest song of the evening) and Duke Ellington’s "Take Love Easy" (oh, yeah!) and finished the first half sort of as it had begun with "I Love a Piano." Except that this version was really a sultry love song to the shiny black Steinway! Or, presumably, on another stage, whatever piano happened to be there.
The second half of this very unforgettable evening opened with "I Never Knew I Could Love Anybody Like I’m Lovin’ You," which led to a jungle-drum influenced and very short medley. A wistful "When I Fall in Love" and "My Foolish Heart" followed, in which Feinstein simply sat on a stool and crooned the wonderful and meaning-filled lyrics, with easy key-changing modulations here and there.
Next came "At Long Last Love"; "Time After Time" (with reminiscences of Sinatra); "Too Marvelous for Words" (with extra and luscious, original lyrics by Johnny Mercer re-inserted!) and "As Long as She Needs Me" in a powerful version highlighted by a terrific sax solo.
A Gershwin request fest followed (with one patron being laughingly banished for requesting a Rodgers and Hart tune!). "They Can’t Take That Away From Me"; "He Loves, and She Loves"; "Embrace Me"; "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "Our Love is Here To Stay" brought the formal portion to a close. Even the band clapped vigorously! After a rousing "Great Balls of Fire!" in which Feinstein showed he can honky-tonk with the best of 'em, and a short comedic stint as Jackie Mason, the music went back to the old standard, "S’Wonderful." And it was.
In addition to the musicians of the CJO (who were not listed in the program, so I can’t give credit where it is overwhelmingly due) Feinstein brought along two long-time collaborators, a percussionist and the multi-talented and versatile pianist/conductor/arranger, John Oddo.
You should not ever pass up a chance to hear this classic American entertainer. The audience of mostly older adults clearly reveled in hearing the songs of their younger days; arms went around companions, and lots of hands were being held. A good bit of foot-tapping went on, too. The Big Band swing sound and great American songs. Who could ask for anything more?
This Feinstein/CJO collaboration was a benefit for the Solon Center for the Arts (http://www.solonarts.org), and was produced by Jeffrey Mannies and SRO Entertainment. Visit the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra at http://www.clevelandjazz.org. Visit SRO at http://www.sroentertainment.biz, or call 227-8857 for more information on the upcoming SRO schedule. From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz ArtsWriterATadelphia.net
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum@ Great Lakes Theater Festival 9/16 What fun, indeed! It’s so neat when a play—which was written with joy and wit—then receives a production that finds every smidgen of loopiness in the script and carries that to the very edge of zaniness without ever going completely berserk! Such is the treat in store for audiences with the current presentation of the Great Lakes Theater Festival, playing in rep through October 21 at the Ohio Theatre of Playhouse Square Center. The book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart with music and lyrics by Steven Sondheim are as fresh as this morning’s sunshine.
Done in lavish, warm and cartoon-y colors (set designed by Jeff Herrmann with costumes by Nicole Frachiseur) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum bubbles along, giving the impression that it’s proceeding much faster than it really is, and every moment is immensely enjoyable. There’s never a dull one anywhere making for absolutely must-see theater!
Set in 200 B.C. Rome, there are more than enough goofy characters to populate several plays, ranging from lost heirs to courtesans for sale or rent to slaves wanting to be free (maybe) to the ever-present bawdiness of a vaudeville show. It all blends together marvelously under the direction of Victoria Bussert with the assistance of choreographer Janet Louer. Wait until you see the entire cast lined up across the stage, doing a vigorous kick line! The five piece band directed by John Jay Espino is especially effective. (Listen for the sounds of a bass accordian—groovy!) Lighting by Rick Martin and Sound by Stan Kozak enhance without being obtrusive.
The acting--and the singing!--is superb throughout. Actually, the actors aren’t exactly acting—they just simply become the characters they portray, thus rendering them SO believable! When they burst into song, it seems perfectly reasonable for them to do so! Tom Ford as Pseudolus is marvelous as the master of ceremonies (so to speak) who guides us through the hilarious perils of ancient Rome. Although he’s a slave, belonging to Senex (Aled Davies) and Domina (Laura Perrotta) he wants to be free, and his actions are all undertaken with that intent in mind. Roadblocks are continually thrown in his way by—among others—handsome young Hero (Matt Lillo), the son of the house who falls in love with the beautiful ‘blonde’ Philia of Kate Rockwell, who sort of channels Marilyn Monroe but has a much better voice.
Unhappily, Philia belongs to Marcus Lycus (Lynn Robert Berg) who has sold her to the warrior Miles Gloriosis (in a deliciously bigger-than-life performance by Scott Plate). Heaven protect us from a pairing of these absolutely gorgeous air-heads! There is also another slave, Hysterium (Jeffrey C. Hawkins) who is indeed hysterical, especially while in drag, and the doddering Erronius (Dudley Swetland) doing laps around the seven hills of Rome while seeking his two long-lost children who were stolen as children by PIRATES!!!
In the minor roles of courtesans and various clowns Julie McKay, Julie Evan Smith, Katie Greiner, Laura Welsh, David Anthony Smith, Wilson Bridges, Dougfred Miller and M. A. Taylor sparkle, adding grace and humor to their antics.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum runs in repertory through October 21, with Love’s Labour’s Lost, which opens on September 29. For tickets to either of these productions or for other information, visit the web-site: http://www.greatlakestheater.org or call (216) 241-6000. From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz ArtsWriterATadelphia.net
Yr Turn
Cool Cleveland readers write
We encourage our readers to speak out by sending us letters and commentary. Send your letters to Letters@CoolCleveland.com. You must include your full name (required) and you may include your e-mail address (optional). You may also create a new Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail e-mail address and submit it with your letter. Letters submitted to Cool Cleveland, or edited portions, may be published in an upcoming issue of Cool Cleveland at our discretion.
Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com
On the arts levy (See No! To Cigarette Tax For Arts here) Roldo Bartimole, in his recent column “No! To Cigarette Tax for Arts,” has offered nothing more than a straw man wrapped in the shroud of class warfare.
Mr. Bartimole has cast Issue 18 (the Arts and Culture Initiative’s new designation) as an attempt by righteous arts executives, foundation leaders, politicians and lawyers (read, the elites!) to pick on working class smokers, their families and, he emphasizes, their children. He cites the six-figure salaries of individuals working for passage of Issue 18 as evidence of the great class divide between those who will be helped by passage of Issue 18 and those who will be hurt.
Mr. Bartimole also suggests that the major arts organizations, supported by the elites, are so flush with cash that any extra funding is unnecessary. Again, Bartimole seems obsessed with salaries, publishing the pay of Playhouse Square’s president, Art Falco, and the Cleveland Orchestra’s music director, Franz Welser-Most. Based on his infatuation with salaries, Mr. Bartimole seems to imply that, if only board members and executives of arts organizations would take less pay, there would be no need for extra funding. This implication is ridiculous and distracts voters from the true issue.
Even accepting Mr. Bartimole’s implication (since he makes no real argument) that Issue 18 is an attempt by the elites to squeeze the working class, Mr. Bartimole gets it wrong. The tax is on cigarette smokers period. This includes both poor smokers and smokers who earn well over six figures. As applied, it is a classless tax purely based upon consumption.
It is certainly true that increases in consumption taxes generally affect the poor more so than the wealthy, simply because the poor have less disposable income. It is, however, also a fact that, because of the increased costs for cigarettes, the poor are more inclined to quit smoking. This would presumably result in an individual net gain, especially when a pack of cigarettes is running north of $5 per pack. If a smoker was smoking a pack a day, this extra $140 per month, could be used, among other things, to buy school supplies and clothes, to cover preventive auto maintenance, or to purchase catastrophic health insurance. Few would argue that these types of purchases, as opposed to cigarettes, would not result in a net economic gain to the individual, the city, the county, and the region.
Mr. Bartimole simplistically figures that the cost to consumers of Issue 18 will be $20 million per year for 10 years, end of story. In fact, this is the amount of projected revenue dedicated to arts funding should Issue 18 pass. This, of course, pales to the true cost to consumers of tobacco use and its attendant effects on health. Medical care and lost productivity related to cigarette smoking alone exact a cost of billions on Ohio consumers.
The real issue, and the one the Mr. Bartimole does not address, is whether arts and culture should receive public funding. Eric Fingerhut, in his column accompanying Mr. Bartimole’s, lays out a detailed case for why it should. Suffice it to say, the arts and culture sector, among other positives, generates over a billion dollars in annual economic activity and contributes to improved education for children at all grade levels. From an economic and human development standpoint, support for arts and culture is a no brainer.
If one accepts that funding for arts and culture increases public welfare and thus should be the recipient of public support, the question then becomes who or what should be taxed to raise the revenue to support such funding. I agree that it is a shame that so much development these days (think stadiums and convention centers) is financed by sin taxes. On the other hand, if the “sin” is degrading the public welfare, isn’t it natural to tax it into oblivion (since we will all gain by its absence), especially when increases in other taxes -- property, income or otherwise – appear to be completely off the table.
Mr. Bartimole appears to avoid these bigger questions related to arts funding, choosing instead to erect a straw man of class conflict in which to attack. This obscures the issue to the point where he might just as well have blurred Issue 18 into the War on Terror, the culture wars, and any number of other inarguable constructs being floated these days. Let’s be intellectually honest, Mr. Bartimole, Issue 18 is about ALL of us.
from Cool Cleveland reader Jeffrey Hartwig jeffrey.hartwigATthompsonhine.com
On Cool Cleveland I have a confession to make. When we met yesterday [at the TechSync CEO Forum], at first I didn't like you. The outfit; the edgy hip glasses; I did something I rarely do and made an immediate judgement - effectively 'typecasting' you in a negative category. I'm glad I kept this assessment to myself, because BOY was I wrong. After a we had a chance to talk some more, and after observing you engage other people, my perception has made a 180 degree turnaround, and now I'm a fan. Heck, I even signed up on your website this morning, to be profile number 30,001 on your email database list (take that Cranes!). In retrospect, you're a lot like me. You're a builder. Four years ago, you set out to be a positive influence and presence on the Cleveland scene - showcasing the people and events that make Cleveland cool. No big budget, no reality TV crew, just a guy with a camera that wanted to bring people together and focus on the "half-full" part of the Cleveland glass (versus the "half empty" part that many others prefer to focus on). Through diligence and organic growth and viral marketing and word of mouth and persistence and being involved, you've built a portal for showcasing the unique people and events in Cleveland.
Although new to Cleveland, I share your optimism and vision. As I mentioned yesterday, my family and I moved to the Cleveland area (Strongsville) last Thanksgiving for the specific purpose of launching the Kush. With close proximity and access to an international airport, railroads, robust highway infrastructure, manufacturing and fabrication facilities, low real estate costs, low housing and low overall cost of living, minimal traffic, and great schools and medical facilities, it met all of my criteria. Since I've been here, however, I've been fed a steady diet of 'doom and gloom' from the major media, TV, and the Plain Dealer about the 'brain drain' and layoffs and the depressed economy, etc.. Coming from the DC area, I wish people around here could see how good they have it!
When I pitched the Kush idea to Mike the Tech Czar in August, here's what I wrote:
"What Cleveland needs right now is an IDEA. A new, fresh, original idea that can capture the imagination of a diverse group of stakeholders and galvanize their efforts towards a common goal. A vision, not of what Cleveland was, but of what it can become. An IDEA to rally around that cuts across all of the divisiveness and pettiness and bring attention to all of the attributes of this great city. This IDEA would have to be unique. It would have affirm and direct our brand as a city. It should recast Cleveland as the flourishing knowledge-based community that it is becoming. A city embracing both the Information age and the changing employment landscape by equipping students and the workforce with the skills to compete in a worldwide economy. Ideally, this IDEA should have purpose, and solve a great and universal problem effectively and elegantly. And, because this is America, it should be cool, hip, and sexy, immersed in high-design, high-style, and high-fashion, and with a breathtaking, high-tech swagger. The good news is – I have that idea. That idea that could be a catalyst, a tipping point, for the city.
I believe Cleveland has a great story to tell and my hope is that we can collectively leverage the Kush to architect a success story that will benefit the many stakeholders in this city. Because I am new this region and this product is also new, we literally have a blank slate to do this thing right. No turf, no baggage, no politics. We have the rare opportunity to transcend historical boundaries between business and government and craft a ‘big tent’ vision and WIN for Cleveland, the surrounding communities, and finally us."
To make the Kush work, it's going to "Take a Village." My goal is to bring together as many 'hot coals' as possible and let them all benefit from the Kush success. From the Cleveland Institute of Art to manufacturers to website developers to government to students to the investment community to designers and fabricators to the Incubator to real estate to Downtown to the new CyberCafe I want to build populated with this product, the "Kleveland Kush" provides a unique opportunity for many to benefit by aligning with this new project.
As I like to say, "A Great Lake deserves a Great City. And a Great City deserves a Great Product." I've enclosed a brief summary of the Kush Launch Plan. Everything is in place - all we need is an influx of capital to make this real, and we could have this in stores by Christmas. If you know anyone in the investment community looking to participate in the coolest product launch since the iPod, feel free to forward this summary.
Thanks again for what you're doing for Cleveland, and I look forward to staying in touch.
from Cool Cleveland reader Douglas J. O'Bryon, Kush Life dougobryonATjuno.com
Send your letters to: Letters@CoolCleveland.com
Top 5
Most clicked
Here are the Top 5 from last week's issue, with one more chance for you to click.
1) Don't pay for 411 calls Avoid those two dollar 411 calls for information.
www.Snopes.com.
2) Cleveland Clothing Co. Handmade apparel designed for Clevelanders, visitors and ex-pats that reflects our sassy and slightly rebellious style.
http://www.cccapparel.com.
3) Cool Cleveland Preview Lisa Nemeth of the Sparx Gallery Hop.
www.CoolCleveland.com.
4) Cleveland as magnet for filmmakers Hyacinth Lofts featured prominently in an article by former Free Times editor now real estate columnist Lisa Chamberlain.
www.NYTimes.com.
5) Cool Cleveland People Thomas Mulready videotapes a conversation with filmmaker Robert Banks during his 40th birthday party.
www.CoolCleveland.com.
Grab your popcorn because our Desktop Cineplex and bigtime CLE action has been held over for a second week by popular demand. No gratuitious explosions or Hollywood trickery, just more amazing Clevelanders--past, present and future--courtesy of your friendly, neighborhood Hard Corps. Big hurrahs and hizzahs to Peter Chakerian, Roxanne Ravenel, TL Champion, George Nemeth, Leslie Basalla, Dana Aritonovich, Roldo Bartimole, Kelly Ferjutz 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. Read the Cool Cleveland column each month in Cleveland Magazine 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.
Turning talk into action...
--Thomas Mulready
Letters@CoolCleveland.com
all contents ©2006 MulreadyGROUP all rights reserved
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