While the old Tulane University nick-name, "Green Wave", does not bring to mind a good impression for the hurricane-ravaged region of New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA), the term they now brandish moving forward is perfect - "New Wave" - and new wave the institution has become, and all forces their leaders can muster are now directed at rebuilding every aspect of their community, spanning several states of the Gulf South and addressing every imaginable physical and social challenge.

I receive daily updates from Tulane on their progress and am usually so impressed I feel the need to share insight from there, up here in North East Ohio (NEO), as we attempt a less demanding but as important restructuring of NEO from post-industrial toxic failure to a healthy "New Economy". The first positive outcomes of this sharing has been Case University trustees tapping of the leader of Tulane, President Cowen,  and other global university leaders to assist with the rebuilding of Case, which recently lost its leadership in a faculty-led revolution proving no-confidence. There are many other opportunities for success in NEO by implementing processes and models from NOLA, and I'll share one below we may implement immediately for significant change in a very short term.

 I was sad to learn that the Fulton Street Bar and Grill was closing this Spring, as that was an Ohio City institution and great place to stop for a drink or meal in one of my favorite neighborhoods.. within a few blocks offering great locally owned, high quality dining options, from landmarks Johnny Mangos, Hecks, Great Lakes, and Parker's to relative newcomer Le Oui Oui Cafe. But as a destination and neighborhood, Ohio City can benefit from as much great culinary density as possible, and the loss of the Fulton seemed tragic. But what's new in this oldest part of town is definitely NEO and Ohio City's gain, as the fantastic "modern.mex" joint Momocho (slang for small boy, named in love of the chef/owner's son) is unique to the region and will be a major draw that is already attracting crowds in on the buzz. Momocho also comes in through a very friendly transition - the owner bought the restaurant from the owners of the Fulton, and one Fulton owner John McDonnell is well managing Momocho for the new chef/owner Eric Williams, who is busy in the kitchen making the food... well, hot!

Ode to Joy

John James,14
Refused to serve his conscience up
to indict an innocent man
handcuffed to chair; they tacked his penis
to the table
with a six inch nail
and left him there

to drip
to death
3 days later

Risking death; an act insignificant
in the face of this child’s courage
we sang:

Oje wai wai,
Moje oje wai, wai.

I heard today an interview with Chris Abani, of Nigeria, a poet, writer and activist who was imprisoned many times in Nigeria, and placed on death row, for his art and activism. He spoke of "illiterate soldiers with guns" and the struggles of his people in Nigeria and in other global conflicts around the world, including involving America, and I realized how little I pay attention to poetry and how much is offered to my mind therethrough, so I will begin adding "Poet of the day" to the "of the day" series on realneo... and the first will honor Chris Abani, from a struggling nation of which I have friends. Feel free to add favorite poems and poets as comments as you please.

No recognition of the arts as important to the world, much less Cleveland, may overlook Derek Hess, who first was widely known for powerful, angst-filled figurative music posters promoting shows he was then booking at the old Euclid Tavern, which became a fine art business for Derek, which allowed him to grow his global impact to a level few artists in Cleveland have ever achieved, all while staying in and investing in Cleveland, organizing the Strhess Tour, and Strhess Clothing, and making Gallery 1300 happen and happening (opening there this Friday, July 14th). Read more about Derek below, visit the links, and if you are smart buy some of his work while you still may.

I spent the past weekend in Chicago -- a city that is in many ways a more fun place to be than Cleveland. One of the reasons why: public art like this! Most people who know it just call it "THE BEAN" but this sculpture is actually titled CLOUD GATE (a much more elegant name). CLOUD GATE is located in Millennium Park, a beautiful formal garden along Michigan Avenue completed a few years late for the celebrations of 2000. On a July Sunday around noon the park was filled with 100s of people out enjoying the warm sunny weather and at least 100 or more of them were constantly gathered around "THE BEAN"staring with wonder . Not surprising at all because this sculpture is absolutely amazing! One of the best things about  CLOUD GATE is how people interact with it. Just walk too close and suddenly you become part of the sculpture. Once you see your reflection you are hooked! Go inside, stand under the arch and look up -- wow! Meer words can't describe the experience! More photos and insight here...

As an economist, I've always been fascinated by the wealth of value our foundations provide this region, including funding arts and culture, supporting innovation in education, catalyzing the economy and leading government transformation, and most remarkably forming The Fund For Our Economic Future and funding global change leaders America Speaks to lead the Voices and Choices collaboration now poised to revolutionize our regional insight and economic development. As an open source economic developer for the region, I've had significant opportunity to work on many projects funded by local foundations that are truly transformational, including Voices and Choices, so I feel I must speak up in complete support for this initiative of America Speaks.

Voices and Choices is a groundbreaking initiative of the Fund for Our Economic Future to develop a far-reaching, comprehensive regional dialog for setting a course for our region's future that will produce more jobs and create better economic opportunities for our families and businesses. Voices & Choices is also educating hundreds of thousands of people about the realities facing the regional economy.

If you have the opportunity to rebuild your city from scratch, what will be your priorities - what are the priorities of your neighborhood and neighbors? Well, in New Orleans they don't have any choice about rebuilding their city, so a diverse collaboration of planners and community leaders are using sophisticated tools and methods to make certain their neighborhoods of the future are as desirable and successful as possible... read the report summary and link in below. Note, while this is part of multi-Gulf-State regional planning, which must focus on the big picture, the study here looks are resident preferences by neighborhood and even ethnicity, so it is very granular at the microeconomic level in NOLA, and so entirely applicable to NEO. I strongly believe doing the same exercise here would offer immense value, not just in Cleveland but in every neighborhood of the region... just take the exact same method and tools as used in NOLA, work with the same team at Tulane on analyses, and we'll quickly have some real micro-community development benchmarks and targets for rebuilding our region, with concensus, from the ground up

Residents rank low crime, good street lighting as rebuilding priorities.

Low crime, good street lighting, absence of litter, walkable sidewalks/crosswalks, neighborhood grocery stores, playgrounds, affordable housing and good schools are the top priorities of New Orleans residents as they rebuild or decide whether to rebuild in the post-Katrina world, according to a survey released this week by The Prevention Research Center at Tulane University. "Low crime is a priority across the city," says Tom Farley, director of the center and chair of the department of community health sciences at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. "Crime can be prevented with smart environmental planning, such as well-lit streets. We hope this data will result in rebuilding plans that address concerns about crime and safety."

Hear the sound of 1,000 Drums. Listen to live jazz, hip-hop, folk, techno, classical, rock, polka, & more. Experience opera, theater, ballet, step dancing, breakdancing, contemporary dance & more. Enjoy exhibits, concerts, poetry slams, stilt walkers, jugglers, parades, food, flowers, & activities for kids, all transformed by technology. That’s Ingenuity 2006 & it’s happening this July in The Festival Village at Prospect Ave. & East 4th St. Seize the dates, at the Ingenuity Festival website and in this book, as the festival comes alive.

Opening Ceremonies

Ingenuity 06 will launch with a spectacular Symphony for 1000 Drums on Public Square at 5:00 pm. This Symphony, composed and conducted by internationally acclaimed Halim El-Dabh will feature drums from a rainbow of cultures and ethnicities, as well as individual drummers known in the rock and jazz communities. The goal? As Halim, puts it: “The world is filled with conflict and stress. We need to create a vibration that will change the balance to health and joy." The Symphony will be followed by the all county marching band's parade to the Mainstage. You can’t miss this! Please click here for more details.

Location

 With the Ingenuity Fest coming up, I thought we could warm up with this easy to understand video dance by Mimi Garrard. We'll head into the more obsure later.

While looking for song of the day Lyrics from Cleveland's greatest, Pere Ubu, I stumbled across the following amazing news on Ubu Projex - the cyber avant garage of Pere Ubu...

RFTT Returns!
After a successful writing session in Cleveland at the end of April Rocket From the Tombs will be playing shows in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Hoboken, Boston, New Haven and Northampton MA at the end of July, and then Nashville & Atlanta at the beginning of Sept. The band is as before: David Thomas, Richard Lloyd, Cheetah Chrome, Craig Bell and Steve Mehlman.

I saw the 2003 first post-modern tour of TFTT and it was the best. I won't bother gushing on my own about this one - trust me or read more below and at the links and then get tickets to this show at the Beachland Ballroom ASAP as it will sell out... and I'll cover this one.

RFTT 2003: Richard Lloyd, Craig Bell, David Thomas, Steve Mehlman and Cheetah Chrome.

Rocket From The Tombs existed for less than a year, played fewer than a dozen shows and was probably never seen by more than a few hundred people but it has over the decades since 1975, due to a frenetic trafficking in bootlegs, acquired an international status out of all proportion to its popularity.

Location

Today's Plain Dealer has an editorial about the selection process for the new President of Case University that I find very exciting - partly because it shows great progress with Case, partly because it promotes a concept for the selection process that I initiated on realneo in March, and mostly because I agree completely with the PD position - "Lessons learned? - Case trustees' chairman is making the right moves as the search for a new president gets under way", and I support that "Linsalata also promised to allow the university community - both alumni and those on campus - ample opportunity to provide input on the search this fall."

Cleveland, America!

Saturday July 8th.

Cleveland, America! Opening Reception

Herbert Ascherman, Jr.’s exhibit opens to the public. A free reception to meet the artist – and many of the people in the portraits – takes place in the Norton Gallery

5 pm - 7 pm: East Boulevard

at the Western Reserve Historical Society, University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio.

Location

A few days ago I took my children to meet one of Cleveland's finest artists, Herb Ascherman. While many parents have taken their children to photographers to get a few photos taken for use in holiday cards, or to hang on the wall. Herb Ascherman will not only take a photo, he will truly deliver to you a piece of art. My children, 7 and 8 years old, sat for the their photos with a clear sense of their purpose, to allow me have a memory of their visit of the 2006 summer.

I was saddened to hear of the untimely death of Kenneth Lay. At the young age of 64, there was so much more he could have done -- like go to prison for 20+ years. The days would have passed quickly with visits from his children and 12 grandchildren. On visits with his wife they could have reminisced (about their last $200,000 cruise). But, life is not fair. I find it difficult to feel any sympathy for Lay -- a New York Times Article and the article in the PD "Lays passing produces some mixed feelings" suggests some did feel sorry for him. Shamefully, Lay maintained his innocence and always blamed others -- rogue executives beneath him -- for the fall of Enron.  Most disturbing to me is the the self-rightiousness, bordering on insanity he reveals in this statement: "We believe that God in fact is in control, and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the Lord," he said outside the courthouse in Houston after the verdict. Did God bless Kenneth Lay's lies? A convenient death or did God strike down Kenneth Lay? Perhaps Lay did not escape his sentence after all, perhaps he was just called before a higher judge.

Arabella Proffer-Vendetta paints amazing modern gothic mannerist portraits -- some base on actual people others from her imagination. She also designs some very cool art for bands. To see more, visit Arabella's website. Her website is great! She is one of the few artists I know who use technology well to promote their work. Be sure to check out her work at Ingenuity Fest, too. Here is some infomation she sent out in an email:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Title of the Exhibit: Four + Art + Design

Opening Reception: Friday, July 14th 7:00 – 10:00pm

Address: 1300 West 78th, Cleveland OH, 44102

Location

Art in the Village at 5700, the gallery space located at Neighborhood Housing Services of Greater Cleveland (5700 Broadway Avenue) in the Slavic Village Historic District, will be hosting an art opening on Thursday, July 6th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. 

Location

Paul Dacey is a CIA grad originally from Toledo Ohio. He is now living in New York City and exhibiting all over the world. His works defy the boundaries of traditional painting and sculpture and re-present familar and iconic images. Check out Paul Dacey's website.

When I saw last week a preview for the Thursday, June 29, 2006, WVIZ "Ideas" program featured PD Arts and Architecture columnist Steven Litt and Cuyahoga County Planning Director Paul Alsenas discussing the state of ODOT's plans for a new bridge to replace the current I-90 span across the Cuyahoga River, I thought I was having déjà vu. Yes, this was an issue a year ago... even six months ago, but since then ODOT had so thoroughly railroaded the bridge and trench planning process through the public mind-space that it seemed all topics of discussion about this near $billion project had moved completely behind closed doors and forgotten. Well, it seems Litt and Alsenas have very different ideas about that, as they shared in an excellent "Ideas" this week, and as Litt writes at length in today's Plain Dealer. Be sure to read that article... and great work on Ideas, Steven and Paul!!! Read on...

I am really appreciative, this morning. After posting what was certainly the saddest news I can imagine, about the hardship my staff has suffered as a result of a lack of appreciation from my former business associate, Peter Holmes, I opened up this week's CoolCleveland and found that their crew had featured TWO postings from REALNEO. I am very touched and thankful to Thomas and his team for noticing REALNEO and taking an interest in the thoughts posted here - thank you. Please show appreciation back to CoolCleveland... if you are not a member, see what you've been missing... subscribe at CoolCleveland - all free - this is a real NEO must,  and send feedback to CoolCleveland letters at the links below, and supporting the upcoming CoolCleveland/Tech/Ingenuity party at Fat Fish Blue, July 13, and the Ingenuity Festival, as described below... but first, here's the nice write-up about REALNEO from CoolCleveland today, July 5, 2006:

Rafala Green's labyrinths are a good follow up to the art of the Shaman. I first met Rafala Green and saw her labyrinths this past winter at an open house at the Hodge School artists's community. Her labyrinths are absolutely magical! They transcend the boundaries of typical painting and drawing. As your eye follows the path, the labyrinth takes you on a spiritual journey.  See Rafala Green's website to learn more about her labyrinths and community art projects.

Many consider this figure to represent a warrior carrying a shield and an enemy head. The smaller figures possibly represent spiritual helpers, two of which also appear to be carrying heads.