Annual Magnum Party

Each year we like to gather an eclectic group of friends and business associates for a holiday lunch. No, it's not just techies. Media, non-profits, politicians, business, cultural - they were all represented. The food and atmosphere at Bo Loong at 38th and St. Clair is always terrific and our 75 guests maxed out the party room.

Dan Hanson and Cleveland Fire Chief Angelo Calvillo

Councilwoman Dona Brady, Qaisra Haider, Nate Curry, Basil Russo, Mayor Georgine Welo

Judge Dan Polster and Kevin Goodman

Mayor Ron Falconi and Deborah Yue

The attendees are involved in one or more of the projects that we are involved in such as:

• Computers Assisting People (CAP) Inc. which has refurbished and donated almost 20,000 PCs to over 500 schools and non-profits in Cleveland.



• ClevelandPeople.com where we celebrate the 100+ ethnic groups in the area and make it a more attractive destination for immigrant talent as well as showing what a cool and diverse city we live in.



• ClevelandSpeakers.com which has grown, by popular demand, from a section on GreatLakesGeek to its own website with some great speakers and topics.



• Cleveland101.com which was intended to give visiting reporters some interesting stories during the RNC and Cavs championship run but has evolved into a collection of great Cleveland stories, firsts and landmarks.



• ClevelandCooks.com which is for foodies, chefs and wannabe chefs as we celebrate how Cleveland has become a foodie town with great chefs and restaurants.



• Cleveland Food Adventurers a group that visits local ethnic restaurants and learns about the food and culture while enjoying camaraderie and a great meal.



• ClevelandSeniors.com for the 50 and over crowd and those who care for and about them.



• ClevelandWomen.Com for girls and women of all ages in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio



• Cleveland International Hall of Fame which recognizes lifetimes of important and enduring contributions to Cleveland's multi cultural communities.



• GreatLakesGeek.com. The business, science and technology information on GreatLakesGeek.com is becoming more essential as many of our longtime favorite print publications have disappeared or cut back.



• Magnum Computers Inc. where we try and earn some $ so we can volunteer more for CAP and support our other projects. (grin)



• ClevelandPets.Com for the four-legged (and other) members of our families.
• And some more projects we are working on

When asked what the diverse group of guests had in common, some reflection made it clear that they, like us, love Cleveland. Most have had many opportunities to work and live in other cities. But we have all chosen to be here because we believe in the city.

As attendees introduced themselves, this became evident and all were impressed by the positive outlooks expressed.

And though the techies naturally gravitated to their own area, as did the media, international, political and other types of guests the fun was when seemingly unconnected people discovered a thread that connected them to someone else in the room.

Want to be invited next year? Let's do some positive things together next year.
Let's talk.

Some English words that come from Irish Gaelige

According to Dictionary.com, "The Irish language, known as Gaelige in Irish, is a Celtic language. Records of Irish, the ancient and historic language of the Irish people, date back to the fifth century. Today, it's estimated that there are nearly 75,000 daily Irish speakers in Ireland, with over 1.5 million learning it as a second language. It is an official language in Ireland, and if you have ever visited the country, you will see the language on road signs and government documents.

While you may not know any Irish yourself outside of fáilte ("welcome") or sláinte ("cheers"), some of the English vocabulary and slang you use comes from or is influenced by the Irish language. Irish people have immigrated to English-speaking countries, particularly England and the US, for centuries."

Here are a few examples.

See the Irish words that we use everyday

A Christmas Story house in Cleveland

The movie A Christmas Story is a holiday classic. It seemingly airs around the clock for weeks during the Christmas season and an annual Christmas Eve marathon showing attracts tens of millions of viewers. Many parts of the film are now iconic: the leg lamp, the tongue sticking to the flagpole, the bunny suit, the official Red Ryder, carbine action, 200-shot, range model air rifle and so on.

A Christmas Story house sign

Much of the movie was filmed in Cleveland - at the Higbee's department store and at what has become A Christmas Story House in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland.

A Christmas Story house in Cleveland

The A Christmas Story House has been restored to the movie condition and has become a popular tourist destination year round, not just during the holidays.

Visitors can even book overnight stays in the house to relive their favorite parts of the movie. It is located at 3159 W. 11th St., Cleveland, OH 44109 in the Tremont neighborhood. Just five minutes from downtown Cleveland.


Right across the street is A Christmas Story Museum, which features original props, costumes and memorabilia from the film, as well as hundreds of rare behind-the-scenes photos. Among the props and costumes are the toys from the Higbee's window, Randy's snowsuit, the chalkboard from Miss Shields' classroom and the family car.

1939 Ford Fire Truck at A Christmas Story Museum

The Christmas Story House is open year round, 7 days a week from 10am to 5pm with extended hours during Christmas time. Tours run every hour starting at 10:15 am. There are two free parking lots and free street parking.


Next to Ralphie's house is the Bumpus House which was the home to Ralphie's hillbilly neighbors, the Bumpuses, and their 785 smelly hound dogs. The Bumpus Hounds are famous for harassing Ralphie's Old Man and stealing the Christmas turkey. Visitors can book a night in the Bumpus House too.

Ralphie in bunny suit at Bumpus House

More from A Christmas Story house in Cleveland