St. Casimir - Last Vigil

Sometimes miracles do happen.

The last Mass held at St. Casimir Church in Cleveland was held on November 8, 2009. 

Starting the following Sunday, parishioners and supporters met outside the locked church to pray. 

On Sunday July 8, 2012 the 139th and final street service was held.  St Casimir Church will reopen on Sunday July 15, 2012.

The St Casimir group was the first to meet outside the church and never missed a week despite Cleveland's dramatic weather.  They inspired 4 other church communities (St. Emeric, St. Patrick, St. Wendelin and St. James) to begin meeting in the street the following summer.

Now their prayers have been answered and St Casimir Church will reopen with a Mass at 11:30AM on July 15th.  The loyal group which was exiled outside for so long will be able to enter their beloved church again.

Many believe this to be a miracle delivered to them by the Blessed Virgin as Our Lady of Czestochowa.

Photos and Videos of the Last Vigil

Will you lose Internet access Monday?

GreatLakesGeek.com visitors are already aware of the impending shutdown of Internet access to systems infected with the DNS Changer malware.

The ring behind the DNS Changer virus, discovered in 2007, was shut down last year by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Estonian police and other law enforcement agencies.

About 69,000 computers in the US are infected. Symantec posted, "If your computer is still using DNS entries that are pointing to the FBI servers on July 9, you will lose TOTAL access to the Internet. No connecting to the office from home, no updating Facebook, nothing until the DNS settings are fixed."

Make it easy on your less technically astute friends and family and have then check their system here.

Higgs Boson

Yeah, it really is a big deal.


Even the mainstream press has been reporting that Scientists at CERN announced that they are 99.99% sure that they've found a new sub-atomic particle, and that it is likely to be the elusive Higgs boson. Layman have referred to it as the "God Particle" but scientists generally don't like that name.

Here is a good video explaining the theoretical particle.

Cleveland and Marines Rock

Every day during Marine Week Cleveland the Quantico Marine Band performed at Public Square.

They also performed some of their rock repertoire at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. It was surreal to see the very clean cut guys jamming on rock classics in front of the Grateful Dead sign at the Rock Hall.

Quantico Marine Band at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

More from Marine Week Cleveland

Besides the Vietnam Memorial Wall and the 400+ flags at Voinovich Park, Marine Week had a lot of other cool stuff.

For example, there was a mini-exhibit from the National Museum of the Marine Corps

There was also all kinds of vehicles, equipment and technology on display - some hands-on.   Marine technology in Cleveland.

We posted 7 pages of pictures and videos from Marine Week Cleveland  in the Veterans section of ClevelandSeniors.Com

TRS80 Model 100 Portable Computer

Way back in 1983 the Great Lakes Geek got his first portable computer. It had a great form factor, nice keyboard and useful ports.

The LCD screen was only 8 lines and 40 characters across but that seemed plenty for the text-based BASIC programs you ran on the unit.

Maybe the best part of the ahead-of-its-time unit was the built-in 300 bps (yes 300 bps) modem. It made the Model 100 a favorite of journalists who could type about 10 pages of text into the unit and then plug into a phone line and upload their columns to the main office. 300 bps sounds excrutiatingly slow but when you just transferred ASCII character and plain text, it was surprisingly useful. The Geek spent a lot of time on the old Cleveland Freenet with that device.

The Great Lakes Geek recently uncovered his old Model 100 and shot this video of it. Ah, memories.

Hungarian meat

Ever wonder about some of the strange sounding meats in the ethnic butcher shop? Blood Sausage, Head Cheese, Klobasa - what exactly are they? And what makes Hungarian pigs, Mangalitsa Pigs, so unique? 


Tom Ratoni-Nagy was one of the judges in the annual Hungarian Goulash (Gulyas) Cook-Off and he explained some of the meats in this video.

Bratislava Mayor in Cleveland

Cleveland Ohio and Bratislava Slovakia are sister cities.  Bratislava Mayor Milan Ftacnik visited Cleveland last week and besides seeing the statue of General Milan R. Stefanik, he toured the Slovak Cultural Garden and spoke at a CCWA event.

 He was accompanied by the U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick.

 Cleveland Slovak George Terbrack showed the Slovak Cultural Garden in Cleveland Ohio to Bratislava Mayor Milan Ftacnik.  The Garden has busts of Slovak poet Ján Kollár and Stefan Furdek.  Mayor Milan Ftacnik helped plant a larch tree in the Garden.

Mayor Ftacnik in Slovak Garden

US Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick and Bratislava Mayor Milan Ftacnik spoke about some of the highlights of the relationship between the US and Slovakia at a Cleveland Council on World Affairs (CCWA) meeting. 

Mayor and Ambassador at CCWA

General Milan R. Stefanik

If you take a wrong turn on MLK behind the Art and Natural History Museums, you will see a little island in all the traffic at MLK and Jeptha.  The island is small and barely has room to host the large statue of General Milan R. Stefanik.

General Milan R. Stefanik is a Slovak hero who died young and was memorialized with the statue in Cleveland in 1922.

As the surrounding real estate gets more crowded (and valuable) plans are to move the statue, hopefully to the Slovak Cultural Garden.

Bratislava, Slovakia  Mayor Milan Ftacnik visited the statue on June 16, 2012.  He had some interesting words to say in this short video we shot in front of the statue of the General.

Photos, video and more from the General Milan R. Stefanik statue

Juneteenth in Cleveland

Juneteenth was celebrated in the African American Cultural Garden in Cleveland on Sunday June 17, 2012.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863 but in parts of the South, slavery continued. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18 is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves.

Juneteenth has been mostly a Southern event but it has been spreading in recent years.

 Juneteenth in Cleveland - photos and videos

400+ Flags at Marine Week

It is also very inspiring to walk through the 400+ US Flags at Marine Week in Cleveland.  In the front there are a few special flags - POW/MIA, etc.

With the wind coming off Lake Erie, the flags are all flying, not hanging, so it's very powerful.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall

The largest replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall is on display at the Marine Week celebration in Cleveland's Voinovich Park.  It is an emotional experience to walk past name after name after name after name... of young people who lost their lives.


It was especially moving to see a memento left in front of one name of a West Tech high school graduate who lost his life.  So many and so young.

Drumline!

Terrific drumline drum competition between Glenville and CMSD HS students at last week's African-American Festival in Cleveland.

Turn your speakers up, click the icon to make it full screen and have a blast!

Drum competition pics and video.

These kids are great!

Over 450 people attended the Cleveland International Hall of Fame inductions.  There are 6 pages of photos of attendees here. 

Who do you recognize?

Mother Teresa - bringing people together

Long after death, Mother Teresa is still bringing people together.

An intercultural group of people came together on May 30th to raise funds for the Mother Teresa statue in the Albanian Cultural Garden as well as to meet new friends and have some fun.

The event was created by immigration attorney and author Richard Herman, City Councilwoman Dona Brady and Federation Of India Community Associations of NE Ohio (FICA) president Asim Datta.

Over $70,000 has already been raised. The group joined forces to raise some additional funds to finalize the bronzing of the statute of Mother Teresa -- the most famous Albanian to touch the hearts of so many around the world.

 Pictures and videos

Great Lakes Geek Contest

The 10' guitars were back at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum - at least for a few days.

As you watch the following two videos that show all the guitars at Guitarmania, pay close attention for a mispronunciation error by the Great Lakes Geek. For an average person, the mistake would be no big deal but for the Geek it stands out. Be the first to identify the mistake and win a cool prize.
 



Did you catch the non-Geeky mistake? The first one to let us know wins.

Senior Softball

Did you know that Senior softball is currently the fastest growing senior activity in the world?

Two huge tournaments are coming this June to Barberton Ohio. 

Eighty-two senior softball teams ranging in age from 50 years to 75 plus will be visiting Barberton, Ohio in June to participate in a pair of Softball Players Association (SPA) national senior softball tournaments.

More details on the Senior Softball Tournaments

Asian Festival this weekend

This weekend May 19-20 is the 3rd annual Asian Festival. This has become a must-do event with activities, fun, entertainment, food and more for all ages. Bring the entire family (except the dog or other pets). The event is free and open to the public.

Visit the Cleveland Asian Festival website for more details and to get more information. Download the 80 page Program Booklet now and make your plans for the weekend in advance. There is something for everyone.

Don’t miss the Cleveland debut of Instant Noodles Dance Crew from MTV's America's Best Dance Crew who will be performing both days.

Parking is easy (around the event or at the CSU lot at East 24th street.) The weather is supposed to be beautiful so come be a part of Cleveland history as 50,000 people are expected over the 2 days.

ClevelandPeople.Com is a proud media sponsor of the Asian Festival.

See you there!

Free Laplink Software today

Tuesday May 15th Laplink Software is celebrating its 29th year of creating quality software. For 29 years, Laplink has proudly led the charge in developing new migration and syncing software. But we wouldn’t be where we are now without the help and support of our loyal customers and fans, some of whom have been with us since 1983.


We’re not just commemorating our 29th birthday as a company, but also the people that have made Laplink what it is. That’s why we are giving away PCmover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant for FREE.


And Laplink’s birthday celebration doesn’t end there. Throughout the month of May, Laplink is offering special daily deals, weekly prize giveaways – and one lucky winner will bring home a Lenovo laptop on June 1. Entering to win is easy; check out our Laplink Turns 29 page for more details.

Diversity Center 10th Annual Walk, Rock & Run!

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio held its 10th Annual Walk, Rock and Run on Saturday May 5, 2012.

Walk, Rock & Run unifies communities across Northeast Ohio while raising awareness of diversity issues.

The event started and ended at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Participants chose either a 3 mile walk or a 5k run. Then they enjoyed a big party with music, prizes and food at the Rock Hall.  Check out photos. 

Lithuanian Scouts

The Catholic Lithuanian community welcomed Bishop Rimantas Norvila of Lithuania to their parish, St. Casimir during their annual Scouts Festival.

Booths at the craft fair sold everything from beautiful hand carved crucifixes to baravykai (mushroom cookies).

The riestainiai (roughly translated to "little bagels") were very popular and worn around the neck.

More from the Lithuanian Scouts Festival and Bishop Rimantas Norvila visit

Cleveland International Hall of Fame

Last chance to get tickets for the induction dinner for the 2012 Cleveland International Hall of Fame.

The induction dinner ceremony will be held Wednesday May 9, 2012 in the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott at Key Center.  More info.

 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum President and CEO Terry Stewart will give the keynote address.

 Learn more about the inductors and inductees

 Almost 90 people were nominated for this honor. Congratulations to the Class of 2012! (alphabetical order)

•  Jose Feliciano Inducted by Alex Machaskee 
•  Ken Kovach Inducted by Dick Russ
•  Milton Maltz Inducted by Sam Miller
•  Mary Rose Oakar Inducted by Dr. Wael Khoury 
•  Fr. Jim O'Donnell Inducted by Jack Kahl 
•  Vlad Rus Inducted by Councilman Joe Cimperman
•  Dr. Jaya Shah Inducted by Ratanjit Sondhe 
•  Anthony Yen Inducted by Margaret Wong

Computers Assisting People Work Session

We had a good work session at Computers Assisting People (CAP) today.

Dan McMillan brought his son Liam and some students from John Marshall High School who helped us with some heavy lifting.

And the usual crew of CAP volunteers helped get PCs out to the community.

In this photo, 4 CAP volunteers pose with a Pastor of a Cleveland Church. CAP is providing PCs, printers, etc for a PC lab at the Church.

Mike Anderson, Pastor, Darnell Hines, Arthur Phelps and Ken Eskridge

Learn more about Computers Assisting People (CAP)

Diversity Center Walk, Rock & Run

Students and TV3's Kim Wheeler at the Launch

The Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio kicked off its 10th Annual Walk, Rock and Run on Friday, March 23, 2012.

Since 2002, The Diversity Center has partnered with The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum to host Walk, Rock & Run which celebrates diversity. Artists, entertainers, and community sponsors provide great music, delicious food, and other family entertainment. All participants gain free entry into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Great Lakes Science Center, and Baseball Heritage Museum.

All proceeds support The Diversity Center’s School & Youth initiatives in nine Northeast Ohio counties.

More info and pictures from the launch event

Women of Excellence

Stefani Schaefer led a panel of entrepreneur Tami Longanberger and Ohio Lieutenant Governor Mary Taylor at the Corporate Club of Landerhaven.

They gave insights into subjects every woman wants to talk about like "How do you do it all?" and "How do you balance family and work?"

Photos and more from the Women of Excellence event

Paprika!

The Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel, under the leadership of its president Marika Megyimori, hosted the 22nd annual Paprika! event on March 3, 2012 at The Ritz Carlton Hotel. Ms. Megyimori and Elizabeth Papp-Taylor served as Chairs of the sumptuous event.


This year's theme was "The Global Trek" in honor of keynote speaker Albert Ratner, the force behind the Global Cleveland project.

Arriving guests were escorted into the event by young people from the Hungarian Scout Folk Ensemble in traditional costumes.

The emcee for the evening was David Wittman, anchor of Channel 19 Action News. He introduced Dr. Michael Roizen, Chief Wellness Officer of the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Roizen then introduced the evening's honoree, Albert Ratner.

Pics and video of Paprika from the Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel

Cultural Heritage

Most ethnic and cultural communities are seeing it happen. Many of the people who have direct experience with events, formations of groups, key people and so on are aging or have passed on.

The memories and artifacts need to be captured and preserved or they could be lost forever.

In Cleveland, the Asian Indian Heritage Project is working to collect and preserve these memories and artifacts.

On a broader scale, the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) is working on this nationally.

The Asian Indian community in Cleveland recently hosted the president of SAADA, Samip Mallick, who explained some of the archive processes.

It's something that every group should consider.


Details, photos and videos of the the Asian Indian Heritage Project event

Fabulous Food Show - Spring

Let the backyard barbeque battles begin!

The first edition of the Spring Fabulous Food Show pays homage to the masters of the flame April 28 & 29, 2012, at the I-X Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse and more.

Win free tickets to the Fabulous Food Show

NOTE - If you are a reader of this blog, type the word "blog" after your city in the form and you will double your chance to win

But Macs don't get viruses

Smarmy Mac fanboys always claimed that Macs were immune from viruses because of superior coding. In reality, virus writers chose to ignore the relatively small (4% or so) percentage of Macs and concentrated their efforts on the Windows world.

Now that the Mac is gaining some market share, they are becoming a target.

The Flashback Trojan has compromised an estimated 600,000 plus Macs, making it comparable to the massive Conficker worm botnet that affected Windows PCs.

PC World reports that "According to current data from Net Applications, Mac OS X is the number two desktop OS with 6.54 percent market share. Windows, on the other hand, accounts for 92.48 percent of the market. Based on market share, the Flashback Trojan botnet is equivalent to a Windows botnet of nearly 8.5 million PCs. That makes it an even larger threat than Conficker--just on a much smaller platform."

They continued, "It doesn’t help anything that Apple perpetuates the myth of invulnerability. It takes time to develop a patch, but as soon as Apple was aware that the threat existed, it should have proactively communicated to Mac OS X users to make them aware. In fact, it should have provided users with instructions to disable Java and mitigate the threat pending a patch to resolve the issue. The fact that it didn’t is probably a contributing factor to why the Flashback botnet is as large as it is."

Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel - Paprika 2012

The Cleveland Hungarian Development Panel recently held their annual Paprika event.

This year's theme was The Global Trek and featured MC David Wittman and speakers Dr. Michael Roizen and Albert Ratner

Paprika 2012 - Photos and Videos

Albert Belle and the Tribe

To me, Albert Belle was one of the most intimidating hitters ever. The way he snarled and grimaced at the plate had to scare opposing pitchers. And the famous photo of Albert pointing to his bicep is a classic.

He, of course, has been estranged from the Cleveland Indians but through the efforts of Carlos Baerga, Kenny Lofton, Sandy Alomar and Mike Hargrove Albert Belle visited spring training this year and the door was opened for more participation.

I am ready for it.

Watch Indians VP Bob DiBiasio tell about it.

Food at Progressive Field for 2012 Season

I am normally a hot dog and beer guy at the ballpark but when there's a Cleveland Indians media preview and you get to sample all the goodies, it can be hard to resist.

There is a new Food Network Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese at sections 121, 154, 163, and 550. As an introductory offer, the Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese will be offered for $2 (regularly $4.50) for the first home stand, while daily supplies last.




There's a decadent praline cake soaked in Jim Beam bourbon.



Some other interesting choices too.

Check out the new foods at Progressive Field this season

Cleveland Indians Experimental Wind Turbine

The Cleveland Indians continue their pioneering efforts re sustainability (solar panels, recycling, etc.) with the installation of a wind turbine at Progressive Field. Assistant director of operations Brad Mohr says they worked on the wind turbine with their neighbors from Cleveland State University. The wind turbine is located on the south-east corner of the ballpark.

See more about the wind turbine and the Cleveland Indians solar panels and other sustainability efforts.

April Fool's Day Pranks

Since April Fool's Day is on a Sunday this year, there are not as many opportunities to prank your co-workers but here are a few fun ones to try anyway. You need access to their PC for these.


Go into Word and set up the AutoReplace with something funny and irritating. You can be obvious and have the system replace a common word like "the" with an insult. Or delay the agony by making more discrete changes such as a misspelling of your company name.

Everyone has access to a wireless USB remote control for PowerPoint presentations, right? Sneak the wireless receiver into the victim's USB port and then when you are ready, and in range, start messing with his mouse movements and clicks.

See more geeky pranks for April Fool's Day

Cleveland Indians and Social Media

The Cleveland Indians have been involved in social media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc) for years and are expanding their efforts to engage with fans on different platforms such as Google+, Pinterest, Tumblr and a new behind-the scenes blog called Tribe Vibe.

Anne Keegan, Assistant Director of Communications for the Cleveland Indians, tells the Great Lakes Geek about these new efforts.



More on the Tribe and Social Media including how you can apply for the Social Suite and a list of all Cleveland Indians Twitter accounts.

Healthy Granola Recipe

Fast, Fabulous, Fresh Foods Class 9


Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, yet so often we skip it or just grab any old thing as we run out the door. Fast food offerings and pastries are laden with fat and calories and can actually make us feel hungrier as our blood sugar spikes and drops.

Granola sounds like a good choice, but so many granolas are high in fat and sugar - and expensive. Our recipe is for a basic granola that is low in sugar and fat - it has only ½ cup of oil and ¾ cup of total sugar added to almost 10 cups of mix.

Healthy Granola Recipe

Cherry Blossoms in Cleveland

The 130 cherry trees that line Cleveland's Brookside Reservation were a gift from JANO (Japanese Association of Northern Ohio)

Pictures of the Cherry Trees in full bloom

Dennis Kucinich at Parade

Congressman Dennis Kucinich and his wife Elizabeth Kucinich marched in the 2012 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade but they didn't march with the Public Officials group in the beginning.

Kucinich marched with the West Side Irish American Club instead.

Dogs at the St. Patrick's Day Parade

There were 500,000 humans at the 2012 Cleveland St. Patrick's Day Parade.

But there were a lot of dogs too.

See pictures and videos of the dogs at the Parade.

Irish Setters, Irish Wolfhounds, Siberian Huskies, Pugs, Newfies and lots more.

It was a great day for dogs - and their people.

Tweet Smart with Twitter

The Great Lakes Geek just finished reading #tweetsmart: 25 Twitter Projects to Help You Build Your Community

It's fitting that a book that focuses on the short (140 characters or less) messages of Twitter would itself be fewer than 100 pages.

But don't let the brevity of the 85 page paperback dissuade you from checking it out.

Great Lakes Geek Book Review of #tweetsmart

Latest Recipe

Fast, Fabulous, Fresh Foods - Class 8

Quick Tomato Concasse Sauce for Pasta Recipe.

Tomatoes offer massive health benefits. Besides healthy doses of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, tomatoes have been show to aid in the fight against heart disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. They are an essential element in the "Mediterranean Diet" which is being touted for its myriad of health benefits - and they taste good!

The fresh basil and parsley flavor the oil and vinegar and then the fragrance blooms when the warm pasta hit it. Don't forget, though, that herbs add so much besides flavor to a dish. Most of them are densely packed with vitamins and nutrients.

Parsley has the highest concentration of anti-oxidants of any plant, as well as vitamins A, C, K, B complex, fiber, and potassium. Basil also offer Vitamins A, C, E, K, niacin, and riboflavin. These are just some of the benefits of basil and parsley.

Pope Shenouda III

"Egypt is a nation that lives within us and not a nation we live in."
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III



Our condolences to the Egyptian community and the Coptic Orthodox Church on the passing of the beloved Pope Shenouda

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Sure the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a great source of civic pride. The entire world knows that "Cleveland Rocks." But does the economic impact of the Rock Hall measure up?

Terry Stewart, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Joel Peresman, President of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation spoke at the Corporate Club at Landerhaven. Listen to the podcast on how much the economic predictions have been blown away by the success of the Rock Hall.

And if you are a member of the KISS Army (or a fan of Rush, Yes, etc.) listen to the criteria for selection into the Hall of Fame.

And don't miss the exciting news about a Rock and Roll Walk of Fame where plaques of inductees will be strewn throughout downtown.

More from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame event.

Saint Patrick’s Day message from Irish President Michael D. Higgins.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins sent out a message to the Irish around the world for St. Patrick's Day 2012.

Saint Margaret Mary Church

Saint Margaret Mary Catholic Church was one of the many churches that was closed by the Cleveland Catholic Diocese.

It is also one of the churches that may have received a reprieve from the Vatican.

A group of former parishioners put together a quick prayer vigil at the Church on Wednesday March 14 and almost 90 people attended.

Here are some photos of Saint Margaret Mary before it closed in 2010.

Here is a short video and photos from the prayer vigil.

You can also choose to be notified of any updates about Saint Margaret Mary, including future events, on that page.

Lithuanian Independence

The Cleveland Lithuanian community gathered to celebrate February 16, 1918 and the declaration of Lithuania's independence.

Pictures and videos from Lithuanian Independence Day celebration in Cleveland

Manufacturing in Cleveland, Ohio and the US

Astronaut Gregory Johnson and
Manufacturing Mart President Mary Kaye Denning

Manufacturing has a higher multiplier effect on the economy than any other sector. For every $1 in manufacturing value added, $1.4 in additional value is created in other sectors. (US Dept. of Commerce - EE Times).

The Manufacturing Mart officially opened its doors within The Galleria in Downtown Cleveland on November 8, 2010. Did you know that Cleveland is located within 600 miles of 60% of all U.S. & Canadian manufacturing locations?

Mary Kaye Denning founded The Mart with the intention of reinvigorating the manufacturing industry in the Rust Belt. Her goal was to unite manufacturers of components, equipment, and consumer products with OEMs. Traditionally, these cutting-edge manufacturers lacked a definitive and effective way of illustrating their capabilities to a hungry OEM market.

Their first Expo last month featured over 150 exhibitors, 3000 North American manufacturers, engineers, inventors and purchasers covering all industries.

Pictures and More from the Manufacturing Mart in Cleveland

Man's Best Friend

Dogs don't care if you are homeless or having problems. They are unconditionally loyal.

DMA Cleveland

Another group you may be interested in, especially if you work in the Marketing department, is the Cleveland Chapter of the Direct Marketing Association.


Their tagline is "Marketing with Focus" and they cover a wide array of marketing topics from the traditional (direct mail) to the latest Internet strategies.

Mike Jones, president of DMA Cleveland, explains the organization and tells who would/should be interested.

Web Association

Do you work in a field that deals with SEO, SEM, paid search and other web site and social media projects?

The Web Association may be the group for you.

The Web Association "is an exciting nonprofit professional organization built upon the prior success of the Cleveland Chapter of the Association of Internet Professionals (AIP). The Web Association has roots as one of Northeast Ohio's oldest and most respected professional associations.

Our mission is to serve as a professional technology organization for the Northeast Ohio Internet and Business communities, offering an open forum, education, mutual support and networking opportunities to stimulate business growth."

Chris Serger, president of the Web Association, explains the organization and who would/should be interested.



See more Cleveland and Northeast Ohio groups you may be interested in.

Search Engine Strategies: Techniques and Tools

Whether it's a blog, website or Twitter account if people aren't aware of and able to find your masterpieces, they may not be worth the time you invest in producing them.

Search Engine Optimization or SEO has been the most cost-effective way to let people find you in Google, Bing, Yahoo and other search engines.

But Google and other top search engines are constantly changing their search ranking formula so what worked last year may not be as effective now. Plus there are always new tools and techniques to manage your SEO and SEM Search Engine Marketing) efforts.

The Web Association and DMA Cleveland combined to present Search Engine Strategies: Techniques and Tools. Over 100 professionals attended the meeting and heard from moderator Ryan Morgan, Online Marketing Coordinator at ERC, and panelists Dave Skorepa, Chief Creative Officer at Aztek, and Eric Pryor, SEO Strategist at Rosetta.

View some of the SEO techniques and tools

2012 Irish Walks of Life Awards

Sister Kathleen Kilbane

Every year since 1997, members of the Irish American community are honored for their contributions. Their achievements bring pride to the Irish American community. Past honorees are a veritable Who's Who of Irish success stories. This year's class is certainly no exception.

The Irish American Archives Society produces the annual Walks of Life Awards dinner.

In 2012, Michael Cleary, Edward Crawford, Sister Kathleen Kilbane, CSJ and Janice Murphy were honored.

Pics and videos from the 2012 Irish Walks of Life Awards

(Don't miss Janice Murphy's Top Ten reasons she loves being Irish)

Pinterest

Pinterest seems to be the hot social media property right now. So what do the experts say about it?

Check out the short video where Dave Skorepa, Chief Creative Officer at Aztek, and Eric Pryor, SEO Strategist at Rosetta, give their take on Pinterest at a meeting of the Web Association in Cleveland.

Skorepa says "don't abuse it" and Pryor reminds users to add value.

Congresswoman Judy Chu in Cleveland

Mandarin teacher Li Luling and Congresswoman Judy Chu

Judy May Chu is the U.S. Representative for California's 32nd congressional district, serving since 2009. She is the first Chinese American woman ever elected to the U.S. Congress and is chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.


The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) Cleveland Chapter and Margaret W. Wong & Associates sponsored a New Faces of Leadership meet and greet with the Congresswoman.

See photos and videos from the event.

TV Pioneer Fred Griffith Retirement

Mark Johnson, Lee Jordan, Fred Griffith,
Andrea Vecchio and Michael Cardamone

There was a special mood at the taping of WKYC's Good Company Wednesday morning.

There was frivolity - balloons, cake, champagne.
There was nostalgia - remembering good times with good friends.
There was sadness - saying good bye is always difficult.

The occasion? Fred Griffith, Cleveland television legend, was doing his last show. He was retiring after having logged in more live hours on television than anyone else in history. (Regis Philbin and Fred are very close in hours).

Everybody in Cleveland knows Fred Griffith. He has been a familiar and well-loved face on television for decades.

Read the official Fred Griffith ClevelandSeniors.com profile here.

Wednesday February 22, 2012 was Fred's last day on the air at WKYC on the Good Company Today show. Family, friends and co-workers from the present and past paid tribute to the TV pioneer.

Whatever is next for Fred Griffith he will tackle the task with the charm and grace he always has and we look forward to his next adventure.

Photos and videos from Fred Griffith's last show party.

Greater Cleveland Sports Awards

Erin Andrews and young fan

Another sellout crowd honored the area’s best athletes for their outstanding accomplishments at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards at the Renaissance Cleveland Hotel.

The Greater Cleveland Sports Awards were created in 2000 by the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission as its annual fundraising event.


ESPN Sportscaster Erin Andrews served as MC for the event and attendees lined up for a chance to take a photo with the popular journalist.

Photos and more from the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards

Go Red for Women

Lindsay Silverstein, Susie Kilgore and Jen Vogrin

By now you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States. It kills nearly half a million women each year at the rate of about one per minute. They are our sisters, mothers, daughters, friends, neighbors and colleagues.

The annual Cleveland Go Red For Women Health Expo & Luncheon educates and raises research funds. The following two short videos are for you Medical Geeks.

First, Dr. Attizzani from University Hospitals in Cleveland explains OCT - Cardiovascular Optical Coherence Tomography which is a catheter-based invasive imaging system. OCT uses light rather than ultrasound and produces high-resolution images of coronary arteries and deployed stents.



Then Jeff Foster from University Hospitals Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant Center in Cleveland shows devices to improve the quality of life for heart patients.

Linsanity - Jeremy Lin

New York Knicks' Jeremy Lin, an unknown point guard, shot to stardom overnight. Jeremy Shu-How Lin had no athletic scholarship offers out of high school and was undrafted out of college.

Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in NBA history, and the first American player in the league to be of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He is a 2010 Harvard University graduate.

What a refreshing story after so many NBA divas.

Joe Tait and Terry Pluto

After listening to Joe Tait as Voice of the Cavs for so many years it was hard for all of us to hear that he was sick. Then we felt relief that he was recuperating and finally a little melancholy that he was retiring.

So it was with eager anticipation that hundreds of people flocked to the Corporate Club luncheon put on by Executive Caterers at Landerhaven on January 19th to hear Joe Tait and Plain Dealer sports reporter Terry Pluto talk sports.

Together Tait and Pluto have written Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball (Stories from a Hall-of-fame Sports Broadcasting Career) a book that has both chronicled Joe's life and Cleveland sports.

See more from the Joe Tait and Terry Pluto event including photos.

Chinese New Year in Cleveland

I just realized that I never posted about the Chinese New Years celebrations in Cleveland.

This year I attended events at two locations - Asia Plaza at 30th and Payne and the new Asian Town Center on East 38th by Superior.

Both had performers, music, food, dragons and community organizations.

See videos, photos and more from Cleveland Chinese New Year

Stalker app or cool connection tool for singles?

What do you think of this idea?

ClevelandWomen.Com received a press release and an invitation to try a new smartphone app called SinglesAroundMe for Valentine's Day.

They say that "SinglesAroundMe (SAM) is a location aware mobile dating app for the iPhone, Blackberry and other smart phones. The patent pending SinglesAroundMe (SAM) app is the new cool way to find singles and it is a must have app for singles on the go like you. Covering the globe, and in your local city, SinglesAroundMe is there. Travel someplace; see who is single around you right now.

The "SAM" search plots your location with singles around you on a geographical Google map, in real time, and lets you control the distance and set results to match your desired profile. From here you can view a user's profile, photos, and send various winks and messages. View their GPS location, add them to your hot list, block list, and control your privacy.

The "Destination Search" option allows you to view matching singles at a location of your choice, in real time. Check who is in a bar before you decide to go, scope out a resort, club, university, city, etc. Meeting new singles has never been easier or more enjoyable than with SinglesAroundMe. With complete privacy, you can turn your GPS location on or off."

What do you think? Is this an invitation to stalkers and other unsavory characters or a fun new way to see who is near you?

Let me know what you think.

Peruvian Peace Corps Adventure

Katie Campbell-Morrison is working for the Peace Corps in Cusicancha, a village in Huancavelica, Peru.

Though she only gets Internet access about once each month, she is sending ClevelandWomen.Com stories and photos from her experiences.

Really interesting stuff!

Check out Katie Campbell and her Peruvian Peace Corps adventures.

Global Cleveland Welcome Center

Bienvenue. Welkom. Willkommen. Dobrodošli. Vitajte. Huanyíng. Benvenuto. Bienvenido. Merhaba.

No matter what language you say it in, Cleveland now has a physical space that says "Welcome."

The ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Global Cleveland Welcome Center took place on Tuesday February 7, 2012.

3 pages of pics and videos from the Global Cleveland Welcome Center ribbon cutting and grand opening

Groundhog Logic

Wikileaks Cleveland Connection

Ambassador Heather Hodges spoke at the Federation of India Community Associations (FICA) India Republic Day Celebration in Cleveland Ohio.


She told how she was "kicked out" of Ecuador because of Wikileaks documents. She was the first female US ambassador ever to be declared persona non grata.

She now serves as Amabsaador in residence and President of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs.

Black History Month opening ceremony

Black History Month began with an opening ceremony titled Celebrate Music at the City Hall Rotunda on February 1, 2012.

Several soloists and choirs were featured. I had never seen a Praise Dance before - very powerful.

Videos and photos of the Black History Month kickoff

Mahjong at the Maltz

The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage was transformed into a Mahjong Hall in honor of The Chinese New Year. Some have said the game is the single most factor that has brought Jews and Chinese together.

Check out the photos of the people and exhibits