Archive for the ‘Arts & Culture’ Category

Is there an instrument in your attic?

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

I was forwarded this email from a friend and thought I would pass it along.  As the arts and music departments across the country continue to suffer from reduced funding, more students are attending charter schools.  It seems that charter schools are not exempt from budgetary issues, however.  So those of you with clarinet in your attic or saxophone in the basement, here is your chance to put it to good use!

I am currently a music teacher at a Charter School on the west side of Cleveland. It is my 3rd year, and I have the wonderful opportunity this year of starting an Instrumental program. I have over 40 students that are VERY interested in learning to play an instrument, but most will be unable to afford renting or buying the instruments.

We are a 501(c)(3) Organization (Madison Community Elementary School, Constellation Schools) and are looking for donated instruments. I am looking for Flutes, Clarinets, Saxophones, Trumpets, Trombones and snare drum/bell kits.

I am looking for generous people to make a Tax-deductible donation to help out under priviliedged students in Cleveland. Please e-mail me personally if you would like to help out!

Thank you for your consideration!
Coralee Skoch

ccskoch@gmail.com

Yum, Dim Sum, and the Flats…

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Cleveland is stretching and growing and trying to reinvent itself.  I love the energy and enthusiasm of the young people of this town.  They have a definite love of Cleveland and a desire to make it a better place.  So many are working hard to breathe new life into the region.  For those of you who are feeling that Cleveland has gone stagnant, then you are not paying attention!

Matthew Mytro and Kim Burant

First off, Friday was the latest installment of Yum! at the Mercury Lounge.  This is a monthly event put together by Stove Monkeys and Crisp Catering.  This event is usually on a weekday, but this month they wrangled a prime Friday evening spot.  This month’s menu was a little more dessert heavy with the liquid raviolis being served with trail mix cupcakes, liquid nitrogen milk shakes, Red Bull and sorbet shots, snickers bombs, and some inventive cocktails.  I am always eager to support cool ideas and things going on in Cleveland, so I managed to carve out a couple of hours to come down to check it out.  In addition, I had mini Ruben sandwiches and gyros from a the Old World Deli (delish!).  I ran into my friend Anabel Kouri (formerly of E4S) and was surprised to find out that they were there because of my blog-I guess someone does actually read this thing!  Her and her husband are running a small farm and selling their goods at the Lakewood Farmers Market on
Saturday, near the Marc’s.  We had a great time discussing local foods and the trials and tribulations of urban farming.  I was sad to see Anabel leave E4S, but was happy for the Peace Corps for managing to snag her.  Perhaps she will be willing to write a blog post about the Peace Corps and the good work that it does (hint, hint).  Kim Burant was telling me about the next edition of Fearless and it looks to be even more exciting than the last one!  Watch this space for details!  Matthew hinted at the future of Crisp Catering a possible food truck in his future….Read more about Matthew on the Cleveland Magazine website.

Goodies from Old World Deli

Gourmet Cracker Jacks with prizes!

Liquid nitrogen milk shakes....

Speaking of food trucks, Dim and Den Sum is on the radar!  If you watch food shows, then you may have seen The Great Food Truck Race.  This is a show that pits teams of food trucks against each other as they try to make the most amount of money in a couple of days in a city they are not familiar with.  While this is not the greenest show out there (food trucks and cars driving around the country), it is fun and a great insight into the challenges that are particular to food truck chefs.  One team is Grill Em All, an LA based burger truck that is run by chefs from Rocky River.  So… for next year, the Food Network has called for nominations from around the country.  One of them is our very own Dim and Den Sum!  You vote you can vote every day for this truck!!  Chefs Chris Hodgson and   Jeremy Esterly are great guys and would make great advocates for NE Ohio, because the winner of this challenge gets $10,000 and a chance to appear on the next season of the Great Food Truck Race!  GO!  Vote early and vote often, show the world how Cleveland really is!!  Besides, for every vote, you are entered to win a trip to the NY Wine and Food Festival.

I also wanted to clue you in to another fun thing that I have found.  It is the Cleveland’s A Plum blog and their fun web series The Flats. If you ever wondered what it is like to be young and having fun in today’s Cleveland, then this is a great blog.  I am living vicariously through Alexis Marino and her friends as they show off the fun spots to hang out in Cleveland.  Their new web series, the Flats, is a fun parody of the Hills.  While I have never actually watched an episode of The Hills, I have seen enough buzz to get most of the humor and I thin it is just plain fun!  There are only a couple of episodes so far, but I am waiting patiently for the next installment…

To round out the weekend I worked as back up support for Chef Bob Sferra at the LGBT Center Garden Party.  All the sparkling glitteratti of gay society were there as well as a few celebrities.  It was a great event, but my feet are killing me.  I have to say Kudos to Chef Bob for pulling off another great event for the Center.  The food was fantastic ( what little I got to taste) and the presentation was amazing.  If you ever need a chef to cater your event, then Bob is your man!!  Oh, and check out his new website, and you can follow his blog at Culinary Occasions-I built his new website, so this is a bit of shameless self promotion.

Working for yourself has its downsides….

Saturday, August 28th, 2010

One of the blogs that i follow is Joe.My.God and via him I was turned onto this comic that I felt I needed to share.  For those of you who think that working from home would be a joy, it is not all you think it might be:

The original post comes from Sellsbrothers.com.

Can we transform Cleveland’s schools?

Friday, August 27th, 2010

As you know, urban flight to Cleveland’s suburbs has been a problem for decades. Not being a parent, I never understood the impact that school districts have on this issue. Now that many of my friends have children, I am beginning to see the connection between a city’s overall health and its schools. Parents want to send their kids to good schools that will give them a great education. This education is vital to building a future for one’s offspring and making them employable and in today’s competitive economy. Most of the parents that I know choose private schools or home schooling over public education, or relocate to a suburb that has a better school district. This urban flight leaves us with lower housing prices, lowering the tax base, which in turn is the primary source of funding for the school district. The issue is a complex one, but I applaud anyone who tries anything to tackle it. Enter Put Cleveland’s Children First and the transformation plan to make Cleveland’s schools more competitive:

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s proposed Academic Transformation Plan is a potentially game-changing step forward for the district and the community—and a lifesaving change for the youngsters of Cleveland.

The Transformation Plan’s goals are ambitious, clearly-defined, and achievable.

• To graduate all students ready to
compete in the 21st century global
economy

• To provide high quality schools that
promote student achievement so
that all families have choices

• To hold everyone responsible for
student success, using performance
data—teachers and principals, central
office staff, parents, students, and
the community

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Transformation Plan is a bold plan to transform the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. It is a plan driven by research and best practices in student achievement and in school reform initiatives calling for fundamental, system-wide changes in our schools.

The Plan is based on three foundation-funded assessments of CMDS’s specialty programs, turn-around strategies and facilities. Community forums held at schools throughout the city were useful in gathering input for school-by-school recommendations. The final transformation plan is based not only on that collaborative effort, but also on objective, data-based research undertaken by the District’s Strategic Development Initiative, funded by the Cleveland Foundation and the George Gund Foundation.

That integrated process involved three highly-respected consulting firms that took an objective, fact-based look at where our schools are today and identified “pockets of success” on which we can build for the future of all of our schools.

Input from a 17-member Community Advisory Committee that included parents, educators, community leaders and public officials was extremely helpful to consultants who created the foundation for the plan.

Go to their website and sign the petition to support this action plan.  Whether you are a parent or not, are a Clevelander or a suburbanite, you should know that building up our schools is good for Cleveland, which is good for the regional economy, and ultimately good for everyone.  Won’t you join me in showing your support?

Want to know more about the Galleria?

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

I have been watching the Galleria with much anticipation.  They decided to remake the Galleria as a sort of urban greenhouse farm.  Let’s face it, the traditional mall concept is not doing well across the country.  Add to that the urban flight to the suburbs that Cleveland has experienced for the last several decades, and you have a bleak outlook for a downtown mall.  Fortunately, you have visionaries like Vicky Poole.  Vicky started  planting vegetables and other plants in hanging baskets around the mall.  The Galleria is basically just one big greenhouse anyhow, with its large atrium with giant open spaces and glass ceiling.  Of course, there ares still shops and shop spaces, but now when you go there you get a more green and lush experience.  Furthermore, I hear they are taking the idea of a “Eco Mart” and green business incubator idea and adding it to the mix.  How it all turns out is both exciting and innovative.  When you marry that to the Euclid corridor make over and the Avenue project, downtown could once again be the hot neighborhood to be!  I can’t wait to see the results.  I am planning on attending a meeting there this weekend and will find out more.  But to launch this new initiative and their Resource center, there will be a “happy hour” there as the Sustainability Summit is going on.  Please join me there to find out more!  www.gardensunderglass.net

Gardens Under Glass is an economic development project located in the Galleria; supporting the growth of urban agriculture, and sustainability education.  Gardens Under Glass ReSource Center will be opening September 22, in hopes to support an opportunity to network after the first day of the Sustainability Conference, the Glocal Engine.  The Center plans to support City sustainable initiatives, groups, and organizations with a green message.  We will also be focusing on healthy lifestyle education.  If you are receiving this e-mail, it is because I have talked with you, and feel you would be a good fit, and would like your product or service to be a part of the Center.  Interested businesses and groups, please contact me at your earliest convenience so that I can coordinate your space requirements. It is my hope to have everyone included.  I look forward to hearing from you.  Feel free to call me on my cell..440 225.0723

Cleveland at SxSW

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

I know you know about Zero Landfill. This is the program that provides arts and crafts materials to  educators and artists, by culling donations from architects, design firms, and more.  They take the old samples and other miscellanea and divert it from landfill by allowing artists, teachers, pretty much anyone, come and take these things away.   Less in landfill, more in the arts.   Interested?  Tomorrow is the final day for th season already (where did the summer go?)

Well, what you may not know is that Zero Landfill is a project of Beedance.  And Michael Dungan of Beedance could be a featured panel speaker at SxSW (the preeminent film, music and technology celebration fair) in Austin.  But they need your help.   NO, they don;’t need money for the trip (although I am sure you could make a donation if you like) but rather they need your votes.  You see, the organizers make some of the decisions surrounding who will speak about what by asking the public to vote on possible speakers.  Michael wants to talk about Biomimicry and how it has applied to his work.  From the SxSW panel picker site:

A social network that functions like a colony of ants. A database that manages and shares information like a slime mold. What can we learn from the obvious? Millions of years of royalty free R&D embedded in nature holds the answers to many of today’s human centered design challenges. In this presentation, co-facilitated by Chris Allen of The Biomimicry Institute and Michael Dungan of BeeDance LLC, learn how a systems approach that mimics nature’s lessons and resiliency can be adapted to technology design. Biomimicry is a proven design process that asks nature for advice. The application of biomimicry is responsible for the development of successful products ranging from Velcro™ and photovoltaic solar panels to advanced seawater desalination methods and more efficient Japanese bullet trains. Bringing a biologist to the design table to explore innovation in IT application development and optimization can unlock new discoveries. The teachings of specific champions in nature that will lead to break-through design thinking will be offered during the presentation. When approached as mentor, model and measure, organisms and whole systems found in the natural world become powerful collaborators. As B2B and B2C users continue to seek out more robust, fast and reliable forms of technology, the answers may not be in the room, but right outside the window.

I encourage you to log in and give them your vote.  We need to let the rest of the world more about the talent and cool projects going on here in NE Ohio.  And if you know these guys at all, then you know that they will not let us down.  They are great representatives for the region, and for sustainability as a whole!

Events and things…

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

These are the dog days of summer.   I admit that I have been lax in my blog postings for the last few weeks, but as the back to school sales ads are reminding me, it will soon be fall and I am keen to enjoy as much of what is left of summer as I can.  There are plenty of things to do and keep us busy, all the same.

I have to give a shout out to my friends Jared and David.  They are celebrating their birthdays today.  They are going all out, but rather than make it all about them, they are doing something cool and unique.  They are doing a celebration that will the Cleveland Animal Protective League. They have asked that in lieu of gifts, guests bring cans of pet food for the APL.  They are selling “spank tickets” as well and the money will all go to the APL as well.  Where is this event?  Why the Happy Dog, naturally.  These days we are so wrapped up in our own lives, that we forget about the charities and non profits that so sorely need alternative funding these days.  But I am proud to have so many friends who look at these celebrations as a way to benefit the community, rather than themselves.

Tuesday is an interesting event that I was invited to by Kim Burant and my friends at ClearCut Promotions.   Kim is promiting cool and exciting events around the Cleveland area.  ClearCut Promotions is the company that put together the “Fearless” event.  GQ Magazine, Bombay Sapphire and the USBG presents The Most Inspired Bartender Competition.  This is a nationwide search for Bombay Sapphire mixologists.  Private party to be held Tuesday August 10th 8-11pm at the Van Swearingen Archade at Hyde Park Steakhouse Downtown Cleveland.  I think it will be a good time.  I would invite you all to join me, but this is a private party with a limited guest list…. I feel so exclusive, ooohhh.  I will tell you that you should email Kim@clearcutpromotions.com and ask if there is space, and to be on her mailing list for upcoming events.  Be sure to look for them on Facebook, too!

Also upcoming is the next Yumm event by Stove Monkeys.  I have enjoyed going to these events and trying our cool and crazy foods.  Last month, I was in Seattle, so I am doubly looking forward to August’s event.  This month it will be on a Friday, August 27th from 5-9pm.  Every month these events get more packed and more exciting, so be sure to get your advanced tickets! Check out the article at Cleveland Scene.

Lat week was the midyear event for the NE Ohio chapter of the USGBC.  I try to attend all of these events.  Not only are they all fun, but I like the people in this group.  It is always a good thing to hang with others who have the same passions and sensibilities as you.  If you are interested in the built environment at all, you should consider joining, or even volunteering a little for this great group.  Michelle Kilroy is the chapter coordinator and she could always use some help with a committee, planning an event, organizing sponsors, or even just simple filing.  And you get first hand notice of events like this one at the Harp:

Then on Thursday, August 12th, I will be attending (and speaking) at an event for E4S:

Zero Waste Office Best Practices -

August 12, 2010: 8:30 am – 11 am Trinity Commons - 2230 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115

Parking is free.  Entrance is off of Prospect Ave.

Purpose:

•           Inform business leaders and office managers about opportunities to reduce waste in the office environment

•           Inspire business leaders to set zero waste goals

•           Connect leaders to resources that can help them get to zero waste in their office

•           Provide actionable first steps, next steps

I hate to speak in public.  That being said, you cannot let your fears in life hold you back, so anytime I am asked, I always agree.  It usually ends up just fine, as it did when I presented at the annual meeting of the Ohio Museums Association near Columbus.  Tickets are only $25 for members of E4S, so come and see if I crash and burn!  Besides, there will be plenty of other great speakers at this event!

Monday is the monthly Lake Erie Moose Society meeting.  This is a great group of bloggers, developers, and overall web enthusiasts.  I love to go to this meeting when I can.  Not only is it a great group of people, but it is usually at the Barking Spider Tavern in University Circle-a great hangout.  Furthermore, I never leave a meeting without some new ideas, new information, or a new friends.  If you are interested, join the Ning group or the Facebook page for monthly invites.  This group welcomes all types, and experience ranges from people thinking about blogging, to owners of some of the longest running blogs in the area.  Stop by for a beer and check it out!

Later in the month is the Eco Tuesday meeting.  September is shaping up to be quite a month as well.  The next Sustainability Summit is coming.  Ingenuity Fest and the advanced energy showcase are also that month, but more on those later.  Mark you calendars for this month’s events.

Local boys make good!

Sunday, August 1st, 2010

My friends over at MOD {all} Studio, Jim Fish and his design partner Rob Donaldson have been working hard to get Cleveland noticed for something other than politics and the economy.  Their new design firm has been going like gangbusters trying to win competitions and get noticed for their innovative ideas.  To this end, they have, in just a single year managed to become a finalist in the Dwell/Inhabitat.com ‘Reburbia’ competition, noted as one of the top ten popular entries for Freegreen.com’s Chain of Eco-Homes, and participated in a design exhibition in Piraeus, Greece.

So I was thrilled to find out last week that Mr. Fish was announced as one of the winners in an international competition to renovate and restore a series of existing cottages in Red Hook, NY.  Red Hook is the southern most portion of the Brooklyn borough of New York City and overlooks the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhatten.  By 2011, residents of the Conover Street will be able to enjoy these views from their newly renovated sustainable residences.

MOD{all}Studio’s proposal – entitled “ECo-ttage” – draws inspiration from the Red Hook neighborhood  with meticulous use of materials, careful articulation of the residential program, and the integration of several sustainable initiatives (a “UtilitySpine” that stacks mechanical items, and potential solar photo voltaic, rainwater harvesting, and greywater recycling system). The competition organizers, Realty Collective, cited the design’s simplicity of program, integration into the existing urban context, and inspiring progressive design as reasons for “ECo-ttage” being selected. ECo-ttage is one of four winning proposals for existing residences.

You can read the official Press Release of the winners here.

The windows allow dark floors to absorb heat during colder months to help warm the residences.  Rainwater is diverted and could be collected for use in grey water systems.  A central “spine” for all the systems of the home make upgrades and repairs easy to access-thus reducing labor costs and material use.  You can read more about the green aspects of the project at: MOD {all} Studios.  They are not new to innovative design ideas.  They have designed many residences which have an interesting design aesthetic and which make efforts to provide designs that make the best use of space.  One of my favorites is a simple garage designed with a solar panel roof to charge electric cars while not in use.  Even the simplest of their designs are interesting and different.  Watch the video below to see a simple shelter designed for overlooking the shores of Lake Erie:

Visit their website to see more of their work and be sure to send Jim a little note of congratulations on his winning design!

Outsiders welcome!

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

I spent a few weeks in Seattle, and it only made me miss Cleveland more.  Being a transplant from the Pacific Northwest, it was quite a culture shock moving to Cleveland, Ohio.  America’s heartland, land of manufacturing, steel country.  But after living here for a decade, it is clear that things in the region have changed.  Out of necessity and a change in the general economy, Cleveland has burst forth with new ideas and is poised to be the cutting edge of sustainability with a new “green” economy.

Sure, there are a lot of things going on in the Seattle/Bellevue metropolitan region that make Cleveland pale by comparison.  Jobs comes to mind.  I heard on the local news that Bellevue, Washington has an unemployment rate of just over 5%.  That is lower than the Puget Sound region in general by nearly a percentage point and almost half of the national average.  But before you pack up the station wagon to head west, keep this in mind.  The AVERAGE house price in Bellevue is nearly $500,000.  The city is not populated with mansions, it is just a very expensive market.  Also, keep in mind that much of the economy in and around Seattle is built on technology-Microsoft and the like.

What is Cleveland doing?  We have lost much of our manufacturing base and the jobs that go with them.  As we strive to reinvent ourselves, we are tapping into our roots to find new products to make use of our real estate and form alliances to bring new manufacturing and new technologies to the region.  Let’s face it, California cannot keep up with the manufacture of solar panels, so Toledo is filling in the gaps.  If we can do the same with things like wind turbine parts and smart grid pieces, then the future of Cleveland’s new economy is bright.  Furthermore, as technology shrinks the world, major players in corporate America begin  to see Cleveland as an attractive place to build a new hub.  Centrally located to much of the country’s population, and with a low cost of living, it is an ideal place to set up shop.  Where else could you put a brand new headquarters right on lake front property, within an 8 hour drive of 75% of America’s populace and do it for about what a nice house would cost in a Seattle neighborhood.  And a CEO pulling down a million dollars a year can live like a Saudi prince in NE Ohio.

Seattle also beats out our region in traffic.  Commutes can be two hours each way and people do it every day.  Spending an hour in your car to get anywhere is not surprising.  This has, however, led to the development of dense urban neighborhoods.  If you want to be i the city, then they need to build a lot of stuff in a small area to make room for all those urbanites.  Every little neighborhood sports shopping, groceries, restaurants, and services.  Conversely, suburbs also have to provide more amenities, as the ability to “run into town” is nearly impossible.  This is where Cleveland can learn a thing or two.  Urban flight and suburban growth has led to sprawl and the loss of a vibrant downtown.  Gone forever is the Cleveland “garment district” and the downtown shopping at such renowned locations as Halle’s, the May Company and Higbee’s.   Replacing it are upscale suburban malls like Beachwood Place.  Tower City has given way to lifestyle centers like Legacy Village and Crocker Park.  Ease of access to the city center has made suburban living and downtown employment attractive and led to great buildings being replaced by surface parking lots.  In Seattle, as traffic worsens, public transportation has finally begun to take on a more meaningful role in the region.  Cleveland, however, continues to provide public transportation that is geared toward serving those who cannot private transportation.  Further, it cuts services and routes to the areas that could most benefit from expansion.

In the ares of waste and recycling, Cleveland is on par with much of the services of the Puget Sound area.  Just like Ohio, Washington has no bottle deposit, so cans and bottles are routinely tossed into garbage out of convenience.  From my observations, curbside recycling is not uniform within all the various city designations around the Seattle area and public awareness does not seem to be a priority around the region.  While this is similar to the current state of things around NE Ohio, things in Cleveland are improving.  While I saw a few recycling receptacles on Seattle city sidewalks, next to the garbage cans, and some areas had broad based curbside programs, Cleveland has a long term goal of full city curbside recycling over the next few years.  I spotted one compost bin on the sidewalk, whether that was a regular part of life, I do not know.  Cleveland has a pretty active grassroots movement for composting and recycling and major players like the Q and Tower City are implementing big composting plans within their facilities.  With the big companies on board, Cleveland could easily outpace Seattle’s current capacity in a very short time.PhotobucketAnd don’t forget that Cleveland is soon going to be turning its waste into energy, with its new electric facility that is scheduled for the near future.

The area where Cleveland and NE Ohio seems to be truly ahead is in local foods.  I love to eat and I love food.  While Seattle has the Pike Place Market and an abundance of fresh seafood, in an area with a huge population this is not enough.  I was shocked to see local grocery chains sporting Gulf seafood, Atlantic fish, Australian beef and even South American apples.  While this is not surprising in zones with short growing seasons and no access to the ocean, in a moderate climate with plenty of local farmland, it was shameful.  Furthermore, that watermelon that was shipped from California or Mexico was selling for anywhere from $7-$10.  And it was not that tasty.  Perhaps my experience in trying to always buy local and seasonal when I can has led me to be a bit of a food snob, but I would rather buy a ripe red tomato from a local farmer that 3 tomatoes from a chain that shipped them green from Texas and had almost no flavor.  I mentioned Fresh Fork to friends and family and the concept of a CSA seems completely foreign to all of them, while we have a long list of them here.  I only saw a couple of ads for local farmers markets, while we have dozens around the metro area.  Add to that the growing list of leaders in NE Ohio who are trying to tap into our farmers and their produce as an economic resource and you have something to be proud of.

So, Clevelanders can be proud to be here.  We have a vibrant music, arts and cultural scene and are leading much of the country when it comes to sustainability and creating a new economy.  When someone tells you they just moved here, don’t ask them, “Why CLeveland?”  Instead simply say, “Welcome.  You are gonna love it here!”

More Food Madness on Monday

Saturday, July 10th, 2010

My buddies at Stove Monkeys are gearing up for their next Yumm event at Mercury Lounge.  I have written about these guys and their friends before.  Now every month they are showing Clevelanders just how adventuresome food can be.  Getting this monthly project off the ground has been an adventure for Matthew Mytro and his team.  The first month they tried this experiment, it was pretty unclear as to whether or not Cleveland was ready to embrace the concept of molecular gastronomy and food combinations.  That first evening was one of the first beautiful nights in Cleveland.  It also happened to coincide with an event for the Indians at Jacobs Field-and who could have predicted a solid playoff round for the Cavs?  We were there early and the crowd was light, but things picked up as the evening wore on.  But if last month was any indication, Cleveland has embraced this monthly foray into cooking concepts with open arms.  Unexpected crowds crammed the patio and  the introduction of cocktail concoctions had patrons lining up at the bar.  This month, Matt tells me that they will making optimum use of the overall space at Mercury.  This month looks to be the best month yet!

For a mere $10 ($7 in advance) you can get some nitrogen frozen tomato mozzarella salad, liquid raviolis, Bacon PB & J, Corn On Da Cob, and ice cream.  There will be molecular cocktails, too like Mom’s Apple Pie and liquid Jack and Coke.  Check out some of the highlight from last month’s event:

Stove Monkeys is mostly a clothing company.  If you place an order of $25 or more, you can get a free ticket to this event.  I love their latest designs, so check them out and tell me what you think!  You can get one of their You can join these guys on Facebook and on Twitter to find out what other cool things they are doing!