Friday, November 5, 2010

“Clevelander Nicole McGee brings philosophy of reuse to her decorative pieces, jewelry - Cleveland Plain Dealer” plus 2 more

“Clevelander Nicole McGee brings philosophy of reuse to her decorative pieces, jewelry - Cleveland Plain Dealer” plus 2 more

Clevelander Nicole McGee brings philosophy of reuse to her decorative pieces, jewelry - Cleveland Plain Dealer

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 12:09 PM PDT

Published: Friday, November 05, 2010, 3:08 PM     Updated: Friday, November 05, 2010, 3:17 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nicole McGee is a bike-riding, worm-composting, chicken-raising, clothes-swapping contrast to big-mortgage-two-SUVs-in-the-driveway consumers.

She's not at all like those who work long weeks to make a lot of money to buy all the things they think they need.

Not that she has anything against people who choose a fancier lifestyle. It's just that a productive life in her old house on a brick street on the near West Side suits her style.

The 30-year-old lives a life of reuse and sustainability, extending the concept to the jewelry and decorative objects she makes from found stuff.

Check out the jewelry she makes from beads she found alongside a Cleveland street. And some groomsmen just loved the boutonnieres she made from vinyl floor samples. Ditto the floor-sample floral centerpieces she created for the five-state chain of Aladdin's Eatery restaurants. She found the samples at ZeroLandfill, a Cleveland organization that recycles materials such as paint chips and upholstery fabric squares by offering them free to artists and teachers.

"The idea of reducing consumption is one I feel strongly about -- which is a dichotomy since as an artist I'm essentially repeating the same model by selling my stuff," said McGee. But she's talked with others who consider her work to be a way for people to reconsider waste and to celebrate resourcefulness and reuse.

That's why a friend gave McGee her grandmother's lifetime collection of beads, because "I know you'll do something with them." And why the artist biked past an old drawer full of beads lying on a curb and promised herself she'd stop if it were still there when she rode by again. Thus was born her "Train Avenue Collection" of necklaces and earrings, a story she loves to tell the people who buy them.

Jewelry made from reused objects has stories. New items do not, McGee said.

Her work space is the wide hallway between the kitchen and living room of her double on Pear Avenue. (She and her husband, Matthew, rent the bottom half.) It is room enough for a table, a stool, the punch press her dad found for her secondhand, and an organized clutter of strings of plastic bottlenecks she weaves into colorful plaques and broken necklaces she will rework.

Perched here and there are vinyl floor-sample centerpieces like the ones the people from the company that makes Johnsonite flooring saw in an Aladdin's and said, "Hey, that's our product!"

From that, McGee got a big order for necklaces and key chains made from vinyl tiles for the company to distribute as little gifts to interior designers. (Her jewelry generally ranges in price from $30 to $80.)

The jewelry maker also raises thousands of red wiggler worms in two vermicomposting bins in her basement. They eat the banana peels she saves by the dozen in the freezer.

Details

Pop-Up Gift Shop

What: Local and environmentally minded art and gifts.

When: Thursday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Dec. 19.

Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays.

Where: 2242 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. (At Trinity Commons next to Ten Thousand Villages. Free parking in the Trinity Cathedral parking lot at East 22nd Street and Prospect Avenue.)

"My husband, Matthew, is the most patient creature in the universe" about the recycling and composting, she said. They met in high school in Franklin, Pa., their hometown. She and Matthew share one car. Living close to the West 65th Street RTA station is handy -- part of the appeal of living in the Detroit-Superior neighborhood's pedestrian-friendly EcoVillage, Cleveland's sustainable living project that promotes green housing and urban farming.

"I think a big part of living sustainably is to reduce our own consumption," said McGee, who organizes clothing swaps with friends to replenish her wardrobe and recommends reading "Your Money or Your Life" (Penguin) by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez, and "Voluntary Simplicity" (Quill) by Duane Elgin for instruction on the subject.

"Of course, we all need to buy things," said McGee, who belongs to an egg co-op. (The eggs are provided by some Rhode Island Reds housed in a coop a few doors down from her house.)

"When it's a purchase other than food, I try to consider it for as long as possible before I buy," said McGee. "This helps me make a wise choice and also is a good reminder of what a privilege it is that I can easily buy optional things for myself."

She would rather spend $100 on a pair of shoes that will last a decade rather than $20 on a pair that will wear out in a year.

Though it makes perfect sense to her how art and community activism meld, it might be surprising to some that McGee came to Cleveland in 2003 to be a community organizer at Merrick House, the Tremont neighborhood center and settlement house. She now volunteers as a member of its board.

In May, McGee finished her master's degree in sociology at Cleveland State University. Her thesis has a reuse theme; its title is "Perfectly Good, the Value of Used Over New."

She makes notecards from doodles on reused paper, cutouts from cereal boxes or snips from the paper tablecloth used at a family reunion.

"I just keep bringing in all kinds of trash," McGee said. Like wire hangers pitched by the dry cleaner that went out of business. They will become stems for the fat roses she makes from newspaper. "I like to think of myself as an alternative florist," said McGee, who also makes decorative bowls by putting old vinyl records in the oven.

She and other artists who make environmentally minded art and gifts will offer their wares Thursdays through Sundays from Thursday, Nov. 18, through Sunday, Dec. 19, at Pop-Up Gift Shop, a temporary shop at 2242 Euclid Ave., at Trinity Commons next to Ten Thousand Villages. (Fittingly, the shop will take over a vacant storefront.)

Stop in and ask her about one of her pieces. She'll be happy to tell you its story.

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Possum Philosophy: Car guy says farewell to Pontiac - Southwest Virginia Today

Posted: 05 Nov 2010 01:57 PM PDT

By Stephanie Porter-Nichols
Published: November 5, 2010

By ROBERT "ROCKY" CAHILL/Columnist

Little GTO, you're really lookin' fine, Three deuces and a four-speed and a 389
Listen to her tachin' up now, listen to her why-ee-eye-ine, C'mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO
Gonna save all my money (turnin' it on, blowin' it out) and buy a GTO (turnin' it on,
blowin' it out) Get a helmet and a roll bar (turnin' it on, blowin' it out) and I'll be ready to go (turnin' it on, blowin' it out)
Take it out to Pomona (turnin' it on, blowin' it out) and let 'em know (turnin' it on,
blowin' it out), yeah, yeah
That I'm the coolest thing around Little buddy, gonna shut you down
When I turn it on, wind it up, blow it out GTO
—From the song Little GTO, originally recorded by a group known as Ronny and the Daytonas

As I have often mentioned, I am a car guy. Mom always said I inherited it from Dad, and that is likely true. He was a car lover too. (I started to say he was a car guy, but considering his name was Guy, that would have been too much of a pun even for me and when it comes to puns, I have almost no shame.)
According to Mom, Dad started driving when he was about 13. That would have been about 1938 and even then it wasn't exactly legal. But since Charlie DeBusk, his uncle (and as we would discover only recently, his father through adoption) was one of a very few lawmen covering the western end of Smyth County, Dad pretty much got by with it.
He was apparently pretty good at it too even back then. He had a reputation for driving fast and hard. In fact, shortly after Dad and Mom married in 1945, dad was approached by someone whose name I have never discovered about hauling moonshine for the fellow and his partners down to Knoxville. And not as a one-time trip but on a regular basis. The money must have been good and the thrill no doubt attractive, but, Mom said, she emphatically put her foot down and Dad declined the offer.
But until he passed away at an all-too-young 52, he retained his love of cars. My love affair with automobiles started as a very young child. Young enough that dad would stand me on the seat, between his legs, show me how to put my hands on the wheel and let me "drive." No, I wasn't actually driving as Dad kept his hands on the wheel at all times, but I was young enough that I thought I was driving. (He would no doubt be hauled away to jail for this today although I survived and loved the times he let me at the wheel.)
I still love cars to this day. Terry, while something of a car-lover herself, doesn't exactly understand the true depth of my love of vehicles. I have told her if we were ever to strike a huge lottery jackpot, I would have a collection of cars that would rival Jay Leno's.
She has a high-dollar car or two she would like to own, but nothing along the lines of my wishes. I told her I could easily spend $1 million and still not own all the cars I would love to have. This, unfortunately, is not likely to happen. In fact, it is quite far-fetched.
All this is by way of getting to my point and, yes, I do know I took a rather long, round-about way of getting there. Sunday, for us old motor-heads was a sad day. It was announced that American automaker General Motors will no longer build one of its brands, the Pontiac.
According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia (en.wikipedia.org), in 1907, the Pontiac Spring and Wagon works, an early truck manufacturer, decided to build an automobile. The first Pontiacs weighed in at 1,000 pounds and had a two-cylinder engine that produced a whopping 12 horsepower. Within months, another early automaker, Oakland merged with the Pontiac Spring Works to become the Oakland Motorcar Company. It wasn't long (January 1909) before the growing automaker, owned by the Durant brothers and known as General Motors, bought a 50 percent interest in Oakland Motorcars and later in 1909 General Motors bought the remaining part of Oakland.
It would be 1926 before General Motors would build its first Pontiacs. The Pontiac outsold its sister car the Oakland to the point that General Motors ceased Oakland production. The Pontiac remained popular as a speedy, sporty vehicle until the war years. After WWII until the mid-50s, Pontiac had a reputation as a solid, dependable family car. Then in 1955, Pontiac started building overhead valve, V-8 engines. No Pontiacs would be built with six-cylinder engines again until 1977.
In 1957, Pontiac came under new engineering and styling management which included manager Semon Knudsen, and engineers E. M. Estes and John DeLorean (later of the Delorean auto fame). They became known then as sporty, fast cars. Their Bonneville rivaled Cadillac for power and sales price.
I was usually a Ford fan. My Dad had a 1957 Ford Fairlane that I loved both for its looks and its power. Although I liked a variety of cars I was still your basic Ford fan. But in 1964, I fell in love. That was when Pontiac began producing the Pontiac GTO. The first one I ever saw, at least in person, was owned, I believe, by John Blevins of Chilhowie.
If I remember correctly, it was navy blue with a white interior. It had a 389-cubic-inch engine with three two-barrel carburetors, fueling those 389 thirsty inches of engine. It was a beautiful car with bucket seats, and I believe a four-speed manual transmission. It was a teen-age boy's dream car (at least this teenage boy). To this day I still remember that car and still love that model. Could I afford it, a 1964 GTO would definitely be in my auto collection.
GM built the GTO in various style and versions through the mid 1970s. As styles and tastes changed the GTO became phased out. Then in 2004 it returned (somewhat) in a powerful front-wheel drive version built in Australia by a GM subsidiary. This model continued until 2006.
Sadly, the demise of the GTO turned out to be somewhat of a forewarning for Pontiac. This week, GM announced, as part of its re-structuring program, it will discontinue building Pontiac automobiles. A sad end to what was once a truly great line of cars, especially my favorite, the early GTOs.

A freelance journalist, Robert "Rocky" Cahill writes regularly for the News & Messenger. His Possum Philosophy column appears in each Saturday edition. 

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Mike Shanahan Reverting to Old Washington Redskins Philosophy - Bleacherreport.com

Posted: 02 Nov 2010 11:58 AM PDT

DETROIT - OCTOBER 31: Kyle Vanden Bosch #93 of the Detroit Lions hits Donovan McNabb #5 of the Washington Redskins during the first quarter of the game at Ford Field on October 31, 2010 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)Leon Halip/Getty Images

After the mind-boggling benching of Donovan McNabb this past Sunday in Detroit, the Washington Redskins crazy carousel is running at full speed. Despite McNabb's poor play this season, the idea to bring in Rex Grossman was a bad one, and the fallout from McNabb's benching is going to linger for a long time.

McNabb had an opportunity to lead the Redskins down the field for a game-winning drive. He most likely would not have succeeded, since his pass protection was atrocious the whole afternoon. Even so, the Redskins would be sitting at 4-4 heading into their bye week—a record almost any Redskins fan would have been happy to live with.

If he did lead the team down the field, Washington would be riding sky high—a 5-3 record, a great comeback and a new-found belief in No. 5.

But after the benching, the media is swarming like vultures. Players are questioning the coaching staff privately, if not publicly, and McNabb's future with the organization is in reasonable doubt.

This moves clearly illustrates that Mike Shanahan is starting to lose faith in McNabb. His Monday afternoon press conference was one for the ages, where he questioned McNabb's ability to call two plays at once, run up the field and organize a drive with no timeouts remaining.

He sounds like a real believer, doesn't he?

JaMarcus Russell was brought in today for a workout at Redskins Park. Why!? If you believe that Russell is seriously being considered as a candidate for the roster, then you are delusional. Unless of course he is going to play left guard.

Even the idea of bringing in Russell is stupid. The team extended John Beck's contract early in the preseason and brought in Grossman because he is familiar with Kyle Shanahan's offense from his days in Houston. So from a public relations standpoint, I just do not understand it at all.

Now, with all of this controversy, Shanahan's large ego is starting to show its face. He has now benched McNabb, Albert Haynesworth and Derrick Dockery. Even with the atrocious play of current left guard Kory Lichtensteiger, Dockery has remained inactive the past few weeks.

With all of these moves, fans are already beginning to lose the faith that was restored in the offseason. Sounds familiar, huh? Has anything really changed?

What if Randy Moss is picked up off waivers by the team? Is this a sign of a team looking to make a playoff push, or another clue that nothing has changed at Redskins Park?

Instead of the national media ignoring us, which we should all prefer, they are all putting the front office's feet to the fire. It has been a very bad week in Ashburn.

The bye week will not dilute these distractions. Washington faces Philadelphia on Monday Night Football in Week 10. The questions and poor answers will continue to circulate for weeks to come.

When will the day come that the Redskins simply put their best 22 out on the field week in and week out and see what happens? They have shown the ability to defeat good teams (Eagles, Packers, Cowboys).

Now let's keep the ship going in the same direction. A few big waves will crash down from time to time, but all is not lost.

Unless the new regime rips the boat to shreds.

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