It’s certainly no secret that daily newspapers today are in dire straits. And “Stop the presses” no longer merely means a front-page makeover, but rather another untimely death in the family.
The list of the dead and the dying is already lengthy, and with names all too familiar.  Even in our own backyard, The Blade has shrunk both its size and its staff … not to mention its freelance scribblers!
The result, of course, is an ever-increasing reliance on wire service and syndicated copy and less and less on locally generated material, something that’s all too obvious in the already miniaturized travel sections.
As long term columnists — 26 years and counting — and unrepentant newspaper junkies, we find these new trends highly regrettable, to say the least. And while we understand the underlying reasons — the rise of the Internet, changes in readership patterns, loss of classified advertising, newspaper consolidation and so on — we don’t plan to give in to it. Instead, we want to give Toledo Free Press readers increased travel coverage, not less.
So, inspired by the BBC Radio program, “From Our Own Correspondent,” (we listen to it in the dead of night on Michigan Public Radio 91.7), we recently asked several friends, living in different countries and continents, to start feeding us some original and timely travel news from their part of their world that we can pass on to you.
Currently, we’re covering Australia, South Africa, the UK, Germany, Austria, France and Italy, but with a bit of arm twisting and light bribery, we expect to add to our team of Toledo Free Press Travel Correspondents-TFPTCs.
The friends we’ve contacted so far have been both responsive and massively enthusiastic. No sooner had we sent out our initial correspondent call than Andre Loubser from Cape Town, South Africa e-mailed us.
It was 3 a.m. his time!
Andre and I go back a long way. To 1963, in fact, when we were both working for Porsche in Germany and shared an apartment till we were pitched out for some overly raucous parties!
Anyway, Andre moved to Britain and worked for Stirling Moss, the great racing driver, before returning home and involving himself in all manner of gearheaded activities, from the building of replica classic cars to writing automotive profiles and a book about South Africa’s premier race track in Kylami.
His wife, Gill, runs a packaging magazine, so there’s lots of journalism in them there genes!
Andre told us about the recent opening of the world’s largest free flight bird sanctuary called Birds of Eden in Plettenberg Bay (Info@birdsof eden.co.za), which we watched being built when we were there a couple of years ago.
Checking in from Down Under were Sydneysiders Robert Mathyson and Martin Woodward, who advised us that there are currently some really good travel deals, air and ground, available in OZ.
We first met Robert and Martin on a trip up the coast of Norway on the M/S Narvik in 1992 and have been fast friends ever since. Martin is a former Qantas Airline employee and serious chef while Robert works his electronic wizardry with the Australian Broadcasting Company. We talk and e-mail regularly, when they’re not off on another extended trip. Those Australians …
Our UK correspondents, Keith and Marina Fletcher, are also covering France and Italy for us. They have an apartment on the border of both countries and travel the Continent frequently thanks to Britain’s budget airlines.
For many years Keith (an old schoolmate from the 50s) and his father ran an antiquarian book store in Cecil Court, off Charing Cross Road (remember No. 84?) before moving to a beautiful converted barn deep in the Hertfordshire countryside.
They are great hosts and raconteurs “sans pareil.”
Covering Germany and Austria will be Stephen and Marzia Dobbs, whom we met hiking the cross-Britain Coast to Coast Trail last May. They are ex-pat Brits who have been living in Southern Germany, the Schwarzwald, actually, for more than a decade.
Stephen teaches “proper English” to German businessmen and plays in a rock band while Marzia toils away at a German company. Their extensive initial contributions will provide grist for many future travel mills!
Thanks to all of them, and “stand by for news!”

E-mail travel columnists Roger Holliday and Claudia Fischer at RogerHolliday@wcnet.org.

If Charles McDaniel had his way, jazz would be celebrated every day.

“Jazz was founded in America; that’s our claim to fame,” the local musician said. “All the other music comes from somewhere else.”

So when the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History named April as Jazz Appreciation Month in 2002 and Congress passed legislation encouraging the promotion of events to embrace and honor jazz, McDaniel took note.

He talked to a fellow member of the American Federation of Musicians to see how communities pay tribute to the national treasure. He learned parades and outdoor concerts take place in many Southern states.

The secretary/treasurer of the Professional Musicians of Northwest Ohio Local 15-286 organized a free concert featuring area musicians last year. The jam session took place in the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library so the fickle April weather wouldn’t upstage the performers.

Nearly 100 musicians are slated to play at the second annual concert for Jazz Appreciation Month April 25 starting at noon in the downtown library Wintergarden, Huntington Meeting Room and McMaster Center.

The Ramona Collins Quartet will be up at 4 p.m. in the Wintergarden.

“Even though you may go to school and learn to read all the notes and everything, the bandstand is also a classroom,” Collins said. “I think that’s what people should know about jazz, that the bandstand, especially in the old days, was the classroom because a lot of those musicians didn’t read music and they wrote songs that have become classics.”

The singer said she’ll learn from her young quartet members — pianist Glenn Tucker, bass player Jordan Shug and drummer Jerry Powell.

“It’s very important [for young performers] to interact with [veteran musicians] because they have something to show us and we have something to show them. I think people can observe that and see that, oh that’s cool, Ramona’s been singing for 40 years and she’s working with a guy whose 19, one is like 20, one is 22,” Collins said. “It’s exciting because they have a different viewpoint of music because they’re young.”

McDaniel, pianist with Jelise and Company that will perform at noon in the McMaster Center, said it’s never too early for children to play music.

“We’re going to have a room upstairs at the library where the youth can play drums, tambourines, bongos, maracas,” he said. “It’s part of our music education program.”

Jazz Appreciation Month Concert April 25
Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

Wintergarden
Noon — Dick Lange Trio
1 p.m. — Toledo Symphony Jazz Trio
2 p.m. — Lori LaFevre Quartet
3 p.m. — Jim Gottron Quartet
4 p.m. — Ramona Collins Quartet

Huntington Meeting Room
Noon — Selina Perryman & Company
1 p.m. — The Murphys and Glenda Biddlestone
2 p.m. — Toledo School for the Arts
3 p.m. — Keith Bernhard and More Jazz Messengers
4 p.m. — Bob Rex Trio

McMaster Center
Noon — Jelise and Company
1 p.m. — Chefs of Dixieland
2 p.m. — University of Toledo Jazz Faculty Quartet
3 p.m. — Toledo Youth Jazz Ensemble
4 p.m. — Bowling Green State University Jazz Ensemble

One candidate this election season reminds me of one of my favorite tales as a young man growing up, the Arthurian legend. Whether we are talking about the book “The Once and Future King” by T. H. White, the movie “Excalibur” directed by John Boorman, the Disney cartoon “The Sword in the Stone” or the musical “Camelot” by Lerner and Loewe, we all know the story of young Arthur.
As the election process works into full swing for the highest office in the land (or at least that of mayor of Toledo), we find such a young man seeking such a crown. This youth would like us to believe that he offers change from the evils of the kings of the past (you know, the status quo), bringing fresh new ideas to this titular position, but methinks we should take a closer look.
Though there may be some claims to the contrary, our young lord was raised not in the woods by a wizard named Merlin but in a family long known to seek and hold political office and its power. Members of our young knight’s family have held many such positions, including that of chair of the Lucas County Democratic Party, and once even that office currently held by our young lord, that of Lucas County Commissioner.
He was then fostered, not by a friendly country knight, but instead by Rep. Marcy Kaptur as a Congressional page, showing himself as preparing in fact for that political future. Returning to school for a law degree, our knight seems to have done little since but run for political office, failing in a bid for the 4th Congressional District before gaining his current position.
Having thus attained a position of service to the people, our young knight soon found that service is often more difficult than simply questing for office. It is all well and good to dream of saving voters in distress or slaying the dragons of hunger, poverty or unemployment in the land; but actually accomplishing such goals (or even playing nice with his fellow knights) seems beyond our young squire.
Thus, when our young lord points to his record of service to the land, closer scrutiny shows that the only battles that seem to have been fought involve creating the position of county poet laureate; getting $250,000 set aside for low-interest loans for local artwork and proposing a living wage for county contracts in spite of the fact that it would dramatically increase county spending and that it was called into question by the county prosecutor, causing him to appear more like Don Quixote in the process.
Having likewise pledged his word and signed a document to the effect that he would serve in full measure the office to which he was elected, he says that his word (and one would have to suppose his honor) are subject to re-interpretation of circumstances. He tells us such circumstances and the seeking of the Grail of higher office trumps all prior oaths. Close on this failure of purpose, we watched as this likewise pledged officer of the court stood silently by as a group of blackguards (the Toledo Foreclosure Defense League) openly defied the authority of that court and he failed to defend the honor his fellows of the court as foul and traitorous aspersions were cast upon them.
I am sorry to say directly to our young lord that, unfortunately, your tale is far too typical of those seeking power in Northwest Ohio and that you have yet to show us anything other than a continuation of the very status quo that you so strongly decry. You have likewise yet to show any of the values of true leadership required for such responsibilities, especially in such difficult times as these, choosing instead the well-trodden path when it is to your advantage to do so.
You may dream of Camelot, the throne and the crown and you may even posture for such a position. I do not believe that, in this case, however, you possess the strength (or the strength of character) required to draw the sword from the stone.

Tim Higgins blogs at justblowingsmoke.blogspot.com.

Four students from St. John’s Jesuit Academy want to illuminate the world – one BoGo Light at a time.
Eighth graders Sean Wheelock, Dominic Zirbel, Amir Horani and Harry Thaman are creating awareness about the 1.9 billion people around the world who do not have proper electricity.
“They’re using kerosene, candles, and conventional flashlights,” Thaman said. “Occasionally, candles can be dangerous because they can burn up the home and they’re expensive.”
Thaman said regular flashlights are inconvenient and bad for the environment because the batteries have to be changed frequently and go “straight to the rivers and streams.”

From left: Dominic Zirbel, Sean Wheelock, Harry Thaman and Amir Horani.

“We were wondering what we can do to try help these people,” Wheelock said.
Their science teacher, Dave Nichols, introduced them to the BoGo Light, a solar-powered flashlight that stands for “buy one, give one.”
For every BoGo Light sold, SunNight Solar, donated a BoGo light to a third-world country.
The four students worked with SunNight Solar, a renewable energy company in Houston, and started a program called “Schools Lighting the Way.” This was a way to educate students across the nation learn about the vital need for solar lighting, as well as start a fundraiser. The company put St. John’s logo on the flashlights.
The St. John’s students call their fundraiser “Green Light Project.”
The solar flashlights use LEDs, light emitting diodes, versus incandescent bulbs. LEDs last about 100,000 hours, while incandescent light bulbs last for 1,000 hours.
“Our goal is to light the world,” Wheelock said. “We can do something small that helps the world. We can really make a difference in people’s lives and that’s what we want to do.”
The students hosted a school raffle and raised $1,000 to send some BoGo Lights to countries with insufficient lighting like Africa, Appalachia and Guatemala.
“Energy poverty is huge, so it hurts a lot of people,” Horani said.
The students were the youngest participants at the Sylvania Business Expo in March, presenting their Green Light Project.
“We had some people that were like, ‘Oh yeah, we’ll think about it … but then you could see that some people really got into the subject,” Horani said. “You could just see they really wanted one. We weren’t selling them there, but half of them wanted to buy one.”
“Last semester, we put up stickers around the academy, which said, ‘please turn off the lights,’” Zirbel said.
The students also conducted a two-week survey about the usage of energy light and urged classmates to turn on the lights only when necessary.
“Once you inform people about it, they help reduce [light usage],” he said.
Principal Chris Knight said the school is proud of the students, who all credit teacher Marcia Chamber as their mentor.
“They’re highly motivated to do something,” Knight said. “It matches with our school’s motto: ‘To be men for others,’ and they’re taking that to heart.”
The students hope other schools will take part in this project. They are contacting Jesuit schools across the country.
“We want it to have a ripple effect and hopefully we are starting that ripple,” Wheelock said.
For more information, go to http://www.schoolslightingtheway.com/.

Every college student from the greater Toledo area is faced with the same question upon graduation: should I stay or should I go? There are several factors that play into this rather loaded question, including the job market, potential for higher earning, affordable housing, and recreational areas to get away from the monotony and have fun. Unfortunately, Toledo is lacking in many of these areas. The race for the next Toledo mayor must make the retention of its educated residents a high priority to assure growth and prosperity in the future.
Let’s face it: jobs in Toledo have been hard to find. Layoffs are a nightly headline, and the ever-expanding budget deficit leaves a sour taste in the mouth of a college graduate. Mayor Finkbeiner recently proposed a plan to increase taxes on Toledo residents who work outside the city limits to cut down this budgetary black hole, which can be roughly translated into “I’m fresh out of options.” Fortunately, Toledo City Council struck down this proposal. You cannot punish Toledoans who find employment outside the city when they had a limited chance of finding a job in its limits. You would think a seasoned politician would know this.
Despite the current antics, Toledo gets a chance to bring in a new set of ideas. The mayoral race is in full swing, with four declared candidates who offer many experiences to the table. All promise job creation and retention, which is obviously the biggest issue. But how will they draw in the youth?
Democratic mayoral hopeful Keith Wilkowski recently held a youth and young professional roundtable discussion at his downtown headquarters. I applaud this effort, but realistically we have not heard anything about this event since its press release, which leads me to believe it was just another excuse to be on the nightly news. He is trying to appeal to the youth by what appears to be a continuation of President Obama’s campaign, but after all the latest gaffes in Washington, he might reconsider this plan.
Republican Jim Moody is currently known for problems with his residency and a plan to sell equity in the Toledo Express Airport. He is a businessman, so his interests obviously lie with drawing new business into the community because he has gone through the process himself. His latest press releases have just been responses to other candidates joining the race, so hopefully we will hear more from the Moody camp in the coming weeks.
Independent candidate Mike Bell has the executive know-how to run the city and manage it efficiently, as he has been the Toledo Fire Chief and State Fire Marshall. What we do not know about him is whether he has the ability to attract new businesses to our region. He has great name recognition, which if you have ever been a candidate, makes your job a little easier. But will he engage the younger generation?
Finally, County Commissioner Ben Konop has thrown his hat into the ring. Konop is a member of the younger generation himself, so his viewpoint reflects many fresh ideas. However, I do not know how the younger generation will respond to Konop breaking his ethics pledge to remain in his current position for the full term. Perhaps if Konop resigned his current post to run for mayor, he might be taken more seriously.
There are a few things that the candidates must keep in mind. First, job creation is the foundation of every other piece of the Toledo puzzle. College grads need a place that offers them options and competitive pay. Second, businesses must be able to enter Toledo without a constant stream of red tape coming their way. Third, if a city program is not performing, fix it or drop it. Tough decisions must be made, and this requires a top-to-bottom performance review of all Toledo programs and agencies. Finally, don’t forget Toledo’s culture. We have the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Zoo, Murphy’s Jazz, and other fine establishments to give Toledo an educational outlet. We need to bring more organizations like these into our area to show potential residents that we have something to offer. We also need to convert the Dorr Street area around The University of Toledo into something that attracts youth.
Perhaps the candidates should have a debate at The University of Toledo to discuss matters of its future workforce. This important topic needs to be addressed.

With another notch in the win column in the balance, closer Matt Zahel would rather be nowhere but on the mound.
The sophomore UT pitcher used to start games; now he ends them.
“I just love it when the game’s on the line,” he said. “I just love being in those situations. I just like going in pumping strikes and trying to get the win for the team.”

Matt Zahel

Zahel leads a bullpen deep in talent, according to head coach Cory Mee, who attributed the Rockets’ early success to a number of players. Mee said the entire team stands behind Zahel every time he rubs the ball, sets himself and hurls toward the plate. UT looks forward to tallying a winning season, despite the lack of attention often garnered — or, rather, not garnered — by players in pinstripes.
“Every single guy on our team wants him to have the ball in the ninth inning with the game on the line,” Mee added. “That gives our team a lot of confidence when he has the ball and he’s on the mound that we’re going to get the job done.”
For closers, getting the job done means putting as little time into the effort as possible. Every pitch counts, and every strike brings the team that much closer to a victory. Facing off against a hitter can cause trepidation or it can demonstrate a pitcher’s nerve when one swing of the bat may turn the tide against his team.
Can this guy hit a fastball; should I pull the string on a slider, or will he fall for a change-up? Zahel said he has a lot of confidence in all three pitches, and he has been working hard on his off-speed pitch. Far from flinching under pressure, he merely bears down and tries to pull a victory out of his hat.
“When we use him as a closer,” Mee continued, “[Zahel] is coming into the game when the balance, the game, is on the line and he thrives on those situations and really has proven that he can come through in the clutch for us.”
Zahel hopes to reach the pros, but said if his plans fail to materialize, he’ll use his education degree to get a job. Coaching always remains on the table, especially for a player with the experience he has stuffed into his back pocket. The Castalia native already overcame the transition from starter to reliever to closer. One more change makes little difference.
“I try to keep myself ready,” he said. “You don’t know when the situation is going to present itself, and the situation can change at any time. If it becomes a close game in the end, you don’t know when your number’s going to be called.”

The Miracle League of Northwest Ohio (MLNWO) is trying to provide hope to kids like Schyler Young. Schyler loves baseball — the Mud Hens are her favorite team — but she is limited due to balance issues, along with vision and hearing disabilities.

Naoko Aminaka at the new Northwood ball park.

“Schyler has two brothers involved in sports and she wants to do the same,” said Schyler’s mom, Stacey. “[Playing baseball] really helps her self-esteem because she just wants to be involved like the other kids.”
On a normal baseball field, there is a dirt surface, which would not be problem for most people, but causes issues for children with balance issues like Schyler and those in wheelchairs, especially with the divots in the field, said Naoko Aminaka, a member of the MLNWO board of trustees. Moreover, kids in wheelchairs have problems moving on a dirt surface, especially when it rains.
That’s where the Miracle League comes into play. The nonprofit, volunteer organization is striving to build a rubberized field in Northwood near Brentwood Park that provides a flat surface where kids with disabilities can play the sport they love with no worries.
“It will be an all-weather, barrier-free baseball field,” Aminaka said.
The organization has raised more than $150,000 over a three-year period, just enough to lay the rubberized field once the weather breaks.
“[Laying the rubber] wipes out our budget,” Aminaka said. “We’re halfway to our goal. It’s been a long process, but it’s worth it.”
Miracle League is organizing three fundraisers to work toward its financial goal, which would allow for a scoreboard, bleachers and dugouts.

• Inaugural MLNWO 5K Run/2K Walk at Swan Creek Metropark on May 3: Participants check in at 7:30 a.m.; start time will be 9 a.m. Awards will be given to the top three male and female finishers and light refreshments will be provided. For information, visit www.mlnwo.org.
• MLNWO Charity Golf Classic on June 12 at Fallen Timbers Fairways: Prizes awarded for contest holes, as well as first, second, and third place. Mulligans, gimme strings, 50/50, raffles and a betting hole will be available, too. For more information, contact Mike Myers at (419) 467-3433 or myersmr@firstenergycorp.com.
• Toledo Edison Employee’s Friends and Family Ride for Charity: This event will be hosted July 25 with pre-registration by July 11. The format will be a modified poker run and each bike will get a raffle ticket. The starting location will be First Energy Holland Service Center on Angola Road and end at the Village Inn on Holland Sylvania Road. For more info contact, contact Myers.

The MLNWO hosts baseball leagues twice a year — one in the summer (May through June) and one in the fall (September through October). The leagues consist of 35 to 40 kids on three to four teams. Players are matched with a volunteer or buddy, who helps the children run the bases and holds their gloves in the right spot, among other things.
“Seeing the smiles on their faces is the best part of my day,” said Alissa DeLong, MLNWO board member. “It’s more of a rewarding opportunity for us to help them overcome their limitations.”
DeLong and Aminaka started as buddies and have since been named board members. What they have seen over the last few years through their participation has meant a lot to them.
“It makes you realize how lucky you are,” DeLong said. “When we were growing up, we could do anything we wanted. We want these kids to be able to do the same.”
Those words mean a lot to kids like Schyler, whose favorite thing in baseball is hitting a home run.
“[Playing baseball] is fun,” she said. “I like it when everyone cheers.”
“She’s like a fish in the water,” her mom said.
“No, a shark,” Schyler said in response.

Columbia Gas of Ohio employees and contracted installers worked through the chilly rain April 14 to launch the Automated Meter Reading (AMR) project and install the new meter-reading devices on Holland-area consumers’ natural gas meters.
The AMR system will allow the meters to be read on a monthly basis by readers as they drive by the customers’ home — eliminating much of the inconvenience customers experience when readers need to access the home.

Automatic Meter Reading device

“Certainly in this day and age, when you have both spouses working, getting access to an indoor meter is more and more difficult. In the old days, people left their doors unlocked,” said Jack Partridge, president of Columbia Gas.
The process to install new meters will take five years. Northwest Ohio is the first region to receive the meters. The 171,481 AMRs needed in the Toledo area are expected to be installed by mid-2011.
Partridge said there were several reasons for beginning the project in Toledo. First of all, “because we love Toledo,” he said, but also because Toledo has a lot of inside meters, and those are the customers who need the AMR systems as soon as possible. Partridge said Toledo is a nice, discrete area and a good starting point for rolling out the project across Ohio.
“It is a legitimate benefit for our customers and it also helps the company,” Partridge said. “It’s a cost savings and enormous convenience for the customers.”
Columbia Gas Community Relations Manager Chris Kozak said before starting the $83 million project, Columbia Gas received approval from the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Dec. 3, which allowed them to increase their base rate 2.5 percent, an average of $2.54 on customer’s bills — only a small portion of which goes to the AMR project. The rate case will affect 20 percent of monthly gas bills as 80 percent of the bill goes directly to the gas payments and not Columbia Gas’ delivery cost.
“When you sit down and put your arms around what it means to the consumer, it’s actually a pretty good deal,” Kozak said. “That laid a lot of the groundwork for a lot of people to understand how and why and where we are coming from.”
It will be Columbia Gas’ first rate case in 14 years, and Partridge said he hopes there will not be another increase for at least three years.
After all the meters are installed, the customers’ monthly bills will have an accurate reading. If they try to cut back on their gas use, they will be able to see how effective they are, Kozak said. Before, customers would receive a reading bimonthly.
“Customers are really going to be able to track their actual usage and evaluate their saving on their bill,” Partridge said.

Jack Partridge

Columbia Gas contracted TruCheck Metering Solutions for the installation process and plans to contract drivers to read the new automated meters. The company hired 25 employees to assist with the installation in the northwest region, and once the project concludes, they will be given the opportunity to work in a different region, said Curtis Anstead, AMR project manager.
It takes an average of 15 minutes to install a new AMR. The installer takes a picture of the meter and removes the existing index, which is on the front of the meter and allows the reading to stay constant. If something changes, the installers have the picture to refer to. After attaching the AMR, they program it to the address, Anstead said.
Lithium-ion batteries power the AMR system. Kozak said the battery will not need to be replaced for 20 years. The signal is strong enough to go a quarter of a mile, Anstead said, and read meters in basements.
“It doesn’t use any battery life sitting there during the month, but when the vehicle drives by it sends a signal out and kind of wakes it up, we call it, and then it will shoot a signal back and it will fall back asleep,” Anstead said.
Anstead said 5 percent of the meters will be too old and need to be replaced completely. This process will take longer but also benefit the customer. Customers can also take advantage of a $25 rebate for buying a programmable thermostat and a $10 rebate for purchasing an energy-efficient showerhead. Kozak said Columbia Gas offers coupons for both purchases.

Editor’s Note: Chris Kozak is an occasional contributor to Toledo Free Press’ Arts&Life section.

Artomatic 419 ! has quickly become a permanent part of Toledo’s artistic landscape. In keeping with that tradition, the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo is proud to the welcome the event’s return starting April 18.

One of our area’s premier non-juried arts showcases, Artomatic 419 ! was founded in 2006 and modeled after George Koch’s Artomatic event held in Washington D.C. The event features paintings, photography, sculpture, poetry, fashion, and dance all created by local artists. Toledo’s Artomatic was created as a pilot program of sorts, as a way of franchising Koch’s business model throughout the country. This year’s event will spotlight the work of over 200 visual artists and 50 performers.

“I was first approached about a way to open up more locations in the community to local artists  after the success of the Guerrilla Gallery. We first got things started with the Meet N’ Greet, where we passed out surveys asking residents what they would like to see from their local arts community,” said ACGT Executive Director, Marc Folk.

According to Folk, “We have experienced growth with every Artomatic in terms of  both attendance and artistic diversity. I see that continuing in the future. One of the components to this event that we’re currently working on involves teaching artists the business and markets skilled needed to sell their work locally and beyond. We want to see artists be able to take a leadership role in their community and their future. We were recently awarded an earmark of funds from the Federal Business Administration to continue this very important work.”

This year’s Artomatic 419! will run for three Saturdays through May 2, at the old Blade printing building located at 201 Morris between the Oliver House and the High Level Bridge and between Summit Street and the Owens Corning parking lot. Activities will run from 11am to 11pm.

“Artomatic 419! celebrates the diverse and exciting artistic talent of the greater Toledo community. The non-juried format of the event encourages local artists of various backgrounds, interests, and talents to join together in enthusiasm, effort, and collaboration, to create an energetic art experience for the diverse Greater Toledo community,” said ACGT Program Coordinator, Michelle Carlson.

For more information, call (419) 254-2787 or visit www.artomatic419.org.

On my birthday my coffee pot died, which created a scenario where my son bought me a new coffee pot and my second youngest daughter bought me a French Press coffee maker. It’s easy to see why coffee has been on my mind since I’ve discovered that I really enjoy the difference in coffee from the French Press. That said, I also enjoy the speed and easy of my new automatic coffee pot. I love to try different types of coffees, and since I also have a coffee grinder, it’s possible to try different coffees in both makers. While the price can be a bit higher, I’m one of those free trade coffee buying persons, my current favorite is Sumatra.

A nice blog and twitter site for those of you interested in learning more about Fair Trade is Ask for Fair Trade. The news portion of the blog covers more indepth issues, with the twitter side providing quicker updates and bits of information.

Once upon a time I had a machine that made lattes, that’s since died, but when I visited Coffee Sage the first thing that caught my eye was a YouTube video on how to make decorations in your latte. That was pretty amazing, and the rest of the site is a recommended visit as well, it’s got a large number of resources and consumer tips.

Looking for reviews of coffees and where to drink it? Then Pure Coffee is the blog for you. I was especially interested in the review portions of the blog related to coffee, the site focuses mainly on reviewing places to drink coffee and the coffee served there.

Chemically Imbalanced is a fun blog to read, it’s trendy and focuses quite a bit on the barista side of coffee making, which is interesting to read about. There are lots of pictures that really add to the blog’s character as well as personal touches in the posts, mentioning the “blog children” who appear to be learning coffee in style.

Want to learn more about coffee? Talk about Coffee is one of the most informational blogs I’ve discovered when it comes to coffee. From helping you learn the terminology to use before you approach the barista, to learning about the different types of coffees, this blog has it. For those experts out there who want to venture into roasting their own beans? This site even has directions on how to do that.

Lastly, for those of you who have never experienced the joy of coffee from a French Press? Visit French Press Coffee for everything from what type to buy to how to make it. It does take a bit more time than using an automatic coffee maker, but the difference in taste is amazing.

When she’s not waiting patiently for four minutes to pass so she can press that coffee plunger down, Lisa Renee can be found on Glass City Jungle. If you have a blog you’d like her to know about? E-mail glasscityjungle@gmail.com.