Ray Browne, an Ohio university professor who was credited with coining the phrase “popular culture” and pioneering the study of things such as bumper stickers and cartoons, has died. He was 87.

Browne died at his home Oct. 22, according to his family and officials at Bowling Green State university.

He developed the first academic department devoted to studying what he called the `”people’s culture” at Bowling Green in 1973.

Browne wrote and edited more than 70 books on popular culture – including “The Guide to United States Popular Culture,” published in 2001.

“Culture is everything from the food we’ve always eaten to the clothes we’ve always worn,” he said in a 2003 interview with The Associated Press.

While many in the field credit Browne with coming up the name “popular culture,” no one could say for sure whether he originated it. He said he made a mistake in 1967 when he first used the phrase.

“If I had called it everyday culture or Democratic culture, it would not have been so sharply criticized,” he said.

Browne worked for decades to convince academics that much could be learned from studying seemingly insignificant elements of our lives.

“He was really going against the grain,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. “He seemed to be interested in anything. You could drop a gum wrapper in front of him and he would see a text to be studied.”

Professors at universities nationwide thought Browne, an English professor, was trying to demean or trivialize what they were teaching when he founded the popular culture department.

That wasn’t the case, he said. His interest was rooted in finding out how society affects culture and how culture affects society.

Dozens of schools now offer classes rooted in popular culture.

His interests ranged from Western cowboy movies to wallpaper.

“The covering of walls has been one of the most important items in housing since the beginning,” he said. “But nobody ever wrote a book on it.”

Browne taught at the University of Maryland and Purdue University before moving to Bowling Green with the idea of starting a popular culture department.

He often was quoted in the media and always had a ready thought on virtually any subject. He stopped teaching in 1990 but continued to research and write – often working on several books at once.

Browne is survived by his wife, Pat, two sons and a daughter.

Ohio voters continue to strongly support a proposal to put casinos in four cities less than two weeks before they head to the polls.

A poll released Oct. 25 found that 57 percent of registered voters support Issue 3 on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Thirty-nine percent oppose the plan to put casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo and four percent were undecided.

That compares to 59 percent in favor and 38 percent opposed a month ago.

The widespread support for the expansion of gambling reflected in the poll does not necessarily mean it will prove successful on Election Day.

Ohio voters have defeated gambling measures four times, beginning in 1990, and some of have received strong support in pre-election polls only to be defeated.

Chief Mike Navarre tells Toledo Free Press media partner FOX Toledo News that Officer James Breier, 53, was arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated Friday afternoon. Breier was allegedly driving drunk while on-duty in a Toledo police patrol car.

Read the full story here.

None of the three men running for the seat formerly held by Judge Lynn Schaefer have been a judge, but Bill Connelly, Mark Davis and Ian English all have law degrees and have practiced law. Connelly and English are both prosecutors, Connelly in Wood County Common Pleas Court, English in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. Davis received his law degree from the Ohio State College of Law; English and Connelly received their law degrees from the University of Toledo College of Law.
Connelly is the endorsed candidate of the Lucas County Republican Party, and English is the endorsed candidate of the Lucas County Democratic Party. Both men cited their experiences as a prosecutor as to why they were seeking election to the Toledo Municipal Court.

Connelly

During a phone interview, Connelly said, “There are nine out of 10 people I end up prosecuting that have an extensive misdemeanor history; there  are over 100,000 criminal and traffic filings in Toledo alone, seems to me that if you can catch people early and get them to address whatever problems they may have, you will have better success at preventing them from going on to commit more violent crimes. The Toledo Municipal Court judge has the ability to impact people’s lives early on so that they hopefully don’t commit more crimes of a misdemeanor or a felony nature.”
Connelly also referenced the economic realities that the court faces; there are 241 jail beds available, with limited incarceration resources.
“It’s easy to say you want to be tough on crime; you can not give everyone the maximum, so the difficulty and the reason you need an experienced judge as far as how you allocate resources, jail, probation, drug and mental health services is important,” he said.   He acknowledged the differences between sentencing first time offenders, with jobs,  versus repeat offenders who have  not learned from the probation system.
Davis, who is running as an Independent, stated by phone that running for Toledo Municipal Court judge was a logical next step in his career, his desire to seek the intellectual side of law as  an advocate.

Davis

“I think my background with criminal and civil experience will help me make better decisions, Toledo Municipal Court does not just handle criminal cases, there is a civil caseload.  Both of the other two candidates have mainly criminal court experience. I am the only candidate that is actively practicing in the court. That’s a big deal because Toledo Municipal Court has it’s own rules, practices and procedures; if you are not familiar with it, it’s like a fresh water fish trying to swim in the ocean.  I understand the limitations the court is currently facing, the shortage of prosecutors, how that impacts the court  and that gives me better ideas on how to be a judge.”
On the issue of his law practice experience, Davis said he felt it was important to note he had practiced the law the longest of the three and his two opponents have been in the same court.
English stated in a recent phone interview, “Over the last 8 years I’ve served this county as a prosecutor. I’ve come to realize that the municipal court is a gateway court; before most people commit felonies, they commit a series of misdemeanors. Toledo Municipal Court is important because we have to work harder to reduce recidivism; it will reduce the number of felonies that are committed.”

English

English said judges in our community should be more visible.  “Traditionally judges have been encouraged to separate themselves from the community for fear of creating conflicts.” He said that it is possible to change that, to remove the perceived distance.
He said he believes his “strong record on public safety,” his background of community commitment and his temperament make him an ideal candidate for judge.

It is October. This is an ideal time to look at 2009 and review what went right and what could have gone better for your organization. What better time than now to have you and your management team set your 2010 Business Goals? Why would you set Business Goals for your company? You will do the best you can and let the chips fall where they may. You have been doing it this way and there is no need to make any change. Am I summarizing some of your current thoughts?

If your results for 2009 are not where you think they should have been, maybe setting goals for 2010 will help. If you are happy as to where you are projecting your finish in 2009, don’t you ask yourself if they could have been even better if you and your team had set Business Goals? For an organization to achieve their long term objectives, setting annual Business Goals is a must, especially in the economy we are challenged with currently. However, setting those goals is only the first step.

I am sure that you have all heard the saying that if you don’t know where you are going, then any road will do. I am suggesting that the same is true for business. By having you and your management team set Business Goals, you now have a target to shoot at. These goals/objectives certainly should include revenue but they can and should include much more. Growth in Market Share, Improved Customer Satisfaction, Reduction in Accounts Receivable Days Outstanding, Increased Safety on the Plant Floor, Productivity Growth/Employee, and improvement in Employee Morale are just some of the areas that goals/objectives can be set for the upcoming year.

Setting goals and objectives for an organization need to be done with the management team not just by the owner or President. The reason that this is important is because the 2nd step after creating these goals is to set a game plan in place to achieve these goals. Everyone needs to have buy-in here to increase the odds of success. This also is the only way you get ACCOUNTABILITY!! Once the goals are set, they need to be broken down by unit and communicated to the individuals on the various teams (e.g. sales, production, HR, etc.). I have asked Presidents of companies if they have set goals for this year. I usually get a yes. However, when I ask if these goals have been shared and broken down by unit I usually get the “deer in the headlights stare.” By communicating these goals and breaking them down by unit and even individual you change the game. When an employee understands what he/she needs to do and why it is important towards the company’s objective, a major shift occurs. You take an employee with an employee’s attitude and change him/her to a teammate. This is an altogether different attitude.

Set Goals, and create a game plan to achieve these goals? We all know we should do this but who has the time. We don’t have time to drain the swamp we are too busy shooting alligators!! I remember an interview on 60 Minutes many years ago with Bob Knight, then the basketball coach for Indiana. The interviewer asked Knight if he was so successful because he wanted to win more than everyone else. Knight’s answer was classic. He said, all college coaches want to win as much as he does. However, not all are willing to pay the price to prepare to win like he does.

Are you and your team willing to pay the price of preparation to win? I guarantee you that your competition is focusing on 2010 and beyond right now!! Can you afford not to?

Roger Bostdorff is the President of B2B Sales Boost. He spent over 30 years with IBM in sales and sales management. B2B Sales Boost is a consulting company helping organizations improve their sales and overall business processes. You can find more about B2B Sales Boost on the Web at www.b2bsalesboost.com or calling (419) 351-4347. If you would like to receive the B2B Sales Boost Newsletter please send an email to sales@b2bsalesboost.com

If you’re looking for a nice affordable haunted house this Halloween season, look no further than Hell’s Gate Haunt located at 3045 W. Alexis Road.

The haunted house, run by Toledo Technology Academy student Nick Francis, has moved from his family’s backyard into the abandoned Foodtown Store. He said he got into the idea of running a haunted house by hosting Halloween parties in his backyard. It was a natural progression.

Francis has a staff of about 35 people, including 19 actors, working on turning the 38,000 square foot facility into a frightening experience. Hell’s Gate is set to open on October 2 at 7 p.m. He prefers using live actors instead of animatronics because it gives more realism to movements.

“We have trained actors, some from UT, working here,” Francis said.

Hell’s Gate will open every Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and will close at midnight unless there is a large crowd waiting. Francis plans on keeping the haunted house open late on the first Friday to accommodate the crowd from the Whitmer football game.

Francis said he pans on having a person trained in parkour in costume running through the haunted house. Parkour is an urban sport in which participants run a route and negotiate obstacles in the most efficient way possible.

The first attraction is the haunted house. It has all the typical frightening features one would expect. There is a morgue room with actors wielding chainsaws and even air cannons.

“The air fills up the passageway and really gets people,” Francis said.

The second scary attraction is the Chaos maze. It is a pitch black maze for visitors to walk through. Francis said he will add strobe effects and actors to the maze as the season progresses.

“By the time Halloween gets here we will really be on top of our game,” he added.

So far his efforst have paid off. Haunternet an international haunted house ranking site ranked Hell’s Gate as the sixth best in the nation based on the number of times the attraction was recommended.

Francis said he has had considerable help in this endeavor from several friends and family members. His cousin Max Simon, 15, is his partner. His dad Jim Francis helped build the haunted houses and fireproofed both.

Even though Francis is young, he understands all aspects of operating an attraction like this. He will have security on hand to keep people from getting out of hand and to keep people safe.

Francis was also able to get a sponsor for Hell’s Gate. Rip It energy drink is sponsoring the house and he said every Friday and Saturday night the first 100 people in line will get a free energy drink. Concessions will also be available.

“I am going to try and get non-profits to run the concession stands,” Francis added.

Francis said that visitors won’t have to wait outside in the elements either. The vestibule of the store has been converted to the line queue. He said there will be a DJ or music for guests to enjoy while they wait to enter the haunted house.

Admission to Hell’s Gate is only $10 and visitors get to go through two unique scary attractions. All proceeds from the haunted house go to benefit the Make a Wish Foundation.

Visitors should hurry to see Hell’s Gate because Francis plans on moving it to Cleveland next year where it will have a permanent home.

For more information about Hell’s Gate you can visit the Web site at www.hellsgatehaunt.com.

Director Sam Mendes (American Beauty) recruits two great comedians for his life journey film “Away We Go.” High quality production values, cast and crew set an intelligent tone full of discovery as an expecting couple face life’s tough questions as they search for a place to settle down as a family. John Krasinski (“The Office” television series) plays Burt and “Saturday Night Live” alum Maya Rudolph plays Verona. Their performances blend so well with the documentary style drama and comedy. They face marriage issues, personal dreams and opposing life views on a cross country quest for a more permanent home. The life journey/road trip sequences, well composed by cinematographer Ellen Kuras (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”), have a natural charm and magnetic appeal.

'Away We Go'

This couple keeps an open mind as they visit family and friends in various areas. The stellar supporting cast includes Chris Messina (“Julie & Julia”), Catherine O’Hara, Jeff Daniels with two particularly memorable performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal as Burt’s distant family member “LN” and Allison Janney (“Jun”o) as Verona’s friend Lily. Alexi Murdoch, who also provided music for the film Garden State, provides outstanding original music while filmmakers add additional songs from Bob Dylan, George Harrison and The Velvet Undergound.

Substantial extras include the standard “making of” featurette and a “green” filmmaking segment. Watch the cast and crew participate in an unprecedented waste reduction program that included hybrid transportation, portable canteens and creative recycling methods without hurting production schedules and daily activities. Feature commentary includes Mendes with accomplished writers Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida. The Blu-ray version also features BD-Live™ options including My Scenes where viewers bookmark favorite scenes and share them with other people. Highly recommended (***1/2) and rated R for language and some sexual content.

Chris Daughtry has a request for fans who will be at his band’s Oct. 31 concert in Toledo.
“I want everybody in the crowd to dress up as something because I think that would be extremely entertaining for us on stage to look out and see everybody in different costumes,” he said. “It would look like a huge Halloween party we’re playing. I think that would be a lot of fun.”

Chris Daughtry

The singer-songwriter-guitarist took a few minutes to call Toledo Free Press from a tour stop in Omaha, Neb.
Toledo Free Press: You’ve said you think of “Leave This Town” as the band’s first disc. Can you talk about that?
Daughtry: This record was done without studio musicians, and the first record, unfortunately, because the band wasn’t put together yet, we had to bring in studio musicians to see out my vision, so to speak. And we put the band together literally toward the end of the record-making process. So this time, obviously, we’ve been on the road almost three years and that was what we wanted the fans to hear … It was definitely more of a unified effort.
TFP: What do you think are the elements of a good song?
Daughtry: First of all, certainly the melody, something that catches your ear and, obviously, the lyrical content. I think the most timeless songs are songs that just lyrically touch people and either they can remember where they were or it was a first dance or a first date or first breakup. You know what I mean? Something that just basically captures that moment in their life.
TFP: The band has been on the road a lot; what do you like about playing live?
Daughtry: The reaction from the crowd is certainly one of the most amazing things about it because it’s instant gratification. You know, when you’re in the studio, you’re writing these songs and hoping that people are going to love it. But when you perform it right there in front of the crowd, you get that instant reaction, which is certainly always welcome. And it’s fun; we have a blast up there playing the music. We have a blast interacting with the fans during the show, and it’s just we love — this is, I hate to say it, that it’s our job because it doesn’t feel like a job, but this is our job and we’re some of the luckiest people in America.
TFP: Were you surprised by the huge success of your first disc?
Daughtry: Certainly we weren’t expecting it to sell 5 million records; that was an added bonus for us. We don’t expect to do that again; we’d certainly welcome and we would love to see that, but we take it for what it is, each record, and we see what it does, and we just want to put out the best music that we possibly can. We’re very proud of this record, and we hope it does half of what the last one did. Who am I kidding? I’d rather it sell 6 million records [laughs], but we’ll see.
TFP: Will you and the band dress up for the Oct. 31 concert?
Daughtry: I wouldn’t put it past us. I always dressed up when I was a kid; I always loved painting my face and, being an artist, always loved doing stuff with makeup.
TFP: You could go as Lady Gaga and do your cover of “Poker Face.”
Daughtry: Hmmmm, yeah. That’s too much work [laughs].
TFP: You’d look nice in bubbles.
Daughtry: She’s got some elaborate outfits that I don’t know if I could mimic [laughs]

Daughtry drummer Joey Barnes recalls formation of band through ‘trial by fire’

There may be lots of dazzling moments at the Daughtry concert Oct. 31 at Lucas County Arena: Drummer Joey Barnes may pull out his favorite Halloween costume.
“What’s scarier than a dude dressed as a fairy? The fairy costume was sweet because it was made for an 8-year-old and I squeezed into that, and it was just absolutely hilarious,” he said. “I had that big wand with massive amounts of glitter on it, and everything I touched I got glitter on it and annoyed the crap out of people, glittering everything and everybody. An annoying fairy — that was my favorite.”
Barnes, singer and band namesake Chris Daughtry, bass player Josh Paul, and guitarists Josh Steely and Brian Craddock will have lots of fan favorites to play at the 7:30 p.m. show, which will feature special guests Theory of a Deadman and Cavo. Tickets are $41.50 and $31.50.
After finishing fourth on season five of “American Idol,” Daughtry pumped out the hits from his self-titled 2006 debut — “It’s Not Over,” “Home,” “Feels Like Tonight,” “What About Now” — and sold more than 5 million discs.
The quintet is on the airwaves again with “No Surprise,” the first single from the follow-up, “Leave This Town,” released in July.
“In the beginning, Chris had just got off the ‘Idol’ tour and went directly into the studio to do the first record. And we came in and worked together, complete strangers, except I, of course, knew Chris,” said Barnes, who also lives in Greensboro, N.C. “We didn’t see much of Chris because he was working the same time we were working, trying to finish the record, as we were trying to learn the record.
“I think it was 12 hours or eight hours after we decided on the group, the core members, we were doing photo shoots for the album cover. It was fast,” Barnes said during a call from Los Angeles where the band was getting ready for the tour. “We became a band trial by fire.”
The group was on the road promoting the disc for two and a half years.
“Now we’re all like brothers. I can’t imagine the guys — regardless of music or not — not being in each other’s lives. That’s the most important thing to take out of it — the bond,” Barnes said. “The music thing will end, but the friendship lasts forever. We’re just a bunch of dudes who like to get on stage and we make a living by playing.”

Great combat continues in this essential Wii exclusive collector’s edition, which includes all three Metroid Prime Wii games in one disc. Updated versions of Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes include the incorporation of new Wii controls complete with three different sensitivity settings for beginners and advanced gamers. The game has great voice talent and hidden items/areas revealing even more characters. This experience delivers even more stunning graphics, which makes a successful series and exciting gameplay.

MetPrime Trilogy

The navigation/aiming controls take some adjustment time (it helps to have a television that handles light and dark well) and you need quick observation skills if you want the maximum benefit the first time around. The sensitive controls only require minor movements, no huge sweeping motions here (which might save you some property damage it you get deeply involved in the game). Players who want replay time can conquer the game quicker in higher difficulties (try extra hard after completing the game).

The puzzle elements provide a lot of mentally challenging action as well. Inexperienced players (in this series or action/puzzlers in general) will need breaks to avoid frustration. Developers create several memorable cut scenes among the action sequences while showcasing the strong production values. The fast paced foray includes an extras and options menus allow access to special galleries and some cool tools. The replay value stays pretty high as players pick up missing items. This great edition includes artwork, expanded instruction manuals and special tin packaging. Be sure to experience this amazing series before the next Metroid Prime incarnation – Metroid: Other M (****, rated T).

Magicians across the country will celebrate National Magic Week, October 25 through 31, including Toledo’s own magician Dorian Grey.

Grey will perform a special show at 8 p.m. Oct. 30 at The Ground Level Coffeehouse, formerly Brewed Awakenings, 2636 W. Central Ave.

Grey described the show as “experimental and cutting edge” – different from the typical magic he performs at corporate events, private parties and during his standing gig on Saturdays from 6 to 9 p.m. at Aubree’s Pizzeria and Tavern, 2122 Whittaker Road, Ypsilanti.

“You will begin to question your very perception of reality,” Grey said. “I will read your thoughts, objects will float out of your hand, metal will bend – all sorts of extraordinary things take place that defy the laws of gravity.”

Grey often weaves urban legends and supernatural tales into his performances.

He has been studying magic for more than 30 years. He took an interest in the craft when he saw Tony Curtis portray Harry Houdini in the 1953 film “Houdini,” which inspired him to learn as much as he could about the famous magician. Grey took private magic lessons as a child and later studied at the Academy of Magical Arts in California.

His lifelong dedication to studying the craft, he said, is reflected in his shows, which offer audience members a deeper exploration of magic, which involves more than tricks and illusions.

“I think having had a long and passionate affair with magic has allowed me to explore it from different levels,” he said. “I’ve competed in a lot of magic competitions; I’ve studied since I was a child, and I’ve won international awards for my dedication to the craft. One of the things that I hear constantly when people see my magic close up is ‘your magic genuinely seems as if it’s real.’”

For more information on upcoming shows or to book an event, contact Grey at (419) 870-2686 or magiciandoriangrey@gmail.com.