Local
This article first appeared in the Buckeye Flame.
The Ohio Senate passed a bill on Wednesday prohibiting transgender students – kindergarten through college, at both private and public schools – from using multi-person restrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity.
The vote on SB 104, which in a particularly dark turn occurred during Transgender Awareness Week, passed 24-7 along party lines and now heads to Gov. Mike DeWine for his signature.
The trans bathroom ban originated as HB 183, which its Republican sponsors named the “Protect All Students Act.” But on June 26, Ohio House Republicans tacked HB 183 onto SB 104 at the very end of a nearly 12-hour session. By amending a bill that originated in the Senate and had already been approved by that body, House Republicans circumvented the normal legislative process, in which HB 183 would have to be heard through Senate committee hearings.
This is a democracy, folks. There are no kings that rule the United States of America. And we need to keep it that way.
Have you heard of the No Kings Act?
If this law were to pass, here are three reasons why this bill would be an important guardrail for our democracy:
1) Trump would be held accountable for his many crimes – including the 34 felony convictions on his record.
2) The Supreme Court, controlled by a 6-3 conservative majority, would stop any corruption that they’ve been a part of!
3) Trump would not be in office EVER AGAIN.
President Biden, Senator Schumer, and Senate Democrats are working around the clock to pass this law before Trump is inaugurated.
But we need EVERY SINGLE DEMOCRAT who reads this to endorse this bill before midnight >>
As I write this column, it’s been a week since the world, as we know it, tilted. We all feel off center, disoriented, like we’re in an alternate reality/a horror show. But, no, it’s real! And now we have to deal with it.
Personally, my emotions are raw. I have an underlying feeling of depression and despair. So much is out of my control and I’m anxious about what comes next. Waiting for the next shoe to drop. I imagine most of y’all can relate.
And I’m a yogi. My practice is full of strategies for coping with reality, for being in the present moment. I’ll try to share a few with y’all.
One definition of yoga is: “Making different shapes in which to explore the breath.” It is a breath-based practice. So, what does that breath look like? Think of your body as a balloon. You know, when you blow up a balloon, you get the air all the way to the bottom, and then you inflate it up to the top from there.
Corporations are obsessed with their public image, intensely concerned with how they appear to both customers and prospective customers alike. And for some corporations, good community relations are also vital. One example of a Central Ohio corporation which has strived to establish community relations is the Honda Motor Corporation, which has one major plant in the region.
Honda has brought thousands of decent jobs to our area, albeit non-union. But you may not be aware of their civic engagement. For example, Honda partnered in the completion of a much-needed domestic violence shelter for Delaware City. They are the largest annual sponsor of Columbus’s Festival Latino, which draws nearly 200,000 people over two days. And they are the major sponsor of the Ohio Wildlife Center and Hospital in Dublin.
On a national level, Honda is working directly to aid in areas such as environmental management, waste reduction, renewable energy, and reduction of CO2. They also make their environmental reports and goals publicly available.
Thursday, November 13, 6pm
Zoom
RSVP here for Zoom link:
Cuyahoga 11/13:
https://www.mobilize.us/ohioworkingfamilies.../event/742745/
Franklin 11/14:
https://www.mobilize.us/ohioworkingfamilies.../event/742745/
The Working Families Party is a progressive political party fighting to build an Ohio that works for the many, not the few.
This upcoming Saturday, November 16, we have a unique volunteer opportunity for you and the whole family! Join us in removing honeysuckle, an invasive species, from Deer Haven Park. We need lots of hands! There will be food trucks and various activities hosted during the day.
Please join Jewish Voice for Peace Central Ohio and our cosponsors for a webinar to hear expert analysis on the impact of the U.S. election result on Palestinians. Regardless of the outcome, we must redouble our efforts to obtain a ceasefire, a cessation of U.S. military aid to Israel, humanitarian aid to Gaza, and a return of all hostages in Gaza and Israel. Our experts are Mitchell Plitnick, Political Analyst, Writer and President of ReThinking Foreign Policy, and Khalid Turaani, CAIR-Ohio, Columbus & Cincinnati Executive Director.
Monday, November 11, 2024, 5:00 PM
Remembrance Park near the ROTC building on the OSU Campus
Organized by Veterans for Peace Central Ohio, this event will be focused on reclaiming Armistice Day, a Tribute to Aaron Bushnell, and supporting Palestinians and stopping the genocide going on there and condemning US policy. Other groups will be there.
For more information, contact Rick rwilhelm1916@gmail.com.
This article first appeard on Reel Time with Richard Ades
Growing up with a degenerative muscular disease, Mats Steen found it harder and harder to take part in everyday life. As a result, the young Norwegian spent most of his time playing video games.
“His world seemed so limited,” said his father, Robert.
Finally, at the age of 25, Mats succumbed to his condition. That’s when Robert and his wife, Trude, realized that their son’s world hadn’t been so limited after all.
The reason is revealed in Benjamin Ree’s unconventional documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin.
The film explains that Robert, after losing Mats in 2014, announced the sad news to followers of his son’s blog, “Musings of Life.” The grieving father expected that to be the end of it, but he soon was inundated with condolences from people around the world who had come to know Mats through their shared love of the video game World of Warcraft.
https://worldbeyondwar.org/join-the-world-not-the-u-s-empire/
Remarks upon acceptance of Real Nobel Peace Prize, Oslo, Norway, November 10, 2024.
It’s wonderful to be here with many of you whose work I’ve known but whom I’ve rarely if ever been with in person. I am very grateful to John Jones and Tomas Magnusson for arranging this event. I am thrilled to be here at the start of what I expect will be years of terrific work by the Lay Down Your Arms Foundation — an appropriate name here in the House of Literature. The great Fredrik Heffermehl, who has been gone from us for nearly a year now, often stressed the influence on Alfred Nobel in the creation of the Nobel Peace Prize by Bertha von Suttner, the author of the 1889 novel Lay Down Your Arms.