“Deeply sensible of their solemn duty to promote the welfare of mankind . . .”

What? Were they serious?

I kneel in a sort of gasping awe as I read the words of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, a treaty signed in 1928 – by the United States, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan and ultimately by every country that then existed. The treaty . . . outlaws war.

“Persuaded that the time has come when a frank renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy should be made . . .”

ARTICLE I: “The High Contracting Parties solemnly declare in the names of their respective peoples that they condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another.”

ARTICLE II: “The High Contracting Parties agree that the settlement or solution of all disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them, shall never be sought except by pacific means.”

Shadowbox Live has had a series of triumphs over the past few months.

  A Tribute to Joe Cocker: Mad Dog and Englishman was a joyous celebration of the iconic performer. The recently concluded Sex at the Box was the funniest theme show the troupe has offered in years.

  And though I haven’t seen Shadowbox’s current staging of American Idiot, various critics have hailed the production even as they acknowledged the limitations of the musical itself.

  But you can’t crank out as many shows as Shadowbox does without the occasional stumble. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Reckless.  

  I’ll start by accentuating the positive. The cover songs are good, as usual, though I wish so many of them didn’t share an angry, screaming personality. Sure, that fits in with the show’s theme, but how about a little variety?

Nintendo has finally gotten around to releasing the latest iteration of its hand-held gaming systems in the US, under the very literal name of “New Nintendo 3DS.” While GameStop employees nationwide are already bracing for a holiday season of trying to clarify to clueless gift-givers whether they want a new New 3DS, a used New 3DS, a used old 3DS, a used old 3DS XL, a new 2DS, etc., Nintendo hand-held fans are wondering if they really need to upgrade.
  One could be forgiven for being unsure what’s even so new about this New 3DS. At a glance, the new system has an extra pair of shoulder buttons and a small nipple-like stick over the right buttons that operates like the nipple-like “TrackPoint” for which IBM/Lenovo laptops are notorious. This gives it the same built-in functionality as the Circle Pad Pro accessory for the old 3DS. And…that’s about it. It has a shinier finish and moves the volume toggle from under your left hand so you’re not constantly bumping it. So what?

The Columbus community galvanized after the police shootings in Ferguson and New York and held demonstrations in solidarity with those communities. Then, unfortunately, the issue of police killing unarmed black males was brought close to home with the deaths at the hands of policemen of John Crawford in the Beavercreek, Ohio Walmart and Tamir Rice in Cleveland. Several local groups joined the “Hands Up! Don’t Shoot” and “Black Lives Matter” movement. However, one group that has prevailed as the organization dedicated to keeping the issue in the forefront of the Columbus community and actively work towards solutions.
  That organization is “Columbus Effective Steps Towards Resistance,” founded in December 2014 by a group centered mostly on the OSU campus. They describe their group this way: “Effective Steps is a network designed to engage community groups and individuals in the Columbus area together to work toward ending police brutality.”

Jazz is dead. No, it's just got gangrene. Jazz has arthritis and hemorrhoids. No, it's alive and well, quite regular and livin' it up in Toledo. No, it is the epitome of stuck. Yes, it needs a young blood transfusion. No, it needs a facelift, it needs to get ugly again or pretty or danceable. Blah blah bleeeeeach!