Feature

Nuclear power is uniquely vulnerable to global events such as hostilities, climate change and now, suddenly – pandemics.  Worldwide, nations with nuclear power are finding themselves in emergency situations as the coronavirus spreads.  Workers at the plants and in the control rooms are in close quarters. They are becoming ill.  And the pool of people who are trained to do the specialized work is small.

Nuclear reactors (power plants) are at the same time vulnerable to a host of other unexpected events, such as flooding and loss of electricity to their sites.

And how do you do an emergency evacuation under pandemic conditions? 

As the novel coronavirus sweeps through America, about eighteen percent of workers have either lost their jobs or have seen their hours reduced as many businesses have closed or laid-off staff.  There seems to be little end in sight:  some economists predict that unemployment in the United States could reach up to thirty percent by the second fiscal quarter of 2020.

The Free Press has been calling for the full legalization of marijuana for half a century – this year marks the paper’s 50th anniversary, by the way, and we will continue to publish. But in no other time does the Free Press believe Ohio needs to end prohibition against recreational as fast as possible.

If it were to eventually happen post pandemic – and that’s a big if – it would be ironic and just.

This plant birthed by nature, yet perplexingly demonized by our government and police (especially in puritan-like Ohio), could generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue to help the state deal with a predicted economic collapse where tens of thousands are out of work and staring homelessness in the face.

Colorado and California have each reaped hundreds of millions in tax revenue per year from recreational, which is now legal in 11 states. This includes our neighbor to the north, which has estimated annual recreational sales will approach a billion, adding $100 million from excise tax and $60 million in sales tax.

Mom Bomb supports moms in need through a portion of proceeds from bath bomb product sales, along with generous donations. We would like to introduce our latest mom. Meet Jordan, a single mother who had recently lost her job and was desperate for childcare for her 3-year-old son. She did not want to have to pull her son out of daycare while she was searching for a new job or transitioning into her new position, as she did not have anyone else to take care of her son. Being a single parent is difficult enough on a daily basis. When an unexpected event occurs like losing a job, it really throws a wrench in things.

Jordan is a hardworking mother. When she had nowhere to turn, she reached out to Mom Bomb. We jumped in to help Jordan, as we understand that unstable cycle of trying to figure out how to secure a new job while trying to maintain a child in daycare without an income. We were able to connect with the daycare that Jordan’s son was already enrolled in. We asked to provide childcare services. We were able to help her with three full weeks of childcare for her son, taking a huge weight off of her shoulders while she settles into her new position. 

Planning for ComFest 2020 is in full stride. It’s almost spring and before long the community’s greatest event will return to Goodale Park showcasing Columbus’ rich cultural, music and arts scene. And of course, ComFest promotes and celebrates the city’s thriving and influential progressive community. Education, organizing, activism and community involvement are vital components of ComFest during the three days in June, as well as throughout the year. “Living Every Day the ComFest Way” guides ComFesters and has positively impacted the open, welcoming, tolerant and progressive city Columbus is today.

ComFest is guided by its Statement of Principles and Mission Statement:

ComFest Statement of Principles

The Community Festival is guided by its Principles. The Principles are statements of what the members believe is basically important. They are:

We think that people ought to work for the collective good of all people rather than for personal gain. We support cooperation and collective activity rather than competition and individual profit.

Well-known local human rights activist Esther Flores is this month’s speaker at the Free Press Second Saturday Salon. The Free Press Salon is a gathering place for progressive people to socialize, network and have a good time. At most salons, there is a presentation on a political or social justice issue. Esther is a registered nurse, founder of the non-profit 1DivineLine2Health, and an advocate for the needy in her West Side neighborhood.

At the salon Saturday, March 14, Esther will speak about her work with 1DivineLine2Health and how they “provide care to the sick who have no access to healthcare via a line of compassionate messengers who deliver healing to victims of human and drug trafficking.” The Salon runs from 6:30-11pm and you can hear Esther’s presentation at 7:30pm. The Free Press Second Saturday Salon is at 1021 East Broad Street, is free, with no RSVP required. Join local progressives for food, drink, music, art and good company.

Today, attitudes towards sexual health are more enlightened than they’ve ever been. Experts understand how STDs occur, how they are transmitted, and even how to cure many of them efficiently. Yet, according to the CDC, cases of syphilis gonorrhea, and chlamydia reached an all-time high in 2018.

Rising cases of STDs aren’t necessarily a bad thing. On the one hand, it means that more people are getting tested and treated on a regular basis. However, the figure is also a reminder of the stigma that still surrounds STDs and how underreported they may still be.

In today’s world, getting tested and treated for an STD is easier than ever, at least in terms of the medicine involved. At the same time, STDs still suffer from a stigma — and that stigma can be as damaging as the infection itself.

Let’s talk about strains. The word strain has many meanings: there are musical strains, muscular strains, and, yes, marijuana strains. The latter is what one looks for when purchasing cannabis from a dispensary.

Granted, in simpler times, all that mattered was 1.) the baggie held an ounce (the metal meter on the hanging scale read “1”), 2.) no stems, no seeds (Acapulco Gold is … ), and 3. It got ya high. As the plant has grown more well known, simplicity seems quaint. To purchase intelligently and learn which plant properties alleviate aches, pains, nausea, seizures, stressors, tremors and traumas, familiarity with various forms and components of cannabis becomes essential. Strains categorize these components and forms add flexibility to how they are consumed.

The “Building the Black Agenda” event January 23 used the term African Diaspora... “the disbursement of African peoples from their homelands through the Transatlantic Slave Trades between 1500s to the 1800s.” About 60 people attended the event at the Downtown Columbus Library – young and old, male and female, predominantly Black. The gathering was organized by the Columbus African Council, hosted by Kimberly Brazwell and Dr. Mathew Welmont.

The event was a series of monthly discussions that have been occurring monthly since summer 2019 addressing the African Diaspora. They are the brainchild of Dontavius Jarrells, founder of the Columbus African Council. Topics include Black Mental Health, Restorative Justice, Birthing While Black, Breathing while Black, Building the Black Agenda and more.

The question “Why don’t we have a Black Agenda?” garnered the most interest for discussion. After breaking into groups, participants discussed the focus question, and shared results with the collective. 

Before the committee members, volunteers, and organizers begin to hit the doors, we should look at a little bit of what I call “organizing math.” Yes, I know saying the word, “math,” is a trigger alert for many would be activists and organizers, but we’re not talking about anything too complicated, but we are talking about the fact that counting is very important in evaluating and implementing an organizing drive.