Feature

Independence Day each year serves as a reminder of the liberties afforded to U.S. citizens and consumers. Yet in 2019, when the word medicine is used the first thing that comes to the mind of many Americans are the pills doctors prescribe for them, available at a pharmacy. The truth is hidden from public view: most modern pharmaceuticals were created by synthesizing phytochemicals from herbs and plants.

The roots of herbal medicine weave throughout history and cultures. Archeologists have found evidence that the use of herbs goes back to the paleolithic era, 60,000 BCE. Sumerian tablets carved into stone and ancient Egyptian texts highlight the use of herbs and plants for medical purposes. In fact, the origin of the word medicine comes from the greek word fármako. Often referred to as the father of herbal medicine Hippocrates declared in ancient Greece, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.”

Social media has had a huge impact, both negative and positive, on the day-to-day lives of most people who use sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Around the world, there are almost 3.5 billion people who use social media — a good portion of whom use these sites every single day. With so many people plugged into social networking, the users and content that is shared on these pages have the potential to reach hundreds of people that any one individual knows. For victims of domestic violence, social media can be a dangerous place where their abusers can both stalk and publicly humiliate their former partners in an effective and far-reaching way.

As a population that is still largely stigmatized and oppressed in most areas of the world, the LGBTQ community is used to an extra set of challenges in their lives, including finding a work-life balance. In the U.S., this is an area where many Americans struggle in general, with about 26% of employees working between 45 to 59 hours each week, and 12% working over 60 hours a week.

How much an employee works directly affects their work-life balance, but factor in how comfortable they feel at work and this may further affect it. According to a qualitative study of 53 LGB employees across various industries in the U.S., most LGBTQ families feel that their family identity is stigmatized at their workplace. This has a large effect on their work-life balance because they feel forced to separate their work from their home-life.

The NFL has created headlines over the last few years for many reasons. Whether it’s the Deflategate issue with Tom Brady or Colin Kaepernick taking a knee, the famous league has had to find its way out of hot water for plenty of reasons. But it is the concussion debate in the NFL that has trickled down as far as college and high school football as well. So much so, in fact, that there is an increasing demand for change from the NFL to better protect its players.

Lily Kunning (Columbus, Ohio’s community herbalist) has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund work on a comprehensive online course for girls and young women to learn about their bodies, sexuality, gender, relationships, and more. “It’s the course we all wish we had growing up,” says Kunning.

“As a girl child, I was not taught the name of all my body parts. I had to learn about sex and relationships through (sometimes bad) experiences. In short, I am not prepared for life as an adult.” continues Kunning. “Given the current state of affairs politically- with women losing civil liberties and autonomy over their own bodies under the law- I knew I had to do something! Given my skillset, creating Maiden Voyage was something I was born to do.”

Rep Bernadine Kennedy Kent publicly announced Thursday she notified the House Speaker she will not return to the Statehouse, or her legislative office at the Riffe Center, until her exclusion from the democratic caucus and her complaint against two employees is addressed.
 

Rep Kennedy Kent, a black woman with a track record of exposing police misconduct and fraud, was excluded from the Ohio House Democratic caucus last year after Representative Stephanie Howse filed a written complaint against Rep Kennedy Kent alleging her electronic signature was forged on a public records request to the mayor regarding evidence that police ignored reports of child sexual abuse of black girls.
 

Now, a year later, as Howse’s criminal complaint against Rep Kennedy Kent has been resolved with a determination of no wrongdoing, Rep Kennedy Kent wants her rights as an elected Democrat acknowledged and her privileges restored to her office including admittance to caucus meetings, access to legal services and staff, and training for her legislative aid.

“The age of nuclear energy is coming to an end. The age of radioactive waste is just beginning.” Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility

Hang Ups Plague California’s Nuke Dump By-the-Sea, But ‘Regulatory Capture’ Prevails…for Now…

Mass organizations need people who will fill the role of organizers.  Interns, students, and other volunteers are essential along with government paid or subsidized work available through some federal and state programs.  In the next order of difficulty though there are invaluable resources for some organizations if you are able to access or repurpose staff through national service programs. 

In the United States this largely means divisions currently placed under the Corporation for National and Community Service like the AmeriCorps VISTA program.   I know what you’re thinking.  These are aimless young people looking for some experience somewhere or trying to pass their time as a placeholder while sorting out their futures after some college experience.  They aren’t “real police,” ready to the do the work of building an organization, but more likely people trying to do a little good without much sweat while they keep their eyes on their own future.  True enough, but there is another way of looking at these people and their potential to build your organization.

The color palette of springtime is a delight. Everywhere amongst landscapes are bright, colorful blooms. On a clear day, the most vibrant flower can stop someone dead in their tracks. There is a reason why flowers are given as gifts or used as adornments for dinner tables. Not only do blossoms bring happiness, but they breed life; the flower serves as the reproductive organ for the plant and will produce seeds, if not removed. These amazing plant allies attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies and beneficial insects to the garden. Flowers have a vital function within the ecosystem, one that binds all life together.

Toledo’s 2014 water crises which left 500,000 area residents not able to drink, bathe, or touch their tap water because a potentially deadly algal toxin called microcystin could make them sick, started the realization in Toledo that Lake Erie was calling out for help.

For the next 2 years the people tried to work through the regulatory system and government officials to protect the Lake and the residents. What they discovered was that all the regulations and tax money thrown at the problem were merely “window dressing” that gave the impression of doing something. More testing of the water, signs posted at beaches to let people know the dangers of going in the polluted lake waters and voluntary classes for agriculture businesses on how to apply fertilizers.