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Wednesday, November 29, 2023, 1:00 PM

Join us on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People for a webinar with movement leaders on how you can show up and take action for Palestine. There is no more important moment than now to stand in solidarity. With about 15,000 Palestinian people killed by Israel across Gaza, we must continue pressuring U.S. and international leaders and societies to demand a total ceasefire now. Our voices are powerful. We have watched just how the world has shown up in the millions for Palestine these last few weeks. We are more powerful when we move together for our collective liberation.

Hear from Palestinian analysts like Mohammed El-Kurd, Jehad Abusalim, Noura Erakat, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), as well as movement leaders like Aja Monet, Krystal Two Bulls, and Macklemore who are taking a stand on Palestine across movement spaces.  

Back in September during a roundtable hosted by the Environmental Professionals Network, the executive director of Columbus’s Metro Parks, Tim Moloney, told the audience his “full-time job now is working on RAPID 5 projects”.

A surprising statement for some fans of Columbus’s Metro Parks, which is regarded as a public agency. Surprising because RAPID 5 claims it’s a public/private endeavor – led in part by high-end developers – seeking to connect more people to nature.

The lingering and disturbing question these Metro Parks fans have about RAPID 5 is: Does it have plans for putting ugly condos and soulless retail within the Metro Parks themselves? One RAPID 5 design shows a gondola winding its way through two Metro Parks where passengers can disembark for a brewery that is also within the Metro Park.

Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 5:00 – 6:00 PM
The Poor Peoples Campaign is a revival of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 Poor Peoples Campaign.  Sandwiches, light refreshments, and children’s activities.  Plans for 2024 include a rally at the Ohio Statehouse on March 2 and June 15 march on Washington.  All are welcome.  
Location:  Bethany Presbyterian Church, 206 N. Garfield Ave., Columbus 43203

End of a Dream 

Shelia watched her girls as they ate their breakfast before school. She was leaning against the kitchen sink, smoking a cigarette. Sara was dressed in her usual pair of blue jeans with bell bottoms and a blouse that was two sizes too big for her, still trying to hide her breasts from the world. Shelia gave up years ago with trying to get her to dress more ‘ladylike’ and was just thankful that she had Jean to pamper with cute dresses and blouses, show her how to wear her make-up properly and just talk girl talk because Sara was always asking questions that Shelia really didn’t have the answers too or cared to answer, like,

 "How come they always following us in the store downtown?" with "they" being the White store clerks, or

 "When we gonna move out of this project? Who's that man you talking to? Why don’t you like Mr. Jimmy?’

 Shelia knew the answers to all of the questions but didn’t want to get into the facts of life or hurt Sara’s feelings since she seemed to have a soft spot for the bowl of jelly. 

“Anything going on after school today?” Shelia asked.

On Black Friday, protestors entered the Victoria’s Secret store at the Easton Mall chanting “Free Palestine!” The group of protestors say they have launched a campaign targeting the store because of its strong business relationship with the Israeli company Delta Galil. Protestors say they want Victoria’s Secret to cut its contracts with Delta Galil and all Israeli companies who, they say, are funding the IDF. 

The group were removed from the Easton Center Mall property as police arrived and told they could not return to the mall. 

One protestor said, “With the ongoing war crimes committed by the state of Israel we need companies like Victoria’s Secret to stand against genocide and ethnic cleansing and make more ethical business choices. We are calling on the company to cut its ties with the state of Israel.” 

Mayoral challenger Joe Motil and his supporters—more than 1/3 of voters in a typically low turnout mayor and council election—made careful control of tax abatements central to his campaign. Let us remember that Motil was outspent by the incumbent about 100 to 1 but defeated by less than 2 to 1 in perhaps the most corrupt and dishonest re-election campaign in Columbus history.

Just as Andy refused to debate or appear publicly in a purportedly democratic contest—exemplifying the Columbus Way, and their fear of a public democracy on which it is based—neither City Council nor its Department of Uncoordinated, Highly Selective Development—learned a single thing.

Just as Department Director Michael Stevens cannot tell the difference between Ns and percentages when he lies to the media, not one of them understands either urban or economic development. Together, they defy all odds. They seem willfully ignorant of the social, economic, and physical conditions of the city that they are paid to oversee.

Greetings Fair Food Allies — Please join us in taking a few minutes to join in this key nationwide action for the farmworkers this Thanksgiving week by writing, calling or emailing Kroger. 

Fast actions: Email Kroger.  Click-to-email using this link or write an email to customerservice@kroger.com with the suggested title: “It’s time for Kroger to join the Fair Food Program” and include your message for the body of the email. You may copy/paste our suggested script below and personalize it as you see fit. 

Saturdays are a cherished day. Many run errands such as car washes, haircuts, or pick up supplies for a DIY smart home electronics project at a local hardware or electronics store. Saturdays are grocery stocking at family-owned food markets, self-care fitness time, or making memories with family and friends at corner coffee shops, neighborhood restaurants, or bowling alleys. And more often than not, they go to small independent retailers that provide these goods and services.

But Saturday, November 25 is an especially fine day. It’s the national 14th annual Small Business Saturday when American consumers come out in droves to shop small or dine small in mammoth support of small businesses. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is proud to be a co-sponsor of Small Business Saturday, founded by American Express in 2010. 

Part 1

It’s been decades and decades of hard work, heartbreak, toil, trouble, tears, jeers, and sometimes cheers. On November 7th, Ohio voters passed Issue 2 – the Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (RMLA) citizen-initiated statute – by a comfortable fourteen-point margin of 57% vs 43%. In sum, 2,183,735 Ohioans voted for marijuana that day.

Ohio’s cannabis community applauded and lauded this general election win. With a 30-day effective date, this statute initiated by voters, not the legislature, becomes law on December 7th. Or does it? Just like Ohio politics, this debate has become the subject of controversy.

Friday, November 24, 2023, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Join Bill Cohen for a unique concert of songs that express gratitude for all that we have.  It’s our 10th year for this Thanksgiving-themed concert. Playing piano and guitar, I’ll sing songs written by, made famous by, or inspired by, a wide variety of folks --- John Denver, the Weavers, Phil Ochs, Louis Armstrong, and Don McLean.  Even Johnny Appleseed, Jiminy Cricket, and the TV show, “Golden Girls.”  On several songs, Ann Fisher will add beautiful flute accompaniment, David Maywhoor will add percussion, and Joe Lambert and Joanne Blum will add soothing vocal harmony. 

This is a free concert, but if you appreciate the songs and the message, during the show we’ll “pass the hat” for donations for a non-profit charity, International Medical Alliance of Tennessee. The all-volunteer group of doctors, nurses, and medical students provides free medical care to impoverished, disenfranchised Haitian workers who live and work just inside the D.R. border.