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It ought to be easy. Open bank vault, remove weapons dealers, close bank vault. In reality, we need a ton of tools, work, and luck.

In constant dollar terms, after Korea, Vietnam, Reagan’s second term, and Obama’s first term U.S. military spending went down, just never as much as it had gone up. So, ending wars, including Cold Wars, may help.

We now have a war underway in which the U.S. participation is understood as primarily spending money. Ending that spending could be expanded into reducing military spending more broadly.

March 21, 2-23

Good afternoon everyone. Thank you for joining me.

Andy Ginther just finished presenting yet another of his state of the city addresses. He repeatedly proclaims advancements in nearly every aspect of what impacts the lives of neighborhoods, individuals and working families both socially and economically. He once again paints a picture of neighborhood improvements across the city. He continues to make promises that Columbus’ great economic growth leads directly to well-paying jobs that are plentiful to everyone.

Andy Ginther’s regular refrain that never has any credible evidence-is, “he believes in doing the right thing, and not what’s easy or politically expedient” and “investing in roads and sidewalks that connect our community.”

Wednesday, March 22, 2023, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Sociologists Paul Ray and Sherry Anderson studied the values of Americans and discovered a new demographic they labeled "cultural creatives."

Join us to learn why Paul Ray believes we are undergoing a momentous historical transition to what he calls a new "wisdom culture." We will view a slide deck that describes their work and conclusions. Chuck Lynd will then lead a discussion about the cultural creatives. Are they a hope for a regenerative future?  

Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Join us for the National Day of Action to Stop Dirty Banking.  We will learn about JP MorganChase's support for fossil fuels and CUT UP our Chase credit cards. It's time to withdraw our money from the machine that props up climate disaster!  
Location:  Chase Tower, 100 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio.  
Register here. 

Along with a few dozen Columbus-area residents of diverse age, occupation, gender, and race, my wife and I delighted in the monthly First Things event on Saturday, March 18.

Sponsored by Four Seasons City Farm—“one organization, many growing sites”—First Things is a monthly “fund raiser and friend raiser” using the exceptional, truly historic rooms of the landmark, all but forgotten Old First Presbyterian Church on Bryden Road in Old Town East, Columbus.

First Things calls us to celebrate Columbus’ best preserved, if neglected, historic area. Missing from the embarrassing AIA Guide to Columbus, the church—the oldest in Columbus—was founded in 1806.

Now on the third Saturday of each month, from 7-11 pm, the church is home to First Things.

Not only have several major Columbus-based developers taken leadership roles for RAPID 5, but two major international developers are also playing a significant part in the reshaping of Central Ohio’s five major waterways and Metro Parks. AECOM, for example, which is helping design the newest Mall of Saudi (Riyadh North), has been tasked by RAPID 5 to envision the future for Alum Creek.

But a cursory look at AECOM’s future for Alum Creek (pictured above) suggests they will be more focused on East Main Street, specifically the stretch entering into Bexley and Capital University where the giant abandoned grain silos remain.

The American-based AECOM is referred to as a “global infrastructure consulting firm”. RAPID 5’s other major international firm is the Urban Land Institute (ULI), a research arm of the National Association of Realtors, with offices in Hong Kong and London. Those keeping a close eye on RAPID 5 have told the Free Press both ULI and MORPC (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission) are the leadership behind RAPID 5.

The THC. Testing. Taxes. Testimony. Timeline.

There was a time, back in days of yore, when Ohio patients felt lucky to have just one medical marijuana bill introduced every other year, one in each of the General Assembly’s two-year sessions. Five bills in 10 years. All went nowhere.

What a difference a decade makes. The last two-year session of the Ohio legislature ‒ 2021-2022 ‒ produced eight bills: four adult use, two to revise marijuana penalties, and two to improve the current program. And, the 2023-2024 session started off with the almost immediate introduction of Senate Bill 9, essentially a reintroduction of S.B. 261 from last year that was a revision of H.B.523, the medical marijuana law passed in 2016.

This Mary Jane’s Guide takes a deep dive into S.B. 9 and its testimony thus far.

WHAT is S.B. 9?

Monday, March 20, 2023, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
The first event of this new WIN program will focus on Ramadan the Muslim month of fasting which begins in the third week of March.  
Location:  Noor Islamic Cultural Center, 5001 Wicox Road, Dublin, Ohio 43016.  
Reservation required due to limited space: windiversity@gmail.com. 

In 1978 the United States Supreme Court rendered its decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, a case about affirmative action in higher education. It opined that colleges and universities could not use race as an exclusive basis for granting admission to an institution of higher learning because it violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause and Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Allan Bakke was a white man, an engineer, and a veteran of the United States Marines. When he was thirty-two years old, he applied to a number of medical schools, including the University of California Davis School of Medicine without success. U Cal Davis rejected both his applications. (When I initially read the facts of the case back in the day, my first reaction was that he was probably turned down because of his age. At thirty-two, he was eight years older than the average first-year medical student. Indeed, two institutions rejected his application citing that reason. This was not an uncommon practice at the time.)  

Sunday, March 19th at 7 PM meeting on ZOOM 
This meeting is for people who are interested in single payer medical insurance for everyone and want to use their developed communication/marketing skills in this endeavor, e.g. writing copy; graphic design; video and photography; electronic media platforms like Facebook, etc.

Call or email if you have questions about this.
Bob Krasen, Chair, Marketing Committee.
(614) 261-0754 please leave a message
brkrasen@gmail.com