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The title “Shen Yun: China Before Communism” above an image of a sprawling dancer was the first thing seen when picking up the February 13 edition of the Columbus Dispatch. Vague quotes of the “life changing experience,” connecting “heaven and earth,” and “explosive athleticism” littered the double-sided foldout advertisement. Tickets start at $80 for the March 5-6 performances here in Columbus. Noticeably absent from the ad was any mention of the religion behind it, Falun Gong – a racist, homophobic, anti-science, right-wing cult founded in the 1990s.

The Shen Yun Performing Arts organization was established in upstate New York in 2006. The six theater troupes of Shen Yun, including dancers and a full orchestra, train at the tightly restricted 427-acre Dragon Springs compound, headquarters of Falun Gong and their leader, Li Hongzhi. Shen Yun claims that they rebirthed five thousand years of China’s history there in upstate New York, “bringing back the rich and beautiful culture that the communist regime has been eroding.”

Rally outside the Arnold Sports Event 

Saturday, March 5, 12noon [during the Arnold Sports Festival], Greater Columbus Convention Center [near the Arnold Schwarzenegger Statue], 400 N. High St.

Please come out to support Ukraine, protest the war, and protest the violence and Russian aggression.

Let’s not repeat the mistakes of the past. Putin will not stop with Ukraine. He will move further just like Hitler did. Please come out and help. Show that American people are not indifferent to unprovoked aggression, human suffering, and the fight for freedom.

Hosted by Ukrainian Cultural Association of Ohio.

Saturday, March 5, 1pm, intersection of N. High St. and North Broadway

Friday, March 4, 2022, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Simply Living's First Fridays series highlights sustainability initiatives in the city of Columbus and surrounding region that you may want to know more about. Each month our speakers will discuss the initiatives they are working on to make Columbus more sustainable and equitable. 

Join us in March as we speak with the leaders of two Columbus initiatives: GreenSpot and Keep Columbus Beautiful. In this online event, we will hear from David Celebrezze, coordinator of GreenSpot, a coalition of over 23,000 homes, businesses, and neighborhoods in Central Ohio that have pledged to take actions to support sustainability and Aryeh Alex, manager of Keep Columbus Beautiful, a city agency that focuses on public education and volunteer service on environmental issues including litter, recycling and beautification.  This online event will feature two short presentations followed by Q and A for the speakers.

Prior to any analysis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, prior to the casting of blame and outrage — at Putin’s hubris, at NATO’s pernicious westward expansion over the last three decades — there’s this:

“Our world has become so interdependent that violent conflict between two countries inevitably impacts the rest of the world. War is outdated — nonviolence is the only way. We need to develop a sense of the oneness of humanity by considering other human beings as brothers and sisters. This is how we will build a more peaceful world.”

Too simple? Yada yada?

Chef Jennifer Deehan’s inspiration for creating the next generation of whole, plant-pure, healing food creations is driven by her personal transformation into healthier living after being diagnosed with a cancerous tumor three years ago. She has learned how to significantly decrease her chances of a recurrence by consuming a health promoting diet that is consistent with her love of animals and the planet that provides us life. Please support the success of her debut by attending this event:

Event: Vegan Chef Jennifer’s Culinary Debut 
Address: Mitchell Hall 224 Cleveland Avenue, Columbus (Downtown- Columbus State Community College Campus) 
Day/Date/Time: Thurs, March 10th, 2022 beginning at 6:00 pm
Purchase tickets must be purchased in advance here: https://mix.cscc.edu/#classes
You can follow Chef Jennifer at Instagram: @veganchefjennifer

Thursday, March 3, 4pm, Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

Effective March 3 at 4pm, the City of Columbus and the State of Ohio will issue a declaration recognizing Bronzeville, Ohio [that had been established in 1937]!

Additionally, Bronzeville will be added to a Federal Bill in Washington, DC that will formally recognize both the Chicago and Columbus Bronzeville communities and their cultural significance to their respective cities.

Please join us at the Lincoln Theatre on March 3 at 4pm for the formal ceremony!

Hosted by Bronzeville Neighborhood Association.

Diplomatic Paths to Resolution of the Ukraine/European Security Crisis: Russian, European & U.S. Perspectives
Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 10am 

Undeniably, the right to grow your own cannabis has become a well-known and hotly debated topic surrounding full legalization of the plant. As reform spreads across the country, the concept rings a much more acceptable tone than it did years ago. What is home grow and why is it important?

1.)          Terminology.  First, what is “home grow”? Please see “The Language of Home Growing in Ohio.” Aside from “home,” the terms used to define location often include “primary residence,” “household,” or “registered cultivation sites” – some laws require registration of these plots with the state. Other terminology associates it with an individual or “person,” as in “personal cultivation.” This verbiage juxtaposes home growing against what it is not, “commercial or corporate cultivation.” Thus, the “home grow” can be defined as the cultivation of cannabis in limited quantities and small spaces for personal use without monetary gain.

Tuesday, March 1, 2022, 8:00 PM
Join CODEPINK Congress & Massachusetts Peace Action for the third event in our SPECIAL SERIES ON FOREIGN POLICY! This event is also co-sponsored by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security. 

This Capitol Calling Party will be followed by a viewing party of the State of the Union address at 9 PM, accompanied by bingo and social media engagement led by the CODEPINK Peace Collective. The SOTU viewing will be followed by Rashida Tlaib's rebuttal - just stay on the original Zoom call!  Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are higher than they've been in many years.

The U.S. insists that Ukraine may join NATO in the future while Russia insists that it should not. NATO has become a worldwide military alliance as the U.S. pursues its policy of a new Cold War against Russia. Will Ukraine be recognized as a neutral nation or will the U.S. maintain its goal of integrating Ukraine into NATO? Can Europe turn towards a common security policy before NATO’s June summit in Madrid? 

The Ohio State University forces me to continue my series of public accounting for its series of leadership failures, threats to health and safety on and off campus, and irresponsibility to its neighbors—both homeowners and student renters. Slogans about safety and health proliferate. Actions do not.

Contrary to off-the-record comments by OSU’s Bricker Hall senior administration, my always-fact-based writing gives me no pleasure. (The President’s Office refuses even to acknowledge receipt of my efforts to communicate with Kristina Johnson when I ask them to do so, an overt discourtesy.) They do not understand that constructive criticism is not a contradiction in terms. This only reinforces their insularity and long-time disrespect to students, staff, faculty, neighbors, and the media—in other words, their public. OSU ignores legal Freedom of Information Act requests for public information; its “spokespersons” do not answer questions. This decades-old pattern should provoke widespread alarm and demands for reform.