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Climate change is real, and it has had devastating effects. Antarctica reached record high temperatures in the 60s earlier in 2020. Pakistan reached a record high temperature of 125 degrees in 2019. These are some of the devastating effects in our climate.

“The Climate Issue has changed the way of life.” That is what actress and activist Erika Alexander said in her opening remarks as the moderator of the World War Zero Town Hall Discussion on Climate Change on March 8 at Otterbein University in Westerville.

World War Zero was brought to Otterbein on March 8, in partnership with Otterbein University and the Columbus Metropolitan Club. World War Zero, according to the official website, is “a coalition of people from all walks of life that are committed to addressing the climate crisis.”

Some of the big names that have enlisted in this initiative include billionaires, actors, politicians, and the three men who spoke about climate change at Otterbein – former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Ohio Governor John Kasich, and the man who launched this initiative, former Secretary of State John Kerry.

From Ohio Environmental Council:

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.

Dear Governor DeWine and Ohio government officials,

COVID-19 has catapulted us into a crisis. You, rightly, have expressed concern about protecting the peoples’ health, safety and rights. In cancelling the Ohio primary election you were attempting to act to protect us. This is what we elect you to do. Governor DeWine, when you announced you were cancelling the election, you stood at the podium, and stated, “the people should not have to decide between their health and their constitutional rights.”

Amen to that.

But let’s be honest. It was a fantastic sound bite. But it was also hypocritical. I have great difficulty reconciling some of your words with your actions.

Ongoing Crises

Dear Governor DeWine and Ohio government officials,

Covid-19 has catapulted us into a crisis. You, rightly, have expressed concern about protecting the peoples’ health, safety and rights. In cancelling the Ohio primary election you were attempting to act to protect us. This is what we elect you to do. Governor DeWine, when you announced you were cancelling the election, you stood at the podium, and stated, “the people should not have to decide between their health and their constitutional rights.”

Amen to that.

But let’s be honest. It was a fantastic sound bite. But it was also hypocritical. I have great difficulty reconciling some of your words with your actions.

Ongoing Crises

“Waiting is full.” That’s what my husband Eric says: waiting is full, of whatever you do with that time. It could be irritation, anxiety or anger or it could be meditation, for example.

We are all in a waiting game here. Waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Hour by hour things are changing and evolving, the outcome uncertain.

Not only are we waiting, we are being asked/ordered to do it inside, away form others, to “shelter in place.” We’re told to stay home, keep a safe distance from others. For most of us, our jobs are on hold or worse, gone! For most that is a very scary thing. So, there’s fear in the waiting.

But you know what else there is in there? So much love! It’s everywhere from the balconies of Italy to our own communities. People are loving on each other via social media, on TV and by reaching out to friends and family. Through podcasts and reporting from their living rooms, talk show hosts and reporters are letting us into their homes like family. It’s personal. Because we ARE all in this together. all humans are susceptible to this bug.

Yesterday, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless delivered a letter to the Governor’s office signed by 80 organizations and leading individuals from across the state calling for a state-wide moratorium on evictions and utility shut-offs, and an immediate influx of emergency housing dollars.

The letter states that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic demands urgent need for immediate state-wide action.  “We have already seen shelter-in-place orders come from the Bay Area and it seems other large cities are next. We cannot possibly put quarantine measures in place at the same time that we forcibly remove Ohioans from their homes, for any reason, or make it impossible for them to remain there because of utility disconnections” said Demitra Brown, Housing Justice Co-Chair of the Cleveland Democratic Socialists of America.

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. 

Ohio immigrants, detained people and family members, lawyers, and grassroots leaders have four demands of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies/courts to protect incarcerated people and immigrants from COVID-19.

1) Immediately and dramatically reduce the number of people in Ohio jails and prisons, including (but not limited to) immigration detainees;

2) Suspend deportations, immigration arrests, and in-person ICE and USCIS appointments;

3) Close the Cleveland Immigration Court, except for detained bond hearings conducted remotely; and

4) Ensure inmates have access to free soap, hand sanitizer, health care, and phone and video calls.

The urgent need for a vaccine

Public health experts say that if the COVID-19 epidemic is not successfully contained, it could become a global pandemic, perhaps spreading to 80% of the world's population. With a 1% mortality rate, this would mean that 70 million people would die of the disease. With a 2% mortality rate, the total number of deaths would be twice that number, 140 million people. Comparable numbers of people have died in the tragic wars and pandemics of the past. There is a serious danger that it might happen again.

Perhaps the best way to avoid such a tragedy would be to quickly develop an inexpensive and effective vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, and to distribute it very widely, free of charge, with the support of government funds. The most promising techniques for doing so, in my opinion, are the methods of monoclonal antibodies and gene-splicing.

Monoclonal antibodies