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As the noose of political correctness strangled what's left of our culture, 2019 nevertheless had a few last gasps of great art emanating from its twitching body.

Dave Chappelle grandly escaped the hangman's noose with his Netflix comedy special, laying the blame for p.c. culture right where it belonged: the audience. It's a bad idea, political correctness, but bad ideas don't mean a thing until they're put into action. He's the one comedian who stood athwart neutered comedy and nailed Jussie Smollett as the great French actor who was a really bad liar.

That skit alone might not save American popular culture from the p.c. censorship movement but I'm telling you, it is one of the most brilliantly pitch-perfect sketches in comedic history. Chappelle peaked with it. And so far he's still employable as far as I know. There is justice.

As for Hollywood, which has seen so many of the good storytellers depart for cable where the fields of free expression are far greener, there were still a couple who stuck around. Well, sort of, anyway.

The holidays are filled with the spirit of giving, often with the intention of bringing joy to loved ones. The aroma of cinnamon, clove and holiday spices are fragrant reminders of the pivotal way that herbs have implanted themselves into human lives. One cannot experience traditional holiday festivities without finding elements of herbalism at play. Boughs of holly, pine, fir and rosemary are very common adornments used in decorating for the month of December, all of which can be used medicinally. In remembering that these tools have more to offer than ambience, it provides a window to see a bounty of gift opportunities for family, community and the self.

Some wonderful herbal gift ideas are teas/tisanes, essential oil infused bath salts, or healing salves. The multitude of gifts found within herbalism are not just about the item given. Looking beyond the surface, they can be a greater invitation to help people find healing, vitality, connection to surrounding life, and a newfound mindfulness of the body. When giving gifts with the intention of healing, doorways for connection are opened.

‘Tis the season to be jolly in Columbus with all its folly. A love addict with a love tribe from the community organization “1DivineLine2Health” is paying forward their serendipity to several families with children living in poverty on the West Side.

1DivineLine2Health holiday season gifts for the community

Thanks to Muslim Family Services, Executive Director Nicol Kwait Ghazi received a pallet of Christmas trees and chose to donate five instead of the three requested. The trees have been delivered and there are some excited kids on the Hilltop. Several of the homes only had old trees that made Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree look spectacular.

Santa is coming to town with two elves in our Red Love Bug that will be converted to mobile sleigh ride with lights and antlers delivering toys, zoo tickets and coats to our Hilltop kids.

Our dear friend, Margie Daffey has passed on.

Margie Daffey showed up on our doorstep when we asked for people to join us for the Voting Rights March the Rev. Jesse Jackson held in Atlanta in August 2005. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Margie had been a supporter of Columbus School Board member Bill Moss and shortly before we left for the march, Bill unexpectedly passed away.

Margie became a very active member of our election integrity movement in Columbus. In 2006, Margie was the key signature-gatherer for my campaign for Ohio Governor. In one day alone at Columbus State, she talked over 1000 students into signing my petition to get on the ballot. After she helped me on the ballot, she drove me all over the state of Ohio for campaign events in her white Lincoln.

Friday, December 6th 2:30-3:30
Outside Drinko Hall, OSU Campus
Media Contacts:Contacts: Dylan Roderick dylan.j.roderick@gmail.com (217) 714-8547 Bianca Davis alexandra.davis107@gmail.com, (614) 549-2916
OSU Students and families of Buckeye Village will rally outside of Drinko Hall to demand President Drake and the Board of OSU not demolish the only student family housing on OSU campus. "This fight is about the future, our future, our children's future, the future for the institution of family, the future of community." - Rhonda Michelle (Buckeye Village Resident)

Given the OSU’s administration history of putting profit over the needs of students, faculty and staff (Campus Parc) the students rallying December 6 are demanding that the university commit the being the accessible public resource a flagship university is meant to be and not a vehicle for private profit. “By closing Buckeye Village without alternatives, OSU is pushing families and struggling students out of the community and higher education." -Bianca Davis

For luxury condo or apartment developers, we have heard it’s feast or famine. So it’s no surprise they want density in our coolest neighborhoods, which is bad enough. Worse is how they are building boorish and Easton-like monsters without any empathy for current residents or historical preservation.

Nothing is sacred to them. Not even German Village, the city’s most historical and aesthetic neighborhood.

Indeed, three conceptional development proposals have stalked German Village over the previous year to two years. They are faceless and unimaginative. You know the kind: a square beehive of glass and concrete.

 “We are now at a place where all of a sudden this group of developers have turned and looked South and said, ‘There’s some opportunity there. We can take advantage of the destination, the charm, the identity of German Village for our projects. And we are here to make money. This is the game we play and we are not here to make your life good,’” says Katharine Moore who served as Executive Director of the German Village Society for over a decade. “They are taking advantage of what we’ve spent years creating with care, blood, sweat and tears.”

As the 2020 Democratic primary heats up into the new year, there is a larger debate brewing within the party itself – even bigger than the already huge debates that feature anywhere from ten to twenty candidates on television. It’s an important debate about the soul of the party and what it will stand for going forward.

The past year marked many major milestones for marijuana. Michigan voters passed an adult use ballot measure in November 2018, with the first business licenses issued on December 1. In June, Illinois became the second Midwest state to go full legal, doing so via legislature. Federally, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the Safe Banking Act in September, the first step to opening this system to cannabusinesses. Then, just days ago, the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act easily passed out of U.S. House Judiciary Committee and onto the House floor for a full vote. This groundbreaking legislation would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), require federal courts to expunge records for prior marijuana convictions and basically end the drug war.

The pillars of prohibition are crumbling.

Listen to Wes Flexner’s Rock’n’Roll Show on WCRS-FM, 92.7/98.3
Streaming on wcrsfm.org
Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Nile Vegan Ethiopian Restaurant just opened in October 2019 on OSU campus on Worthington and 8th (so bring coins for the meters if you aren’t in walking distance or prone to public transit). Their owners are transplants from Toronto Canada and have brought a completely new 100% vegan ethnic restaurant to Columbus open 10am-10pm, seven days per week.

If you have never had Ethiopian food before, savor the delicious new distinctive flavors and textures, where eating with your hands is the norm. The flavors are authentic, the food was filling and delightful. The establishment is quite pleasant, conscionable about all things sustainable, and has a very minimalist and anti-plastic approach to their business processes and supplies. Treat yourself to an exotic new experience and discover this fabulous vegan flair on Ethiopian fare.      

VeganShift and the Columbus Vegan Meetup will be having a lovely holiday Vegan Wine and Vegan Cheeze tasting at 6:30pm on Thursday, December 19 at Savor Pint, 4440 Indianola Avenue.