Local
Monopoly Media
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one," said American journalist A. J. Liebling. Who owns the press in America? The class who owns the rest of America: the capitalist class. Today 90% of the media are dominated by just six corporations: GE, News Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. The World Wide Web is no better. Our search for information is filtered by the powerful duopoly of Google and Facebook. You don't have to be a Noam Chomsky or an Edward Herman to figure out that corporate media are not inclined to give fair representation of governments or movements that challenge the interests of capitalists. They would rather exclude them altogether or portray them as villains to be defeated.
Voices of Chavistas in Venezuela, Solidarity Activists in the United States
The Columbus Police Department (CPD) is out of control. And, they are getting away with murder. Within recent years, the CPD has shown excessive and lethal force which has left several citizens dead or wounded. Among the dead are Tyree King, Jaron Thomas, Henry Green, Donna Dalton – all victims of excessive force and brutality.
To add insult to bleeding injury all offending officers (except for one) were not charged and were returned to the force. The CPD has refused to charge their officers and they are the only entity that is allowed to review their action other than a grand jury if they kill someone.
Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther, fearing CPD or Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) backlash, has ceded his power and oversight to the police alone. Likewise, City Council is too busy counting its kickbacks from downtown developers shows little concern over excessive force by the police. There is no willingness to demand accountability from offending officers. Citizen efforts demanding justice and responsible law enforcement leadership have been ignored or papered over.
When the TV show Survivor premiered in the spring of 2000, I was fascinated. Every time those plucky castaways gathered to vote another contestant off the island, my stomach was tied in knots. Would they finally get rid of that evil Richard Hatch, or would another teammate again fall victim to his conniving, backstabbing ways?
Somehow, it always proved to be the latter. Hatch went on to become the show’s first “sole survivor,” ending up with a cool million for his efforts.
After that first season, I kept watching Survivor for several years, but the initial thrill was gone. And it’s definitely vanished now that we’re living in the real-life version of the show, otherwise known as the Trump presidency.
Columbus City Schools has had its share of issues and most local media love to kick our city schools while they’re down.
Recently, our region’s conservative radio station 610 WTVN and its most prominent local personality, Joel Riley, criticized Columbus City School teachers about how many sick days they take. He repeatedly cited recent research by Ohio State professor Vlad Kogan who found on average, each city school teacher took 14 sick days per school year.
So, who exactly is Vlad Kogan? He’s a father of two children who attend Columbus City Schools and he regularly shows up to school board meetings.
He’s a professor, as mentioned, but he’s also a researcher for The Education Governance & Accountability Project at OSU, something he doesn’t reveal to local media when presenting unflattering data about city school teachers.
The Education Governance & Accountability Project is funded with a $630,000 grant from the Chicago-based Spencer Foundation, which is committed to supporting high-quality investigation of education through its research programs.
Look for the Ohio Legislature to come out very soon with a bill to bail out FirstEnergy for its two nuclear plants on Lake Erie – Davis-Besse near Toledo and Perry east of Cleveland. FirstEnergy says it will close its nuclear reactors without a massive ratepayer bailout, attempting to blackmail the legislature with a hollow “threat.” FirstEnergy has been a major donor to some powerful politicians.
Nuclear utilities are getting smarter about getting public bailouts. In Illinois, Exelon is asking that the state take over from the regional transmission authority. Then Illinois could increase the capacity charges for nuclear power. They claim that this is not a nuclear bailout!
In Ohio’s proposed FirstEnergy bailout in 2018, one argument the sponsors gave was that without nuclear we would be left in the dark. That didn’t ring true, though, so they started quoting a new mantra: Nuclear Power should be given zero emissions credits!
WHAT ZERO EMISSIONS?
Wednesday, April 3, 11am-2pm
OSU Ohio Union, 1739 N High St.
Students for recycling will be giving out 144 FREE reusable water bottles this year to help end the plastic waste problem at Ohio State.
In order to take one, you can bring in 5 plastic water bottles or participate in our recycling game to learn about recycling in the Columbus area. Water Bottles will be given out on a first come first serve basis.
It will take place in the lobby of the Student Union.
Come join us to get a free water bottle and talk about recycling!! Hope to see you there!
Tues, April 2, 3-5pm
The Book Loft of German Village, 631 S. Third St.
Reading and a book signing of this book by Ed Fallon. Copies of this book available for purchase at event or online at boldiowa.com. All proceeds from this event will support continued climate action. Sponsored by Columbus Community Bill of Rights and Simply Living. Greg Pace, gpace67@gmail.com or 614-565-6067.
and
Tues, April 2, 7pm
Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Ave.
Through humor and candid introspection, Ed shares how the experience brought into focus his lifelong search for love and meaning, even as intense, interpersonal dramas threatened to tear the March community apart. Greg Pace, gpace67@gmail.com or 614-565-6067.
Sam Craighead’s newest release “Self-Portrait w/Fries” made me question: what do I think of comedy music?
I like Sam Craighead’s catalog.
His skillset fits a Henry Nilson-meets David-Berman vibe, clueing you in why people have Kris Kristofferson and Michael McDonald records at their house. Ballads your parents could have conceived you with. He wears sweaters and glasses. He looks like someone who would write songs that people who like Band of Horses would like.
I liked his band Heavy Mole ten years ago. I thought his newest band, Feature Films, delivered one of the most beautiful Columbus records during the past five years.
In fact, I was thinking: I would probably consider myself a Sam Craighead fan.
I went to the Rock Potluck at Ace of Cups specifically because Sam and Winston Hightower were in a band.
Winston didn’t play. He was working at Ace. The band was both funny and musically competent.
Monday, April 1, 2019, 7:00 – 8:30 PM.
Clintonville Area Progressives Meeting. What is going on with green initiatives and environmental issues locally and nationally? Our speakers will speak on what is happening. Come join the discussion. As always, we will there at 6:30 for snacks and discussion. Location: Whetstone Library, 3909 N. High St., Columbus. Facebook.
Coaching a brand-spanking new football team is tough enough but try building one from the ground up.
Destroyers Head Coach Matt Sauk says he’s up for the challenge. Destroyers held tryouts on a recent Saturday morning at Bo Jackson’s Elite Training facility in Hilliard, and just like the name-sake of this indoor dome, Coach Sauk knows.
“This will be my second time (building a team from the ground up),” says Sauk on about the rebirth of the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League, with all home games at Nationwide Arena. “Getting 35 guys in a short period of time is the greatest challenge. Two, is trying to find talent that in short amount of time. When you have a full season you have a full off-season to recruit and do other stuff.”
The Destroyers through free agency filled most of their projected roster with AFL veterans in February and early March. Adding third-year AFL defensive-back KJ Morton and 6’6", 350 lb. offensive lineman Nathan Isles, who’s spent time with the Seattle Seahawks.