Local

The grassroots Medicare for All movement will ramp up like never before Feb. 9-13, during the Medicare for All Week of Action, as volunteers across the U.S. host 150 Medicare for All “barnstorm” mass organizing meetings to kickstart canvassing and grassroots lobbying in local communities throughout the country.

“Nurses have been fighting for decades to win Medicare for All, so we are thrilled to see the movement for real health care reform in America expanding like never before,” said Bonnie Castillo, RN, executive director of National Nurses United (NNU), sponsor of the Medicare for All week of action. “The barnstorms are about harnessing that momentum and continuing to build it out even further, into every community, conversation by conversation, neighbor by neighbor—until the people’s will for Medicare for All becomes the political will to get it done.”

What:         Medicare for All barnstorm

When:         Sunday, February 10 at 5 PM

Friday, February 8, 2019, 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Naked Imperialism

Barely one in five Venezuelans knows who Juan Guaidó is. His newly minted international supporters have trouble pronouncing his name. Yet that is the man whom the Donald Trump administration wants to make President of Venezuela – by any means necessary.  White House national security adviser John Bolton has already floated a trial balloon of “5,000 troops to Colombia.”

Thursday, February 7, 2019, 3:00 – 4:00 PM

In a society where world population is on the rise and citizens are increasingly connected through technology, theorists claim the infamous “six degrees of separation” has narrowed to “three degrees.” How many individuals know someone who has battled cancer, struggled with diabetes, dealt with seizures or contracted HIV? Likely everyone reading this knows at least one person dealing with one (or more) of these severe health concerns. The need for consistent access to healthcare increases significantly when combining those challenges with environmental factors such as: pollution, pesticides, volatile chemicals and shrinking biodiversity. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in eight deaths worldwide is linked to air pollution exposure.

Let's take a field trip to Delaware County to learn about government and politics at their worst. 

Our field trip takes us to the City of Powell and Liberty Township, two contiguous entities in central southern Delaware County, where 30,000 of the county's 200,000 citizens live.

Four elected right-wing Republicans apparently have conspired to wreak havoc on the city and the township by acting to decimate the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) services provided by the Liberty Township Fire Department (LTFD). The actions show they have confused their radical ideology with their responsibility to provide valuable public services to the community.

This drama of disrespect toward the community and its fire and EMS professionals was instigated by Republican Melanie Leneghan, a Liberty Township trustee who lost close races last year in the 12th Congressional District primaries, in part because it was alleged that she voted to pave her own street.

One month ago, I moved from my beloved Arcadia Avenue to the suburban paradise of Upper Arlington. I had my reasons, and I don’t regret the decision. But I do miss the noise and life of the city. There has also been something of a learning curve – dumping metal debris in my front yard for scrappers to pick up is not OK. I also had to buy a snow shovel.

As my consolation for the move, I decided that I was going to take advantage of my nearly doubled square footage and indulge myself with a real music room. A good chance to consolidate the drums, pianos, ten or so guitars, pennywhistles and other miscellany that was formerly stashed in every corner of my old house. And a place to put that duct taped together couch.

I hope so much that I will stay musically active and, unlike a lot of basement bars and man-caves, the room will be more of a functional space than a shrine to a past life. But hanging guitars on the wall got me excited, and the next thing you know I’m installing vintage style sconce lights and buying lava lamps. One thing led to another, culminating in a whiskey fueled online poster shopping spree at 1:00 AM.

Wednesday, Feb 6, 7pm
Grammercy Books, 2424 E. Main St.
A Black History Month special event not to be missed! Join veteran, teacher, historian and author Sandra Bolzenius as she discusses her book, Glory in Their Spirit, and learn about how four black women risked their careers and freedom to defy the United States Army over segregation during World War II.

City leaders have said trying to find parking in the Short North, even during peak hours, is a First World problem.

“I do agree that this is a First World problem, but parking is emotional because it affects you every day. It is a quality of life issue,” says Robert Ferrin the city’s assistant director for Parking Services. “There are people who are absolutely unhappy with this. Everyone looks at success differently.”

But tell that to long-time Short North and surrounding neighborhood homeowners who are planning to live in their home a lifetime.

Short North homeowners, feeling the squeeze of gentrification, say our city government, which has long been sold-out to high-end developers, made a bad parking problem even worse by not pushing back against a decade of overdevelopment.

“The community isn’t being listened too,” says Kevin Truitt, who’s owned his home on 3rd Avenue since 2011. “Instead, the city is thinking, ‘How can we develop the Short North? How can we benefit the developers?’ The parking problem is one element of this and the residents who have actually lived in the neighborhood for years are being tossed aside.”

When beloved Acorn Books on W. 5th Ave. began their three-month long-goodbye going-out-of-business sale a year ago, books were half-price. Nice.

Sad, but nice. I scored a few. Mostly World War II histories.

Then, after a few more price drops, they hit a dollar apiece. Time to plunder – without the guilt. I bought nearly 200, including a fat handful on our tortured history of race. Here's my recommended list you should read at any price: