Local

Columbus City Council members opened up their emails on November 20 to find a letter from Leah Aden, Senior Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (the “LDF”) calling for their attention. The LDF, which President Obama once called “simply the best civil rights law firm in American history,” sent a heavily footnoted letter to outgoing City Council President and future City Attorney Zach Klein announcing the “LDF is conducting a review of Columbus’ at-large electoral method for members of its city council. We have substantial concerns that this electoral method may violate Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 … by denying voters of color in Columbus of the equal opportunity to elect their preferred candidates to this important local body.” In requesting a written response by December 18, Aden wrote “We write to provide the city council with this information so that this body can pursue an inclusive, fair course of action and avoid potentially costly and lengthy litigation that may be required to ensure compliance with Section 2 and other applicable laws.”

We finished at most 25 percent, or hopefully 50 percent, of suffering through a horrible new presidency. 2018 will emerge as a chance for state and congressional changes – albeit one where money, gerrymandering and racism will try to destroy our democracy. Reminder: Putin was an unpopular figure in his country who has used a sex scandal and terrorist attacks to gain power, which let him do many things including decriminalize domestic violence and end term limits.

The Obama administration toppled Gaddafi in Libya. Look at the mess there. Imagine a foreign power like Putin working with the “Lewis Powell Manifesto.”  Will Oligarchy Tax Empowerment and student debt create indentured servitude here?

My point: in 2018 please use critical thinking: no matter what distractions present themselves. Putin and our carpet-bagging President will not create a utopia.

Albums of the Year

1. Kendrick Lamar - Damn

2. Jay-Z- 444

3. Tyler, the Creator - Flowerboy

4. Joey Badass - All-American Badass

5. Renée Dion- Haven

Local Album of the Year: Renee Dion - Haven

Friday, December 8, 4:30-6:30pm
Ohio Statehouse, Broad and High Streets
Hosted by Students for Justice in Palestine at The Ohio State University
Join us THIS FRIDAY at 4:30pm as we voice our opposition to the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem. This is an inflammatory, unnecessary move by the Trump administration and will have negative, lasting consequences. Come on out and show your support! (We will be at the corner of High and Broad, and we will pass out signs and posters as well)

On November 26, 1976, legendary Canadian-American rock group The Band performed their final concert at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. In addition to Rick, Robbie, Garth, Richard and Levon, the show featured a who’s who of rock royalty including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and others. The performance was filmed by Martin Scorsese, and subsequently was released as the concert film The Last Waltz. It is probably the greatest rock film of all time, and subsequent controversy makes it even better.

On November 17, 2017, Columbus put on its fourth annual tribute to the Last Waltz at the Newport Music Hall. As was the case with the original, a core group performed the role of The Band itself, playing 15 or so tunes featured in the movie and/or the soundtrack. In addition to these duties, they backed up a series of individuals impersonating the guest stars from Winterland. They were troopers for sure – I would think they were on stage for at least three and a half hours.

Wednesday, December 6, 5:30-7pm
1090 Carmack Rd, Columbus, 43210
Come learn about the cutting edge research helping humanity understand climate change impacts in Ohio and beyond! We will get our very own tour of the facility home to the largest amount of ice cores in the world. Get ready to nerd out. Feel free to invite friends and partners. This event is free. 
RSVP for additional details: http://engage.ohio.edu/site/Calendar/1256717870?view=Detail&id=102566
https://www.facebook.com/events/148233865813883/

Achievement is a thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage or skill. Attainment, realization, accomplishment, fulfilment, implementation, execution, performance. As I look back over the year 2017 I find myself thinking about what, if any, achievements have been accomplished and what makes these achievements successful and relevant to the American people and who has benefited from these achievements.  

In November, Vice President Pence said President Trump was responsible for our economy being improved by 1.5 million new jobs. Pence and Trump himself have said and see the success of the stock market as an achievement for Americans. They both feel that Trump is responsible for the manufacturers “confidence” in producing goods here in America. Pence says, “we’re just getting started” in regards to the “accomplishments” of Trump.  Pence and Trump both fail to acknowledge that another one of Trump’s achievements this year is to be deemed “historically unpopular” by the American people.  

November 15 ended up being the third time since 1946 that an execution in the US was left unfinished. A “failed” execution. Not “botched,” because while it was ugly, the prisoner left on his own power.

Alva Campbell was to be killed in revenge for murdering Charles Dials in 1997. Campbell is a very sick man. He could die on his own within months. It was well known before entering the death house that “no suitable veins” had been found in preparations for the execution.

Thousands of Ohioanshad urged Governor Kasich to avoid a spectacle by simply pushing Campbell’s date back enough that he would die in prison like most killers convicted of capital murder. “Life without parole” really means “death in prison.”

Theater troupes and filmmakers persist in telling and retelling A Christmas Carol year after year. And why not? Charles Dickens’s ghostly morality tale makes a moving case for redemption and generosity, the respective hallmarks of the religious and secular sides of the holiday.

The story is such a perfect complement to the season that anyone who performs it competently is likely to meet with success. That is, unless they give in to the temptation to put their own spin on it. Then, all bets are off.

This year, a local theater production and a nationwide movie decided to get creative with the classic tale. In each case, they would have been better off letting Dickens be Dickens.

The troupe is Shadowbox Live, which in the past has given us Scrooge, a movie-to-stage adaptation that musicalized the tale but left its inspiring message intact. This year, Shadowbox remade the wheel with Cratchit, an original production that sets the action in modern America and focuses on Scrooge’s underpaid employee rather than the skinflint himself.

Beauty and trance and grace--are you getting near the amount you need?

As Keith Richards has said, everybody needs some trance in their daily lives. Same for the other two artistic virtues. Our impoverished inner worlds are thirsting, dehydrated as they are of these not-so abstract elements. I am very sure of this, adamantly so. Wanna fight about it, Zippy?

I didn't think so.

The other day I was at my usual haunt, Luck Brothers coffee house, waking up around noon, gazing out the window as the house blend was working its stimulative magic on my consciousness. Todd the Lad had a mostly brilliant mix playing as he usually does, partially instrumental, some vocals, mellow...when it happened.

I became part of the sound painting.