Local

Saturday, March 4, 12 noon.
Goodale Park Gazebo (near Buttles and Park) 101 Buttles Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43215
FACEBOOK EVENT

We live in surreal times. Columbus’ Mayor pronounces our city safe for immigrants and an area of opportunity for all – on the same day Columbus police corral and mace anti-Trump travel ban demonstrators putting protestors, including children, at risk. Ginther pledges to make Columbus a premier middle-class city at his State of the City address – when at the same time giving away $68 million in tax abatements to wealthy Easton developers.

A city-sponsored review of the city charter pays lip service to the fact that Columbus should finally become more democratic and representative through district elections joining every other major city nationwide – but recommend all district-based candidates run citywide.

I learned on the radio today that had he lived, Kurt Cobain would have been 50 years old on February 20, 2017. While it didn't really tug at the heartstrings or inspire a nostalgia trip, it brought to mind a conversation I had a few years back.

I was sitting at the Little Palace with a Dennison student who had some sort of connection with my Uncle Bill. She was taking a bus to NYC that would be picking her up down the street, and my wife had insisted that I stay with her she got on board. We got to talking about music. She was an enthusiastic proponent of the string band revival which at the time was approaching its high water mark, and in my view also approaching tedious. At some point she asked me what I was listening to when I was in High School, paused a split second, and said “Nirvana, right?” Well, I thought, that’s a really interesting question.

I learned on the radio today that had he lived, Kurt Cobain would have been 50 years old on February 20, 2017. While it didn't really tug at the heartstrings or inspire a nostalgia trip, it brought to mind a conversation I had a few years back.

I was sitting at the Little Palace with a Dennison student who had some sort of connection with my Uncle Bill. She was taking a bus to NYC that would be picking her up down the street, and my wife had insisted that I stay with her she got on board. We got to talking about music. She was an enthusiastic proponent of the string band revival which at the time was approaching its high water mark, and in my view also approaching tedious. At some point she asked me what I was listening to when I was in High School, paused a split second, and said “Nirvana, right?” Well, I thought, that’s a really interesting question.

The warning sounded ominous: “… three unresponsive persons calls in the last 24 hours. The common denominator appears to be marijuana laced with an unknown opiate. The victims are unaware they are using anything other than marijuana but are overdosing like they had used heroin or fentanyl. Be cautious and call 911 ASAP if you suspect an overdose.”

Yikes. So I read a post on the Facebook page of the Painesville Township Fire Department on February 8, 2016.

Fair? Ohio has indeed been hit hard by the opioid crisis. A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation accorded Ohio the dubious distinction of having highest number of annual opiate-related deaths – some 2,106. This tragedy has touched countless families and stretched the limited resources of first responders like fire departments.

On first blush, the warning had the community interest at heart. Or did it?

Within a few hours, the post had gone viral. As of this writing, 4,846 shares, 259 likes and 120 comments, for an organization that received only one congratulatory note for its 50th anniversary.

Just days after the Columbus police pepper-sprayed hundreds of protesters near the Statehouse who were rallying against Trump’s executive order on immigration, two Street Medics led a Health and Safety Workshop for protesters in a packed room at the Free Press office. Interest was intense in the workshop, organized by Columbus Citizens for Police Review (CCPR). Many workshop participants had also participated in the protest.  Below is a smattering of the wisdom from presenters Gabriel and Allison, who declined to have their last names used or to be photographed, since police have been known to target Street Medics.

Biggest Medical Issues.Over many years and many protests, Gabriel and Allison have found that the biggest medical issues are dehydration and sunstroke. Advice: Hydrate. Drink a lot of water beforehand, for days – hydrate well because cannot rehydrate quickly in the moment – no caffeine, no alcohol. You may need a liter of water per hour during a protest. Pepper spray and mace are exceedingly painful but rarely cause permanent harm (unless you are wearing contact lenses or have a medical condition such as asthma).

Even though its subject matter is completely different, I can’t help comparing A United Kingdom to 2016’s Hidden Figures.

Both films uncover an obscure chapter in the history of racial injustice. And both films are fascinating and enlightening despite the fact that neither is quite as good as it could be.

A United Kingdom is directed by Amma Assante, who also helmed 2013’s Belle, the story of a mixed-race woman who struggled to find love and gain equality after being raised among the aristocracy in 18th-century England. In Assante’s new film, romance also plays a role, but it’s only one part of a complex tale involving political intrigue, colonial exploitation and the early days of South African apartheid.

When young Londoner Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) meets an English-educated African named Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) in 1947, it’s clearly love at first sight. Ruth literally can’t take her eyes off this handsome stranger, and he becomes equally entranced. The two know their respective families won’t approve of an interracial romance, but they immediately make arrangements to meet again.

“Everyone’s Name was Muslim” –  Lauryn Hill 1998

At 9:45 pm on a Tuesday, I sat in a Palace Theater chair. People were at the theater to see their favorite singer, Ms. Lauryn Hill. The men who were present were on a very wise weeknight Valentine’s related date. Women were dressed up like it was a special occasion to be in a theater on a school/work night.

On stage, the deejay played a mixture of Marvin Gaye, Chance the Rapper and current club bangers. I thought playing Chance was apt because I spent years describing him as all three of the Fugees wrapped into one human.

At 9:58 pm, Lauryn Hill’s full band took the stage. At 10:03 pm, we were on all of our feet singing along to “Everything is Everything” off the 1998 musical masterpiece, “The Miss-Education of Lauryn Hill.”

Between the choruses of “What Will Be/Will Be” leading into “Father Forgive Them/They Know Not What That Do?” there was a transcendence of the tension created from not my president’s desire to scapegoat the humans from past imperialist actions to divide America with the malicious intent of utilizing misunderstanding and ignorance for transgressions of greed.

Thurs, March 2, 7-8:30pm, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 30 W. Woodruff Ave.
Discussion on the recent attacks on immigrants and refugees and the growing resistance. We will examine how the US has played a key role in the destabilization of the seven countries included in Trump’s racist Muslim Ban and the mass profit that is made off private deportation centers. 
iso.columbus@gmail.com. 
https://www.facebook.com/events/381506618908833/
isocolumbus.weebly.com

The Well, located in the southeastern outlier of central Ohio city of Lancaster, is a fantastic gem that rivals the best of local socially just dining experiences. The Well gives careful consideration of where and how the food they serve is produced (non-GMO, organic, locally sourced), and prepare it with nutrient dense and deliciously creative, and yet familiar flavor combinations. The menu is predominantly vegan or veganizeable, entirely gluten-free, low to no sugar, low to no oil, and includes probiotic rich foods.

The atmosphere, energy and food speak to wellness, with their consideration for the various health concerns and sensitivities people may have. They have even attempted to mitigate potential contamination of chemicals and plastic by using all glass, and metal food service products (even stainless steel straws) and bio-degradable to-go containers. If you are traveling southeast of Columbus during the work week, you must stop in here.