We start with the great ANDREA MILLER and RAY MCCLENDON, who open GREEP #159 with their usual genius insights on voting rights, gerrymandering and more, primarily in the BIPOC south.

STEVE CARUSO joins to fill us in on the corrupt insanity of Ohio.  Buckeye officials from the Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, Public Utilities Commission Chair and others are all implicated in the infamous $61 million bribe  for “persuading” the Legislature for a $1billion nuclear power bribe.  The former House Speaker, Larry Householder, has already begun a 20-year prison term.

CAMILLA REES then introduces DR. ROBERT EPSTEIN and his pioneer work in tracking the undue influence of Google and other internet giants in swaying public opinion.  Dr. Epstein’s riveting, groundbreaking presentation

Americans remain largely ignorant about the extent to which foreign influence pervades the United States government, and I am not referring to the fraudulent claims made by Hillary Clinton that Russian has interfered materially in US elections. The real threat comes from elsewhere. Few outside the government itself are likely to be aware of the extent to which the state of Israel and its domestic affiliate-lobby operating out of Washington and New York have corrupted the United States political system, to the point where nurturing and enabling the Jewish state in its ambitions to dominate much of the Middle East has become effectively US policy. As the exchanges surrounding the recent fighting in Gaza, rightly referred to as a war crime and ethnic cleansing, perhaps even the first steps in a planned genocide, demonstrate that even when the US has genuine interests at stake Israel believes itself empowered to say “no” to the president of the United States. The assault on Gaza and the ongoing killing of tens of thousands of Palestinians started again on Friday after a week long pause for hostage/prisoner exchanges.

"Dream Scenario" is a clear metaphor for the toxicity of overnight fame on the average person. It also critiques cancel culture and the dangerous impact of our era's constant interconnectedness. Written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli ("Sick of Myself"), he allows Nic Cage to deliver one of my favorite performances of his in years.

The story follows a dull, forgettable, hapless family man named Paul Matthews (Nicolas Cage), a tenured professor with a deep passion for evolutionary biology and worries about his own anonymity. One day, Paul discovers he is appearing in other people's dreams at an alarming rate.

Like his real-life presence, he's a non-intrusive observer in strangers' bizarre dreams. He unexpectedly becomes an overnight celebrity, gaining the recognition he's always wanted, but not for the reasons he'd like. As the dreams turn violently nightmarish, Paul is forced to confront his newfound fame as his life spirals out of control.

It is difficult to believe that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated fifty-five years ago. Given the state of race and racism in America today, it is definitely a propitious time for a reassessment of his life, work, and legacy.

The Pulitzer Prize winning book Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David Garrow, was the first full scale biography of King and published in 1986. Parting the Waters: America in the King Years by Taylor Branch and also a Pulitzer Prize winning book, was published in 1988. Both men subsequently published two more books about King’s life and work in, but that has been decades ago.

Students from Glenville High School, Laurel High School, Solon High School, and Cleveland School of the Arts will travel to Columbus on December 6 to support legislation promoting community solar. 

State legislators are currently considering a bill that could bring the benefits of solar energy to those who can’t, or prefer not to, install panels on their own home. If passed, House Bill 197, sponsored by Rep. James Hoops (R-Napolean) and Rep. Sharon Ray (R-Wadsworth) will create Ohio’s first Community Solar Pilot Program. For the first time, solar power would be available for renters, condos, townhomes, and most small- to medium-sized businesses who cannot install rooftop solar. This comes at a time when the nationwide Solar for All program is poised to help low-income Americans gain access to solar energy at an unprecedented scale.