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Despite decades-old rumors that John Kasich may be self-medicating, the Governor vowed that there will be no medical marijuana legislation passed in Ohio this election year!

 In fact, this summer, his Public Safety Department deployed undercover officers into the Community Festival. These plainclothes officers spent their time writing tickets near the Ohio Rights Group booth that was collecting signatures to put medical marijuana on the ballot.

 Kasich came into politics as one of Richard Nixon’s freshly-scrubbed “Nixon Youth.” It would be more understandable for Kasich’s undercover cops at Comfest to secure the best dope for their boss. But instead, they were there to show that John Kasich is tough on pot.

Coffee has become a rare indulgence however I felt many would appreciate knowing about these options in Columbus.
  The Grandview Grind on Grandview Ave in Grandview: Was an absolutely delightful experience and I was elated to discover not only do they offer soy milk they also offer almond milk AND coconut milk options! The most impressive thing is that they don’t upcharge for the soy milk option. (YAY!) They do upcharge for the almond and coconut as they cannot get it in bulk yet. They proudly display the VEGAN OPTIONS INSIDE sticker on the door, too. (NOTE- they are seeking vegan treats to offer. HINT- Columbus has a gap in vegan pies and scones. Any takers?)

The driving force behind Sinkane, Ahmed Gallab, is from everywhere: Brooklyn, Sudan, London, Boston, Utah and Ohio.
  In recent times, he also has been everywhere. Sinkane just released an album, Mean Love, on DFA records which seamlessly blends African, Country, reggae and soul influences while having a dialogue on human interaction and existence.
  The past year saw Ahmed music directing a series of performances of Afro-Electronic genius William Onyeabor’s music called “the Atomic Bomb Band.” Members of Sinkane were joined by people from Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, the Lijadu Sisters, Money Mark and more. A highlight of “the Atomic Bomb Band” was a performance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, that had David Byrne singing “Fantastic Man” next to Gallab.
  Although Ahmed has been all around the world and lives in Brooklyn, I will always view him as an extension of here. He went to OSU, and was heavily active in the Columbus DIY, and Hip Hop communities.

Musically speaking, it was a brutal September. The quality locals were apparently spending their time putting together the perfect Halloween costume, and I couldn’t get a sitter to go see George Clinton. According to Songkick.com, on September 19th some guy named Ben Davis, Jr. played a show in some place called Chillicothe. Which sounds about right.

  Otherwise bored, one Saturday I decided to head up to the Dublin Chiller and play some drop-in hockey. While fussing with the radio, I heard the opening riff from ZZ Top’s “La Grange.” Excellent, I thought and turned the volume up. As the last magnificent pinch harmonic faded out, I heard station identification for QFM96. Wow, I said to myself, it has been about a decade since I listened to these guys.
  ZZ Top was to be expected, but I was surprised when the next track was Nirvana’s “In Bloom.” Goodness me, Classic Rock now encompasses the grunge era! Intrigued, I kept the station on for the rest of the half-hour drive. When I got to the rink, I grabbed a notepad and tried to recreate the experience in something approaching chronological order:

I despise white musicians who can't play in rhythm. Which means two things: I'm inferring black musicians generally can; and I dislike a lot of white musicians. Correct on both accounts. Sieg heil, baby!
  Thus it was at the Rumba Cafe Sept. 3 when these two main subspecies of whitey got together: one band with heaven in its loins; the other, the opener, rhythmically clubfooted, knock-kneed, subtle as a flying mallet and about as amenable to groove maneuver as the battleship Bismarck. I'm talking about the venerable Americana roots quartet The Blasters who own not only the biggest balls in the genre but possess as well as a juke-joint IQ perhaps unparalleled in extant American bands. Opener was from New York City -- a pedigree I'm suspicious of -- the egregious but properly named Gas House Gorillas. What assholes.

F-ck bein' on some chill s--t. We reserve the right to go zero to 100 real quick. And last week, it could never be untoward to say that the whole Ohio Student Association squad was on some real s—t.
  I arrived in Xenia at around noon, having failed to wake up in time to join the march from the Beavercreek Wal-Mart. The marchers would not arrive for another two and a half hours, which gave me time time to explore Xenia, this quintessentially American town, which provided the setting for this quintessentially American tragedy.

At his parents’ house in Westerville, R.G. Florey keeps the original list of the 10 things he wants to accomplish after one of his friends, Sgt. 1st Class Johnny R. Polk, was killed in a grenade attack in Kirkuk, Iraq.

 Since he returned to Columbus, Florey has put check marks beside eight of the 10 goals including becoming the captain for the Capital University men’s soccer team (4-4 overall before Oct. 1). Florey, who scored goals in a 2-0 win over St. Fisher College on Sept. 6, a 3-0 win over Wooster on Sept. 17 and in a 5-1 loss to second-ranked Kenyon on Sept. 23, won’t rest until he accomplishes them all.

 “I set very specific goals after (Polk) passed away,” Florey says. “Johnny was always there to motivate you and push you. All my drive since that day has been to please him and remember him in a positive way through my actions.”

 Polk’s death has been the keystone in Florey’s unlikely path to Capital. The 2007 Westerville South graduate spent three years on active duty in the U.S. Army including a year-long deployment in Iraq before joining the Crusaders.

Jaiymie Kiggins was born and raised in Columbus Ohio. He graduated from Antioch College in 1994.

In addition to being a sculpture and union stagehand he has applied his metal working skills to race cars and boats. He is a Comfest regular where many many people have seen his work, which also adorns libraries, schools and hospitals throughout Central Ohio. He currently resides on a farm outside Lancaster Ohio and his work can be seen at http://www.kiggins-sculpture.com/

FP: Describe for our readers the most compelling art piece you have made

If you’re in the mood for a big, flashy musical but can’t afford a trip to Broadway, why not head for Westerville? Otterbein University’s theater department turns out a steady stream of singing and dancing thespians, and putting on major musicals is an important part of their education.

 To be sure, several local theater troupes also tackle musicals from time to time, but none of them can match the size and spectacle of an Otterbein production.

 Take the current show, Sweet Charity. Even before the familiar first strains of the overture fill the air, you know it’s going to be big because the orchestra pit is so crowded. Conductor Lori Kay Harvey leads an ensemble of 22 that includes strings, reeds, brass, a keyboard and two percussionists.

 Once the show gets under way, the romantic travails of Charity Hope Valentine (Madison Tinder) are intermixed with production numbers that fill the huge Cowan Hall stage with singers and dancers.

The Columbus International Film & Video Festival (CIF&VF) is bigger and better than ever this year.


Progressive educators at Ohio State University started the longest running film festival in the U.S. back when 16mm film was a new and exciting format. Now in its 62nd year, the Festival kicks off with a series of Early Bird Films in October and early November that lead up to the official start of the now 12 day Festival November 13-25.


This year the Festival teams up with Stonewall Columbus, VSA Ohio – The State Organization on Arts and Disability and the Niagara Foundation to bring films not seen anywhere else in Columbus.


The main Festival in November starts off with a film about sex and disability from Australia. Scarlet Road follows the extraordinary work of Australian sex worker, Rachel Wotton. Impassioned about freedom of sexual expression and the rights of sex workers, she specializes in a long over-looked clientele – people with disability. Director and Star Rachel Wotton will speak about the film and do a Q&A immediately after the film via Skype.

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