In a speech to Conservative Party members last week, British Prime Minister David Cameron invoked the death of his disabled son in 2009 to argue that he has a “personal” commitment to protecting the National Health Service (NHS). Ivan Cameron, who was six years old and suffered from epilepsy and cerebral palsy, died in February 2009 in the care of NHS nurses fifteen months before Mr. Cameron became Prime Minister.

Delivering the keynote address at this year's Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, England, Mr. Cameron took on accusations of cronyism and corruption by charities, opposition politicians, and leading members of the NHS itself, accusing these figures of scaremongering and claiming “for me this is personal.”

In a reference to Ivan's death, Cameron said “I'm someone who has relied on the NHS and whose family knows more than most just how important it is, who knows what it's like when you go to hospital night after night with a sick child in your arms, knowing that when you get there, there are people who will love that child and care for that child just as like it was their own.”

Last month The Free Press reported on illegal and unfair premiums that the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) charged to hundreds of thousands of employers from 1991 to 2009. BWC agreed in July to pay $420 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of the harmed employers, rather than continue the agency’s appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court.

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.

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.

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.