In the last week, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther shows signs of an incumbent in a tight race desperate to prove he deserves another shot at his job. If he were even slightly engaged with everyday people, he wouldn’t need the polling firm he’s hired to learn about what matters to people in the city he is paid to lead.

Selected voters in Columbus recently received a survey (or “push poll”) from a market research firm, EMC Research, paid for by the Friends of Ginther campaign ($55,000 paid to EMC Research on July 27, 2023). What these polls lacked in ethical research, they made up for in creative rewriting of history, attempting to create a fiction of Andy Ginther as having “worked tirelessly to fight crime” in Columbus with only two examples to offer the public of his effort.

Martin Scorsese paints a vast canvas of greed, betrayal, and twisted love in "Killers of the Flower Moon." This sweeping epic, a suspense-filled crime drama, is adapted from David Grann's acclaimed book, revealing a dark chapter in American history. It explores the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma, who, after striking "black gold" (oil), faced mysterious murders. At 80, Scorsese still pushes cinema's boundaries.

After serving as a cook in World War I, Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to Oklahoma and meets his influential Uncle, William Hale (Robert De Niro), known as the "King," Hale's power in the Osage Indian Reservation comes from cattle ranching and deep community ties. Driven by greed, Hale persuades Ernest to marry Mollie (Lily Gladstone), an Osage woman with a potential oil inheritance. As tragedies strike Mollie's family, FBI Agent Tom White (Jesse Plemons) is sent to investigate the suspicious events.

The October Free Press Second Saturday Salon was held on October 13 over Zoom.

Listen to the recording here.

Mark Stansbery of the Free Press Board, introduced the first speaker, Mary Jane Borden. She spoke about the current adult use marijuana legalization issue on the November ballot. If you are in agreement, she encourages voting YES on Issue 2. The link to her powerpoint is here.

Mary Jane also memorialized longtime cannabis activist Angelica Warren who passed away recently.

The next speaker was Lidia Garcia of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. She spoke about the second book that is an anthology of migration stories of immigrants in Ohio.

According to its mission statement, “AFI FEST… showcase[es] the best films from across the globe to captivated audiences in Los Angeles. With a diverse and innovative slate of programming, the film festival presents a robust lineup of fiction and nonfiction features and shorts… along with panels and conversations featuring both master filmmakers and new cinematic voices.” The American Film Institute’s annual film fete, which includes up to 141 productions this year, is taking place at the TCL Chinese Theatre (that iconic movie palace formerly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with stars’ cement footprints in its famed courtyard), the nearby TCL Chinese 6 Theatre and right across the boulevard El Capitan Theatre, all conveniently located near one another on Hollywood Blvd.’s fabled “Walk of Fame.”

Saturday, October 21, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Online event, all attendees will receive a meeting invite
Register

2023 has been the hottest year in history. Extreme weather events, rising temperatures and economic uncertainty have created a large migration of people from the world's mid-latitudes to the northern regions.

But the global north is also suffering the effects of climate change. Food and water issues continue to arise as people deal with drought in the American West, while insurance companies refuse to insure homes in areas prone to flooding and fire.

The pressure on local populations is forcing people to make difficult decisions between resource needs and resource availability. While the path forward is not entirely clear, we can learn and adapt as we uncover effective solutions for the future.