A terrible anti-protest bill was introduced in Ohio. Text is here: https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/legislation-documents?id=GA133-HB-784

Among other things, HB 784: 

·       Creates steep new penalties for interfering with or blocking traffic during an unpermitted protest.

o   Under current law, “hindering or preventing movement” of persons on roads constitutes disorderly conduct, which is generally a minor misdemeanor. The bill would convert this same offense into a 3rd D felony (up to 3 years in prison and $10,000) if it occurs during a protest that did not receive a permit, a protest for which the issued permit was exceeded, or a “riot.” 

I’ve been a movie fan since childhood and by the time I got to Manhattan’s Hunter College, I’d already seen countless pictures. Majoring in cinema there I devoured copious amounts of cinematic offerings, and then as a professional critic and film historian I’ve gone on to watch an incalculable number of movies. I mention this because there are scenes in ​writer/ director Sergei Loznitsa’s Donbass – for which he was awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s “Un Certain Regard” accolade – that in all likelihood I’ve never ever seen before on the silver screen.

Friday, November 20, 7-9pm, this on-line event requires advance registration

Columbus Community Bill of Rights presents “Hard Road of Hope,” a documentary about the people of West Virginia’s journey through the fossil-fuels industry, as a one-time showing. Film producer Eleanor Goldfield will be available after the showing for discussion and a question-and-answer period.

“‘Hard Road of Hope’ explains the peoples’ history of the region through the voices of people who still remember. The stories in this documentary are many; watching it unravels what should be in front of all of our eyes in all of our struggles. Goldfield pries the viewer’s eyes open to see how the use of radical history is a tool we need in order to see where we come from, so we can clearly see the now and build a just future.”

— Orin Langelle, co-founder, Global Justice Ecology Project

Thursday, November 19, 7-8pm, this event will be occurring via Zoom

Facebook Event

Why and to whom are tax incentives given and who is benefiting from them? This month’s Move to Amend Central Ohio virtual presentation will explore the quid pro quo of campaign contributions from developers, the Columbus Partnership, and other corporations in Columbus that in return receive tax abatements and city income tax exemptions. This presentation will also consider the adverse impacts of such agreements on affordable housing, educational opportunities, and efforts to fight poverty. Our guest presenter will be Joe Motil, a longtime Columbus resident and activist who is a leading expert on tax abatements in Columbus.

Join the Zoom meeting by clicking this link.

Belgium is furious. On November 6, the Belgian government condemned Israel’s destruction of Belgian-funded homes in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Understandably, Brussels wants the Israeli government to pay compensation for the unwarranted destruction. The Israeli response was swift: a resounding ‘no’.

The diplomatic row is likely to fizzle out soon; neither will Israel cease its illegal demolitions of Palestinian homes and structures in the West Bank nor will Belgium, or any other EU country, receive a dime from Tel Aviv.

Welcome to the bizarre world of European foreign policy in Palestine and Israel.