Have some perspective the next time you say you are ‘Freezin’ your ass off’
The freezing cold bites hardest on those who don’t have a home to head to at the end of the day. It doesn’t stop. Some may be lucky enough to have an abandoned home (“bando”) that provides shelter but not utilities. There are encampments with tents around the city that provide strength in numbers. Shared resources last longer and different hustles combine to provide more varied goods. But not long enough if the City of Columbus bulldozes your encampment after threatening “trespassers” with arrest.
On the night of the Winter Solstice – the longest night for those with nowhere to go – candlelight vigils are held across the US mourning and remembering the unhoused residents who have passed. According to the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, 112 local unhoused passed in 2024 in Franklin County. The Coalition believes 400 unhoused passed over the previous three years.
Seriously? More weapons to the genocide now? Hell no
With the genocide in Gaza far advanced, and having lost the recent election when supporting peace might have won it, the Biden administration -- on its way out the door -- has told Congress it wants to send yet more weapons to Israel, the majority of which it would take a year or several years to deliver.
The incoming Trump administration plans to continue the slaughter and destruction.
Is this last-minute proposal from Biden part of a competition for greatest support of mass killing? Or is it a move to demonstrate bipartisanship before the storm, by doing something that most of both parties' elected officials support?
Either way, this is a time to make clear to everyone in Washington that the demand for peace and compliance with laws and basic human decency has not gone away, that -- on the contrary -- it is growing.
Gaza in Context. The Colonial History that Shaped the Modern Middle East presented by Jeff Klein
Sundays, January 5, 12, 26 and Feb 2, 2025, 3:00 - 4:30 PM
The Israeli war on Gaza – widely considered genocide – did not begin on October 7, 2023. This series will look at the background of Zionism and colonialism that laid the foundation for ongoing wars and today's violence in the Middle East. Palestinian dispossession, we will see, began more than a century ago.
Jan 5: CONQUEST AND COLONIALISM IN THE MIDDLE EAST DURING THE 20TH CENTURY: The roots of the contemporary Middle East go back to the First World War and its aftermath; the birth of Zionism as a political movement.
Jan 12: MANDATES AND REPRESSION IN PALESTINE AND BEYOND: The failure of the British colonial attempt to shape Palestine in conformance with the Balfour Declaration; Palestinian resistance and the first proposals for partition; Zionist terror; British, French colonialism in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Jan 26: ISRAELI INDEPENDENCE AND “NAKBA”: The UN proposed partition of Palestine, Israeli declaration of independence and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from 1947 to the present; Arab and Palestinian resistance.
Should Ohio Consumers Subsidize the Electricity Needs of Tech Giants Like Amazon, Facebook and Google?
Ohio’s electricity demand may be surging, as a growing number of massive data centers operated by tech giants like Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft commit to Ohio. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) will hold a public hearing 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 3 to gather input on how AEP will collect the costs of serving these data centers.
Here is a statement from Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis, Agency Director of the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel:
“While business growth in Ohio is welcome, these data centers, along with cryptocurrency mining operations, consume vast amounts of energy while contributing relatively few local jobs. Residential utility customers, who already pay steep transmission and distribution costs, shouldn’t have to subsidize these investments to benefit corporate giants.”
The five PUCO Commissioners will have to decide on the course to take: to protect Ohio consumers from shouldering these additional costs or to prioritize the interests of global tech giants.
OCC is encouraging AEP consumers to attend the hearing or submit comments online. See details below.
In person:
First Day at Old First
“First Day at Old First,” hosted by Old First Presbyterian Church
Wednesday, January 1, 12noon-3pm, Old First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Bryden Rd.
Come hear what’s happening with Old First as a community and arts gathering space, a Third Place. Share hopes and ideas with neighbors, artists and community. New Year’s Day brunch from 12noon to 3pm. Donations appreciated. Live music and art!
Hosted by Old First Presbyterian Church
Central Ohio Reuse Coalition to Launch Circular Economy Pilot in Bexley and Columbus
The Central Ohio Reuse Coalition (CORC) will launch a first-of-its-kind circular economy coffee shop reuse program in Ohio as an initial step towards reducing the approximately half-million single use coffee cups thrown away in Central Ohio daily. CORC is comprised of nonprofits, local sustainability groups, green businesses, faith-based organizations and committed individuals who live and work in Central Ohio. CORC is also a chapter of the Austin-based Plastic Reduction Project.
With grant funding from the City of Columbus and Upstream Solutions, and in partnership with S’wonderful Times Café in Bexley and Community Grounds Coffee Shop in Columbus, CORC is launching a reuse solution that keeps cups circulating in an open-loop system.
New Year’s Eve lunch at Can’t Believe It’s Vegan in Westerville
Tuesday, December 31, 12:30-2:30pm
Can’t Believe It’s Vegan, 584 W. Schrock Rd., Westerville, Ohio
Finish off 2024 with lunch at Can’t Believe it’s Vegan in Westerville.
The Westerville Chamber recognized Can’t Believe It’s Vegan as Small Business of the Year!
Voted best vegan restaurant in town!
Indulge your taste buds and visit with friends, on the last day of the year.
Here is Can’t Believe it’s Vegan website: CBIV.
Those first-timers attending this event will receive a free copy of The 30-Day Vegan Challenge by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau!
We look forward to spending some time with you before we enter into 2025.
Hosted by Columbus Vegan Meetup.
Central Ohio Meditation Group, hosted by Old First Presbyterian Church
Sunday, December 29, 5:30-6:30pm
Old First Presbyterian Church, 1101 Bryden Rd., Enter the church via the rear door.
A twenty-to-thirty-minute silent meditation will be followed by discussion and refreshments. The benefits of meditation are innumerable. These include greater mental clarity, a reduction in stress, improved emotional balance, and increased spiritual development. Meditation benefits everyone. Different meditation practices will be presented, throughout the year, by practitioners of those traditions. This group will meet each Sunday, 5:30-6:30pm.
For more information, call or text 614-619-0784.
Hosted by Old First Presbyterian Church.
Kwanzaa 614
Saturday, December 28 and Sunday, December 29; 12noon-4pm; Ohio History Center, 800 E. 17th Ave.
Join us for the citywide Kwanzaa celebration where tradition meets creativity! This year’s program features an array of hands-on crafts and captivating performances, designed to honor and celebrate the rich heritage of Kwanzaa.
Kwanzaa is a seven-day celebration that honors community, family and heritage of African American culture and African traditions. Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili word that means “first harvest” and is based on the principles of Nguzo Saba (the Seven Principles). For the December 28 and 29 events, the Ohio History Connection and TAWI Family Village will celebrate Kwanzaa with African drumming, music, dance, storytelling and hands-on art activities. We will feature a Kwanzaa ornament display made by some of our school partners, with a winning ornament being featured and recognized at the culmination of the celebration. This is a free, family-friendly event. The events at the museum will be part of events that are taking place throughout the community.
It’s Time for another Christmas Truce: Ceasefire Now!
At Christmas during World War I, soldiers spontaneously laid down their arms during the historic Christmas Truce, causing the deadly Western Front to fall suddenly silent. Troops emerged from their freezing trenches, exchanged cigarettes and chocolate, played impromptu soccer games and buried their dead.
It was an extraordinary event—a truce created by soldiers and opposed by generals – and so hostilities soon resumed. By the end of World War, there were over 16 million deaths and 20 million wounded; military and civilian casualties totaled over 37 million.