Opinion
The Anti-Blacklist/HUAC/McCarthyism community and free speech champions everywhere have lost two of our historic giants. It has been widely reported that actor/producer KIRK DOUGLAS passed away at the age of 103. It is gratifying that news reports have noted that Kirk played an important, courageous role in breaking the Hollywood Blacklist and cited 1960’s Spartacus as probably his most iconic role.
As you likely know, it was with that epic movie that Kirk helped end the Blacklist by allowing screenwriter DALTON TRUMBO, one of the HOLLYWOOD TEN - who’d been banned from (openly) making movies since 1947 - to publicly have screen credit. Just as OTTO PREMINGER bravely did that same year, for the Trumbo-scripted Exodus.
Generally speaking, I don’t comment on or criticize the voting behavior of others. As old folks used to say when I was growing up, my mouth ain’t no prayer book. But if I live to be one hundred, I will never understand why any black person in this country voted for Donald Trump, and I know at least one who did. Indeed, Trump captured eight percent of the African American vote – the worst in the last forty years, but astonishing nonetheless.
Most African Americans wouldn’t think of voting for a Republican candidate, much less one as racist as Trump. Trump knew this, and at a rally in the predominantly white suburb of Dimondale, Michigan in August 2016, he taunted black voters, urged them to ditch the Democratic Party, and “try Trump.” Mocking what he sees as blacks’ wrongly placed allegiance to the Democratic Party, who many believe take black voters for granted, he said to black Americans: "You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs. Fifty-eight percent of your youth is unemployed.” Trump then asked, “What the hell do you have to lose?"
I attended the January 8 debut event of Jay Swifa’s Sound GODZ producer showcase, described as an event “where artists play original beats and grooves.”
Because I’d only heard Jay Swifa’s “Jungle” song and Rashad Thomas’ recent production for CoCity, I wasn’t sure if my expectations for the event were constant with my existence as a hip hop fan.
I arrived to find Columbus producer KMB playing hip hop music from the stage. He wasn’t playing arena dubstep circa 2010. KMB understood that there is something warm and inviting about the nakedness of traditional hip hop beats if they aren’t wack in terms of bad rhythm, clutter or completely lacking understand of key. KMB beats were slightly upbeat, without getting ahead of themselves. KMB utilized multiple similar subtle sounds that don’t sound cluttered or disjointed.
Swifa was up next. Swift’s beats boomed with bass. soft melodies and charismatic rhythms. Swift’s new song sounded Middle Eastern with a hip hop draw to it.
He welcomed Rashad to the stage. Both still are fresh producers.
If the Columbus Dispatch could be trusted to report accurately and fairly about itself, readers would be more likely to trust its coverage of other matters and the paper's circulation and readership might stop hemorrhaging.
Alas, the newspaper and website could not bring itself to write the following lead a few weeks ago when it announced the closing of its Columbus print site and loss of 188 jobs:
“In bad news for the local economy, the Dispatch, that is controlled by the Japanese hedge fund SoftBank, announced the closing of a major local manufacturing facility, its west side print site, and the layoff of 188 employees.”
“This represents an estimated loss of $9,000,000 of annual wage and benefit payments to local residents and a significant loss of municipal and state income tax collection as well as potential property tax losses if the plant remains idle or is reborn with tax abatements.”
Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
1DivineLine2Health (1DL2H), a grassroots community 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, was denied the purchase of a house to be used as a Drop-In Center for the Street Sisters on Sullivant Avenue who are often murdered, raped and beaten. Currently the City does not want to issue the permits for the house that was donated to 1DL2H and is demanding 13 different construction items to be completed before allowing the building to be used as a drop-in center.
On the week of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Mayor Ginther came to the Hilltop to give his gratuitous speech to roll out the Hilltop Envision plan and ignored the picketing of 1DL2H supporters. Last year, the mayor walked away three times from me when I implored him to exercise his authority and help the west side human trafficking victims. He gave the usual shrug-off, telling me “Someone will get back to you.”
Definitions of Terms Used in this Column:
A cult of personality arises when a country's regime uses the techniques of mass media, propaganda, the big lie, spectacle, patriotism, and organized mass demonstrations and rallies to create an idealized, heroic, and worshipful image.
A cult leader is a dynamic leader whose authority is respected and unquestioned. Obedience to the leader is often required, even when it involves deviant or unhealthy activity. Usually, a cult leader is a person of tremendous charisma who makes followers feel loved and accepted. Cult leaders use brainwashing tactics to attract and keep followers.
A sociopath is a person whose behavior is antisocial, often criminally greedy, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility, empathy or social conscience. Sociopaths never sincerely apologize nor are they capable of exhibiting remorse for wrongs that they have committed. They always lie to cover their past misdeeds or future ulterior motives.
There is a common misconception that all videogames are inherently violent. This simply isn’t true. Just like books or television, there are some games that are violent for the sake of violence, others may be art with violent elements, yet others are outright manifestos stressing the power of community.
Like other capitalist ventures, mainstream video game companies are primarily concerned with what sells. Unfortunately, violent games make bank. Thus, Big Video Game puts tremendous energy into gore and death. However, indie games, like indie films, are typically produced outside of the main stream video game industry. As a result, there are some incredibly artful Indie games that challenge our assumptions of what gaming can be.
The remainder of this article is dedicated to suggesting games for people who prefer less violent entertainment. These games are a few years old and are available on the Steam Network. In the world of videogames, old = cheap. And, honestly, the point of most Indie Games are innovative game play and story, not spectacular graphics, so the newest games are not inherently the best.
There are two ways to watch a show at the Shrunken Head Rock 'n Roll Club. The first is grabbing some dinner with some friends and heading over just in time to buy a drink before things get going. Sit at a table and sneak off before midnight. It’s not a bad life.
There is another way. You can show up by yourself in the late afternoon for the Head’s “happiest hour” and get yourself involved with their absurdly cheap draft beer and whiskey special. If you survive that you can stick around for their regular happy hour, and by the time the music starts you’ll be sitting criss-cross applesauce on the second stage wondering why your left eye has stopped working. This is poor decision making, especially if you are intending to write a review. But hey, what else were you going to do that’s so important anyway?
The first band tonight is Six Miles to Nellie, a six-piece country-rock band from Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Front person Courtney DeCosky sings like a house on fire. I’m not sure what I like more – her lead singing or the harmonies she drops over guitarist John Schnabel when he takes a turn at vocals. Wow – when she goes high look out.
Lifestyle Cafe launched last month introducing yet another 100 percent plant-based vegan and organic when possible menu to the greater Columbus metropolitan restaurant market. They are located in Old Town East on the corner of 18th and Oak Street. We sampled an item from every segment of their menu, which had staples like avocado toast, fast start breakfast (just egg and bac’un on a croissant style roll with a side of sweet potato puree), corn chowder with bac’un, lettuce and tomato sandwich, avocado hummus and chips, and crispy waffles with fried chick’un. Every single item was packed with flavor and delicious.
They had an abundance of baked goods from cookies, donuts, croissants, muffins, cinnamon twists to pop tarts to choose from as well. The restaurant and restroom are clean and bright, though seating is limited if you are there at lunch time and the menu is located at the kiosk, not printed or posted anywhere to review while waiting. Be sure to make a trip to Lifestyle Cafe for breakfast or lunch, you will be happy you did.