Local

Tonight, Saturday, August 10 from 6-9pm, you can try a "mocktail."

What is a mocktail?

Blossom Bar is coming to the salon to provide drinks -- water, non-alcoholic, alcoholic and "infused" mocktails. You can ask for a bit of CBD or THC or both added to your drink (each one costs a little bit). You decide what to add and tell the bartender. They provide hemp-derived, non-alcoholic cocktails infused with adaptogens and nootropics, catering to a health-conscious audience seeking an elevated social experience.

Dr. Bridget Williams of Green Harvest Health, who has spoken at a Free Press salon in the past, runs Blossom Bar and will be speaking about mocktails to tell us more about them.

The August Free Press Second Saturday Salon is tonight from 6-9pm at the Columbus Botanical Depot's event spacee at Pacemont and High Street in Clintonville. The actual address, 14 W. Pacemont is a dispensary which will be open tonight until 8pm.

Saturday, August 10, 6-9pm
Columbus Botanical Depot, corner of Pacemont and High, 14 W. Pacemont
on street parking - please carpool!)

Facebook event

Free Press August Second Saturday Salon
Saturday, August 10, 6-9pm
Columbus Botanical Depot, 14 W. Pacemont

Wednesday, August 7, 2024, 6-8pm
Zoom

In the first half of the program, we'll be hearing from Jill Stein-Green Party presidential candidate, Omali Yeshitela-African People's Socialist Party, Eid Hathaleen - Palestinian activist, Tara Houska-indigenous lawyer, Renee Johnston-Black Liberation Media, and Rick Lass-Green Party Ballot Access Director.

During the second half of the program, we'll take comments from the program's co-sponsors.

Please register and share the event: bit.ly/FightForFreeSpeech

On the far west side of Columbus, where never-ending prairie land was replaced with a never-ending stretch of corporate plaza hell, a young African American woman was assaulted. A witness who saw the assault and called 911 told the Free Press the Columbus police response was inadequate – something the Free Press has heard about the Columbus police for many years. The Columbus Division of Police (CPD) response seems to change depending on who the victim is and the nature of the crime.

The assault in many ways may be the result of a broken Columbus and how far it is from being fixed, even though Mayor Ginther and City Council seem more concerned about pushing growth – through Zone In, for instance – yet which is out of control.  

This article first appeared on the Buckeye Flame.

I don’t cry easily, but I almost started crying in Cleveland’s FBI field office yesterday, in front of the FBI’s national chief diversity officer (CDO). 

I had been asked to participate in a roundtable of local community leaders. We were to  speak with the visiting CDO and local agents about hate crimes in historically marginalized communities and what the FBI might be able to do better to address these instances. 

I listened to Black colleagues speak about the prevalence of guns in the community and how those guns actually got there. I listened to Jewish colleagues note the dramatic rise in antisemitism in Ohio. And I listened to Asian American and Pacific Islander colleagues speak about the still-very-present instances of anti-Asian hate enabled by former President Trump. 

 Klutch Cannabis, one of the Midwest’s premier vertically integrated cannabis companies, announced that its Ohio dispensaries were among the first to receive Dual Use Dispensary licenses from the Ohio Division of Cannabis Control on Friday, August 2. The licenses will be effective on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. Sales to eligible adults will begin at 10 AM Tuesday morning at the following locations:

The Citizen by Klutch in Canton – 401 Cherry Ave NE, Canton, Ohio 44702

The Citizen by Klutch in Lorain – 5152 Grove Ave, Lorain, Ohio 44055 

Both stores are open from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM, seven days per week.

What would The Beatles have sounded like if they had the chance to perform live in concert with a symphony orchestra? 

Find out when Classical Mystery Tour performs live with the Columbus Symphony on September 27 and 28 at the Davidson Theatre. 

The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound just like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert. The show presents more than two dozen Beatles tunes performed exactly as they were originally recorded. Hear “Penny Lane” with a live trumpet section, experience the beauty of “Yesterday” with an acoustic guitar and string quartet, enjoy the classical/rock blend on “I Am the Walrus,” and relish the cascading crescendos on “A Day in the Life.” 

From early Beatles music on through the solo years, Classical Mystery Tour is the best of The Beatles like you've never heard them before. You might say it’s the best show the Beatles never did!

Project 2025, labeled the Presidential Transition Project, is the 920-page Republican Party plan to be implemented after (not if) they “win” the presidential and congressional elections in November. It describes how Trump and his allies intend to destroy America’s democracy and create something like a monarchy or fascist political order. Independently of the 2025 Project, Trump believes he will win the election and then become the absolute leader. The federal government will then be under his control, obviating the need for elections and the rule of law. The rich and powerful will be the chief beneficiaries.

According Project 2025, opponents of Trump will be imprisoned or deported, as will millions of undocumented workers residing in the country. Thousands of Trump loyalists will be appointed to executive branch jobs. And a full-blown right-wing agenda will be instituted, involving lowered taxes on the rich, deregulation, and privatization of critical public institutions. The social safety net will be eviscerated. The production and consumption of fossil fuels will be maximized and global warming will increase.

This article first appeared on Reel Time with Richard.

Kneecap is a movie about Irish rappers who deliver their rhymes in their native Irish. As such, it can be a lot for American viewers to absorb, especially since it unfolds at a take-no-prisoners pace.

Once you get your bearings, though, writer/director Rich Peppiatt’s debut flick is a blast and a hoot.

The title refers to an actual Northern Ireland hip-hop band that took its name from the painful punishment often meted out by republican enforcers during the period of upheaval known as “The Troubles.” Set in 2019 or so, long after relative peace has arrived, the film purports to be the band’s origin story.

I say “purports” because Peppiatt’s clever script no doubt takes massive liberties with reality. If the story still has an air of authenticity, it’s partly because the band members all play themselves, and they do so with panache and conviction.

Columbus Campaign for Arms Control Peace Concert
August 6, 2024 @ 7:00PM
University Baptist Church, 50 W Lane Ave, Columbus Ohio

The Hiroshima for Peace Concert is an annual memorial concert which commemorates the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasoki, and advocates for nuclear de-proliferation and disarmament. The series of memorial gatherings and peaceful protests were founded by Mark Stansbery and Yoshie Furuhashi in 2010, and composer Rocco Di Pietro began collaborating with Mark on a series of peace concerts in 2014.

Performers: Justin T. Swain, Paul Strawser, Alex Burgoyne, Leigha Schumaker, David Tomasacci, Jaryn Danz

Composers: Rocco Di Pietro, Anthony Vine, Eunseok Park, David Tomasacci