U.S. National

I suppose I should have a colorful Howard Dean anecdote, but I don’t. When he was governor here, the newspapers would run a photo of him every year, ceremonially tapping the first sugar maple. His blue blood was betrayed by his choked-up grip on the hammer; obviously a man not used to swinging a tool. One year, he wore a helmet for the ceremony. I can’t begin to explain that.

That’s the Howard Dean I know; I’m not sure who this guy is I keep reading about in the newspaper. Al From and Joe Lieberman keep warning Howard Dean will drive the Democratic Party off the left side of the road, but where’s the evidence for that?

Howard Dean was governor of the only state where it’s legal to carry a concealed weapon without a permit and the only state where it’s legal to shoot fish. He has high marks from the National Rifle Association. In 1997, when Gov. Dean first began to covet the presidency, he announced his switch from anti- to pro-death penalty. Definitely a political move, but not to the left.

It's easy to bash the movies we've been fed this summer.  ANGELS2, MATRIX 2, X2, BLONDE 2, T3... so many of them mere shadows of their mediocre predecessors.  Boring boring boring.  Of the mainstream summer stuff, only PIRATES seems to have some zip.  And, to put it in perspective, PIRATES is based on something in a Disney theme park.  

But in reality, summer theater goers have no reason to complain.  There are three---THREE---world-class winners to be seen on the silver screen right now.   They're all kid-friendly.  They've all been at one theater---the Drexel East---though SPELLBOUND has moved to the Arena Grand.

SPELLBOUND was rightfully nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.  It lost to BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, which gratefully gave Michael Moore his 45 seconds to blast the Bush Administration in front of the entire world.   Thank you, Michael.  We needed that, and we hope you get the chance again next year, and for many years to come.  .

DRALION: Cirque du Soleil
At the Arena District

Used to be, going to "the circus" meant the smell of sawdust, roasted peanuts and elephant droppings everywhere. There were funky ringmasters, fat ladies, trapeze artists and burbling snotty children running wild.

Such shows do still exist. They may, indeed, be with us forever, their hokey charm and cheap admission price hopefully proving sufficient to sustain them in a jaded, high-tech age.

But as everyone knows, there's a new circus in town---the Cirque du Soleil, a $500 million multinational mega-monster on the brink of establishing its own Las Vegas venue (as opposed to CircusCircus, which is SO 20th Century). Right now the Cirque plays Treasure Island, which also features an hourly pirate show on the strip.

But one of its many travelling affiliates has set up shop in the Arena District, right where the old Ohio Pen used to sit. It's playing to justly packed houses, to the extent that---despite its pricey admission tab--- its stay here is being extended.

A tent it has, one that indeed seats 2500 people. Sawdust? Elephants?

The legalization of medical marijuana is an issue that is gaining momentum on a grass roots and national level. I turned into a supporter after watching what the radiation and other drugs did to my grandfather Fred Luffman as he battled both cancer and the ‘medication’ he was given. The ‘medication’ along with the cancer robbed him of his ability to sleep and of his appetite. If you take sleep and food away from the human body it really cannot even fight more mundane illnesses such as the flu with much vigor, not to mention a disease as powerful and ravaging as cancer. Fred, in an effort to gain some appetite, sleep, and ward off the pain of his disease turned to medical marijuana. If John Ashcroft and President Bush had their way my grandfather would have spent his dying months in a penitentiary instead of with his family. While real life stories like these are compelling, every movement needs someone to stick their neck out. They need a person who is willing to call upon the powers that be and tell them to look at the issue from another perspective. That person, in the case of medical marijuana, is Ed Rosenthal.

Deva Premal's "Love is Space" is a perfect album.

Such gems do exist. They're rare, but most great musicians have at least one.

The Beatles had many, including "Rubber Soul" and "SGT. Pepper". My favorite of theirs remains the "Here Comes the Sun" side of "Abbey Road".

Also in my book: Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" qualifies. Jimi's "Electric Ladyland". Many of Bonnie Raitt's sixteen albums are on that level: though my favorite is her live "Road Tested." The Stones' "Sticky Fingers" and "Let it Bleed." The Who's "Magic Bus." Stevie Wonder's "Songs in the Key of Life." Carole King's "Tapestry."

The distinguishing features of such masterpieces are not only an entire album without a bad cut, but also a work with a coherent rhythm and tangible wholeness---and sense of purpose---that make it more a symphony than a collection of songs. A perfect game that you can dance to---many many times.

Sometimes dreams come true.  And sometimes reality exceeds your hopes.

That happened to me---and my four-year-old daughter---at the Palace.  Thanks to CAPA, Columbus was treated to THE great Irish band in a concert that can only be described as magical, mystical, moving ... magnificent.  

About the band, there's little you can say beyond that they are the True Masters of Irish music.  The leprechaun-like Paddy (his real name), chief of the Chieftains, put it as simply as it needed to be put:  "Thank you for coming tonight.  Forty-two years, forty-two albums."

Every one of them a treasure.  For years I've dreamed of seeing the Chieftains.  They played the zoo a few years ago but I couldn't go.  Last night I almost couldn't go again.  I was just about out the door and onto my bike to head downtown when my four-year-old, Shoshanna, started to howl.  She wanted to come.  It hadn't occurred to me.  How would she handle the somewhat stiff, somewhat formal Palace?  

Written by Bob Fitrakis
Edited by Brian Lindamood
Published by: Columbus Alive/Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism 246 pages; $15.00

Buy this book at: Free Press Online Store

Great investigative journalists are few and far between these days, but Bob Fitrakis is definitely one of them.

For years in both the Columbus Free Press and Columbus Alive, Fitrakis has been digging up the dirt on a wide range of corporate criminals, death penalty abusers and right-wing fanatics.

This superb compilation of some of Bob's best stuff, written over the years for Columbus Alive, is a welcome addition to the annals of muckraking. In many ways, it serves as a primer on the art of exposing hidden truths, and could serve as a good basic text for high school and college students not yet brain deadened by television or George W. Bush.

"Though people lack not wealth, they cannot afford to breathe clean air. Rain and streams cleanse not, but remain inert and powerless liquids. Human beings and countless beings that inhabit water and land reel under the yoke of physical pain caused by malevolent diseases. Their minds are dulled with sloth, stupor, and ignorance. The joys of the body and spirit are far, far away. We needlessly pollute the fair bosom of our mother earth; rip out her trees to feed our shortsighted greed, turning our fertile earth into sterile desert. As a noble being recognizes the kindness of a sentient mother and makes recompense for it, so the earth, the universal mother, which nurtures all equally, should be regarded with affection and care. Forsake wastage, pollute not the clean, clear nature of the four elements and destroy the well being of people, but absorb yourself in actions that are beneficial to all. Being attentive to the nature of interdependence of all creatures, both animate and inanimate,one should never slacken in one's efforts to persevere and conserve nature's energy."
Bhikshu Tenzin Gyatso
The XIVth Dalai Lama

The Green Party is looking for progressives to run for elected office.

Across the US a 177 Green office holders in 24 states are hard at work. They are creating public policy on important issues including civil rights, a living wage, affordable housing, alternative voting systems, and peace. They are advocating for peace and opposing urban sprawl and expansion of corporate power. Green office holders ran to make an immediate impact on their communities as town council members, county commissioners, school board members etc. These Greens reached out to voters of diverse backgrounds, brought together coalitions of community organizations and individuals to begin to reclaim their local governments.

The Green Party of Ohio is proud to announce the Making Democracy REAL! campaign, a major statewide, 18-month effort to get the people of Ohio involved in the democratic process. Part of the freedom in the democratic process is for people to be able to participate in government which daily makes decisions that affects their lives. There is a disconnect between most Ohioans and their government at the local, state and national levels. Our Making Democracy REAL! campaign aims to address this issue on several fronts: To 1) Get more people to run for office 2) Create a coalition of groups to work towards changing Ohio's undemocratic electoral laws 3) Initiate a major voter registration drive 4) Hold a series of local events across Ohio for communities to discuss these issues 5) Gain Ballot Access for the Green Party of Ohio.