Writer/director Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire epitomizes the type of specialty cinema that makes a cineaste’s heart go pitter patter when it plays at a favorite art house. On the other hand, popcorn munchers at the local multiplex used to superheroes, explosions and car chases would likely find this 2-hour foreign film subtitled in English to be excruciatingly slow - only “redeemed” by its hot lesbian sex scenes.

This French feminist film - which won the Cannes Film Festival’s Best Screenplay and Queer Palme awards, and was nominated for Cannes’ grand prize, the Palme d’Or - is set in Brittany in 1760. Portrait ponders: How enlightened was the Enlightenment when it came to women and their rights? In particular, how reasonable was the Age of Reason when it came to the love that dared not speak its name - especially when it involved the female of the species.

The holidays are filled with the spirit of giving, often with the intention of bringing joy to loved ones. The aroma of cinnamon, clove and holiday spices are fragrant reminders of the pivotal way that herbs have implanted themselves into human lives. One cannot experience traditional holiday festivities without finding elements of herbalism at play. Boughs of holly, pine, fir and rosemary are very common adornments used in decorating for the month of December, all of which can be used medicinally. In remembering that these tools have more to offer than ambience, it provides a window to see a bounty of gift opportunities for family, community and the self.

Some wonderful herbal gift ideas are teas/tisanes, essential oil infused bath salts, or healing salves. The multitude of gifts found within herbalism are not just about the item given. Looking beyond the surface, they can be a greater invitation to help people find healing, vitality, connection to surrounding life, and a newfound mindfulness of the body. When giving gifts with the intention of healing, doorways for connection are opened.

Our dear friend, Margie Daffey has passed on.

Margie Daffey showed up on our doorstep when we asked for people to join us for the Voting Rights March the Rev. Jesse Jackson held in Atlanta in August 2005. It was the beginning of a wonderful friendship. Margie had been a supporter of Columbus School Board member Bill Moss and shortly before we left for the march, Bill unexpectedly passed away.

Margie became a very active member of our election integrity movement in Columbus. In 2006, Margie was the key signature-gatherer for my campaign for Ohio Governor. In one day alone at Columbus State, she talked over 1000 students into signing my petition to get on the ballot. After she helped me on the ballot, she drove me all over the state of Ohio for campaign events in her white Lincoln.

Let’s bomb Iowa! Or maybe Texas or Michigan or Nebraska . . .

Oh wait, I got confused for a second. Those places are part of America and we love them. We would never bomb them. These are places we would bomb: Guatemala, Indonesia, Cuba, Congo, Vietnam, Cambodia, Grenada, Libya, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Iran, Panama, Iraq, Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Sudan, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, etc.

Friday, December 6th 2:30-3:30
Outside Drinko Hall, OSU Campus
Media Contacts:Contacts: Dylan Roderick dylan.j.roderick@gmail.com (217) 714-8547 Bianca Davis alexandra.davis107@gmail.com, (614) 549-2916
OSU Students and families of Buckeye Village will rally outside of Drinko Hall to demand President Drake and the Board of OSU not demolish the only student family housing on OSU campus. "This fight is about the future, our future, our children's future, the future for the institution of family, the future of community." - Rhonda Michelle (Buckeye Village Resident)

Given the OSU’s administration history of putting profit over the needs of students, faculty and staff (Campus Parc) the students rallying December 6 are demanding that the university commit the being the accessible public resource a flagship university is meant to be and not a vehicle for private profit. “By closing Buckeye Village without alternatives, OSU is pushing families and struggling students out of the community and higher education." -Bianca Davis