What does International Holocaust Memorial Day every January mean to you and the congregation here at Temple Israel? “In the spring, within the Jewish world, there is an observance called Yom HaShoah, That is timed to coincide with the uprising at the Warsaw ghetto uprising. That’s mostly observed within the Jewish world, but World Holocaust Memorial Day makes everyone stop and think about their...
“Maybe everyday is Saturday morning.”—Drive-By Truckers* BURN, BABY, BURN I’m way too ADD to meditate.I’m well aware of meditation’s many-fold miracles and how it would especially serve to benefit someone as whack as me. Science has shown that this sacred ancient practice increases gray matter in the brain. Specifically, mindful meditation thickens gray matter in the prefrontal...
Georgia Political Director for Biden/Harris 2020 Campaign Were you surprised that Joe Biden won Georgia? “No. We had a tremendous campaign with volunteers giving up their time and driving all over the state to encourage voter turnout. This was positive and important work for the [Democratic] Party. Plus all the voter registration efforts of Stacey Abrams and the Fair Fight organization...
Director, Illges Gallery, and Professor of Art, Columbus State University Advocate, We Cannot Walk Alone What is We Cannot Walk Alone and what inspired it? “We Cannot Walk Alone Is a group that got together sometime in June in response to the George Floyd incident. It has since grown into a much bigger discussion about social injustice, racism, and all the other issues that history has...
A Columbus-based Registered Nurse shares their observations from the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19. Due to the sensitive nature of their job—and to speak without the filter of administrators and attorneys—this established local RN was granted anonymity for our interview. What have you personally encountered while working at the hospital during the pandemic?“In my six years as a nurse...
At a time when the pain of life during pandemic brings a spike in suicide and substance abuse, Georgia this month slashed state funding for the mental-health programs that combat “the epidemic within the pandemic.”From the Georgia Mental Health Consumers Network, Roslyn Hayes and Chris Johnson sound off on the coming consequences of these budget cuts ahead of hosting on Thursday the Mental Health...
Director, Chattahoochee Valley Libraries Why the decision to become a ‘fines free’ public-library system?“Nationally, a lot of other library systems have done that. Not everybody has been paying as much attention to it as much as we could have in this profession—I’ve been doing this for 30-something years. Fines are not a deterrent for people to bring materials back. When you realize there’s no...
Insurance Broker, Financial Consultant, Veteran, Community Leader Why is finding and buying an individual health insurance plan so confusing and frustrating? “One of the main reasons is that, after the Affordable Care Act was incorporated, so many companies had to decide if they wanted to actually participate in it. So you had companies going in, companies going out. That forced a lot of...
How politics, faith, and community connection share one man’s fight to keep his ‘finger in the dyke’ and cut off crime in Columbus at its root. “Caught Up: Criminal Justice in the Chattahoochee Valley” Vol. 5 Seth Brown in his “broom closet” office inside the city’s Annex building at 420 9th Street. “As you can see, all our office’s...
President & Publisher, Ledger-Enquirer, 1995-2004; Don E. Carter Chair of Excellence in Journalism, emeritus, University of Georgia Greenman presents “How to Survive as a Writer in the 21st Century” Masters Class at Columbus Writers Guild Conference on Saturday, Sept. 21 How does a writer survive in the 21st century? “The point I’m going to make, which is on the business of...