Tag: ohio

Take A Piece of Ohio: Dayton

By Christopher DeArcangelis

Ohio is rich, just loaded. Miles of wilderness, hills and valleys, rivers and lakes have allowed Ohio to support a massive population and to contribute to the mainstream of American culture. But, with signs of decay, overuse, mismanagement and waste nearly beating down your eye balls at a moments notice, its easy to forget about the millions of people still living in Ohio’s urban centers, as well as the rich cultural heritage surrounding them. Through tough times its industrial and commercial centers have persevered, among them, the Gem City: Dayton, Oh.

This city so close to Yellow Springs, was once as hot as boiling pot of water. Several classic American inventions were created here, including the stepladder, microfiche, cellophane tape, pop top beverage cans, space food, parking meters, the airplane supercharger, the automobile self-starter, gas masks, and the parachute (wikipedia, 2006). Famous folks abound including the Wright brothers, poet laureate Laurence Dunbar, rock and roll hero Robert Pollard and his legendary band Guided By Voices.

History

Dayton was the site of epic battles between the French and English for control of the land, actually settled and lived on by the Miami. This did not prevent the settlers from fighting until 1795 when at last the French were run out and Dayton was settled. The city began to prosper after construction of the Miami- Erie Canal, and then with the growth of railroads as a railroad hub. Dayton also grew many large industries, including Delco, the manufacturer of ignition systems and car parts, and NCR or National Cash Register. In 1913, an immense flood wracked Dayton. The city rebuilt and prospered in the World Wars that would follow.

Post WW2 production boomed and midwestern cities tasted immense wealth. With the prospects of work, hundreds of thousands from the south and beyond the continental limits migrated to the north and its cities. The racial tensions that had always been around started to come to the forefront of city life in the 1950’s and 60’s, causing some of those who had already lived in the cities to move out of the city and start anew. Dayton was not excluded from the racism and industrial exodus that would push residents out of the city. In the 1970’s and 1980’s, big companies like National Cash Register and Frigidaire downsized or moved out of the city limits. With a current population of 166,179, Dayton is Ohio’s 6th largest city. A certain neighborhood on Dayton’s west side, now called the Wright-Dunbar Village, exemplifies the negative effects of industrial relocation and racist politics. The neighborhood was once home to the Wright Brothers, Paul Laurence Dunbar, and their exploits. The Wright Brothers ran a bicycle shop there, as well as a laboratory where they built their flying machines for many years.

The neighborhood, which was based around the west bank of the Great Miami River, Third Street, Fifth St, and Broadway, took in a large population of African-Americans after the first World War and became a thriving African-American community. The construction of the highways in the fifties dislocated this area and many others from the rest of the city. Continual racial tensions continued to escalate and in 1966 the neighborhood responded with intense rioting. According to Johnson, the protesters marched down 3rd street “until met by the Mayor of Dayton in the middle of the West Third Street Bridge. Here, a dialogue between the authorities and the protesters led to a process for solving their differences. “

The neighborhood is changing, as recent developers have been renovating the area since the 1980’s, restoring old store fronts and houses. Drive off of 3rd street, south on Broadway, however, the abandoned buildings and empty lots testify to the violence of the 1960’s and 1970’s.

Getting Down in Dayton

Taking a drive around Dayton, it is plain to see that there is not to much going on. The streets are relatively empty, the lights burn low. Why, oh why would you want to go to Dayton? -Architecture Featuring classic Midwestern city architecture in the form of warehouses and that cowboy-gothic style, Dayton is the visual treat. There are many abandoned factory-compounds which have to be seen to believe the sheer vastness of operation that manufacturing used to operate at in the Midwest. Dayton also carries on the tradition of the electric trolley by employing trolley cables of yore to power its electric buses. Operating since 1888, Dayton’s electric system is the oldest of six trolley systems in the US (Wikipedia, 2006).

Nightlife

There are a few nightclubs in Dayton, including Club Masque at 74 North Jefferson, Dayton’s premier gay night club. Bars abound as they should, but be ready for drinkers from a city of hard labor and hard times.

Dayton fosters a small yet vital scene of music, as exemplified by the cities largest musical export Guided By Voices, and the hardcore music scene that consumes Dayton and Cincinnati. Check any Dayton City Guide for day by day listings of the musical happenings going on in the city.

Outdoor Splendor

A city with three rivers colliding into each other? Thankfully the city has created a path along the rivers for us to take in their beauty, and the population flight of the city has left us with many empty lots teeming with wildlife.

Take some time to enjoy Dayton. Only twenty minutes from Antioch, it is a chance to live it up in a bigsmall city. Take a step back in time or use the untapped resources to shape your future. Just like at Antioch, Dayton is whatever you want it to be. The doors wide open. Step into Dayton.

Sources:

Preservation Dayton. �Dayton History.� 1997 www.preservationdayton. com/Pages/history.asp

Wright-Dunbar Inc. “Live the Legacy: Innovation and creativity in the Wright- Dunbar Business Village.� 2002 www.wright-dunbar.org/history.html

Mary Ann Johnson. “On the Aviation Trail in the Wright Brothers’ West Side Neighborhood in Dayton, Ohio.� 2002 www.libraries.wright.edu/special/symposium/Johnson.html

Wikipedia. 2006 www.wikipedia.org

From The Editors

20061020-luke.jpgDear Community,

First, I need to apologize for being AWOL on community day, I would have loved to spend the day with you all, but the whirlwind of Black and Tan (which culminated in a postdawn trip to Kroger to purchase doughnuts for the Queer Center’s Black and Tan Recovery) really tuckered me out, and I barely made it out of bed before dark.

This week has been pretty stressful for me. I continue to struggle to credit my spring ’06 co-op (Organic farming, as it turns out, is for hippies.) Also, because of my general malaise, I did not make the deadline for turning in my time slips, and so am fast approaching broke. Unpaid speeding tickets have the state of Pennsylvania threatening to revoke my driving privileges unless I pay them $140 within the week, which because of the time-slip business, I may not be able to do. I’m scheming about possibly running to a DMV tomorrow to get an Ohio license in hopes that the trouble will disappear. I should do laundry, my room’s a mess, and somebody stole my beloved cactus from the living room of Unit 1.

There are a couple things I’m pretty pleased with though, one of them being this very fine issue of the Record that you’re holding. Our talented staff really knocked it out of the park with this one; I hope you enjoy it as much as I have. The community day pictures make us look especially wholesome, and I like that. I’m also gauging my ears. After losing some of my gaudy bling on the floor of Peach’s Bar and Grille, I decided it was time for a change. What I’m most pleased with though, is my community of vibrant, beautiful people that has shaped my character in a very profound way. I can say very surely I am a better person now than when I entered almost two years ago. My politics have changed, my understanding of our world has changed, and although our school doesn’t have state-ofthe- art facilities, a prostudent administration, a wide range of course offerings, a night-life to speak of, or a smoking tolerant dorm, at least we have each other.

And you all amaze me every day.

-Luke

20061020-foster.jpgDear Community,

Wonderful active people, please continue in your diligent efforts to bring about the change you yearn to see. Today at the Record, we have worked very hard into the morning to bring you this paper. I think that our dedication to the Record, as Community Day exemplified, is uniquely typical of this community. Of course, there is no end to the struggles we wrestle with and we cannot let down our guard, but a strong community of such workers as ourselves also plays hard. In that vein, hats off to Events Manager Melody and everyone who worked to put Black & Tan together.

Everyone get ready, this is the end of seventh week, which for those of us who have been here more than a couple of months know, means Eighth Week Crisis is right around the corner. Don’t let your guard up folks, not for one minute. Things are about to come crashing down on us, but our routine workout, if we have been good (which I think we all are ) will help us carry the load. Yes, we are pack animals of sorts, able to lift weighty burdens and carry them across the desert of academia.

I’m sorry. It’s 7:30 AM. This is, as usual the last thing left to do before we send out the paper. 7:30 AM means we have a half hour to get the PDFs to the printer. Not much time left. This is burden gets heavier. So, take a lesson for us in Main basement – Don’t procrastinate.

I swear, next week I will get to reviewing the Antioch Review.

Enjoy the paper.

Foster Neill

Layout Editor

Uprising Tour

By Jessica Rapchik

On October 19, Antioch College will be host to Uprising Tour, a collective of individuals from around the country who are engaging in communicable dissent. Throughout their tour, which is aimed at Mid-West and Mid-Atlantic States, the collective will aim at advancing regional counter-recruitment efforts and linking the issues of war and military recruitment to corporate globalization and environmental sustainability. The Tour consists of student and non-student activists, members of Iraq Veterans Against the War and musicians. At each stop, members of the Tour will organize and participate in workshops, trainings, public forums, direct education and outreach, all-out street protests, as well as concerts and other creative performances. Events will be held throughout the day, with a culminating musical performance in the evening. While the locations for the planned events and dialogues are not definite, more information will be available on campus in the upcoming week.

The itinerary is as follows:

12-1 PM Meet and Greet in the Caf

1.30-4 PM Separate group workshops: Local/Global Connections (discussing the connections between globalization and war and the local effects on the Rust Belt) and Organizing 101.

1.30-4 PM Affinity Groups and Campus Organizing and the Military-Academic Complex

4-5 PM Communities as Alternatives: Why Change Must Start at Home

6.15-7 PM Action As Theater

7-9PM The film Sir, No Sir and Iraq Veterans Against the War panel

9.30- late evening Special performances by Drive by Schiavo and RyanHarvey from the Riot Folk Collective (www.riotfolk.org)

The tour is not limited to counter-recruitment and it is highly suggested that all community members attend events of interest. The tour is coming to Antioch in exchange for an open dialogue and a place to sleep. They are attempting to share their experiences and knowledge with us and I think that it is only fitting to attend and begin to make connections that will facilitate a deeper dialogue and increase organizing potential in Southwestern Ohio.

Teach-In Series Concluded with Panel Discussion

By Edward Perkins
A panel discussion in the McGregor building capped off a week of teachins concerning rights and wrongs in the global war on terror. A small but engaged audience consisted of Antioch students, faculty members, and locals from Yellow Springs. The panel was comprised of four experts: Dr. William O’Brien, who works for the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, Gordon Chapman, who worked for the CIA and military intelligence following WWII, Julie Gallagher, a historian and the Ohio coordinator for Amnesty International, and Antioch’s own Dr. Hassan Nejhad who specializes in Middle East Affairs.

Antioch professor Jean Gregorek, PHD, warmed up the audience with a concise but precise introduction to the discussion topic. Jean began by recapping the events of the past few days, which included films and teach-ins. She also informed the audience about the Military Commissions Act, which recently passed Congress. Jean explained how the act gives the CIA and military unprecedented power, including “The power to incarcerate prisoners of war indefinitely� and “absolute power to decide the fate of these so called enemies�. After the introduction, Jean handed the microphone over to the panel members.

Hassan spoke first. His presentation was strong, and spiked the interest of the audience. He began “torture is nothing new� but then stated, “It is a shame that it is still with us�. The audience was visibly engaged at this point. Hassan gave an overview of definitions of what torture is, how the Bush administration defines torture, and international laws governing torture, including the Geneva Convention. He spoke passionately, citing examples of US conduct that could be described as torture, before demonstrating how such actions are defined as torture by international law. Hassan cut through the confusion surrounding the issue of torture. He explained the governing bodies that prosecute torture, the documents that define torture, and how the USA has violated these guidelines.

Dr. William O’Brien was next, speaking about the psychology of POW’s (prisoners of war). His 33 years of experience working in clinical psychology for the Dept. of Veteran Affairs made him uniquely suited to address these topics. O’Brien gave chilling tales of former POW’s and how their experiences have mentally scarred them for life. Listening to his tales, it was hard not to feel terrible for the CIA’s prisoners, regardless of what crimes they stand accused of. The Doctor also spoke about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its effects. PTSD is common and severe with many POWs.

Gordon Chapman, who worked in military intelligence, had terrific insight to convey in his lecture. Since 1993, he has worked for Veterans for Peace, a non-profit whose function is explained by its name. Gordie shone some perspective on the matter. He cited examples of US terrorism before 9/11, including the relocation of Japanese-American citizens during WWII and covert actions/operations in Latin America. Gordon also noted that “Ho Chi Minh was a US ally in WWII�, drawling a parallel to Osama Bin Laden, another former US ally. He then spoke about torture at the CIA during his career there. Years after leaving, he found out about incidents of torture that allegedly went on just doors from his office without his knowledge. Dr. Julie Gallagher (also an Antioch professor) wrapped things up with a lively speech. She spoke about an anti-torture bill, which failed to pass Congress. This bill would have prevented many of the abuses allowed by the Military Commissions Act. The MCA allows for all kinds of outrageous conduct, suspends the writ of Habeas Corpus, and gives the government unprecedented and maybe illegal powers. Julie, the regional coordinator for Amnesty international, talked about her group’s extensive anti-torture work. She made an excellent point, saying at this point we need to at minimum “regain the human rights that have been lost�, but ideally need to do far, far more.

The evening ended with a brief, but lively, Q&A. The intelligent and thoughtful comments demonstrated how much the audience had soaked up from the panel. The questions ranged from the Supreme Court’s response to what course of action concerned citizens should take next. Hassan explained that parts of the bill may be turned down, but reiterated the urgency of the situation by saying “it could take time and the government can go ahead in the mean time�, meaning the government could continue to torture until such changes are made.

Dude, Where’s my Speaker?

By Kim-Jenna Jurriaans and Preston Kraft

After a completely fruitless three hour trip to Heidelberg College two weeks ago, to hear a speaker who didn’t show up, because, well…. he got the email with the RIGHT date in it, these writers were ecstatic about their second bid to some off campus encounters of the scholastic kind, last Tuesday.

Our very own Hassan Nejad was approached by Clark State to monitor a discussion between students and Dan Senor, former adviser to Paul Bremmer and chief spokesman of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq.

Oh boy, oh boy! This we had to see. Pictures of large auditoriums, filled with well schooled, dressed up youngsters, practicing the universal “I’m extremely interested�-mode, characterized by pensive frowning, appropriate nodding and the occasional hand on the chin, came into mind and inspired us to work on our very own repertoire of serious face expressions for the evening.

“Dress up nicely,� Nejad told his flock in Islam class who were interested in attending the formal event. On the inquiry by one of these writers whether this meant No pajamas, Nejad smiled politely, but whether he really trusted our ability to present a decent fashion sense by the next Tuesday remains uncertain. After all, this is Antioch. Nicely, therefore could consist of any outfit varying from black underwear and rollerblades to multicolored knee socks and “matching� hot pants. But this lot wasn’t one to be ashamed of. One of the attending Antiochians stole the show by swapping his usual green flannel bed wear in for a nonchalantly conservative combo in beige and red, impressing many a passer by on his short stroll from Spalt to the car. Yeah, this flock was dressed and prepared to impress.

We arrived in Springfield were we were greeted by a small Star Wars convention on the ground floor of the theatre that was housing that night’s discussion on “The Iraq war and con sequences for the Middle-East�.

But what was this? Instead of the chic auditorium we were ushered into what seemed to be an empty ballet recital room on the 2nd floor, with a video projector, a white screen and four rows of folding chairs in front of it. Not feeling extremely inspired to work on our plié talents; the slightly surprised Antioch crew went straight for the catering.

Nejad, who entered the room a couple of minutes later looked somewhat startled: “where’s the speaker?� “You are the speaker�, a blond Pi Theta Kappa woman informed him. “Well, you are the speaker to lead the afterwards discussion. The real speaker will appear on that screen over there, at precisely 7.30. You did know that this was a satellite meeting, right.� The expression on the faces of the Antioch flock answered the question, even without verbal output.

“Well, at least they have cookies!� remarked Preston Krafft, who felt that since he already pulled all his charms together for the occasion, he might as well work them on the dessert buffet. At precisely 7.30 the Antioch delegation, the majority of the audience, set straight in their chairs to witness the life broadcast from Dallas, to which several colleges throughout the country were connected.

And what a broadcast it was! In perfect liberal fashion, toes started curling up about 5 minutes into the gig, as Dan, polished, groomed and showing of his impeccable dental work, glossed over centuries of historical perspective to declare the Middle- East Problem as a result of the Arab’s defeat in the race to modernity and an animosity that, according to him has been existing for thousands of years.

“Wow�, Nejad commented as soon as the broadcast went off the air, “this is a hard act to follow. But what an act it was! This guy clearly doesn’t know what he was talking about.� He was asked to lead the discussion because of his knowledge of Islam and the Muslim world and said he was appalled by what he had just seen: “At first I wasn’t really sure about this whole thing, but now I’m actually glad that you all came. You wouldn’t see anything like this at Antioch any time soon.�

One of the Antiochians, in a vain attempt at anger management, was seen leaving the room half way through the session. “There is a reason I don’t watch Fox. But this was worse�, one of the 4th years said on his way back to the car. In a discussion session, strikingly similar to our Monday and Wednesday Islam classes, Hassan did his best to iron out some of the inaccuracies that had just been fired on the audience, in what appeared to be a 45-minute propaganda video for the invasion of Iraq.

After the meeting Preston Krafft said, “That guy was definitely a Bushbot, no doubt about it. He was just overly optimistic. He was more scary than funny.� The writers of this piece, hereby also want to point out their appreciation for Hassan’s efforts to bring some Antioch enlightenment to those less fortunate regions of Ohio.

Hassan finally proposed to take out his flock for a giant scoop of ice cream at the local ice-cream parlor. “It was like after you’ve lost the big game and your coach takes you out for ice-cream�, said 4th year Kendall Canyen. “I actually didn’t really want ice cream, but since Hassan was paying for it..� Thanks Hassan!