"What's important to me is telling other people about the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why I'm down here in Columbus, Ohio : to try to lead people to the Lord and hopefully they get saved and repent. That's what needs to be done."

Stevenson is from Grove City but currently lives on the South Side on Gilbert Street.

"Jesus Christ said himself 'I'm the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the father, except thru me.' So it's only thru Jesus Christ that we can have a relationship w/ God-- and not thru Allah, and not thru Buddha, and not thru anybody else, but only Jesus Christ. And that's what I'm down here to do : point people to Jesus."

Stevenson said he's part of the Pleasant View Baptist Church, which he said is involved w/ feeding people and otherwise helping people in need.

"If you have heavy burdens and if you're depressed and you feel like you're going to kill yourself or you're going thru something in your life, I want to let you know that Jesus loves you."

Stevenson said the work he does is based on love, not hate. But he said he's not willing to work w/ Muslims or Hindus, even on common goals such as feeding the hungry.

"I do support the Jewish people. I support the nation of Israel...but as far as working w/ Muslims, Buddhists and all that: absolutely not. The reason why is they do not follow the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ."

What I didn't think of asking Stevenson is this: do Jewish people believe in Jesus Christ as our savior more than Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists believe in that ?

"I grew up a Republican...I helped w/ his (George W. Bush's) first campaign and w/ his second campaign...I had an internet radio show in Marysville, Ohio for second, and I'm really upset that they lied to us about a lot of things (regarding the US invasion of Iraq.)"

Oberdier said he helped w/ the Obama campaign as a result of his disillusionment w/ the Bush administration. But now he's not happy w/ Obama either.

"He spent $5 trillion. We're losing jobs. Reagan actually did a better job. He created a million jobs a month w/ a lot less money."

Oberdier said a good question is where all the money being spent by our government is going. He's now an independent voter. According to him, the mainstream media is part of the problem.

"The news basically kowtows to corporations like Walmart, Nestle--the major conglomerates. If they tell the truth, they'll lose their sponsorships and people won't buy ads from them anymore."

Oberdier said the website of his internet radio show was hacked and shut down. He also said big corporations heavily influence not only major news organizations, but also the expert opinions coming from elite universities.

"If Harvard, Yale, and Princeton could learn how to count and tell the truth and not use fuzzy math and not use legal mumbo jumbo," Americans would be more informed about what's going on, said Oberdier.

He said working w/ people face-to-face in our communities is part of the solution for loosening the grip propaganda can have on our minds.

"We can turn off 'the news' and gather in parks and talk and decide what to do."

Oberdier said he's a musician and works w/ Sada Ruchi, a Yogi poet.

"I things I care about are public education in Columbus and in the United States and gun control. I'm very concerned about the amount of guns that are on the streets and in the hands of children who, of course, don't know what to do with them...We're wiping out an entire generation of young guys w/ these guns on the street."

"It seems like every day I read the newspaper and there's another report of teenagers or very young people who had their entire lives ahead of them (being) the victim of drive-by shootings or revenge shootings of some kind. You read about people who are in their homes, in their beds, or just relaxing and minding their own business, and they're shot--- thru a wall or thru a window."

Sharon said she thinks this will get worse before it gets better.
"There is no powerful force opposing gun ownership, but there is a very powerful force supporting it."

She's currently not working w/ other people in her community on this issue but she has done it.

"Somewhere in my heart I've probably given up on it because I've been fighting about 40 yrs. But it's something I should really explore. I should be very active about it."

"Educating our children (is what's important). It's the jumping off point for how they do the rest of their lives. W/o that education, you just can't get anywhere anymore. You're not able to get a decent job which means you can't get a decent home, can't raise a family. It all starts w/ education and not just for the purpose of getting a job, but to know more about the world around you."

Eva, who declined to give her last name, said she works at OSU and has friends who have worked in elementary, middle, and high schools. She said she opposes the funding cuts to education.

"There's got to be some place else they can cut."

"The work I'm out here doing today is environmental work. That's what I care about...I think most people don't realize we're a part of the rest of the world. I think that people think they're separate from everything else--from other people, from the universe, from the trees and the animals---when in fact we're all connected. The things we do to the other residents of the Earth affect us and the people we care about."

Edmiston was at Broad and High collecting signatures to pressure American Electric Power to comply w/ the Clean Air Act.

"They're trying to extend the deadline by which they have to reduce their emissions. At the moment, it's 2015. They're trying to extend it all the way to 2020. But there's no guarantee that when we get to 2020 they won't just try to extend it another 5 years."

Edmiston said Progress Ohio is running the petition drive w/ funding from the Environmental Defense Fund.

He said even though the EDF is large, it doesn't have nearly as much money as AEP.

Gerald James said his health benefits thru the Veteran's Administration is what's important to him.

"I'm having a few problems, but some of them have been resolved."

James said he's been in Columbus about a month and a half.
"I'm OK w/ it. But Dayton was much better...because they (people w/ the VA) cared about me more. Columbus is supposed to be the capital, but they are a bunch of you-know-whats. But I'm dealing w/ it. I'm alright."

He said he was staying at a Volunteers of America shelter here in Columbus but got kicked out for getting drunk the other night. When asked where he planned to sleep that night he said, " I have no idea, but I'll be alright."

He said he gets his meals from soup chickens and shelters and from "different places around town."

For a moment James turned his head to look at a child who was kicking her legs and singing as the adult w/ her waited for a bus.

" I have a daughter. She's 10, in Battle Creek, Michigan."

He said he loves this nation but thinks it's "going to hell." Perhaps it's my own limited comprehension, but I couldn't get much from his explanation about why our nation is heading in the wrong direction. You can try listening to the short audio file if you're interested.

James said he gets along w/ everyone he encounters on the streets, including the police. He agreed w/ me that good relationships are what make life worth living, and that it makes sense to try to find common-ground instead of focusing on things that can divide us.

"I don't give a woof woof if you're Black or White. You're my people. So I care about you...You're just like me. I'm human and you're human."

Urban Soundz

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 THE WORLD PARTY NOW AIRS FOR 2 HOURS ON WCRS!

TUESDAYS from 7PM - 9PM

The World Party features energetic and eclectic dance and party music from all corners of the globe!

• Show 56 originally aired on July 12, 2011.

• Show 56 features international dance and party music originating from the Ivory Coast, Russia, United States of America, England, Spain, France, Romania, Australia, Sweden, and more. Cool music playing on radio stations and at festivals, bars and dance clubs all over the world!

Tonight on the Show:
The Bryan Award Nominations- Who are they? What are they?
Preview of the Primetime Emmy Nominations on Thursday- Who will get in?
Weekend Warrior Previews the Week's Events