Salon Weekly
A Weekly Email Publication of The Lloyd House
Circulation: 504
Growing out of the Monday Night Salon
For info about the Salon, see the bottom of this email
Join us at the Lloyd House every Monday of the year at 5:45 for pot luck and discussion.
3901 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
to Submit events for the Weekly, send (not attachment) me email, subject line "Weekly-Events:(description)", in times New Roman Maroon color
to submit articles, send (not attachment) email, subject line: "Weekly-Articles-(description)", in Times New Roman, Navy color.
Saves me a lot of work that way.
To: Friends on our Pot Luck Salon list.
(to unsubscribe see below, bottom of page).
Saturday 3 December 2005
At the table Monday ,12/5/05: Mike Murphy, David Rosenberg, Peter Carels, Dan Hershey, Caeli Good, Shirley Reischman, Chad Benjamin kPotter, Kathleen Carels, Marvin Kraus, Gerry Kraus, Daisy Quarm, Shari Able, Frances May Brooks, Adrienne Cooper, Ellen Bierhorst, Bill Messer, Nancy Dawley, Steve Sunderland, Neil Anderson, Mira Rodwan, Spencer Konicov,
Announcements:
Gerry: next week Dr. Dottie Schaeffer, integrative medicine, on flu.j
Steve: auction in NOrthisde at the Northside Tavern Sat. evening. 5 to 8 pm.
Chad Benjamin: Karen Arnet told me that the UC powerplant is not going to use the tires ... but the uc coal boiler is. (burning old tires as fuel)
Actually I learned that burning tires with coal reduces the emmisions of suflphur and nitrosus oxide. But adds dioxins and furons. Also lead.
David: From Jim Hightower¹s ³the lowdown² n ewsletter. Polls from various sources. 65%: Gov¹t should guarantee health insur. 86%: raise the minimum wage. 60% in favor of repealing Bush¹s tax cuts ... 77% the country should do whatever it takes to protect environment. 86% believe oil cos are gouging the public. 59% say US should leave Iraq asap. ...
Dan: new book: Imperial Grunts by Rob¹t Kaplan... people get thrills from war.
Also, Rush Limbaugh was hysterical today saying the liberals are war criminals and ought to be arrested.
Discussion:
Arrrgh! The Ghost in the computer has absconded with my very extensive notes on the presentation given at the table by Shirley Reischman on the Avian Flu from the homeopathy perspective. I typed furiously for an hour and a half while pearls of great price fell from Shirley's lips and now, alas they are gone. Merde! Well... you can read below in the blue section the homeopath's advice re. flu prevention and flu treatment. Wow am I bummed! How did this happen?
Here is something I learned for the first time at the presentation: the reason why you want to use hydrogen peroxide in your ears as a preventive (see Shirley's piece in the blue section) is because a smart pediatrician did a study and learned that apparently the major entry route for viruses (colds, flu) into the body is not the mouth or nose, but the ears! Who knew? So if you dose your ears with hydrogen peroxide, you will close the door. I did, and sure enough, one of my ears "fizzed". I found it obnoxious to put cold drops into my ears, so I put the H2O2 in a little dropper bottle and sit that in very hot water until it gets nice and warm.
Great thing about homeopathy is that the treatment is so safe. Did you know that in America deaths from physician prescribed medications are something like the third leading cause of death?
Shirley cited research that in the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic (and pandemic) that killed so many in America, (and it was also a Bird flu like the one predicted for this year) the patients of allopathic physicians who were admited to hospitals died ten times (I believe that's the number... astoundingly great number) as often as the patients of homeopathic physicians admitted to homeopathic hospitals did.
Homeopathic treatment of a viral infection (like bird flu) results in a milder case that lasts much less long.
You can take a homeopathic remedy (available from Shirley f or like $8 for a three month's supply) as a preventive. You take it every three weeks.
David wondered why we shouldn't... or someone shouldn't take out huge ads in the NY Times etc. and let people know that homeopathy has tremendous ammunition against flu. If it is this effective, why don't we all know about it? I said I thought the answer was that homeopathy is based on an entirely different paradigm, and people simply can't accept it. There is no understanding homeopathy through Aristotelian logic or Newtonian physics and it makes me feel like my head is breaking off at the neck! However, it works. Shirley said when she started with homeopathy she had no idea it was based on a different paradigm. She just had experienced marvelous healing with it. For herself. Only later, after being totally "hooked" did she learn how different it was. BTW, acupuncture is also based on an alternative paradigm (the energy meridians). Somehow, to me, it is not as "spooky" though as homeopathy. Homeopathy is weird. But I love it and it has helped me a lot.
Shirley also said she didn't think homeopathy was helpful with high blood pressure. However, there is an herbal remedy that is highly effective and safe. You can ask her: Shirley Reischman <jereisch@fuse.net> She also likes Sambucol brand black elderberry syrup as a preventive. It was developed and tested in Israel. I keep meaning to get some at the health food store. But that is an herbal remedy, not homeopathic.
While I am chatting I'll tell you that I am really enjoying the Buddha Dharma Study Group here on Saturday mornings. This morning we had 7 people (2 men, including Richard Blumberg). We are reading through the Pali Cannon (oldest Buddhist scriptures) and it is a blast. Yes, we do ten minutes of meditating together with the great singing bowl gong, but the great thing is the text study. I love it. Today I got this: I am riddled with dukkah, in my case, anxieties (my house, my financial insecurity, the future, aging--loss of youthful vigor ...) which cause me much suffering. The anxiety comes from dangers inherent in life. The dangers are unavoidable. I become aware of the danger. I am aroused to action. O.K. And more, I am aroused to anxiety. I suffer. The suffering is caused not by the dangers. I can take steps to protect myself from danger or else accept what cannot be changed (eventual death, for instance). The suffering is caused by my aversion to the arousal that the dangers produce in me. Through understanding, I can side step this aversion. I am reminded of the story of the monk who was being chased by a tiger. He came to a cliff, there was nowhere to go. He looked over and saw a little bush growing on the side of the cliff. He climbed down and hung onto the bush as the tiger growled from above. Then the bush started giving way and it was clear he was going to fall to his death. Just then he saw a beautifully ripe strawberry growing on the side of the cliff. He plucked the berry and popped it into his mouth, smiling just as the bush came away.
Maybe I don't have to struggle so with the dangers and the anxieties they cause me. "Oh well, that's life." Felt better all day.
I promise to save periodically during Dottie's presentation Monday. Reminds me of the joke: God asked Jesus and Mohamed to each outline a plan for world salvation. At the end of the hour just as God was about to ask them to present their respective plans, a huge lightening bolt flashed and both Jesus' and Mohamed's computer went out for a moment. So then God turned to Mohamed and said, "Nu? what have you?" And Mohamed hung his head. "Lord, my enitre proposal was destroyed when my computer went down just now." So God turned to Jesus, who was able to make his entire presentation. The moral of the story: "Jesus saves!"
~ End of Table Notes ~
Don't miss the interesting article you want to read in blue section. It might be one of these:
- Harold Pinter's Nobel Prize (for Literature) Speech: Blistering Criticism of U.S. and U.K.: EACH PERSON MUST RESPOND TO THIS. Richard Blumberg:"Everyone really must read this!"
- Proposed law forces everyone to have vaccinations?
- Todd Portune on his political aims
- SHIRLEY REISCHMAN ON HOMEOPATHIC TAKE ON FLU; PREVENTION; TREATMENT
- Michael Moore writes calling us to be Rosa Parks
- All Jews called to express policy re. Israel. Register and vote. Really.
Hugs to all,
Ellen
•
Announcements:
12/10
Ursula Roma
local artist
Having annual holiday art and jewelry sale
Sunday 11 Dec
3-7
51 Parker St. (go Left or E. from Ohio Ave...you know, where the Friar's Club is on McMillain)
Ursula is a bright, peppy, hip spirit and her art is wonderful. Odd ball. Creative. Unusual. Innovative. A pick me up!
(plus, see below for Weekly Events that repeat every week)
12/16
Earthsave Event: Vegan Food and Good Music
You're invited to join Mercy For Animals for a fundraiser in Cincinnati, Ohio. Enjoy live music by GRYRELEOTH and two other bands TBA, while sampling delicious vegan food and drinks.
The benefit will raise funds to support Mercy For Animals crucial work on behalf of abused and neglected animals. This event is guaranteed to be an excellent opportunity to meet fellow individuals interested in vegetarianism and animal advocacy in Cincinnati.
Suggested donation amount for event: $5 - $15.
Where: The Maitri Center, 4122 Hamilton Avenue in Northside, at the corner of Hamilton and Moline, Cincinnati, Ohio above the Northside Post Office
When: Friday, December 16th 8 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Contact: sarahw@mercyforanimals.org
www.mercyforanimals.org <http://www.mercyforanimals.org/>
From: TACMOTA@aol.com [mailto:TACMOTA@aol.com]
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2005 3:34 PM
My band, GRYRELEOTH, will be playing a benefit gig for the animals Next Friday December, 16th. MFA does a lot of good work exposing the horrors of livestock conditions in Ohio. Come out and support their work.
Thanks,
Tom Kappas
12/18
Children!
Calling for Singers, Grades 4 - 8
Multicultural Youth Choir
An opportunity for young people to participate in the all-city MLK Day celebration and sing on the stage of Music Hall. Exciting, beautiful fun music, excellent way to build healing in Cincinnati across our many communities.
Cathy Roma and Todd O'Neal directing: (first rehearsal is VERY important):
Sunday, Dec. 18: 4-5:00 pm St. John's Unitarian Church, 320 Resor in Clifton
Tues. Jan 10: 6 - 8 pm
at House Of Joy, 5918 Hamilton Ave in College Hill
Sat. Jan 14, 10-11 am House of Joy
Monday, Jan 16: 11 am (rehearsal) to 2 pm (end of performance) at Music Hall
"A diverse gathering of young people from various public schools, churches, mosques, temples, and synagogues will learn and sing two pieces with the Martin Luther King Coalition Chorale. This mass chorus will be joined by members of the Clark Montessori Steel Drum Band."
No try-out required; just come!
Tri-State Treasures
Tri-State Treasures is a compilation of unique local people, places, and events that may enrich your lives. These treasures have been submitted by you and others who value supporting quality community offerings. Please consider supporting these treasures, and distributing the information for others to enjoy. And please continue to forward your Tri-State Treasures ideas to jkesner@nuvox.net.
Thank you to those who edit their submissions to conform to the Tri-State Treasure format; it saves me a lot of time & effort.
I'll be away for a few weeks. My best wishes to you all and your families for the Holidays and for the New Year. Please support your community treasures, and see you in 2006.
New World Bookshop Closing: Truly a Tri-State Treasure, New World Bookshop has been a cultural icon in the Cincinnati area for 33 years. Currently the oldest full-service independent bookstore in town, New World Bookshop was voted "Best Non-Chain Bookstore" by Cincinnati's City Beat magazine. Everything in the store is now on sale & must be sold before the doors are closed. Owner, Ed Kluska, will continue his astrology consulting business for individuals & businesses which he has also done for the past 33 years. At the New World Bookshop, 336 Ludlow Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45220. More info @ 513.861.6100, ejk@fuse.net, & www.NewWorldBookshop.com.
Sincerely, Jim
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jazz At The Hyatt Selected as The Best Jazz Scene 2005 by Cincinnati Magazine [Friday nights @ 8 PM - midnight]: See why Cincinnati Magazine (December issue) picks Jazz At The Hyatt as the best jazz in town with its no-holds barred straight-ahead jazz. This Friday 9 December is international recording artist David "Fathead" Newman performing with the Mike Wade Sextet. $20 cover. At the Sungarten Room, Hyatt Hotel Cincinnati, 151 West 5th Street, Downtown Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.579-1234, waltb31@fuse.net, & www.jazzincincy.com.
Luminaria Harmony of Light at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine [Saturday 10 December @ 5-7 PM]: The 5th annual celebration to illuminate Washington Park during the holiday season brings people together from diverse ethnic backgrounds to strengthen the Over-the-Rhine community, focusing on celebration & unity within this wonderfully unique & historic community. 2000 luminaries light the paths of the Park to lights in the trees. Choirs & entertainment. Hot chocolate & refreshments. Music, setting-up, & lighting luminaries start at 3 PM. Lighting ceremony @ 6 PM with Mayor Mallory. Sponsored by iRhine & OTR Foundation. Washington Park, between 12th, 14th, Elm, & Race Streets across from Music Hall, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, OH 45210. More info @ 513.921.2199, lydia@irhine.com, & www.iRhine.com.
DVD Premiere: "The Art of Charley Harper: A Retrospective View" [Saturday 10 December @ 2 PM]: Meet Charley Harper, one of the nation's best-known & loved wildlife artists, as Cincinnati Nature Center premieres a new DVD chronicling his life¹s work, "The Art of Charley Harper: A Retrospective View," followed by Q&A with Charley & film director Dan Hadley. Free with daily admission: $5 per adult; $1 per child; free for CNC members. At Cincinnati Nature Center¹s Rowe Woods, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, OH 45150. More info @ 513.831.1711 x102, rbarnes-kloth@cincynature.org, www.CincyNature.org, & www.snowgoosegallery.com/mpartis/harcha.htm.
Ursula Roma's Annual Holiday Art Sale [Sunday 11 December @ 3-7 PM]: The beautifully, wonderfully unique art & jewelry of Ursula Roma. Wine, snacks, & holiday cheer. At 51 Parker Street, Clifton, Cincinnati, OH 45220. More info from Ursula @ 513.542.5722, ursularoma@fuse.net, & www.ursularoma.com.
Forgiveness in Relationships [Sunday 11 December @ 1:30-4:30 PM]: Relationships are for spiritual healing. Learn to use the tools of Radical Forgiveness to transform your relationships. For more than 2 years, Gay Purpura, Certified Radical Forgiveness Coach, has helped clients with the Radical Forgiveness Process to transform relationships. $25 suggested donation. At New Thought Unity Center, 1401 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH 45206. More info @ 513.961.2527, LouFreeman@ntunity.org, & www.ntunity.org.
30th Annual Memorial Hall Holiday Show & Sale [Sunday 11 December @ noon - 4 PM]: Nine Cincinnati area artists present & sell their art at this tour de force. The show features pottery by Mike Frasca, Allan Nairn, Greg Seigel, & Joyce Clancy; batik by Arnelle Dow; wood by Bob Winland; jewelry by Stuart Golder; hand-made paper works by Peg Rhein; & hand-painted silk clothing by Kymber Henson. Free admission; refreshments served; a live Jazz trio will perform in the hall. At Memorial Hall (next to Music Hall), 1225 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 502.484.2970 & gseigel@kih.net.
The EIGHT: Reindeer Monologues [December 11-13 & 18-20. Dinner @ 6 PM, Show @ 8 PM]: The ³for immature audiences only² holiday comedy is back for its 3rd annual production. Eight reindeer dishing about the real Santa. All those rumors you¹ve heard about him & the elves, about Rudolph¹s little secret, about Vixen¹s story that was leaked to the press? All true. Yes, the reindeer finally speak up and they don't hold back. A perfect group gathering for the holidays, dine at Arnold¹s, have a Know Egg Nog, & hear the torrid testimonies. Seating is limited & sell out quickly. $20 general admission; $15 student/senior. In the Historic Courtyard of Arnolds Bar & Grill, 210 East Eighth Street, Downtown Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.300.KNOW, info@knowtheatre.com, & www.knowtheatre.com.
Winter Solstice Celebration [Sunday 18 December @ 2 PM]: Dreading the winter doldrums? Longer days are just weeks away! Fight the winter blues & celebrate the return of light during CNC's Annual Winter Solstice Celebration. Winter solstice has long meant hope; a promise of longer days & warmer temperatures to come. From the winter solstice until the summer solstice, days gradually lengthen as nature awakens from its winter slumber & responds to the warmth of the sun. Listen to merry melodies on harp, dulcimer, drums, & fiddle by Frank & Nancy Bick Clark & Jude Jones. Take an invigorating hike, warm up with hot spiced cider, & carol by the fireplace. Purchase tickets for the annual Lynn Ticotsky Quilt Raffle. $8 for adults; $5 for adult members; $3 for children. At Cincinnati Nature Center's Rowe Woods, 4949 Tealtown Road, Milford, OH 45150. More info @ 513.831.1711, rbarnes-kloth@cincynature.org, & www.CincyNature.org.
Tri-State Treasures is compiled by James Kesner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To submit Tri-State Treasures, or to request your email address to be added or removed
from the list, send an email to jkesner@nuvox.net and specify Tri-State Treasures.
12/10Let's start with 10 minutes, if that's alright. Mike
Salonista Mike Murphy to present on a(nother) Peak Oil Conference
Monday 12/19
From: <mmurphy10@fuse.net>
Date: Fri, 9 Dec 2005 21:57:40 -0500
To: "Ellen Bierhorst" <ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com>
Subject: Re: Weekly 12/3/05 - 3
Ellen--Enjoyed Shirley R's presentation (on homeopathy and flu) last Monday at the salon) immensely. May go to her. ....
As to 'Peak Oil,' I'd like to give a 10 minute presentation a week from Monday, on the 19th, if that is okay. And because it is so emotionally and culturally charged a topic, I guess it will need another 10 minutes for questions. And, of course, it will become an increasingly pervasive concept in the months and years to come, like the sea is to an island, like the sky is in Great Plains, like water is to fish. A constant.
Hi Mike,
Sure. Only... be advised that on the 19th Ken Deigh and his partner Patricia will be also doing a special presentation on Hellinger Family Constellation work. And, if there should be a huge "current event" we'd need to discuss that as well. Just to be fore-warned. Will that suit?
e.
11/27
Local Artist (and Earthsave organizer) Mary Ann Lederer offering paintings for Gifts:
Colorful, original, "primitive"
Original paintings make wonderful holiday gifts!
Colorful paintings about animals, people and the earth
Available by appointment.
Call: 513-591-3003 or email: ledererm@nuvox.net
Card and some posters also available.
(Not only is the art wonderful, but it is great to support this local artist who is disabled and inspiring. ellen)
12/10
Silent Auction to Benefit Northside community service group
to pay for crime stopping surveillance cameras for Northside
Juicy Art and Services Auctioned off Cheap
For Example: Two night cabin stay at Red River Gorge; Ken Griffey Jr. autographed baseball; Anthony Munoz autographed helmet; Gift Cert. for Boca, Slims, Rahn's, Shaket It Records, Taylor Jameson Hair Design, lawyer services like will; etc. etc. etc.
Bargains
Saturday, Dec 10, 5-8 pm at Northside Tavern 4164 Hamilton Ave 45223
Northside Community Urban redevelopment Corp. (NCURC)
11/19
Bargain time for intuitive divination by Malidoma Some student Susan Crew, Ph.D. She is amazing! Shamanistic "reading" on your life and/or your issues, problems, questions. Ancient African roots. If you have been curious about or utilized Tarot, palm reading, I-Ching, etc. you will be fascinated, possibly thrilled by this. ellen
Connect with the wisdom of ancestors, elemental spirits of water, earth, nature and mineral, and wise beings from other dimensions.
Dear Friends, Colleagues and Kindred Spirits,
During the months of November and December of 2005 I will be doing divinations for a fee of $20.00 rather than my usual fee of $60.00 to $100.00.
(This is a spiritual technology taught to me by Malidoma Somé www.malidoma.org and the shaman of the Dagara people, Burkina Faso, West Africa.)
I will be sending all the money I receive for these divinations to the Shaman of Burkina Faso with whom I studied, and to the people in Dano, home of Malidoma Somé.
Peace, Susan
Susan B. Crew, Ph.D.
513-559-1193
www.numinousity.net
Susan@numinousity.net
Cathy Roma and the St. John's Music Series:
Sunday Dec 11, 11 am
St. John's choir with area instrumentalists: Mozart Missa Brevis and a Bach Cantata
St. John's U. Church 320 Resor Ave 45220
12/19
Kenn and Patricia Deigh Present on Hellinger Constellation Work
at Monday Night Salon, 19 December
They will give a short introduction at the table, and then at 8, after the salon, will give a demonstration upstairs in the zendo. Free!
Systemic Constellation Work is a means by which we can reveal
and resolve hidden dynamics within our family systems which contribute
to current pain or dysfunction. By working with the representatives in
the field, we can discover solutions so that the individual and the
family soul can move toward greater clarity and healing. The work is
done in a group setting, allowing opportunities for participants to act
as representatives of various parts of the client¹s system. This allows
the client to observe their own dynamic from a new and more conscious
perspective.
Kenn and Patricia were introduced to Systemic Family Constellation Work
in Cornwall in 2001. They pursued training in Germany and the United
States, successfully completing a two year certification course with
Heinz Stark, Bert Hellinger's protégé, in 2005. Both Kenn and Patricia
share a deep enthusiasm for Systemic Constellation Work, fueled by
their own experiences with the healing effects of this powerful tool.
Their work as a couple, with complementary communication styles, is
rare among Constellation facilitators and allows for a greater dynamic
clarity in the field.
They also will be presenting a workshop here during the winter, perhaps in February. Stay tuned.
12/10/05
Cherri Ann Forest Sends...
Hi Ellen ~
Cincinnati & Global greetings to you and everyone in the Lloyd House network-ing !
Forward ! Forward ! Healthward ! Healthward !
Dear All - Greater Cincinnatians, Friends, Colleagues ~
I'm enclosing the following notice in hopes you will share & post around " the town ".
I hope - while driving in them is some challenge - that you find ways to enjoy some of the results of snowstorms / snow fall !
As some of you might know I am currently planning to give time to the formation of an Artist in Residence proposal with folks at ( one of greater Cincinnati's ) fine outdoor oriented education centers - in collaboration with the GeoCelebrate Community Collaborative Project and Rising Sun StudioWorks.
Also during this process of proposal formation - details, meetings, submitting... I'm willing to follow through on the "eastern oxbow promise". ( Before my most recent stay in Washington state, I spoke to/with folks about contributing time to organize neighborhood nature study meetings - as an excuse to create community - around the Oxbow on the little Miami - in the Terrace Park / Newtown / Mariemont / Fairfax / Madison Place / Madisonville region )
Sharing a dream of regeneration and renewal - included in the proposal will be activities some of you are already familiar with, ( a Cincinnati site for the TREASURE OUR ISLAND / HEART Mural, implementing and developing activities for adults/teens/families/young ones, studioworks, book formation ) all variations on the theme of appreciation - for a precious and most "Special Place in the Universe"
If you have any details, questions, information or leads - please feel free to contact me via this email address.
Thank You !
Cherri Ann Forrest
GeoCelebrate Community Collaborative Project - in affiliation with
Rising Sun StudioWorks
12/10 from Cherri Ann Forest
Dear Cincinnatian,
If you are travelling this winter and/or would like a housesitter/caretaker please contact me ( Cherri - via this address: cherri ann forrest <geocelebrate@hotmail.com>)
I have experience with this, and enjoy working with plants and animals.
I will consider a variety of settings, preferably on the east side of Cincinnati ( for the above mentioned reasons ) provided there is nature, ( ie; native trees ) privacy, good light, relative quiet, tidyness and harmony. I am currently looking for a good position / situ that would last for several months, to provide the time needed to work on the proposals above, possibly longer.
A situation in a setting that supports the above ( and below ) will "speed" things along most efficiently.
Thanks to all ~ and keep warm !
cherri ann forrest <geocelebrate@hotmail.com>
7/16/05
Retreat Space / Temporary Lodging
at the Lloyd House
prices to be negotiated
By the day...week...month.
Reference required
This is a new idea I just got. Instead of a permanent housemate, we could have "bed no breakfast" guests. Know anyone who needs this... a weekend getaway? Mad at the spouse? Want to meditate or write or heal? The Lloyd House is quiet, comfortable, jolly. Plus, massage available at special Lloyd House Resident rates with Neil Anderson, L.M.T.
**********************
2 Different Spaces Available at Lloyd House
Fabulous Clifton Gaslight Castle; warm, multicultural environment
2 miles from U.C. 1/2 mile from Mitchell Ave. exit I-75
Call Ellen: 513 221 1289
Third floor walk up. (A) One room with sleeping loft, private bath, share kitchen
Room has ethernet for high speed internet connection: $10/mo. extra
Share: third floor meditation/dance/yoga room
first floor TV/VCR/DVD, iMac w/ high speed internet, dining room, veranda
Off street parking, spacious yard, gardens, sauna, workout room
2 hours per month building maintenance/yard care/housmates meeting
Laundry (indoor lines for drying) free
and (C) First Floor large office, share powder room, share waiting room/living room/ parking.
Rookwood fireplace. 18 x 18' (very spacious).
Has its own entry as well as access to public waiting room. Super for any kind of office, studio, body worker, practitioner, ...
Minimum age: 25
Monthly house contribution: $350; $430 (more if you use A/C, internet)
Available 1 September, 2005
Other housemates include: me, Neil Anderson (our fabulous massage therapist), Alan Bern (musician, doctoral student CCM).
No smoking in house.
I am looking for: rock solid good vibes 24/7. Also rock solid financial reliability. Also, prefer a person who will enjoy the Monday night Salon and is interested in building community here. Eventually want to explore sharing ownership and all responsibilities.
Please pass the word to any of your contacts who might know of folks looking for a place to live/work.
ellen
12/10
Local Psychologist, Jungian, and Shaman SUSAN CREW to give seminar:
Dreams & Creativity
This exciting course will allow each participant to connect with the "artist within" that creates stories, dramas and images each night in dream time. It is also a powerful way to tap into that part of yourself that loves to play & knows just what you are to become.
We will delve into our dream life through making art. We will paint, draw, make stories, create dramas. Each person will have opportunities to share one of her or his dreams with the group, as a focus of our work.
6 WEEKDAY Sessions, 1/12/06 through 3/2/06, 12:00 to 2:00 pm (no class on 1/26 and 2/16). $99.00 at Essex Studios
Registration required at least 5 days in advance. Full fee of $99.00 due at time of registration. Min. 5, max. 8 participants.
Susan B. Crew, Ph.D.
513-559-1193
www.numinousity.net
Cathy Roma and St. John's Music Series
Jan 28, Sat. 8 pm
Sonic Om: Indian Percussion and Dance music
with Kanniks Kannikeswaren and friends
St. John's U. Church on320 Resor Ave 45220
$10 students and seniors, $17.50 others
Free Childcare
9 April 3 pm
Proud and Peaceful: A concert featuring Piano, Voice, and Comedy: Alix Thio, John Wright, Steve Mallory and Terry LaBolt
St. John's U. Church on320 Resor Ave 45220
$10 students and seniors, $17.50 others
Free ChildcareNeed a cool holiday gift?
Weekly Events that repeat every week
12/10
Neil Anderson gives a fantastic massage. Give a half hour or full hour massage with Neil at the Lloyd House. Can't be beat. Massage is a health and vigor restorer, a tool for self empowerment, a wonderful way to be nurtured, ... good for what ails you, man woman or child. Call him.
559-1726.
Reasonable rates.
Alan Bern calls Neil a "massage virtuoso". It's true. ellen
12/10
Announcement. Dr. John A. Kelly is beginning a local speaking tour on Healing the Racial divide. he is available to speak to your church or group.John completed his training at the Layministry Academy of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church on June 1. Dr. Kelly has a degree in Sociology from West Virginia State University, a traditionally black institution. He earned his master of social work degree at West Virginia University. John earned his doctorate in counselor education at the University of Cincinnati specialializing in multicultural counseling. He is a member of the board of directors of the Reconciling Ministries of the United Methodist Church. He is also on the board of directors of the Unity House World Peace Center. Dr. Kelly will present for the benefit of a love offering. Please contact him to schedule a speaking date at 242-7088; John is a member of the salon.
11/12
Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center Events:
Remember WOMEN IN BLACK VIGILS continue weekly
Mondays
5-6 pm
Grassy island at corner of Vine St. and Central Pkwy
Wear black or dark- colored clothes.
All are welcome!
513-579-8547
12/3/05
Tender Yoga with Nonegenarian Phil Nightingale
St. John's Unitarian Church on Resor Ave in Clifton
Tuesdays 10:00 - 11:30
Easy, gentle yet effective yoga for "the rest of us". No one too old, too infirm, too stiff for this class.
11/21/05
buddha dharma study group
New group formed at Lloyd House to study the Buddhist scriptures from the original (most ancient) Pali texts.
Saturday mornings 9:30 - 11:00
We will be slowly working our way through "In the Buddha's Words", translated and with introductions by Bikhu Bodhi
with foreward by the Dalai Lama.
This is a tasty little group. We will give you a copy of the book. Come join us!
Format:
9:30, arrive, remove shoes, come up to the (beautifl) third floor meditation room.
9:45: meditation for ten minutes
9:50: the leader for the week reads the short passage, next in sequence. Then the leader shares her/his reactions and thoughts. Then we go around the circle, everyone sharing or passing. No interruptions. After everyone who wants has given their response, we have open discussion until 11:00.
11:00: tea in the dinning room.
We have a web forum. Richard Blumberg has been studying this material for years. I love to listen to him explain it. He is the guy who gave that excellent introduction to Buddhism last year at the salon.
I have been meditating for decades, but had never studied the sutras. This is a treat! ellen
12/3
Good Odd Jobs Man Available Cheap
Noli Tobias, age 31, Philippino man, Physical Therapist awaiting U.S.
licensure. Married to Vietnamese woman, U.S. citizen.
Will work for $8 / hour. Housecleaning, maintenance jobs, yard work, etc.
I have met Noli and like him a lot. Seems reliable, intelligent, pleasant, competent. Such a deal! ellen
- end of Announcements -
Articles
12/10
Harold Pinter Blasts U.S. / U.K. Policy: Lies!
in his Nobel Prize (for Lit.) acceptance speech Nov 8
http://books.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5350697-99819,00.html
The Nobel lectureArt, truth and politics
In his video-taped Nobel acceptance speech, Harold Pinter excoriated a 'brutal, scornful and ruthless' United States. This is the full text of his address
Harold Pinter
Thursday December 8, 2005
Guardian Unlimited
In 1958 I wrote the following:
'There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.'
I believe that these assertions still make sense and do still apply to the exploration of reality through art. So as a writer I stand by them but as a citizen I cannot. As a citizen I must ask: What is true? What is false?
Truth in drama is forever elusive. You never quite find it but the search for it is compulsive. The search is clearly what drives the endeavour. The search is your task. More often than not you stumble upon the truth in the dark, colliding with it or just glimpsing an image or a shape which seems to correspond to the truth, often without realising that you have done so. But the real truth is that there never is any such thing as one truth to be found in dramatic art. There are many. These truths challenge each other, recoil from each other, reflect each other, ignore each other, tease each other, are blind to each other. Sometimes you feel you have the truth of a moment in your hand, then it slips through your fingers and is lost.
I have often been asked how my plays come about. I cannot say. Nor can I ever sum up my plays, except to say that this is what happened. That is what they said. That is what they did.
Most of the plays are engendered by a line, a word or an image. The given word is often shortly followed by the image. I shall give two examples of two lines which came right out of the blue into my head, followed by an image, followed by me.
The plays are The Homecoming and Old Times. The first line of The Homecoming is 'What have you done with the scissors?' The first line of Old Times is 'Dark.'
In each case I had no further information.
In the first case someone was obviously looking for a pair of scissors and was demanding their whereabouts of someone else he suspected had probably stolen them. But I somehow knew that the person addressed didn't give a damn about the scissors or about the questioner either, for that matter.
'Dark' I took to be a description of someone's hair, the hair of a woman, and was the answer to a question. In each case I found myself compelled to pursue the matter. This happened visually, a very slow fade, through shadow into light.
I always start a play by calling the characters A, B and C.
In the play that became The Homecoming I saw a man enter a stark room and ask his question of a younger man sitting on an ugly sofa reading a racing paper. I somehow suspected that A was a father and that B was his son, but I had no proof. This was however confirmed a short time later when B (later to become Lenny) says to A (later to become Max), 'Dad, do you mind if I change the subject? I want to ask you something. The dinner we had before, what was the name of it? What do you call it? Why don't you buy a dog? You're a dog cook. Honest. You think you're cooking for a lot of dogs.' So since B calls A 'Dad' it seemed to me reasonable to assume that they were father and son. A was also clearly the cook and his cooking did not seem to be held in high regard. Did this mean that there was no mother? I didn't know. But, as I told myself at the time, our beginnings never know our ends.
'Dark.' A large window. Evening sky. A man, A (later to become Deeley), and a woman, B (later to become Kate), sitting with drinks. 'Fat or thin?' the man asks. Who are they talking about? But I then see, standing at the window, a woman, C (later to become Anna), in another condition of light, her back to them, her hair dark.
It's a strange moment, the moment of creating characters who up to that moment have had no existence. What follows is fitful, uncertain, even hallucinatory, although sometimes it can be an unstoppable avalanche. The author's position is an odd one. In a sense he is not welcomed by the characters. The characters resist him, they are not easy to live with, they are impossible to define. You certainly can't dictate to them. To a certain extent you play a never-ending game with them, cat and mouse, blind man's buff, hide and seek. But finally you find that you have people of flesh and blood on your hands, people with will and an individual sensibility of their own, made out of component parts you are unable to change, manipulate or distort.
So language in art remains a highly ambiguous transaction, a quicksand, a trampoline, a frozen pool which might give way under you, the author, at any time.
But as I have said, the search for the truth can never stop. It cannot be adjourned, it cannot be postponed. It has to be faced, right there, on the spot.
Political theatre presents an entirely different set of problems. Sermonising has to be avoided at all cost. Objectivity is essential. The characters must be allowed to breathe their own air. The author cannot confine and constrict them to satisfy his own taste or disposition or prejudice. He must be prepared to approach them from a variety of angles, from a full and uninhibited range of perspectives, take them by surprise, perhaps, occasionally, but nevertheless give them the freedom to go which way they will. This does not always work. And political satire, of course, adheres to none of these precepts, in fact does precisely the opposite, which is its proper function.
In my play The Birthday Party I think I allow a whole range of options to operate in a dense forest of possibility before finally focussing on an act of subjugation.
Mountain Language pretends to no such range of operation. It remains brutal, short and ugly. But the soldiers in the play do get some fun out of it. One sometimes forgets that torturers become easily bored. They need a bit of a laugh to keep their spirits up. This has been confirmed of course by the events at Abu Ghraib in Baghdad. Mountain Language lasts only 20 minutes, but it could go on for hour after hour, on and on and on, the same pattern repeated over and over again, on and on, hour after hour.
Ashes to Ashes, on the other hand, seems to me to be taking place under water. A drowning woman, her hand reaching up through the waves, dropping down out of sight, reaching for others, but finding nobody there, either above or under the water, finding only shadows, reflections, floating; the woman a lost figure in a drowning landscape, a woman unable to escape the doom that seemed to belong only to others.
But as they died, she must die too.
Political language, as used by politicians, does not venture into any of this territory since the majority of politicians, on the evidence available to us, are interested not in truth but in power and in the maintenance of that power. To maintain that power it is essential that people remain in ignorance, that they live in ignorance of the truth, even the truth of their own lives. What surrounds us therefore is a vast tapestry of lies, upon which we feed.
As every single person here knows, the justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction, some of which could be fired in 45 minutes, bringing about appalling devastation. We were assured that was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq had a relationship with Al Quaeda and shared responsibility for the atrocity in New York of September 11th 2001. We were assured that this was true. It was not true. We were told that Iraq threatened the security of the world. We were assured it was true. It was not true.
The truth is something entirely different. The truth is to do with how the United States understands its role in the world and how it chooses to embody it.
But before I come back to the present I would like to look at the recent past, by which I mean United States foreign policy since the end of the Second World War. I believe it is obligatory upon us to subject this period to at least some kind of even limited scrutiny, which is all that time will allow here.
Everyone knows what happened in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe during the post-war period: the systematic brutality, the widespread atrocities, the ruthless suppression of independent thought. All this has been fully documented and verified.
But my contention here is that the US crimes in the same period have only been superficially recorded, let alone documented, let alone acknowledged, let alone recognised as crimes at all. I believe this must be addressed and that the truth has considerable bearing on where the world stands now. Although constrained, to a certain extent, by the existence of the Soviet Union, the United States' actions throughout the world made it clear that it had concluded it had carte blanche to do what it liked.
Direct invasion of a sovereign state has never in fact been America's favoured method. In the main, it has preferred what it has described as 'low intensity conflict'. Low intensity conflict means that thousands of people die but slower than if you dropped a bomb on them in one fell swoop. It means that you infect the heart of the country, that you establish a malignant growth and watch the gangrene bloom. When the populace has been subdued - or beaten to death - the same thing - and your own friends, the military and the great corporations, sit comfortably in power, you go before the camera and say that democracy has prevailed. This was a commonplace in US foreign policy in the years to which I refer.
The tragedy of Nicaragua was a highly significant case. I choose to offer it here as a potent example of America's view of its role in the world, both then and now.
I was present at a meeting at the US embassy in London in the late 1980s.
The United States Congress was about to decide whether to give more money to the Contras in their campaign against the state of Nicaragua. I was a member of a delegation speaking on behalf of Nicaragua but the most important member of this delegation was a Father John Metcalf. The leader of the US body was Raymond Seitz (then number two to the ambassador, later ambassador himself). Father Metcalf said: 'Sir, I am in charge of a parish in the north of Nicaragua. My parishioners built a school, a health centre, a cultural centre. We have lived in peace. A few months ago a Contra force attacked the parish. They destroyed everything: the school, the health centre, the cultural centre. They raped nurses and teachers, slaughtered doctors, in the most brutal manner. They behaved like savages. Please demand that the US government withdraw its support from this shocking terrorist activity.'
Raymond Seitz had a very good reputation as a rational, responsible and highly sophisticated man. He was greatly respected in diplomatic circles. He listened, paused and then spoke with some gravity. 'Father,' he said, 'let me tell you something. In war, innocent people always suffer.' There was a frozen silence. We stared at him. He did not flinch.
Innocent people, indeed, always suffer.
Finally somebody said: 'But in this case "innocent people" were the victims of a gruesome atrocity subsidised by your government, one among many. If Congress allows the Contras more money further atrocities of this kind will take place. Is this not the case? Is your government not therefore guilty of supporting acts of murder and destruction upon the citizens of a sovereign state?'
Seitz was imperturbable. 'I don't agree that the facts as presented support your assertions,' he said.
As we were leaving the Embassy a US aide told me that he enjoyed my plays. I did not reply.
I should remind you that at the time President Reagan made the following statement: 'The Contras are the moral equivalent of our Founding Fathers.'
The United States supported the brutal Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua for over 40 years. The Nicaraguan people, led by the Sandinistas, overthrew this regime in 1979, a breathtaking popular revolution.
The Sandinistas weren't perfect. They possessed their fair share of arrogance and their political philosophy contained a number of contradictory elements. But they were intelligent, rational and civilised. They set out to establish a stable, decent, pluralistic society. The death penalty was abolished. Hundreds of thousands of poverty-stricken peasants were brought back from the dead. Over 100,000 families were given title to land. Two thousand schools were built. A quite remarkable literacy campaign reduced illiteracy in the country to less than one seventh. Free education was established and a free health service. Infant mortality was reduced by a third. Polio was eradicated.
The United States denounced these achievements as Marxist/Leninist subversion. In the view of the US government, a dangerous example was being set. If Nicaragua was allowed to establish basic norms of social and economic justice, if it was allowed to raise the standards of health care and education and achieve social unity and national self respect, neighbouring countries would ask the same questions and do the same things. There was of course at the time fierce resistance to the status quo in El Salvador.
I spoke earlier about 'a tapestry of lies' which surrounds us. President Reagan commonly described Nicaragua as a 'totalitarian dungeon'. This was taken generally by the media, and certainly by the British government, as accurate and fair comment. But there was in fact no record of death squads under the Sandinista government. There was no record of torture. There was no record of systematic or official military brutality. No priests were ever murdered in Nicaragua. There were in fact three priests in the government, two Jesuits and a Maryknoll missionary. The totalitarian dungeons were actually next door, in El Salvador and Guatemala. The United States had brought down the democratically elected government of Guatemala in 1954 and it is estimated that over 200,000 people had been victims of successive military dictatorships.
Six of the most distinguished Jesuits in the world were viciously murdered at the Central American University in San Salvador in 1989 by a battalion of the Alcatl regiment trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. That extremely brave man Archbishop Romero was assassinated while saying mass. It is estimated that 75,000 people died. Why were they killed? They were killed because they believed a better life was possible and should be achieved. That belief immediately qualified them as communists. They died because they dared to question the status quo, the endless plateau of poverty, disease, degradation and oppression, which had been their birthright.
The United States finally brought down the Sandinista government. It took some years and considerable resistance but relentless economic persecution and 30,000 dead finally undermined the spirit of the Nicaraguan people. They were exhausted and poverty stricken once again. The casinos moved back into the country. Free health and free education were over. Big business returned with a vengeance. 'Democracy' had prevailed.
But this 'policy' was by no means restricted to Central America. It was conducted throughout the world. It was never-ending. And it is as if it never happened.
The United States supported and in many cases engendered every right wing military dictatorship in the world after the end of the Second World War. I refer to Indonesia, Greece, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Haiti, Turkey, the Philippines, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, Chile. The horror the United States inflicted upon Chile in 1973 can never be purged and can never be forgiven.
Hundreds of thousands of deaths took place throughout these countries. Did they take place? And are they in all cases attributable to US foreign policy? The answer is yes they did take place and they are attributable to American foreign policy. But you wouldn't know it.
It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn't happening. It didn't matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It's a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis.
I put to you that the United States is without doubt the greatest show on the road. Brutal, indifferent, scornful and ruthless it may be but it is also very clever. As a salesman it is out on its own and its most saleable commodity is self love. It's a winner. Listen to all American presidents on television say the words, 'the American people', as in the sentence, 'I say to the American people it is time to pray and to defend the rights of the American people and I ask the American people to trust their president in the action he is about to take on behalf of the American people.'
It's a scintillating stratagem. Language is actually employed to keep thought at bay. The words 'the American people' provide a truly voluptuous cushion of reassurance. You don't need to think. Just lie back on the cushion. The cushion may be suffocating your intelligence and your critical faculties but it's very comfortable. This does not apply of course to the 40 million people living below the poverty line and the 2 million men and women imprisoned in the vast gulag of prisons, which extends across the US.
The United States no longer bothers about low intensity conflict. It no longer sees any point in being reticent or even devious. It puts its cards on the table without fear or favour. It quite simply doesn't give a damn about the United Nations, international law or critical dissent, which it regards as impotent and irrelevant. It also has its own bleating little lamb tagging behind it on a lead, the pathetic and supine Great Britain.
What has happened to our moral sensibility? Did we ever have any? What do these words mean? Do they refer to a term very rarely employed these days - conscience? A conscience to do not only with our own acts but to do with our shared responsibility in the acts of others? Is all this dead? Look at Guantanamo Bay. Hundreds of people detained without charge for over three years, with no legal representation or due process, technically detained forever. This totally illegitimate structure is maintained in defiance of the Geneva Convention. It is not only tolerated but hardly thought about by what's called the 'international community'. This criminal outrage is being committed by a country, which declares itself to be 'the leader of the free world'. Do we think about the inhabitants of Guantanamo Bay? What does the media say about them? They pop up occasionally - a small item on page six. They have been consigned to a no man's land from which indeed they may never return. At present many are on hunger strike, being force-fed, including British residents. No niceties in these force-feeding procedures. No sedative or anaesthetic. Just a tube stuck up your nose and into your throat. You vomit blood. This is torture. What has the British Foreign Secretary said about this? Nothing. What has the British Prime Minister said about this? Nothing. Why not? Because the United States has said: to criticise our conduct in Guantanamo Bay constitutes an unfriendly act. You're either with us or against us. So Blair shuts up.
The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law. The invasion was an arbitrary military action inspired by a series of lies upon lies and gross manipulation of the media and therefore of the public; an act intended to consolidate American military and economic control of the Middle East masquerading - as a last resort - all other justifications having failed to justify themselves - as liberation. A formidable assertion of military force responsible for the death and mutilation of thousands and thousands of innocent people.
We have brought torture, cluster bombs, depleted uranium, innumerable acts of random murder, misery, degradation and death to the Iraqi people and call it 'bringing freedom and democracy to the Middle East'.
How many people do you have to kill before you qualify to be described as a mass murderer and a war criminal? One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice. But Bush has been clever. He has not ratified the International Criminal Court of Justice. Therefore if any American soldier or for that matter politician finds himself in the dock Bush has warned that he will send in the marines. But Tony Blair has ratified the Court and is therefore available for prosecution. We can let the Court have his address if they're interested. It is Number 10, Downing Street, London.
Death in this context is irrelevant. Both Bush and Blair place death well away on the back burner. At least 100,000 Iraqis were killed by American bombs and missiles before the Iraq insurgency began. These people are of no moment. Their deaths don't exist. They are blank. They are not even recorded as being dead. 'We don't do body counts,' said the American general Tommy Franks.
Early in the invasion there was a photograph published on the front page of British newspapers of Tony Blair kissing the cheek of a little Iraqi boy. 'A grateful child,' said the caption. A few days later there was a story and photograph, on an inside page, of another four-year-old boy with no arms. His family had been blown up by a missile. He was the only survivor. 'When do I get my arms back?' he asked. The story was dropped. Well, Tony Blair wasn't holding him in his arms, nor the body of any other mutilated child, nor the body of any bloody corpse. Blood is dirty. It dirties your shirt and tie when you're making a sincere speech on television.
The 2,000 American dead are an embarrassment. They are transported to their graves in the dark. Funerals are unobtrusive, out of harm's way. The mutilated rot in their beds, some for the rest of their lives. So the dead and the mutilated both rot, in different kinds of graves.
Here is an extract from a poem by Pablo Neruda, 'I'm Explaining a Few Things':
And one morning all that was burning,
one morning the bonfires
leapt out of the earth
devouring human beings
and from then on fire,
gunpowder from then on,
and from then on blood.
Bandits with planes and Moors,
bandits with finger-rings and duchesses,
bandits with black friars spattering blessings
came through the sky to kill children
and the blood of children ran through the streets
without fuss, like children's blood.
Jackals that the jackals would despise
stones that the dry thistle would bite on and spit out,
vipers that the vipers would abominate.
Face to face with you I have seen the blood
of Spain tower like a tide
to drown you in one wave
of pride and knives.
Treacherous
generals:
see my dead house,
look at broken Spain:
from every house burning metal flows
instead of flowers
from every socket of Spain
Spain emerges
and from every dead child a rifle with eyes
and from every crime bullets are born
which will one day find
the bull's eye of your hearts.
And you will ask: why doesn't his poetry
speak of dreams and leaves
and the great volcanoes of his native land.
Come and see the blood in the streets.
Come and see
the blood in the streets.
Come and see the blood
in the streets! *
Let me make it quite clear that in quoting from Neruda's poem I am in no way comparing Republican Spain to Saddam Hussein's Iraq. I quote Neruda because nowhere in contemporary poetry have I read such a powerful visceral description of the bombing of civilians.
I have said earlier that the United States is now totally frank about putting its cards on the table. That is the case. Its official declared policy is now defined as 'full spectrum dominance'. That is not my term, it is theirs. 'Full spectrum dominance' means control of land, sea, air and space and all attendant resources.
The United States now occupies 702 military installations throughout the world in 132 countries, with the honourable exception of Sweden, of course. We don't quite know how they got there but they are there all right.
The United States possesses 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads. Two thousand are on hair trigger alert, ready to be launched with 15 minutes warning. It is developing new systems of nuclear force, known as bunker busters. The British, ever cooperative, are intending to replace their own nuclear missile, Trident. Who, I wonder, are they aiming at? Osama bin Laden? You? Me? Joe Dokes? China? Paris? Who knows? What we do know is that this infantile insanity - the possession and threatened use of nuclear weapons - is at the heart of present American political philosophy. We must remind ourselves that the United States is on a permanent military footing and shows no sign of relaxing it.
Many thousands, if not millions, of people in the United States itself are demonstrably sickened, shamed and angered by their government's actions, but as things stand they are not a coherent political force - yet. But the anxiety, uncertainty and fear which we can see growing daily in the United States is unlikely to diminish.
I know that President Bush has many extremely competent speech writers but I would like to volunteer for the job myself. I propose the following short address which he can make on television to the nation. I see him grave, hair carefully combed, serious, winning, sincere, often beguiling, sometimes employing a wry smile, curiously attractive, a man's man.
'God is good. God is great. God is good. My God is good. Bin Laden's God is bad. His is a bad God. Saddam's God was bad, except he didn't have one. He was a barbarian. We are not barbarians. We don't chop people's heads off. We believe in freedom. So does God. I am not a barbarian. I am the democratically elected leader of a freedom-loving democracy. We are a compassionate society. We give compassionate electrocution and compassionate lethal injection. We are a great nation. I am not a dictator. He is. I am not a barbarian. He is. And he is. They all are. I possess moral authority. You see this fist? This is my moral authority. And don't you forget it.'
A writer's life is a highly vulnerable, almost naked activity. We don't have to weep about that. The writer makes his choice and is stuck with it. But it is true to say that you are open to all the winds, some of them icy indeed. You are out on your own, out on a limb. You find no shelter, no protection - unless you lie - in which case of course you have constructed your own protection and, it could be argued, become a politician.
I have referred to death quite a few times this evening. I shall now quote a poem of my own called 'Death'.
Where was the dead body found?
Who found the dead body?
Was the dead body dead when found?
How was the dead body found?
Who was the dead body?
Who was the father or daughter or brother
Or uncle or sister or mother or son
Of the dead and abandoned body?
Was the body dead when abandoned?
Was the body abandoned?
By whom had it been abandoned?
Was the dead body naked or dressed for a journey?
What made you declare the dead body dead?
Did you declare the dead body dead?
How well did you know the dead body?
How did you know the dead body was dead?
Did you wash the dead body
Did you close both its eyes
Did you bury the body
Did you leave it abandoned
Did you kiss the dead body
When we look into a mirror we think the image that confronts us is accurate. But move a millimetre and the image changes. We are actually looking at a never-ending range of reflections. But sometimes a writer has to smash the mirror - for it is on the other side of that mirror that the truth stares at us.
I believe that despite the enormous odds which exist, unflinching, unswerving, fierce intellectual determination, as citizens, to define the real truth of our lives and our societies is a crucial obligation which devolves upon us all. It is in fact mandatory.
If such a determination is not embodied in our political vision we have no hope of restoring what is so nearly lost to us - the dignity of man.
* Extract from "I'm Explaining a Few Things" translated by Nathaniel Tarn, from Pablo Neruda: Selected Poems, published by Jonathan Cape, London 1970. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited.
© The Nobel Foundation 2005
Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
12/10
Proposed law forces everyone to have vaccinations
12/10 Local Holistic Doc. Debbi Silverman is alarmed about this:
From Debbi:
Friends -
I personally do NOT believe that most vaccines are dangerous or even high risk, but I DO object to our government MANDATING vaccination, without recourse for adverse reactions. I believe for this latter reason, the message below is critical & our need to act on it is urgent.
- Debbi Silverman, M.D.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dwight Smith [mailto: openingup@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, November 18, 2005 1:20 PM
To: Dwight
Subject: ACT NOW ! YOUR HEALTH IS IN DANGER
Dear Group,
Please read the message below. It is self explanatory and as a physician I am very concerned with the intended law!! Give this info to everyone you know.
Anthony Castiglia, MD
GIVE ME LIBERTY OR THEY MAY GIVE ME DEATH
We are facing a dangerous moment in our history. An industry with
more money than sense and a government with more greed than
patriotism are conspiring to rob our right to control our bodies,
keep them safe and, if harmed, seek recompense from the corporation
which harmed us.
I urge you to take action on this issue, pass this email to everyone
you know and become a source of information and strength to everyone
you know.
The threats' names are Senate bill 1873 and House bill 3970. They
set the stage for mass forced vaccines. For noncompliance they offer
imprisonment and/or quarantine without probable cause or scientific
evidence of illness or contamination.
1. Please Write to your Congressmen/women to let them know that both
the Senate (S1873) and House (HR3970) versions of the bill must be
defeated, I suggest that you select and copy the following text, and
insert it in place of the text that you will find in the "Letter
Salutation" box:
Dear Congressman/woman,
With greatest urgency, I implore you to oppose the paired bills,
S1873 and HR3970. S1873 would absolve vaccine manufactures and
agents of any harm caused by vaccines. HR3970 not only absolves
makers of vaccines, it threatens to permit the government to force
me and my loved ones to submit to vaccination for any purpose it
chooses, regardless of the dangers inherent in the material and
procedure. Vaccinations are increasingly understood to be
dangerous.
Those bills create a secret, powerful, unchallengeable, and
constitution-immune agency, BARDA, with life-and death power over US
citizens. Those bills represent the exact opposite of sane, sensible
and appropriate democratic governance. They represent the reign of
high profit and high terror under a profoundly undemocratic regime.
Also, S1873 and HR3970 prevent Freedom of Information Act or other
transparency measures regarding the contents of the vaccines which
may be used, and forbid consumers (including parents of children
vaccinated) from learning what was injected into their bodies.
Vaccines are coming under increasing scrutiny. Most of the recent
vaccines have not proved effective but proved unnecessary and
dangerous,. Compulsory vaccination is an abomination. US Government
life-and-death powers over Americans who have neither redress nor
oversight are not only unwise but mad.
I look to you to protect my rights and freedoms to pursue health and
happiness. I must tell you that your vote on this issue will
determine whether I and my loved ones vote for you in the next
election.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this most important
matter.
2. Call Congress. The Congressional Switchboard is 1-202-225-3121.
The operators will connect you with your congressional delegation
when you tell them your zip code.
3. Ask people around you to adamantly opposed to S1873 and HR3970
since vaccines are dangerous; compulsory vaccination violates your
personal rights to self determination; and vaccines contain:
? Stealth viruses (many now do)
? Squalene (a major threat to life and health as many a Gulf
War Veteran knows to his/her endless distress)
? Mercury
? Formaldehyde
? Aluminum
? Live viruses which should have been killed or
? Other contaminants,
Although we have been told that vaccines are, vaccines are neither
effective nor safe. The truth, however, is far more disquieting. And
for untested vaccines, the story is worse. Here are some sites to
which you can go to get in-depth information about this troubling
question:
? Vaccination Information and Choice Network
? Vaccine Dangers
? Vaccination Dangers
? Deep Down Wellness
? NCOW
? Rense.com <http://rense.com/>
? The Vaccine Page
? National Vaccine Information Center
Even if you believe in vaccines for you and yours, the idea of a
compulsory vaccination administered by a secret government agency
with zero accountability to you, ties to the pharmaceutical industry
and immunity for manufacturers, is against liberty and freedom.
Here is a bill worth fighting against--especially since the U.S.
military is now being prepared to force-vaccinate all of us because
of the bird flu!
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) is calling the
"Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005"
(S1873), which passed out of the U.S. Senate HELP Committee--one day
after it was introduced--"a drug company stockholder's dream and a
consumer's worst nightmare."
The proposed legislation will strip Americans of the right to a
trial by jury if harmed by an experimental or licensed drug or
vaccine that they are forced by government to take whenever federal
health officials declare a public health emergency.
The legislation's architect, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), Chairman of
the HELP Subcommittee on Bioterrorism and Public Health
Preparedness, told the full HELP Committee yesterday that the
legislation "creates a true partnership" between the federal
government, the pharmaceutical industry and academia to walk the
drug companies "through the Valley of Death" in bringing a new
vaccine or drug to market.
Burr said it will give the Department of Health and Human Services
"additional authority and resources to partner with the private
sector to rapidly develop drugs and vaccines." The Burr bill gives
the Secretary of DHHS the sole authority to decide whether a
manufacturer violated laws mandating drug safety and bans citizens
from challenging his decision in the civil court system.
The bill establishes the Biomedical Advanced Research and
Development Agency (BARDA), as the single point of authority within
the government for the advanced research and development of drugs
and vaccines in response to bioterrorism and natural disease
outbreaks such as the flu.
BARDA will operate in secret, exempt from the Freedom of Information
Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act, insuring that no
evidence of injuries or deaths caused by drugs and vaccines labeled
as "countermeasures" will become public.
Nicknamed "Bioshield Two," the legislation is being pushed rapidly
through Congress without time for voters to make their voices heard
by their elected representatives.
Co-sponsored by Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN),
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Mike
Enzi (R-WY), and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg (R-NH),
the legislation will ELIMINATE both REGULATORY and LEGAL SAFEGUARDS
applied to vaccines as well as take away the right of children and
adults harmed by vaccines and drugs to present their case in front
of a jury in a civil court of law.
"It is a sad day for this nation when Congress is frightened and
bullied into allowing one profit making industry to destroy the
seventh Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing citizens their
day in court in front of a jury of their peers," said Barbara Loe
Fisher, president of NVIC.
"This proposed legislation, like the power and money grab by federal
health officials and industry in the Homeland Security Act of 2002
and the Project Bioshield Act of 2004, is an unconstitutional
attempt by some in Congress to give a taxpayer- funded handout to
pharmaceutical companies for drugs and vaccines the government can
force all citizens to use while absolving everyone connected from
any responsibility for injuries and deaths which occur.
It means that, if an American is injured by an experimental flu or
anthrax vaccine he or she is mandated to take, that citizen will be
banned from exercising the Constitutional right to a jury trial even
if it is revealed that the vaccine maker engaged in criminal fraud
and negligence in the manufacture of the vaccine."
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is legally responsible
for regulating the pharmaceutical industry and ensuring that drugs
and vaccines released to the public are safe and effective. Drug
companies marketing painkillers, like Vioxx, and anti-depressants,
which have resulted in the deaths and injuries of thousands of
children and adults, are being held accountable in civil court while
the FDA has come under intense criticism for withholding information
about the drugs' dangers from the public.
Since 1986, vaccine makers have been protected from most liability
in civil court through the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in
which Congress created a federal vaccine injury compensation program
(VICP) that offers vaccine victims an alternative to the court
system.
Even though the program has awarded nearly $2 billion to victims of
mandated vaccines, two out of three plaintiffs are turned away. "The
drug companies and doctors got all the liability protection they
needed in 1986 but they are greedy and want more," said Fisher. "And
the federal health agencies want more power to force citizens to use
vaccines without having to worry about properly regulating them.
If the Burr bill passes, all economic incentives to insure mandated
vaccines are safe will be removed and the American people are facing
a future where government can force them to take poorly regulated
experimental drugs and vaccines labeled as "countermeasures" or go
to jail.
The only recourse for citizens will be to strike down mandatory
vaccination laws so vaccines will be subject to the law of supply
and demand in the marketplace. The health care consumer's cry will
be: No liability? No mandates."
12/10
Todd Portune on his Political Moves:
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2005 9:43 AM
Subject: Ohio Democratic Party Chair
Dear Friends:
As many of you know I had been asked earlier this year to consider representing you and the Democratic Party in the form of sitting as a candidate in 2006 for one of several Statewide offices. I carefully considered those requests and declined. The reasons are best summarized in the letter attachment to this e-mail.
I write to you today, however, to ask your consideration and to respectfully ask for your support for me to serve as the next Chair of the Ohio Democratic Party.
The post was recently vacated by Dennis White and Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin is capably sitting in as Interim Chair. An election will be held no later than this coming May. It may be sooner than that
As you know from reading the letter I sent to many of you in August I have always felt a calling to serve on a broader level. I have not been able to square doing so with the commitment I made to the voters of Hamilton County. Serving as Ohio Party Chair poses no such conflict. I need not give up my seat on the County Commission nor will my attention be diverted from our challenges at hand In every respect I will be in a position to better serve the people of Hamilton County by bringing a Southwest Ohio view to the workings of our Party in Columbus and in Washington D.C.
There are several good candidates from around the state who have already tossed their hat in the ring. I wish them well and I pledge to wage a campaign for the position that seeks only to enhance the People of this Great State of Ohio.
I thank you for your time. I hope I can call upon you for your support.
There are several things you may do that would immediately help in this process such as writing letters or e-mails of support to your friends and contacts across the state and also to the official Democratic Party leadership in Columbus. The ODP website at www.OhioDems.org <http://www.ohiodems.org/> has many links that will facilitate this. And like in every campaign, donations of all sorts help. My campaign Committee of Citizens for Portune remains open at 4689 Summit Oak Lane, Cincinnati, Ohio 45248.
I have heard suggestions that the election of the next Ohio Democratic Party Chair could come as soon as December 19th. If so, this process will unfold rather quickly and anything you can do quickly will help ensure that our issues are capably advanced during the campaign.
Mine will be a different campaign, although we will still need to do a number of the usual things so that those who have a vote will be best informed when they cast that vote. But in addition to alerting the electors of the next Party Chair I intend to do my best to alert the People of Ohio that this decision is on the horizon and to speak to Ohio's citizens directly about the internal failures of our Party in terms of staying in touch with the People.
The most important thing I pledge to you is to continue to serve you and Hamilton County in the best way I know how and in a manner that brings honor to our Party and benefit to our State. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement over the years. I greatly value your consideration of this effort as we move together for a better Ohio.
With kindest personal regards, I remain
very truly yours,
Todd Portune
Hamilton County Commissioner
..............................................................
Ellen, I would love to have Todd Portune come to the Salon and talk about his candidacy in Ohio as well as what the Democratic Party is doing (or not doing) in general. Perhaps he has been there before my attendance, but hopefully again soon.Hi Ellen,
The NY Times had an article about how some western states have very viable state Democratic Party successes even while the national party is floundering. I'd like to see Ohio added to this list of successes.
Nancy Dawley (salonista)
I¹ve attached the flu document. Also ŒHomeopathy: Beyond Flat Earth Medicine¹ by Timothy Dooley, MD, is the best introduction to homeopathy available. You can read it for free at http://www.beyondflatearth.com/.
Yours,
Shirley Reischman, Homeopath
<jereisch@fuse.net>
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Common Sense Approached to Influenza
I) Avian flu
Flu is a lot earthquakes. We know that every so many years a bad one is going to come around and every so many years a really, really bad one is going to come around. We¹re overdue for a really, really bad one. It could come this year or it could come anytime in the next ten years or so, but come it will.
The problem with the avian flu is when it crosses species. We all some immunity to human flu viruses. We have no immunity to other species viruses. Flu viruses mutate easily. If someone with a touch of the human flu comes in contact with another species that has the flu virus (like pigs or birds), the viruses commingle and mutate into a completely new virus that humans have never met before and therefore have no immunity to. Someone compared it to the Europeans coming in contact with a native tribe that had never been exposed to measles. The entire tribe was wiped out from what to us would be a minor childhood illness.
There is no point in panicking and nothing is to be gained by labeling the people who try to predict such things as fear mongers. There is every advantage to being prepared.
II) What to do to prevent the flu and what to do if you get it.
1. The first step is to increase the ability of your immune system to fight off any invading virus.
a. This is the function of the homeopathic flu prevention remedy.
b. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and good diet, including the healthy omega 3 fats and no denatured (processed) foods.
c. Take Sambucol (black elderberry syrup) on a weekly basis. You can get this at most health food stores.
2. Prevention
a. Stay out of crowds and if you are with people who might be fluey, were a mask.
b. Wash your hands frequently and keep your hands away from your ears, nose, eyes and mouth.
c. Use a Neti cup daily with warm salt water. You can get this at most health food stores.
d. Throughout the flu season, gargle daily with hydrogen peroxide and use hydrogen peroxide ear drops weekly. You can get this at any Walgreens.
i. If the ear drops bubble, use them every 2-3 hours until the bubbling subsides.
3. If you get sick
a. Start the homeopathic flu remedy, either Influenzinum 200C or Oscillococcinum 200C (or alternate) at the first sign of not feeling well. Gelsimium and Bryonia are also two of the most frequently indicated homeopathic remedies for flu. Make sure you have a supply of all four available in case you get sick.
b. Increase frequency of H2O2 gargle, ear drops and the Neti cup usage. Also increase Sambucol to every two hours.
c. Go to bed and stay there get plenty of rest and do not spread it to others.
d. Drink LOTS of fluids
e. DO NOT take fever reducers.
i. The fever kills viruses and increases production of interferon, which also kills viruses. The JAMA published a study a few years ago which showed that when you reduce the fever, you prolong the illness.
ii. Bundle up and try to increase the fever. You can use a cool cloth on your head if the heat is too uncomfortable.
f. Have a vaporizer available. Use steam to help keep the airways clear. People die from the flu because their airways clog up. If you are having trouble breathing, seek emergency help immediately.
III) Homeopathic prevention and treatment of the flu
This year¹s flu remedy has arrived. It has all of the same viruses as the CDC¹s vaccine.
The 30C is for prevention and you take one dose every two weeks. You can also take it twice a month on set dates if that makes it easier to remember. An adult dose is four tablets under the tongue. A pre-puberty children¹s dose is two tablets and an infant (prior to the cutting of teeth) dose is one tablet. The 200C is for if you get the flu. Take it Œas needed¹. That means that you take a dose whenever the symptoms quit improving, which may be every 15 minutes or only once. The dose is the same number as for the 30C.
The remedy is being mass produced to hold down the cost, so the size of the bottle and the size of the pellets is preset this year. They both come in a four dram bottle, which provides approximately 120 pellets. The pellet size it #40, the large over the counter size. If you need something other than that, there will be a surcharge from the pharmacy to produce it. It can be ordered from Washington Homeopathics at 800-336-1695.
The 30C retails for $7.39.
The 200C retails for $12.59.
IV) Homeopathic treatment of Avian flu.
At the 2005 Autumn meeting of the Ohio State Homeopathic Medical Society, the keynote topic was avian flu. It is thought that the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 was an avian flu. While the death rate of hospitalized patients was generally considered to be 60%, people treated at the homeopathic hospitals had only a 3% death rate. The two most common remedies were Gelsimium and Bryonia. Oscillococcinum was not available in 1918. Oscillococcinum is made from duck liver and heart. Ducks are carriers of the avian flu, but do not become ill with it. Because of this, it¹s thought that Oscillococcinum will be specific to the avian flu.
You should be able to get Oscillococcinum, Gelsemium & Bryonia at your local health food store.
IV) New book covers all types of flu with a special 48 page chapter on avian flu
The Homeopathic Treatment of Influenza - Special Bird Flu Edition
By Dr. Sandra Perko
The retail price is $39.95. Shipping is $1.50 per book.
HOMEOPATHIC STUDY GROUP DISCOUNT SCHEDULE
Discounts:
3 - 5 books 10% off list price
6 - 10 books 15% off list price
11 - 14 books 20% off list price
15 - 19 books 25% off list price
20 or more books 30% off list price
12/10
Michael Moore on Rosa Parks
December 1, 2005
Friends,
I just thought we should all pause for a moment today to remember the simple act of courage, defiance and dignity committed by Rosa Parks when she refused to move to the back of the bus because the law said she had the wrong skin color. The greatest moments in history, the ones that have truly mattered and have taken us to a better place, are made up of scores of these singular acts by ordinary, everyday people who could no longer tolerate the crap and the nonsense of those in charge.
Today, whether it is a student who holds a sit-in to get the army recruiters off his campus, or the mother of a dead soldier who refuses to leave the front gate of the president's ranch, we continue to be saved by brave people who risk ridicule and rejection but end up turning huge tides of public opinion in the direction of righteousness. We owe them enormous debts of gratitude. It is not easy to stand up for what is right, especially when everyone else is afraid to leave the comfortable path of conformity.
Rosa Parks may have been alone on that bus at the moment of her arrest but she wasn't alone for long. The old order was shaken, the world was upended and, as a people, we were given a chance for a bit of redemption.
Perhaps the best way to celebrate this most important day in American history is to ask yourself what it is that you can do today to make a difference. What risk can you take to move the ball forward? What is that one thing you've been wanting to say to your co-workers or classmates that you've been afraid to say -- but in your heart of hearts you know needs to be said? Why wait another day to say it or do it?
There is probably no better way to honor Rosa Parks -- and yourself -- than for you to put a stop to an injustice you see, not allowing it to continue for one more second. Do something. Then send me an email (contributions@michaelmoore.com) and tell all of us what you did (I'll post as many as I can).
Fifty years later, the bus we're on could use a few more people simply saying, "No. I'm sorry. I've had enough. I'm not going to take it anymore."
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com <http://www.michaelmoore.com/>
---
You are currently subscribed to Mike's Message as: ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com
To unsubscribe click on the link below:
http://go.netatlantic.com/u?id=38008861K=michaelmoore <http://go.netatlantic.com/u?id=38008861K&l=michaelmoore>
12/10
CALLING ALL JEWS:
Spencer Konicov sends this in:
This is the group that distributes all the money in Israel contributed by the world Jews. There are 12 - 16 different slates of candidates and you have to read all the slates and choose the slate of candidates you want to represent you in the congress meeting. Depending on the number of votes a slate of candidates the receive that proportion of their candidates in the congress. Just check out the web site. Spencer
Urge you to register and vote for your slate of candidates. At http://www.azm.org/
35th WZO Congress Of The Jewish People
Welcome to the US Voter Registration page for the 35th WZO Congress the Congress of the Jewish People.
The registration process should not take you more than a few minutes. Please be careful to complete the form in full. Be assured that this is a fully secure site with state-of-the-art procedures in place adhering to the most rigorous industry standards. Confidentiality of personal information is maintained; credit card account numbers are not stored after processing. For more information about the security provided, please read the full security statement.
During this process you will be asked to provide your residential address, some unique identification information, and your email address. You will also be required to pay a registration fee of $7.00 ($5.00 for full-time students). These funds will be used to pay for the elections.
Your ballot and voting instructions will be emailed to the address you provide. It is very important that you provide an email address that you access regularly.
If there is spam-blocking software, please set it to accept email from azmelection@electionservicescorp.com. You can later opt out of receiving email that is not related to the election.
The election will begin in mid-November. It will conclude on February 28, 2006 and the results will be available in March.
Thanks for registering. Remember, every vote counts and is important.
end of articles
The Lloyd House Salon (usually about 15 people) Meets Mondays at 5:45,
EVERY MONDAY, 52 WEEKS/YEAR come hell or high water, as my mother used to say.
We of the Lloyd House Salon gather in a spirit of
respect, sympathy and compassion for one another
in order to exchange ideas for our mutual pleasure and enlightenment.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here you can post your responses to the weekly:
interactive Yahoo Salon group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LloydHouseSalon
We have 45 members as of 7/05.
For Pot Luck procedures including food suggestions, mission and history visit
http://home.fuse.net/ellenbierhorst/Potluck.html .
> You are invited also to visit the Lloyd House website: http://www.lloydhouse.com
> To unsubscribe from the Lloyd House Potluck Salon list, send a REPLY message
> to me and in the SUBJECT line type in "unsub potluck #". In the place of #
> type in the numeral that follows the subject line of my Weekly email. It
> will be 1,2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. This tells me which sub-list your name is on so I can
> delete it. Thanks! ellen bierhorst
- end of Salon Weekly -
No comments:
Post a Comment