Salon Weekly
~ In 4 Color-Coded Sections:
- Table Notes
- Activism & Cultural or Healing Events
- Articles, Letters
- Books, Reviews, Films, Magazines
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................................................... Section One: Table Notes ............................................................................ (Note: these notes were taken at the table and have NOT been approved or corrected by the speakers. Reader
beware of inevitable misunderstandings and misrepresentations. E.B.)
At the Table on Wednesday 28 March 2007:
Conversation Café
Kathy Arnold, Marlena Sly, Himavat Ishaya, Mary Biehn, Shari Able, Judy Cirillo, Gerry Kraus, Marvin Kraus, Mira Rodwan, Janet Kalven, David Rosenberg, Ellen Bierhorst, Spencer Konicov, Elaine Urbina, Chad Benjamin Potter, Mr. G., (welcome Kathy! Welcome back Marlena!)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kathy: postcards to send to Gov. Strickland from environmental groups to ask for a law informing neighbors when an industrial site is being granted a permit…
Shari: another Conversation Café tomorrow at 6 at Sitwell’s.
Judy: CPOP, Community P)problem Oriented Policing. Having a “summit” April 21, Sat, 9 – 3, Crossroads church Madison in Madisonville. Rsvp to twilson@gcul.org
Marvin: visit Eden Park…gorgeous
Mira: ACLU meeting last night St. John’s. Ohio second only to TX in executions. We are asking Gov. Strickland for moratorium on death penalty.
\
CONVERSATION CAFÉ (for explanation of this international innitiative see: www.conversationweek.org
What question? (Talking stick around the table: Everybody nominate a topic.)
Ellen: What makes you feel most alive?
Himavat: Your relationship to your consciousness and your sense of whether your focus in your consciousness has an actual effect on the world.
Mary: I am concerned about world hunger; What can one individual, this nation do to combat it.
Shari: …alive? That sprung out at me.
Chad: What does it mean to be successful?
Judy: What do you think is the most impt. Question in the world now?
Gerry: Why is there so much evil in the world?
Elaine: How can a small group of people make a big pos. impact on the world.
Marvin: Why are there not more people who are happy?
Mira: How can we together find out how to appeal to people to come the opposite way from destruction and violence…joyful, active and environmentally consc. Earth.
Spencer: How come there is so much goodness in the world when by evolution and our tribal origins indicate that there shouldn’t be. We should not smile at strangers, yet we do. Should we be fearful, and yet we venture out…
Janet: I am concerned about global warming. How do we get people to take it seriously?
Marlena: transitioning. How to attract positive energy into my space here. E.g. my house, …want to find good folks.
Kathy: What people thought would facilitate people coming out of denial about global warming, the effects of war, the carnage of war. The theory of democracy… to kill for democracy.
Mr. G.: How can I integrate hatred and acceptance.
Janet, age 93, “what makes me feel most alive is to get a new idea.”
(Vote. 11 votes for “alive”.)
TOPIC: WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST ALIVE
Marvin: I feel most alive when I am talking, thinking or doing something. Not sleeping or watching TV.
Elaine: I feel most alive when I am able to make a pos. change in someone’s life whether it is f rom understanding them, educating them, or helping them get some goods or services they need.
Gerry: being with others , good conversation, sometimes just seeing the beauty of nature.
Chad: I feel most alive when I ask myself the question “What does it mean successful?” I have been reading Fast Food Nation and I am struck with what success means. McDonald, Disney both successful by many measures, but at what cost! Destroying unity, community.
Shari: I feel most alive when I am writing, especially when I am writing something I think will entertain people or change their mind or educate them, help them in some way.
Mary: when being in nature like at Cinti. Nat. Center. Close second, when I know I have made a positive impact in someone’s life through my work.
(surgical nurse). Like in allaying someone’s fears before they are anesthetized.
Himavat When I am helping people to awaken to cs. Awareness. When people say they are able to be more effective as creators in their world due to the work they are doing with me.
Chris I try to earn my keep f rom writing and I get great pleasure from thinking, but I feel most alive when I am aware of physical responses to my activity. Some days I have a great feeling of exuberance, and might even be f rom a B.M. Even my appreciation of the arts, when I get an emotional reaction that I feel physically. …when I see beauty and I get a physical response and I sense I am alive …
David Hmmm. I believe a lot of changes happen when people agree to make them. Also believe that there are ideas … that are out there somewhere that are waiting to be revealed to a group and they resonate with everyone in the group. I feel most alive when I have the privilege of hearing one, and maybe even of being the one who utters it.
Ellen: I really love it and feel most alive when talking in a small group and there is that spark, like is described in the Celestine Prophecy... The conversations leads itself ... Each person just feel when the thought they are thinking is part of the conversation and contributes it; no competition for the “floor”. A synergy. Fantastic. Sometimes at the salon table we start to get that.
Mr. G. When I feel appreciated and appreciate.
Kathy: when I am in a group that is being creative, but not necessarily verbally. Can be visually. Brainstorming new ideas, as a collective consciousness. Group creativity.
Marlena: when I have just awakened from a passionate dream, very inspirational. Can venture off into a new direction without fear.
Janet lots of things. Getting a new idea, like when I write. Getting my hands in the dirt, planting,… Being beside a body of water. Lake Michigan.
Spencer when I’ve accomplished something I consider successful. When I satisfy myself.
Mira I am resonating. I know modern dance performances, or at a Muse concert, or when something brilliant happens and I get to be with it and hear it. Dancing, playing with or caring for small children of all ages including elders and they are delighted with themselves and it is all way more than the sum of its parts. Couple of Saturdays ago at a Peter Block presentation… I got up and spoke, surprising myself.
Elaine: a theme seems to be, many feel alive in the human connection, interacting with others.
Shari many feel most alive when they have a creative thought or participate in something creative, whether working in the dirt, producing a b.m. or …
Gerry seems to me, a lot of people feel most alive when they accomplish something successfully.
Marlena … close to a large body of water. Born near Pacific. Recently, walking on the Atlantic shore.
Chris not meaning to be argumentative … everybody talking about positive, wonderful, creative … but there is no doubt that – not mistaking alive with happiness – but tragedy, sadness, horrible things happening. I may clench my fist in rage. We are talking the Pollyanna side. I feel alive and invigorated when reading the terrible things happening. Makes me want to hang around for the next act.
Elaine Agree. I remember being on medical mission in Nicaragua, new drs. Sad at the bad conditions, and I told them, “don’t be sad, be glad at your tremendous opportunity to make a difference.”
Himavat yes, make a difference. Where the rubber hits the road.
Judy could be any kind of challenge big or small. Sometimes small, like, “Can I go to this party.” Yes, I did it.
Sometimes music can make you feel so alive! Chad brought up success. Warren Buffet and Bill Gates on TV. Success? Doing a good job with your family. Surprising.
Shari we are saying we enjoy a good fight, whether a political argument, or seeing the poverty in Nicaragua, and knowing we did something about an injustice.
Spencer I have a right wing internet pal in Columbus; for 3 years we’ve had an exchange of ideas. When I can get him to be absolutely silent on a big issue I feel good. Last Sunday night I had come a round a piece of info. From 2005, I sent to Jerry. He said back, “I am really against homosexual marriages.” I said I am against invasion of privacy; against the fact that individuals who are committed to each other do not have equal tax advantages. … he has been silent for 3 days.
Kathy Saw a film on forgiveness. The frontal lobes of the brain light up when people are angry, fighting, going over past hurts. That’s an alive feeling. Sports. War.
Ellen Talking recently to a client about the tremendous group “aliveness” of basketball in KY. ...
David sports…usually participating, sometimes watching. What I enjoy about it is making quick and clever decisions. Being put in difficult situations and figuring out how to get out of them. How to capitalize on an advantage. And doesn’t hurt anybody.
Ellen: I remember in the movie “Patton” when Gen. George Patton is saying that all other human achievements or endeavors pale in comparison to the majesty of war. Wow.
Chris: confusion of thrill with aliveness. Story of the man surfing got too far out; rode a tidal wave back in. Never again found anything as exciting as the terror of riding this wave so committed suicide later.
Shari entertainers who experience success. Take drugs.
Elaine some persons need a higher stimulation. Snowboarder White, red headed guy… some people just need more stim. Thrill seekers, whether stockmarket or snowboarding.
Marlena going to the symphony. I would cry, so beautiful to see people working together to create something so beautiful. Not hurting one another.
Gerry listening to interview of Iraq veteran soldiers. They said not so much to bring democracy to Iraq, but there to help their buddies. Camaraderie, loyalty to group. Like a family. You are part of something.
Marvin Interesting. When I was in h.s. I was voted most likely to succeed. Were they right? I don’t know. How do you know?
Chris they didn’t vote for me and they were right.
Himavat each person speaking, all different, yet there is a common thread: joy.
Shari sex can make you feel alive.
Spencer when I have a t hought … then I learn that some guy has written a best seller about my thought. One thought recently: the reality is when we talk about how many bad things there are, actually we are all talking about one same incident. A guy wrote: statistically we are more peaceful today in terms of violence per person than ever in the history of the world.
Chris No, there are wars and violence all over the world.
Shari: someone just wrote a book about “total war”. New. It was always localized before. Then Napoleon brought in the concept of total war. Illusory idea that if we can have total war and win it, then we will have total peace.
Mira when you have goosebumps. … Thought of the Opus Dei people, self flagellation.
Shari people who cut on themselves, only time they don’t
Ms. X: L.S.D. experience; so beautiful, visual effects.
Ellen: the Celestine prophecy experience
Janet interesting that nobody has mentioned religious experience.
Himavat Maslow studied peak experience… often spiritual. Discovered Bilateral coherence of the two sides of the brain. The technology and meditative practice I teach does that.
Chris Taught some college courses. Students could choose topics. Every semester they voted on Maslow’s theory, self actualization.
Shari meditation, that feeling of being alive.
Ms. X: in the early 70’s, tripping on LSD. Magnificent visual phenomena; the feeling of being able to really see and understand things conceptually, socially, spiritually. Feeling of deep fulfillment.
(Why did you stop taking it?)
illegal; not good for brain.
Shari: the feeling of being in love.
Chris: Years ago driving, mountains in CO, ice, car out of control. I spun slowly towards a cliff. I saw everything out that window, and I can still see it today. I had no control over the situation. Car stopped for some reason. Was I staring death in the face? I was alive in that moment!
Shari: going back to soldiers… feel close to death.
Spencer the movie “300”. The Spartans holding off 30,000 Persians. Teamwork. Just like basketball. Also fighting for their idea of freedom and democracy. For them war was the ultimate event. … Alexander the Great. All societies have this feeling of being alive … thrill. Some people feel the peak of life was h.s. basketball.
Judy competition, same thing as war. Just non lethal.
Mira the 60’s brought out the New Games, cooperation rather than competition. We really thought this would save the world.
Ms. X: I remember the hippy era … thrill. There was a feeling that This is the Dawning of A New Day! We were all growing long hair, beards, throwing out the Rule Book. Exhillirating.
FINAL ROUND: What was most meaningful for you about tonight’s conversation?
Marvin: listening to everyone talking about selves
Elaine: more similar than different
\Gerry: nothing different under the sun
Judy: a fun a lively conversation
Shari: meaningful that LSD …
Chad: I am glad Shari’s personality came out tonight. A lot of one liners.
Chris: surprised to find that I agreed with a lot of different answers to “what is the most alive…” I think, do I feel alive that often? I sit here and am concerned. This conversation has made me think about how important it is to feel awake.
Mary: interesting to hear the common themes.
Universality … we all think alike.
Himavat: I’ve heard people express diverse points of view, but in the same time I felt a group commonality. That’s enlivening to me.
Ms. X ; telling about t hings that happened in the past that I haven’t thought about in a long time. Importance of feeling alive.
Mr. G.: I don’t want to hear myself talk.
Kathy: I was reminded … a lot of this sounded Buddhist; certainly when Ellen was talking about LSD, when your ego doesn’t stand between you and your experience, life.
Marlena: most significant part of this evening was feeling very alive with you.
Janet: really good question. I think of TS Elliot: living and partly living.
Spencer: the most meaningful person was to realize that we are all so young.
Mira: I am painfully aware of not having taken chances as much as I wish I had; when I did, how rewarding those were. When I left aside concerns about performance and just “be”d.
Spencer: new adventure. After 87 months incarceration (7 yrs 3 mos) my brother will be released to a half way house. Was a “notorious scoff l aw”; a tax protester. Barrie will, after 6 weeks, be living with me.
Marvin: what I enjoyed was hearing each person talk about him or herself.
Closed with song: Building Bridges.
(You can go to http://www.conversationweek.org/category/questions/ and read about conversations that have taken place all over the world this week — including ours — and learn more about Conversation Café. It’s a movement. Like, to save the world! )
~ End of Table Notes~
Hugs to everyone,
Ellen
Section Two: Activism, Cultural, & Healing Opportunities
Dear CeaseFire Cincinnati Supporters,
After a period of nearly a month without shootings, stretching from February 18 to March 17, we are very saddened to report that Avondale has experienced its second shooting in the last 11 days. Last night, at approximately 2:30 AM, a 25 year old man was shot in the 300 block of Forest Avenue, at the corner of Forest and Wilson. The victim stated that two individuals were across the street, apparently robbing a third individual. When he was seen across the street, he began to flee as the two individuals fired at him, with one shot hitting him in the ankle.
This type of senseless shooting HAS to come to an end, and we need your help to take a stand against it! CeaseFire Cincinnati will be hosting a response to this shooting at 5:00PM this Saturday, March 31st. We will meet at the Avondale Pride Center, located at the corner of Forest and Burnet. As is always noted, we need a large response to this act of irresponsible violence. But now, even more so, as the weather is getting warmer and more opportunity is arising, it is important to get the message to those perpetrating these shootings that we will no longer stand aside and allow our neighborhood to be plagued with this ridiculous violence!
We hope you will be able to attend this response and we wish you all the best in spreading the message of STOP THE SHOOTING!
CeaseFire Cincinnati
Special guest at the salon Wednesday 4 April
Lloyd House housemate Debra Martin will present on her 5 years studying in
the northwest with Swami Chetanananda. His path is called Trika Yoga. I want
to hear how a regular Cincinnati girl came to decide to cross the continent
and enter the ashram of a yogi, staying for several years, and then
continuing her studies with him while living “off campus” some more years.
You will find Debra congenial, attractive, highly intelligent and
interesting. She also offers body centered counseling at the Lloyd House,
and will tell us more about that.
Ellen Bierhorst, Ph.D. Is a holistic psychotherapist with over 35 years experience. Specialty area: Optimizing Mental Health ~ “Better than well”. Also: healing trauma, strengthening families and relationships, alcohol and other addictions including food, and weight management, EMDR, GLBT, chronic pain and physical illness. Clifton. 513 221 1289 www.lloydhouse.com
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.
Information about Tri-State Treasures and how to submit Tri-State Treasures is at the bottom of this email. Please help me by providing all basic information and formatting your submissions as described below.
Sincerely, Jim
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Project Your Film Downtown: Media Bridges will be featuring local films as part of Art @ Media Bridges. They are looking for short films to feature both in-house & on their new flat panel that will face out onto the corner of Race & Central Parkway. The films chosen will play on a looped disc for 3 months, then new ones will be gathered. Share your work with the community. Works will also be featured with set screening times at the premier of the Final Friday event for April. The rough theme for the show is Landscapes, Cityscapes, & Portraits. If you have a short film that you think can be fit around this theme in any way (loose interpretations accepted), contact Sara Mahle @ sara@mediabridges.org.
Spring Plein-Air Landscape Painting Class [Ten Saturdays March 31-June 2 @ 10 AM -1 PM]: Richard Luschek will teach a landscape painting class this spring through the University of Cincinnati community education program. Plein-Air is a French expression that means “in the open air.” Experience the pleasure of painting, of self-expression, & of seeing the world in a new way at various locations & scenic parks around Cincinnati to learn to sketch & paint with oils. Drawing on the ideas of impressionism, you will practice the techniques needed to complete painted sketches, including basic composition, value, pattern, color spotting, & covering the canvas. You will build on those skills by completing a larger fully realized landscape painting that will capture the impression of light & color of the Cincinnati landscape. Details will be given in class. No experience necessary. Richard Luschek studied classical painting under Boston painter Paul Ingbretson for 3 years after earning his BFA degree with UC’s DAAP program. Richard works as an artist, maintains his own art studio, has taught with the Art Academy of Cincinnati, & teaches privately in his studio. $199 tuition. Supplies will be furnished by students; a list will be sent with enrollment confirmation or see www.uc.edu/ace/commu/PAINTING.mht; #3715-01. First class meets at UC main campus; then at various parks. More info @ richard_luschek@yahoo.com, www.richardluschek.com, & www.uc.edu/ace/commu/.
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Africana Film Festival [thru Thursday 29 March]: An amazing & unique opportunity at the 3 Miami University campuses in Ohio - Oxford, Middletown, & Hamilton - as they host the area's 1st Africana Film Festival. The event includes screenings of 17 films from 11 African countries. A panel of African cineastes & international scholars will lead discussion of the films. Dr. Babacar Camara, Miami University faculty member & festival convener said "While the images of stereotypes, myths & depressed cultural experiences continue to be drawn out in the media & curricula, this festival will show films with positive messages & educational value. It will present images of Africa not usually available in the general media, created by Africans on issues pertaining to their societies ...a unique platform for conveying African artistic styles & craft in film." The festival began in Oxford on Monday, traveled to the Middletown campus on Tuesday, to Hamilton on Wednesday, & returns to Oxford on Thursday 29 March. Admission is free. Descriptions of the films, speakers, locations, & directions @ www.units.muohio.edu/africanafilmfestival/; the Festival schedule is @ http://casnov1.cas.muohio.edu/cawc/documents/African%20Film%20Festival%202007%20program.pdf. More info @ 513.727.3358 & camarab@muohio.edu.
International Women’s Day Celebration [Thursday 29 March @ 5-8 PM]: Peaslee Neighborhood Center is hosting an International Women’s Day Celebration; evening of food & celebration. Bring a covered dish, a woman’s history that inspires you, & your open heart to share. Free. At Peaslee Neighborhood Center, 215 East 14th Street at Sycamore, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & RSVP contact Mary Grafe @ 513.621.5541x15 & outreach@peasleecenter.org.
Jayne Sachs Band & EG Kight In Concert [Thursday 29 March @ 7:30 PM]: These two award-winning artists singing for one performance to benefit Womens Way, an organization of men & women working to advance women in the arts & to help disadvantaged people. Jayne Sachs was the 2006 John Lennon Song Writer of the Year who writes & performs all original music in a style reminiscent of the Joni Mitchell & Billie Holiday sound. EG Kight, known as the Georgia songbird, has skyrocketed to the top of the XM radio charts as their number 1 blues singer. She will be performing here before going on world tour. Enjoyed by young & old alike, EG Kight has a southern charm that brings joy to every concert. Local treasure Katie Laur will delight the crowd as the evenings MC. Admission: $10. At The Madison Theater, 728 Madison Avenue, Covington, KY 41011. More info & tix @ 513.923.1414, womensway@fuse.net, & www.myspace.com/womensway.
ArtWorks Is Hiring Teachers for Summer Film Projects [Applications due by Friday 30 March]: The teaching staff will work with groups of talented teens ages 14-9 on 2 separate film projects - Documentary & Animation - this summer June 18 - July 27. The documentary project will create a documentary for the YMCA of Cincinnati.The animation project will work on a series of highly creative short animated films. More info about each project, qualifications, and applications @ 513.333.0388, sara@mediabridges.org, & www.artworkscincinnati.org.
My Cincinnati: Works By 12 Artists [Reception is Friday 30 March @ 6–9 PM]: This exhibit explores how the City ties each of us together, depicting 12 very personal accounts of life in Cincinnati’s constantly changing urban landscape. Today Cincinnati residents are rediscovering the past & using it as a means to change & push forward. Whether they currently live here or have once hailed from here, Cincinnati is a launching pad as a means to make & create. Works of art by Randy Birckhead, Joel Blazer, Jessie Boone, LeBraun Colvin, Michael Everett, Brian Joiner, Tom Lohre, Richard Luschek, Adam Mysock, Jeremy Schulz, Megan Sanders, & Jenny Ustick. Exhibition runs thru Friday 20 April. Sponsored by The Fine Art Fund, The City of Cincinnati, The Ohio Arts Council, & Kona Bistro. At ArtWorks, 811 Race Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.333.0388 & www.ArtWorksCincinnati.org.
Before The Music Dies [Friday 30 March @ 8 PM]: Never have so few companies controlled so much of the music played on radio & sold retail. When there are more bands & more ways to discover their music than ever, music seems to have split in 2 camps: the homogenous corporate product spoon-fed to consumers, & the diverse independent music that finds devoted fans online & at clubs across the country. At this Cincinnati premier screening, "Before The Music Dies" tells the story of American music at this precarious moment. Filmmakers Andrew Shapter & Joel Rasmussen traveled the country to understand why mainstream music seems so packaged & repetitive, & whether corporations really had the power to silence musical innovation. The answers they found on this journey are what makes this film riveting & exhilarating. “A great film… That these guys embarked on this undertaking with no connections at all, & got the footage that they did, is completely mindblowing; it just cannot be done. But they did it.” ~ PureMusic.com. Presented by WNKU. At Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center, 1028 Scott Boulegvard, Covington, KY 41011. More info @ 859.957.1940, www.imdb.com/title/tt0760307/, www.beforethemusicdies.com, & www.wnku.org/page_wnku.asp?p=0531410.
Eddie Bayard @ Friday Jazz at the Hyatt [Friday 30 March @ 8:15-12 PM]: The "Columbus Tornado" is the very best Tenor Saxophonist in this region; truly one of the best alive today. $10 cover; Free for Jazz Club Members; CCM, NKU students $5; Internet broadcast $10. Under 18 free. 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.
When the End of the World Comes: A Collaborative Piece About Race Relations in Cincinnati [Friday 30 March @ 7 PM]: The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music presents this work addressing issues around the April 2001 riots in Cincinnati. Harriet Tubman Theater, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati OH 45202. More info @ 513.556.6638, 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
Tenor Mark Panuccio Cincinnati Recital Debut [Friday 30 March @ 8 PM]: One of Cincinnati’s favorite tenors will perform a number of familiar opera favorites guaranteed to thrill opera lovers & those new to opera; a selection of well-known Neapolitan love songs, plus works of Strauss, Britten, & Liszt. Mark Panuccio is a rising tenor & frequent performer on the Cincinnati Opera stage noted for the “exquisite lyric beauty of his voice, dramatic expressiveness, unfailing musical sensibility, & professionalism” (Opera News). Tickets: $22–$45, students with ID: $10. Presented by Cincinnati Opera. At Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & RSVP @ 513.241.2742, JBellin@cincinnatiopera.org, & www.cincinnatiopera.org.
The Nuclear Winter Circus [Friday-Saturday 30-31 March @ 8 PM]: Presenting the darkly-comic original 1-act play "Good Evening, Pigtown" by Nathan Singer (with Aretta Baumgartner, Jodie Linver & Sam Womelsdorf) & variety performance pieces by Bill Donnelly, Kevin Frisch & Bet Stewart. Part of the Final Friday Main Street Gallery Hop. Space is very limited for this eclectic evening of theatre, dance, puppetry & clowning; reservations are recommended. Admission: $10. Sponsored by Performance Gallery, Cincinnati's home for alternative theatre; venue support from Urban Sites Properties. At 1319 Main Street (by the League of Cincinnati Theatres office), Over the Rhine, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.373.7127 & www.performancegallery.org.
Cincinnati Women's Film Festival [Saturday 31 March @ Noon - 8 PM]: One of Cincinnati's best & most eclectic film festivals: a full day of films by & about women, fascinating people to meet & chat with in the audience, & it's all free. Spend a day exploring through the eyes of award-winning filmmakers from Japan, India, Africa, & the U.S. Come for just one film or stay the entire day. View 11 independent films & documentaries which examine such diverse topics as gender, social justice, cultural identity, tomboys, & feminist zines. Discussions will follow "Ever Shot Anyone," "Killing Us Softly 3," & "Shinjuku Boys." Presented by UC Women’s Center, Department of Women's Studies, & MainStreet Cinema. At Tangeman University Center's Mainstreet Cinema & Rooms 400 A&C, University of Cincinnati, Clifton, Cincinnati, OH 45220. More info including film schedule @ 513.556.6261, 513.556.4401, odumtc@ucmail.uc.edu, & www.uc.edu/ucwc/Film_Festival.html.
Mariel [Saturday 31 March @ 7:30 PM]: A collaboration between the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park 7 the Freedom Center, this world premiere musical addresses teen friendship and the American dream. Free; RSVP required. Harriet Tubman Theater, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati OH 45202. More info & RSVP @ 877.672.9965, 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
Peter & the Wolf & The Frog Prince [Saturday 31 March @ 11 AM]: Covedale Center for the Performing Arts hosts Frisch Marionettes as a part of their new Saturday Morning Children's Series. Adults & kids alike will enjoy this delightful Saturday morning program. $7 for adults; $5 for kids. Kevin Frisch moved from Cincinnati to New York City & joined Nicolas Coppola’s The Puppetworks of Brooklyn in 1986. Developed his own art, craft & skills as a puppeteer & artist, in 1995, Kevin established The Frisch Marionettes as an exceptional entertainment & educational experience for children & adults, proclaiming the many virtues of this unusual art form. Frisch Marionettes have built puppets, masks & costumes for The Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, & The Puppetworks Inc. They’ve been featured in People Magazine, Showtime, PBS, onstage with The Cincinnati Opera, & in the NY store windows of Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales’ & Hermes New York. At the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45238. More info & tix @ 513.241.6550, JenniferPerrino@Covedalecenter.com, & www.cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.
Collecting a Legacy: The Bernard Kinsey Collection [March 31- June 3]: This exhibition offers a roadmap to the cultural journey & transformation experienced by African American art collectors as they embrace & acquire art & artifacts. Within the context of their own history & the past that speaks to them, we discover how the Kinseys are changed & nurtured by what they chose to collect. Ranging from painful-to-see slave owner’s documents, to brilliantly fiery expressions in sculpture, to private glimpses into thoughts of the ancestors, the Kinsey Collection reflects a rich cultural heritage which they have been driven to capture, inspire & sustain for future generations. National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati OH 45202. More info @ 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
From Russia With Love: [Sunday 1 April @ 3 PM]: The Cincinnati Metropolitan Orchestra concert features an all Russian composer concert. Enjoy "Night on Bald Mountain" by Mussorgsky, "Ruslan & Ludmila Overture" by Glinka, "Procession of the Nobles" by Rimsky-Korsakov, "Danse Infernale" by Stravinsky, & "The 1812 Overture" by Tschaikowski, & more. Coffee & sweets before the concert @ 2-3 PM in the new Seton Commons Area. Free concert; donations are welcomed; free parking. At Seton Performance Hall, 3901 Glenway Avenue, Price Hill, Cincinnati, OH 45205. More info @ 513.941.8956, gharmeling@netzero.net, & www.gocmo.org.
An Afternoon of Popular Music [Sunday 1 April @ 2 PM]: The dancers of Ballet Tech & the musicians of The Queen City Concert Band will present an afternoon of popular songs. Dancers perform to Gershwin’s "Begin the Beguine,” “Kentucky Sunrise,” a traditional rag-time tune, Hoagy Carmichael favorites, & lively steps to “Strike Up the Band.” The band will also feature several traditional band pieces, & “Immer Kleiner” that features clarinetist Jeff Porada dismantling his clarinet while he’s playing. Ballet Tech & The Queen City Concert Band have chosen the beautiful setting of Memorial Hall to feature these great dancers & musicians. The organizations have recently re-dedicated themselves to music downtown in Cincinnati. Free. In Memorial Hall, 1225 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.744.3344 & cincybandroom@fuse.net.
US-Russian Affairs & Policy [Monday 2 April @ 5-6:30 PM]: Foreign Policy Leadership Council presents a panel discussion. With growing instability throughout the Middle East, US-Russian relations have become increasingly significant & uncertain. Join an important discussion of US-Russian relations, history, & prospective foreign policy, featuring 3 expert panelists: Professor Bill Jackson (Miami University Political Science Professor); David Pepper (Hamilton County Commissioner who spent 3 years working with Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg); & Professor Willard Sunderland (University of Cincinnati Russian History Professor). At the Schiff Family Conference Center, Xavier University Cintas Center, 1624 Herald Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45207. More info & RSVP - Kathy Strunk @ 513.651.6166 & kstrunk@fbtlaw.com.
Women's History Film Festival [Tuesday-Friday 3-6 April @ various evening times]: An extension of the Cincinnati Women's Film Festival (see above), selected films from the Festival will be shown again. All films are free. Presented by UC Women’s Center, Department of Women's Studies, & MainStreet Cinema. At Tangeman University Center's Mainstreet Cinema, University of Cincinnati, Clifton, Cincinnati, OH 45220. More info including film schedule @ 513.556.6261, 513.556.4401, odumtc@ucmail.uc.edu, & www.uc.edu/ucwc/Film_Festival.html.
Charles Darwin: The Secret Life of a Conservative Revolutionary [Thursday 5 April @ 7 PM]: After discovering his theory of natural selection, Charles Darwin waited more than 20 years to publish his findings. Was he shy? A procrastinator? Afraid of the reaction from the scientific community & the public? Award-winning science, nature, & travel writer David Quammen will discuss Darwin’s fascinating life when he presents. Quammen is a popular science writer who takes the time to get the science right. His latest book is "The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin & the Making of His Theory of Evolution." The International Biogeography Society describes Quammen’s writing style as “a blend of John McPhee & Jon Stewart but don’t let his public popularity fool you. He gets the facts right & the insights right on!" Quammen's writings have appeared in National Geographic, Outside, Harper’s, Rolling Stone, & the New York Times Book Review. Quammen travels the world gathering scientific, cultural, & literary information for his books including "The Song of the Dodo," "Miracle of the Geese," & "Wild Thoughts from Wild Places." Free. Book signing will precede the presentation at 6 PM. Sponsored by the College of Science & Mathematics. At the Student Union, Apollo Room, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Dayton, OH 45435. More info @ 937.775.3180, john.bennett@wright.edu, & www.wright.edu/cgi-bin/cm/news.cgi?action=news_item&id=1335.
Meet the Author [Thursday 5 April @ 6:30 PM]: Brad Snyder discusses & signs "A Well-Paid Slave: Curt Flood’s Fight for Free Agency in Professional Sports," his latest book about the debate over Major League Baseball’s
free-agency policy. Free. In the Harriet Tubman Theater, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
Essex Studios Art Walk [Friday-Saturday April 6-7 @ 6-11 PM]: Awarded "best art walk in the city" by Cincinnati Magazine. Celebrate Spring & find art treasures for your home or office. 100+ studios will be open. Valet parking Friday night, plus ample free parking on both sides of the building. Essex Studios, Essex Place & East McMillan, Cincinnati, OH. More info @ www.essexstudios.com.
Children’s Theatre Activity [Saturday 7 April @ 1-2 PM]: Learn about poet Langston Hughes through activities with Deondra Means & Starr Pillow from the Cincinnati Children’s Theatre. In the Hall of Everyday Freedom Heroes, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
Meet the Author [Saturday 7 April @ 3 PM]: Raymond Arsenault discusses & signs his book "Freedom Riders: 1961 & the Struggle for Racial Justice." In the Harriet Tubman Theater, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
Meet the Author [Monday 9 April @ 6:30 PM]: Dr. Joy Degruy Leary, author & researcher, discusses & signs "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury & Healing." Free. In the Harriet Tubman Theater, National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info @ 513.333.7500, ETurner@nurfc.org, & www.freedomcenter.org.
Ongoing Tri-State Treasures
Italian American Film Festival [Wednesdays thru 25 April @ 7:30 PM]: Sante Matteo, Prof. & Coordinator of Italian Studies in the Department of French & Italian @ Miami University presents his Annual Spring Semester Italian American Film Festival. Free & open to the public. Apr. 4: Scarface (1932), Howard Hawks; Apr. 11: The Godfather (1972), Francis Ford Coppola; Apr. 18: Mafia! (1998), Jim Abrahams; The Sopranos, 1st TV series episode; Apr. 25: The Sopranos, episodes from the TV series. In Room 46 Culler Hall, Miami University, Oxford OH 45056. More info @ 513.529.5932, matteos@muohio.edu.
Call for Fringe Film Submissions [deadline is March 31]: Now accepting film submissions for Celluloid Fringe, an experimental film series that is part of the 2007 Cincinnati Fringe Festival running May 30-June 9. Celluloid Fringe, as part of the 4th annual 11-day festival, is a great opportunity for the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky audiences to experience the creativity & unique style of our local, regional, national & international filmmakers. More info from Jacquelyn Vaughn @ celluloidsubmissions@knowtheatre.com & www.cincyfringe.com.
Greetings:
SPAN Ohio's annual fund drive was launched the beginning of February. While a number of SPAN supporters have responded, we hope to hear from many more of you in order to make the drive a success.
Support for a single-payer solution to the nation's health care crisis is now snowballing. Earlier this month, the 10-million member national AFL-CIO for the first time took a position squarely endorsing single-payer. More and more health care providers, journalists, political leaders, and notables have concluded that a publicly funded universal health care system -- single-payer -- is the only way out of the nation's health care crisis. SPAN Ohio continues to receive a stream of calls and emails from people victimized by the current system whose medical needs are being neglected because they are uninsured, underinsured or otherwise cannot afford to get needed attention. Their accounts of their predicaments are truly heart rending.
We now have an opportunity in Ohio to greatly expand the base of support for SPAN's mission of winning health care for all and winning enactment of the Health Care For All Ohioans Act. We count on you to provide the wherewithal that will enable us to make this happen. Please don't delay -- contribute today! Help make this -- one of the greatest human rights causes of this century -- a historic step forward for the people of our state and the entire country.
Thanks in advance for your help. Checks should be made payable to SPAN Ohio and mailed to SPAN Ohio, 3227 W. 25 Street, Cleveland, OH 44109.
Jerry Gordon, Secretary
SPAN Ohio
Barbara Walden, Treasurer
SPAN Ohio
------------------------------------------------------------------------
spanohio
http://www.spanohio.org
c/o GCC/IBT Local 546M 3227 W 25 Street
Cleveland, OH 44109-1667
USA
Ø Next A Small Group Monthly Meeting-
Due to Easter, the next monthly meeting will be on Friday, April 13 from 4:30-6:00PM at Peaslee Neighborhood.
Ø The Perfect Evening with Barbara McAfee
Join us this Final Friday, March 30 at 8pm at InkTank
for a lively performance of storytelling through song,
in the voice of visiting artist
Barbara McAfee (http://www.barbaramcafee.com)
Tickets are $5, or FREE for InkTank members.
Refreshments provided compliments of Kaldi's Coffeehouse.
InkTank is located at 1311 Main Street in Over the Rhine.
For over 15 years, Barbara has taught and performed in such diverse settings as leadership retreats, community celebrations, places of worship, national conferences, jazz clubs and hospital rooms. She has a gift for reflecting the essence of an event through music, poetry, group activity and storytelling. As a self-producing artist, Barbara has released three compact discs: Great Big Love, Come from the Heart, and Britches, as well as four volumes of poetry.
The 6th Annual Rawson Woods Clean-up
Join your neighbors to pull invasive garlic mustard
and garbage pick up
Saturday, April 14, 2007
10.a.m. – 1 p.m.
Wear gloves, long pants and sleeves and bring water bottle
Call 221-8285 for more information
Sponsored by the Cincinnati Parks
Advertisement:
Beautiful and Charming, spacious first floor office space at the Lloyd House, fully furnished including bodywork table, chairs, love seat, rugs, armchairs, wood burning (gas ignited ) fireplace. Rookwood even. Available by the hour. Share waiting room. Powder room. Outside entry. Terms: contribute 20% of gross to the house. Call Ellen 221 1290
Section Three: Articles
Contents:
- Kudos and a correction from Chris Metzger
- KENTUCKY FRIED ELECTIONS--from Bev Harris of Black Box Voting
- From Bill Messer: Combat Global Warming by eating green
- Iraq War ... terrific article from Rolling Stone
- Ellen Endorses Amish dairy farmer needing capital loan
Ellen, I enjoyed the evening very much and I thank you for the notes pertaining to same. Quite a work you do. It is my intention to become involved in your gatherings. I am in a writer's group which meets on Wednesday evenings and I am going to make an effort to change groups - I am told there are several in the City...One group of writers is the same as another, don't you know? All that said, I am going to do something that I hope you do not feel is brash, rude or contemptuous in any way. I am going to correct a note of yours regarding a distillation of one of my comments made on my initial outing with your conversationalists. As you might know in any group photo, one always looks for the image of ones' self first - to see if the photo is up to snuff...and that is what I did with your notes...I noticed you had me down perfectly when I said in my first foray - something to the effect that I was reflected inaccurately in all articles written about me over the years....Then,in the second joining in ( and in keeping with my thought on inaccuracies) I was quoted as having said "Ah, they are NOT going to take care of the problem..." and that is where the rub is found...what I meant to be quoted as having said was "Ah, they are NOW going to take care of the problem"...which would have rendered my utterance to have a special, deep and pithy meaning. Otherwise, I approve of 100% of your update and will promise to take the marbles out from my mouth on the next visit. Thank again for your hospitality, Chris
KENTUCKY FRIED ELECTIONS
Heroine of “Black Box Voting” Bev Harris: New developments!
(JUST IN: From now through April 30, every donation of $45 or more will receive a copy of the HBO special documentary DVD, "Hacking Democracy" - http://www.blackboxvoting.org.donate.html )
Citizen oversight and access to information is our best hope for long term integrity in elections. We proved our case about voting machines -- and Russell Simons/Simon Ardizzone memorialized that in "Hacking Democracy." Now let's walk the walk with citizen oversight. Every lead story at Black Box Voting for the rest of the year will feature CITIZENS on the front lines doing election oversight. http://www.blackboxvoting.org
HERE'S AN IMPORTANT STORY ABOUT A CITIZEN YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT: KATHY IN KENTUCKY -- and what can be done to help her
Permission to excerpt or reprint the material below is granted, with link to http://www.blackboxvoting.org
REPORT FROM THE FRONT LINES: Kathy Greenwell - Bullitt County, Kentucky
Elections give you: The judge, the prosecutor and the sheriff
"Watch your back," warned the voice on the phone.
"You know what can happen around here," said another man, paying a visit to her workplace. "I don't want to read about them finding you in a ditch."
For some people, elections are serious business. For some citizens, democratic elections are a serious matter too.
Ever since Nov. 2006, Kentucky's Kathy Greenwell has been trying to verify the election results, and like all citizens, she should have that right.
"I know I sound like a hillbilly," she says in a Bullitt County drawl. "I got a deep voice. I might sound country, but that don't mean they shouldn't pay attention to what I got to say."
Kathy took the time to add up all the numbers coming out of Bullitt County on Election Night during the 2006 general election. They made no sense. Nothing added up, and the story kept changing about what was going on. What she found illustrates the broken connection between elections and the citizenry.
Kathy had a good reason to be interested: Her husband Dave, now a police lieutenant for the town of Pioneer Village, was running for Bullitt County Sheriff. Sheriff races are always of great interest to the locals, and are a traditional target for election fraud. The sheriff controls contraband, like guns and drugs.
In Nov. 2006, it wasn't just the sheriff race that was contentious. Bullitt County had at least two tight house races. (1)
A mayoral candidate (Sherman Tinnell) and a candidate for sheriff (Donnie Tinnell) were members of the same family. Both won.
As is customary in Bullitt County, a candidate for clerk would later take custody over the audit records for his own election.
ELECTIONS ARE ABOUT A LOT MORE THAN PRESIDENTS
Kathy's husband, Dave Greenwell was running against Donnie Tinnell. He'd made a campaign promise to reopen a botched murder investigation. All you do is search for "Bullitt County" and "sheriff" and a lot more information shows up on that controversy:
In 1999, Dave Greenwell was the first deputy on the scene of the heartbreaking abduction of a teenage girl. Seventeen-year-old Jessica Dishon's parents had come home to find her car in the driveway, with her keys, purse, and cell phone still sitting in the car, along with one shoe. Jessica was nowhere to be found. Alarmed, Jessica's parents called the sheriff's office. Then-deputy Greenwell arrived, took photos, and sized up the situation as a possible abduction. Twice, Greenwell requested an investigator; both times the assigned official refused to come.(2)
This story illustrates that elections are absolutely NOT just about presidencies. Elections ultimately govern public safety. And as you'll soon see, Kathy Greenwell's research into this election turned up elections anomalies in nearly all the races in Bullitt County's 2006 general election.
In Bullitt County, Kentucky the sheriff, the prosecutor and the judge all hold elected positions.
Neither the sheriff nor the prosecutor did much to secure the Dishon crime scene. Greenwell called in the investigators; none came; yellow crime scene tape was reportedly put around the neighbor's car instead of Jessica's. During the 72 hours that the investigator was refusing to come to the scene, the forensic evidence was contaminated. At one point a reporter had sat in the front of the car to shoot a newscast. Onlookers touched the car. Greenwell had taken several photographs, which he submitted into evidence. Those photos disappeared, along with the notes written by another investigator (Jim Adams).(2)
Seventeen days after Jessica's abduction, her body was found beaten and apparently strangled in a location known as the Salt River Bottoms.(3) Not long afterward, that area was bulldozed and cleaned up. Apparently someone decided this was a good time to begin excavation for a new bridge.
Satellite photo - Greenwell Ford Road Bridge: http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/bridge.jpg
Three separate witnesses testified that they had seen Jessica Dishon with two young men in a black Camaro.(4) The young men were identified as "persons of interest" but were never charged. The items in the Camaro were never sent to the crime lab for testing. One of the young men has since died in a car accident.(5)
Instead, a man named "Bucky" Brooks whose IQ hovers around 70 was accused of the crime. During the year Bucky Brooks was held in prison, Dave Greenwell's crime scene photos disappeared, a videotaped statement by a witness was lost, and the original notes by investigator Jim Adams vanished.(2) The case against Bucky Brooks was dismissed after some illegal testimony was entered into the record.(4)
Crime investigations are supervised by elected officials.
Construction projects are authorized by elected officials.
The prosecutor holds an elected position.
Photo of the courthouse where votes are counted in Bullitt count elections - http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/bullit-elections.jpg
As the elections approached, Kathy's husband Dave decided Bullitt County might benefit from a different approach to law enforcement. He announced his intention to run for sheriff. He was fired the same day he announced it.
Greenwell sued for wrongful termination, on the grounds that any citizen has the right to run for office without getting fired; the sheriff at the time, Paul Parsley, testified that he was not about to pay a deputy who was running against him for office. The judge dismissed the case, saying there was no indication Greenwell had been fired for political reasons.(5)
With the Dishon murder sitting in the cold case files, Greenwell made a campaign promise to reopen the case, and also to put the brakes on the Bullitt County habit of staffing itself with family members of elected officials.
On Nov. 7, 2006, in a Bullitt County election that the press characterized as "mass confusion," Greenwell was defeated by Donnie Tinnell. (7)
Maybe the citizens of Bullitt County voted Donnie Tinnell into the sheriff's office. Maybe Sherman Tinnell was voted in as Shepherdsville mayor as well. What we do know for sure is that assorted family members of various players in the Bullitt County dramas have been hired and are sprinkled throughout the courthouse.
The problem is, no one can check to make sure ANYONE in Bullitt County was actually elected.
Shortly after the election, Kathy Greenwell called Black Box Voting.
"We first started joking a year ago, that something would be off," Kathy said. "Donnie Tinnell was running against my husband. Everyone was being told that Tinnell was going to be the new sheriff. Tinnell had already told them they weren't going to have a job when he came in. The current sheriff (Paul Parsley, who lost to Tinnell in the primary) had it as such a sure thing that a lot of the deputies quit months before the election. People who had years in quit."
ELECTION NIGHT NOV. 7, 2006
"Paul Parsley's granddaughter was there. Every time they brought in a satchel of the tapes, in goes the granddaughter with two clerks to a filing room. Then they'd come back out and announce the results," says Kathy. "But when they gave someone a total Tuesday night, the first total they tried to make everybody believe that 6,000 people voted. They acted like it was the final count. People raised Cain, they went back and checked, then said it was 13,000 votes. Then a day or two later, it was 17,000 and now it's supposedly 20,000 votes. Each time they said it was the final. We were also told there were missing votes and they couldn't find them."
THE BULLITT COUNTY RECORDS HUNT
Black Box Voting suggested some documents for Kathy to request. While she did that, we filed public records requests all over Kentucky.
Black Box Voting got a good sampling of election-related records and responses from Boyle, Caldwell, Calloway, Carroll, Christian, Daviess, Franklin, Gallatin, Garrard, Grayson, Hardin, Henderson, Henry, Hickman, Hopkins, Jefferson, Laurel, Lawrence, Lewis, Meade, Menifee, Metcalf, Muhlenburg, Owen, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Trigg, Trimble, Warren and Woodford counties, but we never got a thing from Bullitt County.
Can you find a more vivid example for why citizens are right to be concerned about elections? If citizens can't get access to the records, we can't oversee our government!
But Kathy Greenwell is nothing if not persistent. She finally got copies of the voting machine results tapes, only to find out that about half of them weren't signed by the poll workers as required.
It gets more interesting. The results tapes that lack signatures correlate with the machines that had "special attention" from Harp Enterprises, the Kentucky subcontractor for Hart Intercivic. Harp employees had showed up the day after the election to correct "glitches."
And then it gets just plain odd: After calling County Clerk Kevin Mooney's attention to the fact that dozens of the results tapes lack signatures, Mooney "certified" them (even though he wasn't working there in 2006) and also gave Kathy copies of various pages of signatures (but not written on the results tapes). Mooney simply stuck copies of blank pages containing various signatures here and there within the results tape records he had "certified."
KENTUCKY FRIED ELECTIONS
In Kentucky, the same polling place typically features machines by two different manufacturers. In Bullitt County, older purchases of ELECTronic 1242 touch-screen machines from Danaher/Shoup/Guardian are combined with newer purchases of e-Slate paperless touch-screens by Hart Intercivic.
Bullitt County claims that nearly all of its poll workers signed the results tapes from the ELECTronic 1242s, and at the same time, nearly all the poll workers "forgot" to sign the results tapes from the e-Slate machines. Why would every poll worker in Bullitt County "forget" to sign results tapes only from one brand of machine?
In addition, Kathy noticed that while the ELECTronic 1242 results tapes all contained votes, some of the e-Slate results tapes had dozens (but not all) races with "zero" votes.
Here is a copy of the poll results tapes and other information from Bullitt County Kentucky for Nov. 7, 2006:
http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/Bullitt-Nov06.pdf
(large - 22 394 KB)
And
http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/KY-Bullitt-2006.pdf
(7,728 KB)
Kathy does not have access to the Internet. She's not been privy to the vast amount of information on how to audit elections. Still she persisted.
She took the "certified" copies of the polling place results tapes to a friend with a computer. Together they spent hours entering every single result into an Excel spreadsheet. There were no election integrity groups nearby, no moral support network. Together Kathy and her friend added up every one of the numbers on every one of the poll tapes. They compared them with the official results provided by Bullitt County, including the absentee votes.
They don't match.
Here is a pdf copy of the Excel spreadsheet Kathy and her friend labored over, showing that the totals don't match:
http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/KATHY.PDF
So Kathy called Black Box Voting again, and she called the assistant secretary of state for Kentucky. But by the time Bullitt County gave her the records, no remedy under the law was available – even though the results don't match.
State officials told Kathy they don't know what they can do for her. They told her she had to file a complaint within 14 days.
That's not entirely true. It's true that the deadline for contesting elections has passed but the statute of limitations for fraud has not passed.
Kathy Greenwell has now expended hundreds of dollars for overpriced records missing their signatures which don't match the final tally, "certified" as accurate by a clerk that wasn't even working there in 2006.
And now she's getting threats.
Welcome to Bullitt County: http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/welcome.jpg
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Bullitt County Kentucky will have another election this coming May. If you live in Kentucky (or even in Cincinnati, which is nearby), now would be a good time to put together a small group of citizens to help Kathy keep an eye on Bullitt County elections.
IT WOULD HELP KATHY A LOT if she could communicate cost effectively with others, through e-mail. If anyone in the Louisville or Cincinnati area could donate a computer that is Internet-capable, Kathy Greenwell would have a good home for it. If someone who is tech-savvy can visit to show Kathy how to use e-mail and the Web browser, Black Box Voting will contribute a year's worth of dial-up Internet access for her. (E-mail angels@blackboxvoting.org if you can help, and we'll make the introductions.)
NOW ABOUT THOSE THREATS
Because Kathy is involved in trying to ensure that local citizens are having their votes counted properly, including those of minority voters, any acts of intimidation may fall under the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which would put prosecution under the auspices of the US Dept. of Justice.
If anything at all happen to Kathy Greenwell, we need to make sure we are just as persistent as Kathy is. Together with Ohio and Kentucky election integrity activists, we will urge immediate action by the state attorney general's office and/or the US Dept. of Justice.
BULLITT COUNTY IS BEAUTIFUL IN MAY -- Right around election time.
Link to image: Kentucky map with Bullitt County
http://www.bbvdocs.org/KY/ky-map.jpg
If a posse of friendly citizens would like to head over to Bullitt County to watch for Kentucky fried elections, this year might be a good time to do so.
Bullitt County – 20 miles south of Louisville, about an hour from Cincinnati: http://www.travelbullitt.org/
For a story on Kentucky fried elections in another location, click here: http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/1954/32958.html
(1) The Lexington Herald-Leader - Thin margins could prompt reviews of 4 legislative races, By Ryan Alessi And Jack Brammer; Nov. 9, 2006
(2) Courier-Journal Louisville, KY - Dishon investigation was rocky from start, trial shows, by Jason Riley; Feb. 3, 2003
(3) Courier-Journal Louisville, KY -
Brooks' attorney says investigators ignored other suspects in Dishon slaying, by Jason Riley; Jan. 24 2003
(4) The Courier-Journal Louisville, KY
- Charges dismissed in Dishon slaying, by Brian Moore and Jason Riley; Sept. 6, 2003
(5) The Courier-Journal Louisville, KY
- W. Ky. crash kills man with linked to Dishon case, by Brandy Warren; Apr. 6, 2006
(6) The Courier-Journal Louisville, KY
- Suit against ex-Bullitt sheriff dismissed, by Brandy Warren; Jan. 26, 2007
(7) The Courier-Journal Louisville, KY - BULLITT COUNTY; Vote machine problems create 'mass confusion', by Melissa Gagliardi and Brandy Warren; Nov. 8, 2006
# # # # #
The work Black Box Voting is doing is supported solely by citizen donations. To support our work:
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html
Or, mail to:
Black Box Voting
330 SW 43rd St Suite K
PMB 547
Renton WA 98055
From Bill Messer: Combat Global Warming by eating green
Ellen. Found this article buried in my computer filed under "film." I thought it was a review. Turns out it's more of a critique and reiterates points I tried to make at the Salon, but with data and stats I could only partly recall or estimate at the time. It does answer a question you asked me, in almost identical language: "The single most important thing a person can do to reduce global warming right now is to simply stop eating animals." It backs up this assertion. Eventually everyone will get this, but, for now, recognizing it is just too inconvenient and uncomfortable for most folks unwilling to acknowledge these clear connections and make the incumbent changes they require. Bill
Veganica News
Al Gore Avoids Inconvenient Truths
by Bill Phillips
Friday, July 21, 2006
Al Gore's documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, is a great film that should be seen by everyone on the planet. However, the film leaves out critical information that robs audiences of an opportunity to take immediate steps to reduce global warming at zero cost and great benefit.
An Inconvenient Truth does a good job of presenting the case for global warming but focuses on carbon dioxide and fails to mention the role of methane. Data published by leading climatologist Dr. James Hansen and others show that methane is a greater cause of global warming than CO2 - a huge fact absent from Al Gore's film.
Al Gore also neglects to mention the fact that one of the biggest reasons carbon dioxide levels are so high is not just human use of carbon fuels but agricultural deforestation. Cutting down trees greatly reduces the Earth's ability to absorb CO2. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is at record levels and is a significant cause of globa warming, however, human activity only contributes 3% of the total amount. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that methane is over 20 times more effective in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Human activity produces nearly 4 times more methane than natural sources. Carbon dioxide levels have increased since pre-industrial times by about 35% while methane has risen 123%.
While Al does admit his family's involvement in the beef business he doesn't mention that most rain forest destruction is for the beef industry. Nor does he mention that it takes about 284 gallons of oil to produce a cow. Eating one pound of hamburger does the same damage as driving your car for more than three weeks. Americans consume 28 billion pounds of beef each year at a cost of 4.62 trillion pounds of CO2.
As absurd as it sounds, evidence suggests that cow & pig flatulance and decaying manure are the largest contributors of methane. According to the EPA, livestock "produce about 80 million metric tons of methane annually." It takes 12 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of hamburger. Most soy and corn grown used to feed farm animals, not humans. Each year the human population increases and so does the cow, sheep, pig and chicken population. Each year over 10 Billion farm animals are killed for human consumption. There are more than twice as many farm animals on the planet at any given time as there are people.
The other big issue about CO2 that Al Gore ignores is that it takes 100-200 years for CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere. This means that if humans stopped producing all CO2 immediately it would be at least another 100 years before existing CO2 levels started to drop, whereas it only takes 10 to 20 years for methane to be mitigated. If we reduce methane production now we will see some benefits in time to make a difference.The modest CO2 reductions that are economically possible simply won't make any real difference in time, but the reductions should still be made.
Trees are vital to the planet's ability to convert CO2 into oxygen and put carbon back into the soil. As more trees are cut down the planet is less able to absorb the C02 and so carbon dioxide levels rise rapidly. Even if we stopped using fossil fuels completely CO2 levels would continue to rise as deforestation continues. Land cleared to grow bio-fuels would only make matters worse. Tackling deforestation and methane production must be the primary focus of efforts to reduce global warming. Anything else are primarily just 'feel-good' measures that will make no real difference in the short-term.
The single most important thing a person can do to reduce global warming right now is to simply stop eating animals. If humans greatly reduced their consumption of animals a tremendous amount of forest could be spared and tens of millions of acres could be reforested. Carbon sinks could be restored and global warming could perhaps be reduced. There is no nutritional requirement for humans to eat anything more than the diet their body was intended for - fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts. A healthy diet results in a healthier body and a healthier planet.
Al Gore dares not mention these truths about global warming. If he told the truth he might have to change his own eating habits and acknowledge the responsiblity of his family's cattle business. He did manage to confess his family's growing of tobacco and his sister's death from lung cancer from cigarettes. It is also likely that few people would go to see his film and there would be less awareness about global warming, which may be enough reason for him to not tell the truth. Perhaps it is best to initially tell a popular lie that is a step in the right direction than tell a truth that no one wants to hear.
While we are all wringing our hands about global warming, it is only getting worse and there is no solution in sight because no on wants to tell us the truth we don't want to hear. Terribly inconvenient.
For more info:
http://www.edpsciences.org/articles/animres/pdf/2000/03/z0305.pdf?access=ok
http://www.earthsave.org/globalwarming.htm
Ellen,
Here is an article by Rep. Ron Paul for the Salon, and all people who want to see the war
end.
Happy Equinox!
Karen Vossler
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig8/shank1.html
URL: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13710030/leaving_iraq_the_grim_truth
Rollingstone.com
Back to Leaving Iraq: The Grim Truth <http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13710030/leaving_iraq_the_grim_truth>
Beyond Quagmire
A panel of experts convened by Rolling Stone agree that the war in Iraq is lost. The only question now is: How bad will the coming explosion be?
TIM DICKINSON
How bad will it be? Tell us what you think here <http://www.rollingstone.com/nationalaffairs/?p=957> .
The war in Iraq isn't over yet, but -- surge or no surge -- the United States has already lost. That's the grim consensus of a panel of experts assembled by Rolling Stone to assess the future of Iraq. "Even if we had a million men to go in, it's too late now," says retired four-star Gen. Tony McPeak, who served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War. "Humpty Dumpty can't be put back together again."
Those on the panel -- including diplomats, counterterror analysts and a former top military commander -- agree that President Bush's attempt to secure Baghdad will only succeed in dragging out the conflict, creating something far beyond any Vietnam-style "quagmire." The surge won't bring an end to the sectarian cleansing that has ravaged Iraq, as the newly empowered Shiite majority seeks to settle scores built up during centuries of oppressive rule by the Sunni minority. It will do nothing to defuse the powder keg that an independence-minded Kurdistan, in Iraq's northern provinces, poses to the governments of Turkey, Syria and Iran, which have long brutalized their own Kurdish separatists. And it will only worsen the global war on terror.
"Our invasion and occupation has created a cauldron that will continue to draw in the players in the Middle East for the foreseeable future," says Michael Scheuer, who led the CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden. "By taking out Saddam, we have allowed the jihad to move 1,000 kilometers west, where it can project its power, its organizers, its theology into Turkey -- and from Turkey into Europe."
How bad will things get in Iraq -- and what price will the world ultimately pay for the president's decision to prolong the war? To answer those questions, we asked our panel to sketch out three distinct scenarios for Iraq: the best we can hope for, the most likely outcome and the worst that could happen.
The Rolling Stone Panel
Zbigniew Brzezinski
National security adviser to President Carter
Richard Clarke
Counterterrorism czar from 1992 to 2003
Nir Rosen
Author of In the Belly of the Green Bird, about Iraqâ•˙s spiral into civil war, speaking from Cairo, where he has been interviewing Iraqi refugees
Gen. Tony McPeak (retired)
Member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Gulf War
Bob Graham
Former chair, Senate Intelligence Committee
Chas Freeman
Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War; president of the Middle East Policy Council
Paul Pillar
Former lead counterterrorism analyst for the CIA
Michael Scheuer
Former chief of the CIAâ•˙s Osama bin Laden unit; author of Imperial Hubris
Juan Cole
Professor of modern Middle East history at the University of Michigan
BEST-CASE SCENARIO
CIVIL WAR IN IRAQ AND A STRONGER AL QAEDA
Zbigniew Brzezinski: If we are willing to engage with all of Iraq's neighbors -- including Iran -...
(to read the article click on link http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13710030/leaving_iraq_the_grim_truth. ellen)
Ellen Endorses Amish Dairy Farmer in Need of Lent Capital
I recently received the following letter f rom Dawn Oaks, the wife of our dairy farmer Gary Oaks (raw milk herd share group in N. KY). This is a rock solid, beautiful family of 6, Gary was raised Amish, I have known them for two years and love these people. They need investors to help them buy acreage and save their operation. I can give personal testimony about them. Anyone feel like lending a thousand, or more? Call me 221 1289. Ellen
Dear Cowshare Family and Owners,
Gary and I would like to thank you for your incredible support that you have shown to us over the years and most especially during this last year. The anniversary of that infamous day is upon us and we find ourselves rejoicing that the legal battles from that day have been resolved, that Gary‚s health has rebounded to allow him to get back to farming full-time, and that our family is intact.
Our arrival at this point would not have been possible without the hundreds of hours of volunteer service by our ownership in helping with establishing the carpools, bottling milk, helping with the daily tasks around the farm, and all the many other things that were done to hold the cowshare program together during our legal battles and Gary‚s struggles with his health.
Last summer, a family very generously went before us to purchase farm land and do the necessary construction of a dairy barn knowing how desperately we needed to leave our current location for both legal and logistical reasons. The farm that was under development was to be the new home for the Double O Farms. Naively, we thought that this was being done out of the same generosity and kindness that was shown by so many of our other owners during this horrific time. Unfortunately as the months dragged on and costs were being more openly discussed, it became apparent that the construction was being done to enhance the bottom line of the construction company. After waiting for 10 months for the construction to be completed, we have had to come face to fac e with the reality that the original cost of construction had more than tripled from the original verbal commitment made by the construction company and that the structure was still not ready for occupancy.
Our family can not shoulder this level of financial debt at a time when we are still getting back on our feet after the financial burdens of the past year. In addition, as in any business, those types of costs eventually trickle back to the end consumer and we can not in good conscience increase your financial liability.
Gary and I are at a desperate cross roads personally as well as in our sense of responsibility to all of you, our ownership. Our current situation is that:
- We currently have several cows on 6 acres of land. They absolutely have got to have more grass. Spring is upon us and we need to do right by these animals.
- Farmers in our general location have farms for sale, but are not willing to entertain lease agreements at this time. A lease agreement would allow us the time to sell our existing property and then to subsequently purchase the leased farm. Unfortuantely, this door has been closed.
- Our neighbor that has allowed us to utilize the acreage adjacent to our current location in the past is now preparing to sell his acreage and will not allow us to reuse the acreage this spring. Purchasing this additional acreage at this time is not a possibility as the market value of land in this area is not within our grasp.
- We, as a family, are not in the financial position to shoulder two mortgages in order to move the operation to a new location in order to sell our current property.
Given these circumstances, we are at a place where we must ask about the viability of the future survival of the Double O Farms. If passion alone could carry us, we would serve you all for generations to come. Unfortunately, passion does not buy the farm. At the encouragement of one of our owner families, we are putting out a plea to you.
There are several farms with larger amounts of acreage out there that would accommodate the cowshare program and allow it to remain in the Greater Cincinnati area. The transition is the issue. We are desperately looking for financial investors/ backers that would cooperatively purchase the farm until we can sell our existing property in Verona. There may be two investors that would be willing to each invest larger sums or a hundred families that could all contribute smaller amounts. If you can help in this way, please contact us as soon as possible.
Gary and I are so greatly humbled to even have to put such a request before you. We can say that it is truly our last ditch effort to save the farm. If we can not secure financing in some way in the next few weeks so that the cows can be moved to green pasture, we will begin to actively dissolve the farm and liquidate our assets. We know that for many of you it is a very stretching experience each month just to afford your milk. Please know that if you are unable to help in this way, we think no less of you. We must however share this with you as the owners in the program. If we should need to begin liquidating assets, we will be in communication with you with regard to all that that will entail.
Sincerely and most humbly,
Gary and Dawn Oaks
Doubleofarms@earthlink.net
Section Four: Books/Magazines/Reviews
...................................
Come on... send me names of books and stuff you are enjoying. ellen
The Lloyd House Salon (usually about 12 people) Meets on WEDNESDAYS at 5:45,
EVERY Wednesday, 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.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Our Salon blog is a promising interactive site: http:lloydhouse.blogspot.com
Also, we have an Interactive Yahoo Salon group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LloydHouseSalon
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, 6 or 7. This tells me which sub-list your name is on so I can
> delete it. Thanks! ellen bierhorst
