A Newsletter published every Thursday from the Lloyd House in Cincinnati
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FIVE SECTIONS, including:
- Table Notes of the discussion at this Wednesday night’s Salon, as recorded by Ellen
- Events and Opportunities
- Articles of Interest
- Book, Film, Theater, TV, Music Reviews
- Tri-State Treasures, compiled by Jim Kesner
Submissions: you must have the email copy to me by Wednesday night midnight. Copy the format you see in this Weekly please. (Times New Roman font, text 14 pt, headlines 20 pt. Maroon for Opportunities and Events, Navy for articles.)
The Wednesday Night Salon has been meeting each week of the year (no break for holidays, weather) since July 2001 in pursuit of good talk. Bring a dish at 5:45 pm and join us. We are usually about 10 people of varied erudition and age. We like to talk politics, environmentalism, social issues, literature, the arts, ad any blamed thing we want. Sometimes we have a special presenter. We emphasize good fellowship and civility always. Way fun! Everyone welcome. 3901 Clifton Avenue 45220.
SECTION ONE: Table Notes
These rough notes have not been approved or edited by the speakers and contain inevitable misunderstandings and misquotes. Also, opinions expressed are NOT necessarily Ellen’s.
At the Table this Wednesday:
Ellen Bierhorst, Vlasta Molak, Marvin Kraus, Brooke Audreyal, Gerry Kraus, Carolyn Aufderhaar, Mira Rodwan, Mr. G.
We always open with the Preamble, a song, a reading, passing the donations basket ($5 requested), and passing the clean-up chores list.
Announcements at Table:
Discussion:
Gary: reading the NYTimes opinion articles on Michael Jackson and the mania around his death. ( http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/whats-driving-the-michael-jackson-mania/?scp=8&sq=July%207,%202009%20Jackson&st=cse#margo)
Marvin: was anybody here moved by Michael Jackson?
Mira when my daughter adored him as a child. Wanted a brother like that. Totally charming as a little kid. Terrific dancer. The Moon Walk.
Gerry: did he make the world a better place?
Mira: he sang “we are the world” for Farm Aid and raised a lot of money ...
Brooke: I think he did make the world a better place. Enjoyed some of his music, really enjoyed his dancing, was the source of fun. Sharpton was talking about him; Jackson wasinstrumental as a young black man coming into white homes in posters etc. Sharpton said he paved the way for more racial integration...became a household word to a l ot of white people who would never have considered that before. He paved a way, opened the way... Now we have a Black president in the White House.
I think he was instrumental.
Re the court case pending, I can see it either way. Might have been buying his way out of a conviction. Or, many people are drawn to attack the wealthy and famous.
(He was acquitted.) OK, ... And once you are accused of something like that it never goes away. On one charge, he settled out of court, and I reserve judgment.
Gerry Neither former wife was at the funeral.
Vlasta: I remember a beautiful song I heard on TV, that it doesn’t matter what color yu are, you are a human being.
Gerry: last night I turned on TV, and it was all about Michael Jackson. I wasn’t a fan of his. But I don’t think he merited all this media attention,...same level as when Princess Di died, or JFK.
MrG: that’s why I like the opinion pieces, “What’s driving the mania?” http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/whats-driving-the-michael-jackson-mania/?scp=8&sq=July%207,%202009%20Jackson&st=cse#margo
Carolyn: his father was not included in the will... His children and his mother were.
... His white skin... Vitiligo... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitiligo
Marvin: ... Magic Johnson, outstanding basketball star, said Jackson opened the door to white society’s acceptance of black people. Way beyond the world of music.
Brooke: not only their homes, but also their hearts. After Al Sharpton started speaking I was persuaded.
Mr.G: did he write all his songs? I know Quincy Jones was his producer...I think he had a role.
Ellen He was so weird!...
Vlasta yes, he was.
MrG: he never grew up. Peter Pan. ... Perhaps good things were caused by him, but was he aiming for that? Maybe he was aiming for the buck.
Gerry: Frank Sinatra was the icon of my generation...
Mira: Sinatra was criminalized, but before that he sang “What is America to me?” “The House I live in”.
Gerry: his mother had mafia connections in New Jersey; that’s how he got his break.
MrG: I used to be in the CCNY alum group in Cinti. Many of them were older , from the Bronx. They said, “We weren’t in the mafia, but our neighborhoods were real safe and we knew why.” There were benefits of the mafia. Reminds me of Hamas. Robin Hood.
(According to the internet, Robin Hood was not real.)
Said at the table: the issue of Michael’s father. Apparently the father pushed him to make money for the family. I have heard that in the Black culture where if you coddle a child, you set him up for abuse later, so you want to toughen the child in childhood.
Vlasta there was an Austrian M.D. In the 20’s who said if you show children you love them, you spoil them. My parents read and believed this.
It scarred many.
MrG: there is a case to be made. You want to meld your childrearing to the culture you are in...
JOE BIDEN TO COME TO NORTHSIDE;
Extra ticket to be handed out to the one who picks the favorite between 1 and 50.
SALON WEEKLY INFLUENCE!
Ellen: Debbie Dreyfus, the nurse manager of the Elm St. clinic called, having read the Salon Weekly, and said the Salonista who has Medicare and Medicare Gap insurance should be covered and enrolled at a City clinic unless they have Medicare HMO. Debbie will come to the Salon on 8/12 and tell about city clinics.
Gerry: on Saturday at the zoo at 7 pm a film about Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring” author. “A sense of wonder”. Call the zoo for a ticket. 55 minutes long.
Brooke: When is “Food Inc” to be shown for ten days at the Esquire? (Ans: Friday, this week.) ... The “loving café” in Pleasant Ridge. Vegan restaurant. They are volunteers except for the manager. They have a guru. They never proselytize me.
VLASTA: FREEDOM OF SPEECH; MARK TWAIN (From the New Yorker Magazine of last December)
“the Privilege of the grave”... Dead people have freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is permitted in form but not in fact.
People are afraid of speaking out against popular opinion, wanting to be “in the swim”. Political Parties constituents don’t understand their platforms...
If you express an unpopular opinion you will rue the consequences.
Marvin... When Bush came to Cincinnati to announce the Iraq war; 200 people in the terminal were in favor; 3,000 outside protesting.
ROBERT MACNAMARA
Mr.G: I think he was a great man; misunderstood.
Vietnam: it was about containment of communism. JFK sent the first soldiers in. ... In 1967 I was in grad school; had a deferment for teaching... I was depressed, frightened. (Canada?) I thought of it but I couldn’t face going there. I thought they all used out houses in Canada.
Green schools
Brooke: Cinti now leads the nation in Green Schools; and we are so proud of having the first Environmental Justice Ordinance in the nation.
ARTICLE ON GANG VIOLENCE PROGRAM IN CINCINNATI IN THE NEW YORKER MAGAZINE.
Marvin: Yes, by the academic guy, Kennedy. Very good article. Laudatory of Cincinnati. ... The city also got recognition for rounding up the “Taliband”, a northside drug gang.
DWANE SHAW, salonista, Earthsave member, recently died. (July 1) There will be a memorial service for him at the Lloyd House. (Stay tuned.)
Marvin found the body.
FOOD SAFETY LEGISLATION (see the article on this issue below in the Articles section.) (for info : http://tinyurl.com/mnm34s )
Brooke: the House Bill to be voted on, re food safety. Many are objecting to it; it would cost local small farmers too much ($500) to register, so it would put them out of business. It is also designed to protect from food terrorism. Seems like a mixed bag; contact your reps and indicate which aspects you approve of. To me, it looks like more corporate control of the food supply, hurting the local farmers.
Gerry I hear that the small fishermen in the East coast are doing like a farmers’ market and charging less than supermarkets.
Marvin UNDER the bill, if you sell your produce directly to the consumer, you don’t have to be “registered”; but if there is a middle man, you have to register.
...
Brooke: I heard that David Rosenberg is against it.
STREETCARS IN DOWN TOWN CINCINNATI
BANKS PROJECT
The new FOUNTAIN SQUARE fountain position.
Marvin: Where is the legally required fountain square flower stand? When the land was given to the city it had a “reverter” clause; if there isn’t a flower sold at least once a year, the land reverts to the original owner.
... In Silverton there is an issue of public school wanting to swap some land; there is a reverter clause there. ...
Mira Major General Smedley Butler, USMC, wrote a treatise in c. 1930 “War is a Racket”. We could read that here. www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html
SECTION TWO: Events and Opportunities
Homeless Benefit by Adagio Trio
Woodenshoe Gardens CSA meeting Sunday at Unity
“The Shadow Effect” premiers in the Cincinnati area at the Glendale New Church, 845 Congress Ave, Glendale, OH 45246, on Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 6:30PM, Presented for EVERYONE by The Cincinnati Men’s Gathering. Admission is $5.
Peter Block’s A Small Group working to transform Cincinnati, having an intensive training on the 18th.
Lloyd House Monthly Drumming Circle
Every month at 6:45 on the final Tuesday. Bring instruments of any variety. We rock! Dancing. No perfectionism tolerated. Ends at 8:45. Bring Snacks if you like, wine...
Blood Drive for Health Care Reform
- The Lloyd House team to support the president’s drive to get health care reform legislation through the congress this summer (before the summer recess that starts July 31) met and decided our service project would be a blood drive through Hoxworth blood bank. The service will be to promote blood donation in our name (Cincinnati Groundswell for Health Care Reform) and the aim is to increase the numbers of folks calling their representatives in Washington asking to control rising health care costs, guarantee choice of doctor, and assure high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. We also hope to gather more volunteers willing to support this campaign by making phone calls, knocking on doors, writing letters to the media, etc. etc.
We would like to gather 100 blood donors in the next two weeks, and more in the weeks to follow. We’d like this to not only save lives but also to attract public attention for our purpose.
What can YOU do?
Write letters to the editor, e.g. enquirer: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/EDIT0202/302160003
Go to http://my.barackobama.com and create an account; (2 minutes) then follow suggestions to volunteer, to attend events, to host an event. They walk you through. It’s easy and fun.
Tell everyone you know that it is important to stop the hemorrhage of our society through a broken health care system. Yes we can get meaningful progress this summer if we mount a groundswell effort to defeat the “no change” effort of the powerful health insurance industry lobby.
Give blood! Tell the person at the registration at Hoxworth that you are donating for “cincinnati Groundswell for Health Care Reform”. 513 451 0910 for centers near you and to make an appointment.
Return address
100 Main Street
Anywhere, US 10000
- June 9, 2009
The Honorable Congressperson
(Room #) (Name) House/Senate Office Building
United States Senate/House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20510
SEND VIA FAX or email. (snail mail is delayed for security checks.)
Dear Senator/Representative:
As one of your constituents, I urge you to support President Obama’s efforts to reform healthcare. If we don’t enact change, millions of Americans will continue to suffer under a broken system. My story illustrates the urgency of the situation. {INSERT PERSONAL STORY HERE, IF RELEVANT.}
In seeking your support, I understand that no specific bill or legislation is yet under consideration. I realize that this enormous challenge has no easy solution. And I realize that no one has all the answers. I certainly don’t. But there are a few non-negotiable points, I ask you to consider. One, any plan must reduce costs. Many are asked to pay thousands of dollars a month just for basic insurance coverage. Others can’t afford life-saving medication or treatment. Two, any plan must allow patients some reasonable measure of choice in their coverage and their medical provider. Some are satisfied with their present coverage. Why force them to change it? Three, and most importantly, any plan must be available to all Americans. Because of pre-existing conditions, many Americans are uninsurable, yet have incomes that make them ineligible for Medicaid. We must create a plan of public health insurance to operate alongside the private plans.
Healthcare reform is a moral decision. At this moment in history, modern medicine gives us the ability to extend, enrich, and preserve human life like never before. Yet countless of us are denied the fruits of this progress by an inability to pay or a lack of access. At the same time, millions –– perhaps even billions –– of dollars go to waste in our present, inefficient system. We have talked a long time about change. The time for that change is now.
Respectfully,
Your name here
Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH) Class I
713 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
phone (202) 224-2315 Fax (202)228-6321 Web Form: brown.senate.gov/contact/
425 Walnut Street, Suite 2310
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
p (513) 684-1021
f (513) 684-1029
Toll Free 1-888-896-OHIO (6446)
Voinovich, George V. - (R - OH) Class III
524 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
phone (202) 224-3353 Fax: (513) 684-3269
Web Form: voinovich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact....
Senator Jim Bunning, Kentucky Senator
District 4 - Ft. Wright (Main State Office)
1717 Dixie Highway, Suite 220
Ft. Wright, KY 41011
Main: 859-341-2602
Fax: 859.331.7445
Toll free: 1-800-283-8983 Web Form http://bunning.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Senator Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Senator
1885 Dixie Highway
Suite 345
Fort Wright, KY 41011
Phone: (859) 578-0188 Fax: (202) 224-2499 Web Form mcconnell.senate.gov/contact_form.cfm -
Jean Schmidt 2nd Congressional District
8044 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236
Phone (513)791-0381 Fax: (513) 791-1696 www.house.gov/schmidt/contact.shtml
Steve Driehaus First Congressional District
441 Vine St. 3003 Carew Twr., Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone (513)684-2723 Fax: (513) 421-8722 https://forms.house.gov/driehaus/contact-form.shtml
John H. Boehner 8th Congressional District
7969 Cincinnati-Dayton Rd. B, West Chester, OH 45069
Phone (513)779-5400 Fax (513) 779-5315 http://johnboehner.house.gov. <http://johnboehner.house.gov>
Geoff Davis, 4th Congressional District Kentucky
Fort Mitchell District Office
300 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 314
Fort Mitchell, KY 41017
(859) 426-0080 phone
(859) 426-0061 fax http://geoffdavis.house.gov/Contact/
(Our thanks to Joan Friedland for correcting the mistakes in this contact list and for adding the fax numbers!)
Just shared a wonderful meal at EMANU, EAST AFRICAN RESTAURANT on Montgomery Rd and Losantaville in Pleasant Ridge (just S of Ridge, W side of Montgomery). Ethiopian food, family owned and operated. Unusual food and service... they bring this huge platter covered in teff bread, like an enormous spongy pancake, with dollops of your various stuff--veggies, meat, lentils-- and everyone takes their teff pancake pieces and uses it like a napkin to dig into the food. When you go with your honey you feed him and he feeds you. Very fun and delicious. Some spicy some not. Dinners around $15. ellen
Write your Senators re. Nuclear Stockpiles Reduction
President Obama just signed an agreement with Russia's leaders to begin reducing nuclear weapons stockpiles by as much as a third. But this new treaty can't go into effect until the Senate gets on board. I just emailed my Senators and told them to support Obama's new treaty. Can you help me make the world a safer place and do the same thing?
This website makes it really easy:
http://act.truemajorityaction.org/t/120/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=33
Thanks!
Nancy Dawley
Does Anyone Know of a Medical Billing Service? I am sick of doing my own billing and there are people dotted about the land who do this out of their homes. I need to find one. Good, reliable, pleasant, and cheap. Ellen 221 1289
Hi there friends,
- Now here’s an opportunity for you. I am now a fully qualified teacher of the Alexander Technique, and eager to give a lot of lessons this summer. All lessons will be free until the end of June, and then really cheap during July ($10), and pretty darn cheap during August ($20?). Starting sometime later I’ll be charging $78 for a 45 minute lesson, but still eager to make it affordable for you. So please call me to schedule a time and by all means tell your friends and family. 513 221 1289.
Don’t know what Alexander Technique is? Check out http://MissyVineyard.com or http://www.alexandertech.com for introductory essays and FAQ.
Thanks for your interest in this wonderful work.
Ellen
If you have one of those radio lock and unlock car things read this:
Clever thieves have found an electronic way to copy the signal your keyfob gives to your car while you are locking / unlocking it and can use it to unlock your car! To avoid risk, lock the car using the door lock or the key. This has been confirmed by Snopes.com
Special Presenter at the Salon on Wednesday, August 12
Debbie Dreyfus, nurse manager of the Elm St. (City of Cincinnati Public) Health Clinic will tell us all about these clinics. I’ve been a patient of the Northside Clinic (another of the city clinics) for about ten years and am thrilled with the quality of care. Ellen.
SECTION THREE: Articles
- Ellen on civility at the table
- Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccination?
Dear Salonista,
So here’s the straight poop: you (and every salonista) have a lot of “say” with me as to how the salon is conducted. That is because I want the atmosphere always to be congenial, respectful, and the proceedings interesting in a positive, uplifting way. So if something is irritating or annoying, or just less than optimal for you, I want to hear about that and make changes.
It is NOT necessary to invoke “rules” or group majority power or any such thing. I will interpret the group leaning the best way I can, in keeping with the core values as I see them, and modify practices accordingly.
So you do not have to insist or push or demand at all. The way is to just suggest, relying on my and the group’s overarching respect and regard for you and for me and one another. You will be heard.
If you are not happy with the way I respond to requests or suggestions, then I would be sad to see you go.
The bottom line: this is not a power struggle. I don’t like power struggles or anything that suggests power struggles. They are a breech of civility. I was not above asking Randall Ball to leave when he was raising his voice and bitching out David Pepper. The dining room at the Lloyd House is not to feel like a conflict zone.
Civility. Mutual positive regard.
Incidentally, the nurse manager of the Elm St Health Clinic (City of Cincinnati) just called. She reads the Weekly on the internet blog and read how (one of our members at the table last week) was turned away from a city clinic and called to find out if it was hers. Told me that person should not have been turned away, and what she should do. I was thrilled. The nurse manager, Debbie Dreyfus, will be making a presentation at the Salon on Wed Aug 12.
Hope to see you tonight,
Ellen
Mandatory Swine Flu Vaccination
Is a possibility according to Shirley Reischman, my respected homeopath. I can’t get the article on this to go through. Check out
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=JFpRE6%2FqCV0RZeBd5BvhO2gEs6%2BILcDS> ", http://www.healthfreedomusa.org/?p=2752
SECTION FOUR: Book, Film, Theater, TV, Music Reviews
Please send us notes of what you are reading or seeing. It’s entirely up to the readers to make this section interesting. We want to know what is turning you on!
- GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES, a fabulous book touted by Patrick N, my esteemed friend, as FINALLY clarifying the carbohydrates addiction thing, and why you can’t lose weight by limiting fats, etc. etc. Wonderful book. ellen
.....................................................................
SECTION FIVE: Tri-State Treasures by Jim Kesner
... This is bizarre! When I include the Tri-State Treasures, the email fails to deliver. It goes out, but does not come back in test. ellen
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