The Lloyd House Wednesday Night Salon WEEKLY
A Newsletter published every Thursday from the Lloyd House in Cincinnati
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Our Salon blog is an interactive site: http://lloydhouse.blogspot.com
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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 and Letters
Book, Film, Theater, TV, Music, Website Reviews
Tri-State Treasures, compiled by Jim Kesner (currently we cannot receive. Sorry)
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
Kaniz, Lauren, Viddle, Julia, Mira, Mr. G., Vlasta, Marilyn
Kaniz, Lauren, Viddle, Julia, Mira, Mr. G., Vlasta, Marilyn
At the Table: Kaniz Siddiqui, Lauren Hanisian, Mr. G., Vlasta Molak, Marilyn Gale, Ellen Bierhorst, Viddle, Mira Rodwan, Julia Yarden, Alan Weiner
Vlasta: CCCDC ("3C-DC") wants to move the Drop Inn Center to Mt. Airy Forest. Ignorant, arrogant young punks working under Linder and Castellini. They are tyrants. They steal legally from tax payers.
Kaniz: there will be a 45 million dollar deficit in the budget. Might increase tax.
Ellen: see announcement below on the city budget meeting for citizens, Saturday. All Cincinnati - Saturday, June 5th, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Cintas Center
OIL SPILL
Kaniz: people don't comprehend that it is a disaster of biblical proportions. It is going to cover the sea bed. Toxic chemicals to disperse the oil. Huge damage, and no end to it. The deregulation of last eight, ten years has allowed shoddy work. They kept on telling lies about the volume of the flow.
Mr. G. Now we are getting around to talking about capitalism.
Is BP a "buy"? Talking heads last night said a billion loss they can swing. If it gets to 50 billion that will be tough.
Mira ... Sandra Day O'Connor wants all school children to have civics courses.
... Every once in a while someone gets hurt feelings and doesn't come back to the salon. The four agreements, #2, "Take nothing personally." ... People should feel safe; feedback should not be so negative that it hurts. ... It feels like fifth grade; everyone wants to get approval. We should disagree but we should not be so damned disagreeable about it.
Viddle I'm for communication with passion.
Vlasta Maya Angelou said nobody can put me down with out my consent. I feel if we get a little rowdy, that's ok. We have basic respect for one another.
Mira:
in Nonviolent Communications, you first look within and discern your feelings and needs.Internal awareness; ask "Why is this upsetting me?"
Marilyn: I agree with Vlasta. We all have positive feeling towards each other.
Viddle: sometimes too much of what Mira advocates squashes conversation. I don't intend to hurt anyone. I respect everyone here.
Mira we come here wanting more than just the discussion. We want fellowship; a chance to speak. ...
Viddle: in my culture, my family (from Ukraine, Jewish) we sat at table and shouted at each other. It was a friendly thing.
Mr. G: we could appoint someone to defend and advocate for the quiet people.
Mira: ... It's not just up to Obama to make the changes; it is up to us to make progressive changes.
Viddle: I get excited, so full of ideas. Too slow to write down my ideas.
Ellen: I was talking with my daughter Anna in Denver using Skype where you can see the person and talk. She gets from the web lyrics of songs to teach her son. It's so much better than when you had to go to the library and look it up.
Mr. G. this group helps me process information. It IS a personal growth group.
Kaniz: we just have to have respect for one another.
Julia: "think outside the bomb" national tour. TOTBtour.org also
http://www.thinkoutsidethebomb.org
Nuclear disarmament campaign this summer.
Aug 1-9 will camp at Los Alamos.
Non violent civil disobedience. Tonight 7 – 9, at Off the Avenue. Northside.
Vlasta: I am planning to take a round the world trip this August.
50 days. Tokyo; Beijing; Tibet; India; Moscow; Israel; Croatia; Paris; London. http://http://Www.cheapoair is very cheap one way tickets.
Discussion of fascinating probability puzzle with Mr. G.
The Monty Hall problem: three doors. One has a car, 2 have goats. You make your choice. Before the door is opened the host opens one showing a goat. You may then either stick with your original choice or switch to the remaining door. Do you want to switch or keep the one you chose? What do you choose and why? Most people assume there is equal prob. Of winning with either switching or not. That is wrong. See
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_Hall_problem
(explains the problem and the solution.)
~ end of table notes ~
Hugs to all,
Ellen
SECTION TWO: ACTIVITIES, OPPORTUNITIES
this sat. 9-12 cintas cntr XU
Building the Citizen Budget
For the past several months, CCR (Citizens for Civic Renewal) has been convening the Citizen Budget Coalition to develop a way to work with the City of Cincinnati Mayor, Council and Administration to include citizen input in the policy budgetfor 2011-2012.
(don't worry if y ou don't understand city budgets...they have worksheets and explanations and possible cuts etc. that you can consider. You can also download them at
http://www.citizenscivicrenewal.org Ellen )
The Mayor, Council and Administration have agreed that hearing from citizens would be useful. The Coalition has designed a process where citizens will deliberate in small groups and suggest how the City of Cincinnati should balance a $50 million budget deficit. To have your voice heard, sign-up for one of the three neighborhood meetings and/or the all-city meeting. Space is limited, so please RSVP today. Please pass this invitation along to your fellow citizens to assure diverse views are included. If you have questions, contact Steve Johns, Executive Director, Citizens for Civic Renewal at 458-6736 or ccrcinn@juno.com.
All Cincinnati - Saturday, June 5th, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Cintas Center
This show is fascinating every year. Regular art on walls and multi media and live stuff. Political commentary. ellen
You're invited to
SOS ART 2010
a community art show and event of sociopolitical expressions for
Peace and Justice
May 28 – June 6
@The Art Academy of Cincinnati,
1212 Jackson St, downtown OTR Cincinnati
see
http://www.facebook.com/pages/SOS-ART/114926655201706?v=app_2344061033
Looking forward to seeing you!
DON'T MISS CINTI FRINGE FESTIVAL- FAR OUT PERFORMANCES. GOING ON NOW. IN over the rhine (OTR)
http://www.cincyfringe.com/
And Weekly reader Ramona Toussant is in one -
"The Global Lovers" Cincinnati Fringe Festival: 7:30 p.m. Friday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 9 p.m. June 9;, 9:30 p.m. June 11; and 5 p.m. June 12 at A Lucky Step (across from Lavomatic), 1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. Information:www.cincyfringe.com/the-global-lovers, or http://pinataproduction.com.
Written by poet and playwright Rhonda Pettit, an associate professor of English and women's studies at the University of Cincinnati's Raymond Walters College, the play is a poetic drama - a mix of poetry and traditional narrative - that explores the relationship between contemporary American consumer culture and how girls and women are being consumed all over the world. It addresses how sex-slavery/human trafficking is possible here in the U.S and all over the globe. It is at once sad, funny and impactful.
Cincinnati MetroMix has deemed The Global Lovers as one on the top 8 must see shows out of 33 in the Festival! See the World Premier! Tickets are $12 and I think $2 less in advance. Runs about 1hr 15 min. The venue is just across the street from Lavomatic and not far from dining and bars on main street.
WVXU Radio Interview
Cincinnati Enquirer
Citybeat
http://cincinnati.metromix.com/events/roundup/our-fringe-festival-picks/1968806/content
CELTIC ROSE Free Concerts
(harp and flute music. Gorgeous!)
Hello Dear Friends,
Three new concerts to tickle your ears and get your Celtic toes a-tapping!
Hope you can join us!
Thanks so much,
Pam Jurgens (Ellen's dear friend, harpist), Rose Reidmiller and Laurie Phenix
Friday, June 11 8-10 p.m. Tuesday, June 22 8-8:30p.m. Friday, July 23 8-10 p.m.,
Marty's Hops and Vines Music Cafe Marty's Hops and Vines
6110 Hamilton Avenue Fitton Arts Center 6110 Hamilton Avenue
681-4222 Hamilton, Ohio 681-4222
Zumba® Fitness Classes
[Wednesdays @ 6-7PM & Saturdays @ 12:30-1:30PM]: Clifton Cultural Arts Center in the Old Clifton School, 3711 Clifton Avenue @ McAlpin, Cincinnati, OH 45220. The Zumba workout program fuses Latin rhythms & easy-to-follow moves to create a 1-of-a-kind fun dance fitness program. The routines feature interval-training sessions where fast & slow rhythms & resistance training are combined to tone & sculpt your body while burning fat. Ages 12 & up. Wear exercise/comfortable clothes; bring a water bottle & lots of energy; some like to bring a towel. 1st class is free; then $10/class or $80 for 10-classes (pay in class). Instructor is (my friend) Ellen Sorkin. More info about Zumba (see Ellen's profile too) @ http://www.zumba.com
Advertisement: Try the Alexander Technique
FREE Alexander Technique Practice session every Sunday 3:00 – 4 at the Lloyd House. Open to all.
Ellen Bierhorst Ph.D. ~ Alexander Technique ~ http://www.lloydhouse.com ~ 513 221 1289 ~ Cincinnati
I am having a blast here in my first year of teaching the Alexander Technique! Unbelievably, a full calendar since the launch of my practice in late June. This winter I was having so much demand formy lessons that I had to stop advertising and ask some well-progressing students to drop back to twice a month instead of weekly lessons. Now that spring is finally here I am feeling more energetic and again am daring to reach out to more folks.
Fantastic fee deal (limited time only): First lesson free; second through 4th lessons only $10. After that, only $40/lesson if you buy a package of 4 at a time, prepaid. * The "real fee" is $78 per lesson. I am interested in "turning on" as many people as possible to this wonderful learning. Good for pain, for performance improvement in the arts, atheltics, ... And finally, good for personal development. It has definite geriatric benefit as well.
You can read about my own experiences and find links to other sites here:
http://www.lloydhouse.com
Call and make an appointment or to discuss it with me. 513 221 1289.
........
* However, it is my commitment to adjust fees for anyone truly wanting lessons who cannot afford even this modest fee. Try it and see. Ellen
From: Ramona Toussaint <Ramona@langsfordcenter.com>
Date: March 15, 2010 11:16:06 AM EDT
To: cs_news@cintishares.org
Subject: International Peace Gathering Event
ANNOUNCING: Hope Springs Institute International Peace Gathering
June 23-27, 2010
Hope Springs Institute, Peebles, Ohio (50 miles east of Cincinnati)
Planting the Seeds of Peace for the Planet! This extraordinary event features four days of learning, play and celebration. We start with a focus on healing - healing collective trauma, healing peace in Northern Ireland and healing the planet. Midweek we learn about action we can take - armed with art, the role of dissent and pilgrims of peace. As we move toward closure, we look at how we step into activism through a whole systems event and the final talk on feminism, activism and waging peace.
Our keynote speakers are—Member Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers Flordemayo, Irish Peace Activist and Musician Kate Fitzpatrick, Atlanta Poet, Playwright and Community Organizer Alice Lovelace, Feminist, Pacifist and Transnational Consultant Alexandra Merrill, President International Trauma Institute Gina Ross, Bangalore, India OD Consultant Bhanumathy Vasudevan and Anti-War Activist Ann Wright. Performance artists—emma's revolution, Minton Sparks, Chauncey Beaty, Mariangela Mihai and MUSE Cincinnati's Women's Choir are also featured.
Peace Gathering website: http://www.hopespringsinstitute.org/peace.html
Peace Gathering blog: http://hopespringspeace.blogspot.com/
Ramona Toussaint
Director of Community Outreach
513.531.7400 x114
Your Child. Our Center.
View parent and student testimonials at:
www.LangsfordLearning.com
Be a Champion of an Individual's Potential.
You can help a child become a successful reader by passing along my contact information.
Upcoming SUMMER Vacancy at the Lloyd House
Third floor two room suite, has own bathroom. Monthly house dues: $460 includes all utilities plus high speed wireless internet. Kitchen shared with two others. Wonderful space! Please call Ellen: (513) 221 1289 Available June 23 to Sept 15.
Must be rock solid financially, over 25, non smoker, homo sapiens only.
Very jolly, juicy multicultural household in Victorian Castle. See www.lloydhouse.com
Also, We also have a vacancy now at the Lloyd House
Third floor single room + bathroom. $360/month house dues, all utilities included, high speed wireless internet included. Share kitchen. Many perks. Ellen: 221 1289 No smoking, nobody under age 25.
ARTICLES AND LETTERS
Bentley Davis' Political Notes
Feed Thy Farmer
Letters (on Kangen presentation; on Art Censorship)
Michael Pollen's article on food in NY Review of Books
Political Notes:
By Bentley Davis
First of all, I want to call to everyone's attention that there will be a rally for Immigration Reform on Saturday, June 5th beginning at 1:30pm at the Hamilton County Courthouse. We are expecting several hundred people to be in attendance, but the more the better.
The General Assembly is about to go on summer recess, so there won't be much state legislative activity after this week.
There are several statewide ballot initiatives for which people are collecting signatures. Please sign only those petitions for the initiatives you want to pass. Don't just sign to give the people the ability to vote – because some of these initiatives are downright scary. There is one to block Ohio's participation in health care reform. One is called the "state sovereignty amendment". Among the kooky provisions, it would require EVERY regulation enforcement to go through the county sheriff – EPA regulations, OSHA, labor violations – everything. It would also allow 9 or 12 jury members to invalidate any law with which they disagree. Finally, there is a ballot initiative which many of you probably support. It creates stringent livestock standards so the animals that feed us are treated with a modicum of respect.
All of these initiatives have until the end of June to collect their signatures. I cannot stress how important it is NOT TO SIGN if you don't want it to pass.
Candidate campaigns are really gearing up. I urge everyone to get involved with a candidate or issue of their choice – you can also volunteer with an organization to support their endorsed candidates.
One of the most overlooked candidate races are judicial seats. These candidates don't have party affiliation on the ballot nor can they ask for money for themselves (others can do it for them). These facts and the lack of glamour of the office makes these races close to invisible for most of us. But their decisions affect us all. Please take the time to research the judicial candidates. In November, there will be races for all level of state judges, from the municipal level to Ohio Supreme Court Justices.
As always, feel free to ask me any questions pertaining to local, state, national, or international political affairs.
Best,
Bentley
Thought this might interest you. I hope more brave farmers like Tim Wightman will speak out. This could lead to substantive discussions on what it would really take to have a sustainable local food movement.
David Rosenberg
Feed Thy Farmer
By Tim Wightman | May 30, 2010
This Memorial Day weekend has prompted me to reflect. The passion that has filled all my waking hours these fifteen years, the "other woman" in my life, has been the local food movement. Yes, the local food movement is like the proverbial "high-maintenance woman", never enough time, money, volunteers, activists, donations to make her happy.
I came to the local food movement to help my family's small farm survive, and found instead, fifteen years later, that I was helping the local food movement survive--at great cost to my family, myself and our farm. I started a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) venture with ten shareholders in Northern Wisconsin in 1995. Something nagged at me then; but until now, I couldn't find the words to clarify that discontent.
My job - feeding people - was in essence, an extractive process, one that would never be sustainable. What's an extractive process? Consider logging, the main source of employment in Northern Wisconsin. If there was ever an extractive process, logging is it. Trees removed, land scraped, and a miniscule amount of benefit is returned to the land--in the form of small seedlings, if at all. Strip mining also comes to mind.
What is extracted is huge, what is returned is puny, or nothing. We might be surprised to view small family farms in the same light. We compost and return fertility to the land, don't we? We're sustainable then, right? Wrong. The local food movement, in net, is like a logging extraction on small farm FAMILIES. Extraction is how our country's wealth was built and we're still building economic national wealth on the backs of our small farm FAMILIES.
I now live in Western, Ohio, one of the most productive farming counties in the world. And yet in this county, 92% of the farming couples BOTH work full-time off-farm jobs while farming an amazing 3,000 acres every year. Without these off-farm jobs, the families would not have access to sustaining income nor the benefits of health insurance. These off-farm jobs act as a significant subsidy small farm families give to the local food movement. In the traditional farm families I've seen, it usually has fallen to the farm wife to work a full-time job, in addition to her other varied farm chores. But, more and more, I've seen both couples needing to work off-farm to make ends meet. Why is that?
Extraction…taking more than what is returned. It's clear to all of us that fair-trade coffee ensures that coffee workers in South America are fairly compensated for their labors; what about small farm families here in the U.S.? Here are signs of extraction:
Unevenness – Do your farmers drive the latest SUV? Send their children to private school? Take two-week vacations in Cancun? Enough said.
Unreliability – Some consumers practice 'farmer-de-jour' based on pricing, convenience or cool factor, while farm families have the same expenses month-after-month and can't choose which bills to pay.
Unfairness – Farmers hear complaints about the price of farm fresh products, while working extra jobs to keep the prices of those products "competitive".
Nearly every produce farmer, CSA or organic dairy producer I know needs to have at least one person employed off-farm in a full-time job.
The same goes for local food organizations.
Nearly every organization that deals with local food/social issues doesn't charge fair value for its services, and becomes dependent on "outside income" through volunteers offering free valuable labor or major donors who make money from activities on which higher values (and returns) are placed than the very things that keeps us alive, foods of the earth.
We need foods, not just any foods, but healthy nutrient-dense foods to live.
I say, small farm families need 'wealthy return-dense' food systems to stay solvent. Small farms and small farm organizationsneed for their pricing to reflect the actual costs of services/products provided.
I have always held the belief that if you believed in something and held it to be true then sacrifice would be required. That belief caused me to put everything on the line, my family, my wealth, my earnings, my life energy. Sadly, I find I have little to nothing left to offer in helping to change local food policy. It seems my time has come to move on. Extraction complete.
A recent life event, the dissolution of my marriage taught me a lot. It turns out that my wife had subsidized my volunteerism in the local food movement and allowed me to charge "competitive" pricing for the farm's food. Without her steady, reliable, substantial income, volunteering and farming have now become an expensive hobby. She and other farm spouses like her are the unsung heroes of the local food movement. I was working a full-time job at the same time. I'll count myself as an unsung hero, too.
Extraction without insertion is not sustainable.
Personally, I feel it is time for me to replenish myself, and heal the damages of this fifteen-year leaching process. I intend to use this low time to springboard into a new perspective of how we are truly going to change this extractive process we call Consumerism, The American Way, Manifest Density or "I got mine".
As we watch our once favorite organic/local food companies fall or join the commonly accepted path to profitability (bigger is better) and the increasing pressure from the food industry under the guise of food safety, we need to ask ourselves these questions:
How long do we think we can take without giving back?
Who says that cheapest is best?
Do we really know what food costs?
Are we brave enough to ask?
Do we care enough to know?
Are our grandchildren going to curse our luxuries, when they cannot even pursue the necessities?
Sadly, I am now surrounded by small farm families who cannot even pursue the necessities. Every cheaper, more convenient purchase a consumer makes that is not local, puts these necessities farther and farther from their grasp.
The farmers who feed us and those who work beside them are the ones who have gone without.
Feed thy farmer.
-- Tim Wightman
LETTERS:
- From Bill Messer, Weekly Reader and expert in arts censorship.
- From Mr. G. on last week's presentation on Kangen water
On Censorshipo of Art
There are only three currently permissible restrictions on freedom of expression in the US: libel, obscenity and something like what you are talking about, the classic shouting fire in a crowded theater (if there is no fire). For this "speech" to be banned it must be intended to cause imminent lawless public behavior. Just being offensive is insufficient. In fact offensiveness is almost a prerequisite for protected speech as inoffensive, publicly approved speech has no need of protection.
Art on the side of a building, while not "in the public domain" in some legal way is indeed public art and subject to different restrictions than what's inside the gallery or publication which the viewer makes the choice of viewing. I do think building owners have a communal responsibility to seek public dialogue about the art they agreed to display if it bothers them. I am surprised the CAC didn't have contracts with these building owners which required them to leave the work in place. It's art. folks, and political art at that. It's supposed to have an effect' it's supposed to be provocative. So be provoked, but don't destroy, otherwise we might as well be living in a fundamentalist Islamic society. An attractive woman wears a tight or short dress or low cut blouse; it's provocative. That's probably part of why she's wearing it. But the men who may feel that provocation are allowed to be sexually attracted to her but are not permitted to sexually attack her.
Dennis is right that not only Catholics probably will be offended by an image of someone pissing on Jesus (its was Protestant fundis that fueled the attacks on Andres Serrano for his "Piss Christ"). But it may be more in keeping with the Catholic mind set to be willing to conceal or destroy such offending art.... Bill Messer
And... Another letter from Ginger Lee Frank:
Here's what I've found relating to what was in the Madisonville mural: The mural was made up of several images, including uniformed police with nightsticks and the words "I'm Gonna Kick Your Ass"; a veiled Muslim woman with a flower in the barrel of a rifle over her shoulder and the word "Peace" written beneath her, and Fairey's "Obey Eye" image, which says "Never trust your own eyes believe what you are told." Nowhere was there a mention of anyone pissing on Christ.
Here's what I added to a BoingBoing blog on the matter of the Covington mural being destroyed by the building owner:
GingerLeeFrank • #49 • 3:38 PM Thursday, May 27, 2010 • Reply
Frankly, I'm rather surprised the CAC didn't have some sort of contract with building owners which reflected their support of the political art mural presentations and did not allow censoring of the artwork once created and installed. I'm equally surprised that building owners were not included in the process of selection of what would be represented on their buildings; this would have invested them more thoroughly in the work. I do not agree that owning the wall entitles destroying the art (or even implies owning the art). This is public art; do its rights remain with the artist, the commissioning organization (the CAC I believe), the city in which the public art is displayed, or the property owner who lends his wall for the period of the art's exhibition?
The paint-over-it response is disturbingly related to religious fundamentalist who want books, movies, art depicting social realities like homosexuality banned, removed from libraries, etc. For them, merely representing something is tantamount to advocating it, which they cannot abide. Simply depicting a child with a weapon, a child soldier in this instance, a brutal form of contemporary slavery, is immediately read as permission, promotion, advocating kids with guns, with no further attempt to "read" the work, look at the rest of the art, think about what and why, discuss intent and implication. IT"S ART, FOLKS; THIS IS HOW IT WORKS. YOU HAVE TO THINK (and you may not always "get it"). Okay, so elementary school kids will have questions. Hooray. Get those hands in the air. Discuss. Mission accomplished.
Mr. G commenting on Allen Feibelman's presentation last week
You might offer the alternative view.
Many of us were bord out of our skulls at the lecture.
I don't think it fair for you to misrepresent the feeling of a large contingency present.
Personally I liked the fellow but he was not at all skilled at presenting the science and
disengenuous in mixing it up with sales appeals. The really poor thing about it is that so many people were forced
to put up with it for so long to be polite. This is counter to what so many of us come to the salon for.
Mr G
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Michael Pollen on our Food: encouraging stuff
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/jun/10/food-movement-rising/?pagination=false
REVIEWS: BOOKS, MUSIC, CONCERTS, RESTAURANTS, WEBSITES ...
Please send me your tips...love to hear what you are reading etc. ellen
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Tri-State Treasures
(not received again this week.)
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