ACTIVITIES AND
OPPORTUNITIES OBAMA Campaign Update: There are 9 battleground states: Nevada, Colorado, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, N. Carolina, Florida, OHIO, and Iowa. "New York Times poll on 8/1/12) shows Obama 50%, Romney 44%. Mitt Romney must win Ohio to win the presidency. We're not going to let him but we expect a difficult and costly battle here. This race could be decided by our media buy: It costs $500 to buy a 30 second ad on "Good Morning America" in Columbus." (from material from the Obama campaign.) So if you can give any more money to the campaign, go here: Dig deep. Just think, how would you feel if Romney were to take Ohio by a hair? Have you done all y ou could? Can't give more money?--come phone bank at the Lloyd House every Monday night 6:30-8:30. 3901 Clifton; park behind house. Bring your laptop for greatest convenience; the campaign will provide cell phones and a script.
There won't be any question of winning Ohio if we can get our supporters to register and then to vote. The ruling against weekend early voting is a blow. We must make up the lost ground with extra effort. ellen
FROM DAWN STOHR, our regional coordinator:
First, our new headquarters is Obama for America, 1130 Main St (12th & Main). Public parking on Vine between Court and Parkway just 3 blocks away, as well as lots on on-street parking. Come down, office open 9 AM to 8 PM or longer. Phone banking...data entry...run out for coffee... lots to do. Come help!
Ellen - this week all of the Cincinnati area Field Organizer's attended a team meeting in Columbus. We discussed the campaigns goals and how we are going to win OH-IO!
So the strategy is simple! We are going to turn Ohio into a state where early voting is the norm, not the exception! In 2011, Organizing for America volunteers worked incredibly hard to protect the rights of Ohioans to vote early by collecting signatures to put a repeal of House Bill 194 on the ballot. Because of these efforts, Ohioians still have 35 days of early voting to cast their ballots. Now is the our opportunity by making sure Ohio Votes Early! Voting early helps the campaign and the President WIN in several ways. First of all it builds excitement not only about voting but about the President! Democrats are the majority of the early voters so hearing that we are turning out to vote builds momentum! It also means that your vote is already cast and your helping the President and other Democrats win even before the election! And Early voting is easy! You can early vote in person starting October 2nd at the Board of Elections (800 Broadway St. Cincinnati) during the following hours: October 2nd - October 19th 8am-5pm *Tues October 9th 8am-9pm October 22- November 1 8am-7p November 2nd 8am-6pm And once you've early voted what could you do with all that free time? Join your neighborhood team, spend some time canvassing, making phone calls, or talking to other voters about how easy it was to early vote and get them to the polls! So that is our strategy...early vote and build teams of people to help others early vote! But before we do that we still have a full month of voter registration ahead of us! So if you would like to learn how to register people to vote so that we can make sure they vote, and vote early - please let me know!! I look forward to hearing from you and am hoping that you will join in the fun of talking to voters and people about why it is so important in Ohio to 1)Register 2) Vote and 3) WIN! (from Ellen: hey, click HERE to download and print out your "Absentee Ballot request form"; fill in and mail it to the address provided. Then you can vote by mail and be free to Get Out The Vote on election day! ) -- Dawn Stohr Field Organizer | Cincinnati
| Tennis Tournament Fly-over: W&S, Protest re. A L Inn
Big Success!
Visit this website and join the resistance. http://www.southernwestern.net/
The Event was pulled off successfully. The airplane towing the banner about W&S bullying the A. L. Inn flew on Sunday during the men's finals over the W&S sponsored Tennis Tournament. John Barret, the CEO of W&S was there in the stands. The banner flew around the tournament seven times. At the same time, many of you helped with a Twitter storm. And two thousand handbills were passed out also at the tournament. The CityBeat ran a great article (Click Here) telling how the Inn offered to sell a couple of years ago for a very fair price (less than the appraisal) but W&S, intent on gouging them, held out for a ridiculously low price. Meanwhile, the Inn got the money they needed for necessary renovations, so were no longer interested in selling.
P.S. Organizer Kate Gallion says:Perhaps we should visit the Historic Conservation Board hearing, Aug 27, 3:00 pm- 805 Central Ave.- while they deliberate issuing permits to allow ALI to move ahead with the renovations? (Absolutely!)
Incidentally, where are folks getting the "support the A L Inn" yard signs? ellen
THIS SUNDAY, INTERFAITH MEMORIAL FOR SIKHS KILLED IN WISCONSIN
Aug. 26, 4:00 Memorial Service
5:30 Reception, Open House
All welcome
Guru Nanak Society
4394 Tylersville Rd
Hamilton OH 45011
513 860 0589
cincisikhs@gmail.com
www.gurunanaksociety.org
|
Environmentalist Activism, local...
"Green Umbrella"
Here: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=luuicojab&v=001vumIjKLl6-_9l6kUInBwSxLqKDNmEGaJ9HJCjshgxLAtgHDVgkkjend1uCCm2HhyXtyo3vjR0xqXZgRp-uAFcm0JRl4LOw8V40lFLgrrG-503iSe7xBFBSwfyywOFbJAQGjjutLk9bdm68cDV9qCKg%3D%3D
Monthly Drumming Circle at the Lloyd House:
Seriously, just allow yourself to imagine this future fun!!!  THIS Tuesday, August 28, 6:45 to 8:45 Please come drum!! Rocking rattlers with really rhythmic rounds lively, lovely, light-hearted, and lyrically radiant!!! Looking forward to seeing everyone.... outside on the sweet veranda!!!
Let the good vibrations move you into joy ~~ dancing, happiness, clapping, whatever your spirit feels... Please join us on Tuesday, August 28, from 6:45 to 8:45 at 3901 Clifton Ave., The Lloyd House. Bring snacks if you care to. Best to park on Lafayette(after you drop off any equipment). And, it's fine if you don't have any drums, etc....we do. no prior experience needed; all ages welcomed. call with questions at 513-541-4900. Jackie Millay
PLANT TRIALS DAY AT ZOO WEDNESDAY
Registration ends Sunday; event is this wed, all day. See this page.
Sherrod Brown Lambasted by Republicans
Our People's Choice Senator, Sherrod Brown has been fabulous in Washington. As a result, he has attracted more $$ for attack ads than any other Democratic candidate for the Senate. I got my yard sign from his website here:
I also hear you can get a free yard sign at the Dem. HQ in Pleasant Ridge on Webland Pl, just off Montgomery Rd.
GET YOUR FREE STICKER:
| Alexander Technique: free open practice session, Sundays 3:45-4:30, LLOYD HOUSE Every Sunday we have an open Alexander Technique jamboree for teachers, students, and the general public. Best deal in town! Usually 1-3 students, 1-3 teachers, but sometimes more. 3901 Clifton Ave. Just show up.
 New, outstanding teachers are joining our current team of arts and wellness heroes to bring you more than 30 classes across five disciplines. I’m so excited to share a small sampling of our offerings with you: Our performing arts courses are stronger than ever. Two of our most beloved instructors are taking new registrants: African Drumming with Baoku returns on September 4, and Gloria has expanded her popular Tap Blast classes with two new time slots! Ballet Theatre Midwest has expanded their Balletprogramming to include Creative Dance for 3-year-olds and we’re hosting a brand-new after-school Kids’ Tap course. And in what might be the coolest idea ever, parents can indulge in a night out without worrying about a babysitter when they enroll their children in Junk Jam Camp – a vibrant monthly workshop where kids express their creative selves through making instruments out of junk and recording professional-grade music! Space in the September 28 camp is limited, so registersoon. Campers will even come home with a link to download the track they created! On the visual arts front, we’re thrilled to announce a partnership with DIY Printing to bring you FREE Open Drawing Nights every Tuesday. Cincinnati’s own punk king of pop art, Aaron Kent will be setting up a still life (we’ve even heard rumor of his awesome dog, Ruckus, modeling) and facilitating each week. And that’s just the tip of the arts iceberg! There are stillSpanish classes, new kids’ art classes and more! Explore the full list under the classes tab on our website. Registration is already underway – we can’t wait to see you in class this fall! Warmest regards, Missy Miller Program Coordinator P.S. There are only 17 days until the opening of year three of the Golden Ticket, featuring the incredibly talented artists who live or work within 25 miles of CCAC. Mark your calendar now for Friday, September 7, and don’t miss the announcement of winners at 7 p.m.! 3711 Clifton Ave. | Cincinnati, OH 45220 US | | | | | |
FRACKING
Keep up with the SW Ohio No Frack Forum news here.
| Please check out my new website, now up at www.LloydHouse.com
I built it myself using WordPress and I think it is beautiful. Yes, I did the photography. It is hosted here: http://www.hostmonster.com/track/ellenbierhorst for only $6/month. If you click on that link and decide to sign up to have them host your website, I will get a $65 credit with them, which I would love.
MUSIC IN THE WOODS: Imago's annual event. Sept 9
wonderful time! Whole family. Mark your calendars.
see here.
Intro to ChiKung, TaiChi (WuChin)
Sunday, Sept. 9, 1-4 PM Learn about and experience ancient Chinese practices which help you feel energized, relaxed, and restored. We will be outdoors, weather permitting, to fully integrate nature into your practice. This will be at the Retreat House, which is the first driveway to the right once you've gone pass the booth. Park in the lot and follow the sign.
Please dress comfortably, wear flat soled shoes, and bring a water bottle. Instructor Jackie Millay has taught these techniques for 16 years. She has trained and practiced for 34 years. $40.00 member adults; $48.00 non-member adults. Please pre-register by Sept 3rd. Please register through Cincinnati Nature Center, www.CincyNature.org. Contact Connie O'Connor, Education Director, at 831-1711, ext. 127. for any logistical questions.
Contact Teacher: Jackie Millay for any other questions at 513-541-4900.
Address for the Nature Center(Turn left where the sign says "ROWE WOODS".)
4949 Tealtown Rd.
Milford, OH 45150
 (These are the "Nuns on the Bus" for Social Justice. Terrific Group. You can subscribe to their newsletter via email.)
Organizations: Add Your Name to SAVE Vital Services and Prevent Rising Poverty Deadline: Monday, September 10 If you could speak out to prevent 750,000 babies, toddlers, and mothers from losing WIC nutrition aid, 185,000 households from losing rental assistance vouchers, 51,000 veterans from losing education and training, 80,000 children and their families from losing child care, and 34,000 women from being denied breast and cervical cancer screenings, wouldn't you? And if you knew that these were only a few examples of the hurt that will be inflicted if Congress makes the wrong decisions (or just fails to make any decision), wouldn't that make you want to speak out even more?
And wouldn't you want to show Congress that organizations representing millions nationwide strongly oppose making deep service cuts while the wealthiest 2 percent continue to get billions in tax breaks? You can. This letter calls upon Congress to promote the common good, protect the vulnerable, and rebuild the economy. It applies 4 principles to budget decisions Congress will grapple with in the coming months: protect low-income and vulnerable people; promote job creation; increase revenue from fair sources; and seek responsible savings by targeting wasteful spending in the Pentagon and in other areas that do not serve the public interest. These principles were developed over a year ago in a statement signed by more than 1,600 organizations under the name Strengthening America's Values and Economy (SAVE) for All. We welcome returning and new signers.
And we can use your help: please forward this email to your networks, lists, affiliates, friends...
Signing this letter does not commit your organization to anything except agreement with the letter. Speak for Yourself! If you're not authorized to sign for an organization, you can still speak out! Click here to send an email to your Representative and Senators.
(And remember: please don't sign the organizational letter if you're not authorized to do so - it just slows us down.) Want more information? A great source: Register for a webinar featuring Senator Patty Murray, Monday, August 20, 1:00 p.m. Eastern; 10:00 a.m. Pacific. It's entitled HEADING FOR A FISCAL CLIFF? Senator Murray Explains What Congress - and You - Must Do Thanks! | | |
BEWARE OF THE FRANKENSTEIN APPLE: A new Candadian breed that is genetically modified Move over frankenfish, frankensoy, frankencorn, frankentomatoes and frankencotton. | | | The Frankenapple – or Arctic Apple – is genetically modified to never brown, but the side effects are unknown. | Meet frankenapple. I’m talking about a new genetically modified “food” manufacturers call the Arctic Apple. This genetically modified apple contains a synthetic gene that prevents it from browning or bruising. Even after you bite it or slice it. The Canadian manufacturer behind it claims it gets rid of the “yuck” factor (their words, not mine) associated with the browning of apples. And they hope it will keep you from throwing it away before it goes bad because it will still look pleasing to the eye. But the manufacturers are missing something important here. Apples – real apples – brown for a reason. They contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, that causes them to brown once they’re exposed to oxygen and is a sign that the apple is starting to spoil. But if your apple didn’t brown, you’d have no way of knowing when it’s starting to rot. Are these manufacturers really in the business of having us eat a rotten apple just to make a buck? Tinkering with Mother Nature also has other consequences: (for the whole article click this link: http://theofficebodybuildingworkout28918.yuku.com/topic/7608/The-latest-in-Frankenfood#.UCwtJ2Oe5Lc )
CONCERNED ABOUT BREAST CANCER?
Disgusted with Susan B Komen Foundation?
This is a really great nat'l organization, directed by a personal friend, daugthter of Therese Edell and Teresa Boykin: Karuna Jaegger. Click
PHOTOGRAPHY AT IRIS BOOKCAFE & GALLERY
Another Me: Transformations from Pain to Power Photographs by Achinto Bhadra July 23 - October 12, 2012 Iris BookCafe and Gallery's first of two exhibition contributions to Cincinnati's initial FOTOFOCUS 2012 biennale is Another Me: Transformations from Pain to Power, by Kolkata photographer Achinto Bhardra. Clothing and costuming, the bedposts of fashion, have long been connected to protection, identity, status, even power. Another Me reveals deeper connections to survival and regeneration. In this moving, five-year project, women and girls – most survivors of kidnapping or sale into sexual slavery – reassert personal identity before the camera. Bhadra (with counselor Harleen Walla) silently guided women at the Sanlaap shelter in Kolkata, India through a journey of psychological healing, recording their imaginative re-invisionings of themselves as human, animistic and divine beings of power, anger, love, revenge, protection and freedom. ... The installation at Iris arises from a 2008 meeting in the south of France between Bhardra and Iris curator (SALONISTA) William Messer, introduced by François Hébel, director of the Rencontres d'Arles. Messer promised to try to help get the work seen in the US, and made several years' fruitless proposals to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center before deciding to present the work at Iris within FOTOFOCUS, as something of a counterpoint to the exhibitions being offered at the city's local museums (Edward Steichen's fashion photographs at the Taft Museum and fashion photographer Herb Ritts at the Cincinnati Art Museum). ... Final Friday exhibition reception, September 28, 7 - 10 PM. FotoFocus reception and Artist's Talk, Sunday, September 30, 2 - 5 PM Another Me: Transformations from Pain to Power, Photographs by Achinto Bhadra runs from July 23 through October 12, 2012 at Iris BookCafe and Gallery, 1331 Main Street, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati. For more information call 381-BOOK (2665) or Julie Fay at (513) 260-8434. High-resolution picture files available upon request. Iris hours: Monday thru Thursday 8am - 9pm. Friday 8am - 7pm, Saturday 10am - 7pm, Sunday 11am - 9pm.
From: Kate Gallion [mailto:kategallion@gmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2012 1:37 PM
To: John (mcnayjt) Mcnay
Cc: John Bealle; Phil Amadon; Ellen Bierhorst; Josh Spring; Jean Eschenbach; Jeanne Nightingale; Fariba Nourian; Harriet Matthey; Barbara Wolf; Donald Rucknagel
Subject: Move to Amend Speaker Aug 29, 7:00 pm Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church
CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE! MONEY IS NOT SPEECH. END CORPORATE PERSONHOOD. END CORPORATE DOMINATION OF OUR POLITICS, ELECTIONS,ECONOMY,SOCIETY ! W&S- WORST CORPORATE PERSON!
Hello all Can you please share the following info on the national speaking tour for MTA, with a Cincinnati stop August 29. Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church, 7:00 pm. Hope to see you there.
|  FROM NIKKI ORLEMAN ~ on the "Spiritual Cinema" series at Glendale New Church (Swedenborgian): fyi - I did attend the last one which was "Finding Joe" based on Joseph Campbell, very good. CINCINNATI SPIRITUAL CINEMA CIRCLE
Sunday, August 12, 2012 5 to 7 PM
Glendale New Church
845 Congress Ave, Glendale OH 45246
Freewill offering for use of room
This month's movie:
I AM
78 minutes in English. Written and Directed by Tom Shadyac
Contains some shocking imagery
Hollywood film maker Tom Shadyac has made a personal dicumentary that is the antithesis of his hilarious “Ace Ventura” and “Bruce Almighty.” A look at who we are and how we can operate at our best. It begins by asking what's wrong with the world and ends by discovering what's right with it. Tom recovers from a head injury with a new view of life, and goes on a world tour to interview people who have wisdom about the goodness in people. He talks to Desmond Tutu, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, an others. Our discussion will focus on what we each can do to manifest our goodness, and what we each can offer to our community so that it too can contribute to the presence of goodness on the planet.
Check out out web site at http://cincyspiritcinemacircle.blogspot.com/ |  | 
Tri-State Treasures Tri-State Treasures is a chronological 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 forwarding your Tri-State Treasures ideas to jkesner at nuvox.net. Tri-State Treasures will be exploring other locales for the next few weeks. Enjoy the treasures that surround you. Information about Tri-State Treasures and how to submit them, and an explanation of my convention for expressing email addresses and websites is at the bottom of this email. Please help me by providing all basic information, and formatting your submissions as described below. Thank you. Sincerely, Jim ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Calendar of Treasures: Canning Classes [Saturdays 21 July, 4 August & 1 September @ 9am]: Betsy DeMatteo of Ohio State University Extension, Hamilton County, leads the way with 3 separate classes: water bath canning (July 21), pressure canning (Aug 4), & pickling & fermenting (Sep 1). More classes may be added. $10 per class in advance. At Park + Vine, 1202 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info & payment at 513.721.7275 & the Park + Vine store. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ongoing Treasures: Women: Italy, India, Ecuador, South Africa - photo exhibit [thru Friday 31 August]: This expanded exhibit of photographs by Ben & Harriet Kaufman range from women as beasts of burden in India & Ecuador to a nun at confession in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to visitors sunning themselves on the ferry to Cape Town’s notorious Robben Island former prison. All photos are for sale in varying sizes. Follow the Guest Services sign to the Grailville Store. Photos hang in the dining room with its north wall of glass & natural light. Free show & parking. At Grailville, 932 O'Bannonville Road, Loveland, OH 45140. More info at 513.683.2340 & grailville.org. Queen City Of Song Exhibit [thru Sunday 2 September]: Experience Cincinnati’s choral music history thru a dynamic exhibit. The exhibit spotlights Saengerfest dating back to 1838 & its ties to the Cincinnati May Festival & Music Hall; 100 years of church & school choirs; & Cincinnati’s African American choral traditions. Also, view early choral music & hymnals published in Cincinnati. Free. Presented by & at the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, Main Library, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info at 513.369.6900 & cincinnatilibrary.org. Bookworks 13 Exhibit [thru Sunday 2 September]: Visit the 13th annual Cincinnati Book Arts Society exhibit of unique & small edition artists' books from local, regional & national artists. Bookworks 13 is a showcase of the thriving & talented book arts community in our region. Free. At the Atrium, Main Library of the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info at cincinnatilibrary.org/programs/exhibits.html &cbasturnsthepage.blogspot.com/. International Choral Exhibits @ the Library [thru September]: Two exhibits reflect the spirit of the World Choir Games. (1) In the art exhibit “What Children Believe,” local & international students share artistic visions of “what’s wonderful in their world” after reading & seeing a performance based on the Caldecott Medal-winning book, “What A Wonderful World,” based on the lyrics from Louis Armstrong’s legendary song. This exhibit was inspired by a partnership between the nonprofit org Learning Through Art in Cincinnati & little Art of Munich, Germany, home to the World Choir Games headquarters. On display in the Main Library’s atrium thru Sunday 30 Sep. (2) “The Queen City of Song” features artifacts of Cincinnati’s choral music history dating back to 1838. Items from Saengerfest, Cincinnati May Festival, Music Hall, 100 years of church, school & local choirs, & Cincinnati’s African American choral tradition. The Cincinnati Room also houses the “Cincinnati Panorama of 1848,” the oldest wide-view photograph of an American city; a masterpiece known worldwide as one of the finest examples of daguerreian photography. On display in the Cincinnati Room thru Tuesday 4 Sep. At the Main Library, 800 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. More info at 513.369.6900 & cincinnatilibrary.org/main/exhibits.asp. Creating Self-Regenerating Balance [Mondays @ 6:30-8pm & Wednesdays @ 9:30-11am]: Fanchon Shur describes her classes as defining the forces that organize all of our life movement. She teaches that process & believes that access to the mind of the body's fluids, systems, intention, spatial harmonics, laws of exertion & expression create a Self-Regenerating Balance necessary to navigate & grasp life. Class participants are immersed in this stress-releasing & strength-producing exploration. At 4019 Red Bud Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45229. More info at 513.221.3222, fanchon at growthinmotion.org & growthinmotion.org/classes&previewCSS=true. Yoga in the Park [Every Sunday @ 10-11am, weather permitting]: Experience yoga in the grass, gazing at the sky & listening to the birds. With full views of the river, could there be a better place to practice? Free. Sponsored by Covington Yoga. At George Rogers Clark Park, Riverside Drive & Garrard Street, Covington, KY 41011. More Info at 859-307-3435, covington.yoga at yahoo.com & covingtonyoga.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Tri-State Treasures is compiled by Jim Kesner - Tri-State Treasures are typically transmitted on Wednesdays; send submissions as soon as possible for best probability of being included.
- Event descriptions are typically published for 2 weeks leading up to the event.
- Submit Tri-State Treasures or request addresses to be added or removed from the list by emailing jkesner@nuvox.net; specify "Tri-State Treasures."
- Email addresses are posted in BlindCopy to protect your identity. Email addresses are not shared, given or sold without explicit permission.
- Please submit your Tri-State Treasures in the following format. This will greatly help me & enhance the probability your item will be included:
Brief Title of the Treasure [date @ time]: Brief description of the treasure; what is it; why is it wonderful & unique. Cost. Sponsor. Location including address & zip code. More info at telephone, email, & website.
An Example:
Fabulous Film Festival [Friday 3 May @ 8-10pm]: The first & best film festival in Cincinnati will present live-action, documentary, & short films... Presented by Flicks Я Us. Tickets are $8. At The Movie Theatre, 111 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH 45200. More info at 513.111.2222, info at filmfestival.com & filmfestival.com. - I use the following notations to reduce the chance of being deemed a spammer by servers; sorry for the inconvenience:
<> Email addresses herein are written with " at '" in place of "@"; when you want to use an address, reverse the " at '" back to "@". <> Websites are written without their "www" or "http://" prefix; when you want to use a website, copy & paste it into your browser. | | | 
ARTICLES & LETTERS ~~~ ~~~
Youth Oriented Project in Over-The-Rhine (OTR): This past Saturday a small group of people I've invited met at the Lloyd House to hear Bishop Todd O'Neal share his vision for a program to help the inner city youth with a gardening etc. project at, possibly, the old Hartwell Country Club near Seymour and Vine. We were inspired... next meeting will be Sept 15 here at 2. Let me know if you are interested. Ellen: ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com
Save the Anna Louise Inn: A Safe Home for Women Western & Southern Financial Group Wants to Tear Down Affordable Housing for Women and Build Condos — Don’t Let Them! By Susan Quinn Bryan, (Pastor of Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church,Cincinnati, Ohio)  Presbyterian ministers join others to lead a rally in support of affordable housing August 5, 2012, is Homelessness and Affordable Housing Sunday. But it is not just another “issue” day. It is churches in the Presbytery of Cincinnati working together with other people of faith to save the Anna Louise Inn, an institution that has been providing safe, affordable housing for women in Cincinnati since it opened on Memorial Day, 1909—a home now threatened by a corporation that wants to seize the land and build condominiums. This Sunday is also a day for people with nowhere else to go: After losing her job, Sarah’s daughter recommended that she move to the Anna Louise Inn as an affordable place to live. In addition to a safe home, she has found a new family of women. One thing Sarah loves about living at the Anna Louise Inn is the many friendships she has built. She and another woman on her floor knock on the wall between their rooms each evening before going to sleep to let the other know that she is okay. In high school, Becky began using drugs. When her habit increased, it strained her relationship with her family. After several visits to treatment centers, Becky was sober and starting over. The Anna Louise Inn provided a place to live while she got her life back together. She needed time to save money, and she wanted a place where she felt safe so she could focus on staying sober each day. For a year, she lived at the Inn before getting an apartment of her own and reuniting with her daughter. Anna graduated from a local college and earned a Master’s degree. Diagnosed with mental health issues, she has had difficulty finding employment. Sometimes her symptoms are bad; sometimes they aren’t bad. When she has an episode, it is difficult for her to leave her room. When she is feeling better, she is a productive worker. Right now, she finds comfort in living at the Anna Louise Inn, where she won’t be judged for her struggle with mental health issues. Cincinnati Union Bethel, which operates the Anna Louise Inn, began with a group of Protestant ministers who came together to serve the needs of sailors coming into the port of Cincinnati in 1830, and soon saw other needs in the city. In the early 1900s, young women, who were coming to the city seeking work in offices and industry, often didn’t make enough money to afford suitable housing. Cincinnati Union Bethel, seeing the need, approached the Charles P. Taft family who gave the money and the land (literally in their front yard) to build an Inn that would house 120 women. They named the Inn after their daughter, Anna Louise Taft Semple. The Inn was filled on its first day and had a waiting list of over one hundred. The Tafts generously gave more money and land to expand the Inn. For over one hundred years, the Inn has continued to provide safe, affordable housing in the same location under the supervision of Cincinnati Union Bethel, which is now a small non profit social service agency that oversees two other important programs: early childhood education and the Off the Streets Program, which offers support for women seeking to leave lives trapped in prostitution.  A New Threat
Almost two years ago, the Inn received zoning approval and found funding for a long overdue major remodeling of the rooms of the Inn – turning the rooms from their original dormitory style to apartments that will feature private baths and small kitchens. But one of their neighbors, Western and Southern, a large multinational corporation, has been opposed to the remodeling of the Inn. Western and Southern sought to purchase the Inn with the intent of tearing it down and building condos for ‘high end’ clientele, seeking to redevelop the area into a ‘gaslight’ district. Cincinnati Union Bethel, however, has remained convinced that the location is best for the women of the Inn and the rest of the neighborhood has been very supportive of the Inn. So, Western and Southern has sued the Inn, Cincinnati Union Bethel, and the City Zoning board, in an effort to delay the remodeling of the Inn, and eventually drain the social service agency of its resources so that it will have to cry ‘uncle’ and be forced to sell the Inn to Western and Southern. The judge in the first lawsuit (a friend hand picked by Western and Southern) ruled that the Inn had to go through the zoning process again. Recently, after receiving approval from the Historic Board, Western and Southern filed yet another appeal. The situation will remind biblical scholars of the story of Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21). The story goes like this: Naboth has a small vineyard; it is all he owns. But unfortunately for him, it happens to reside next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. Ahab decides he wants Naboth’s land for a “vegetable garden” and offers to buy Naboth’s land or relocate him. Naboth refuses, explaining that this land (much like the land donated by the Tafts) is his “ancestral inheritance,” the land of his family, and he cannot give it up. So Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, conspires with “the elders and the nobles” of the city to have Naboth brought up on false charges. After taken before this mock trial, Naboth is stoned to death, and his land seized by Ahab. All because Ahab wanted a vegetable garden.  Anna Louise Inn Prayer Vigil The Religious Community Organizes
Last September, with the story of Naboth in mind, a group of pastors who meet regularly and are concerned about urban ministry, asked the Presbytery of Cincinnati to sign a letter of support for the Anna Louise Inn. The Presbytery voted unanimously to support the Inn. Our recent theme is Western and Southern: Thou Shalt Not Steal the Anna Louise Inn. The definition of stealing is “taking someone else’s property without permission or legal right and without the intent of returning it.” It does not matter how one does that (through physical threat or bogus lawsuits) and it does not matter why one steals. And in this economy, when a large, wealthy, powerful corporation tries to take the property belonging to a small non profit social service agency who uses that property to provide affordable housing to women in need, we are shocked at the shamefulness. We have enlisted the support of other faith communities, including Episcopalians, Unitarian Universalists, United Church of Christ, Muslims, and Jews; held rallies, prayer vigils, and fund raisers; written letters to the editor; and created web sites and Facebook pages to garner support. At a recent rally, speakers from four national groups came out in support of the Inn, including the National Fair Housing Alliance andNETWORK (the national Catholic Social Justice lobby). This is not just a Cincinnati issue. Justice has no boundaries. The question we have been asking is this: If corporations can do this, what can’t they do? Follow Cincinnati Union Bethel on Facebook and learn more on their website Follow the Anna Louise Inn on Facebook Follow Western and Southern Needs a New Direction on Facebook
GMO: No, NO, NO!
I was very impressed by this man, Jeffrey Smith, talking authoritatively about Genetically Modified Organisms, in particular Corn and Wheat. Please read:
responsibletechnology.org
Jeffrey Smith against GMO |  FROM: Jim "JB" Powers: History of A.L. Inn from an Insider [Hold your hat: this retired High School History teacher identifies with the much maligned "1%"!]
(When I asked Jim if I could print it, he said this: )
Hey Chusti, Evan forwarded your request about the ALI and I thought you might be interested to learn of its origin as the work of private philanthropy (vs Section 8 Housing) in an era before the welfare state. It's timely since everyone is now talking about the surge of recipients of federal welfare recipients under the current regime. As soon as I sent it it was yours to do with as you please. But since you were kind enough to give me a heads up I would only ask that you put the series of exchanges in the above context and invite your Salonistas to reflect on their attitudes toward private philanthropy versus state "benevolence" with other people's money. Government produces no wealth. It can only redistribute it. Our current Tribunes of the People seem bent on creating a permanent Democrat Plantation worked by a loyal underclass which knows how to vote. ~~ ~~ On Sun 19 Aug 2012, at 9:52 AM, Jim Powers wrote: Hey Ellen, Evan forwarded your twitterstorm despatch about my first home the ALI. Do you know that it was built with evil capitalist ill-gotten wealth? Charles P. Taft, our neighbor across the street told my grandfather, Jimmy White, that he would match whatever he could beg from the other Cincinnati plutocrats to build a women's residence hotel. My grandfather, for whom I'm named, was born in Berkeley Ontario but emigrated to Saginaw, MI in 1884 as a 15-year-old strikebreaker. He had to support his family after his dad went blind. The evil capitalist saw mill owner saw great promise in this young man and helped put him through Albion College with the goal of becoming a Methodist minister. Jimmy White married a girl whom he met there, the daughter of a country doctor, seven years his junior, Bessie Bruce. They both went off to Boston University in 1899. There he earned a B. Div and she an MA in History. After several years in Upper Peninsula MI in a copper mining town they came to Cincinnati. he was the superintendent of an inner city mission called the Cinti Union Bethel. It's principal mission was running a flop house for skid row men ala today's City Gospel Mission. They both, grandpa and grandma, had a vision of making the Bethel into Cinti's version of Jane Addam's Hull House--a modern social settlement house. It operated catty-corner from the future site of the Inn at 501-503 E. 3rd Street. It had all manner of free clinics, clubs for children and adults to teach them the mores of the bourgeoisie so that they could boot-strap up from poverty. When I was little I went to The Itsy-Bitsy Club with my fellow Inner City poor neighbors. For me it worked. I am indeed bourgeois. In 1909 the front half of the ALI opened and single girls coming in from the countryside had a Christian residence with monastic single rooms and common bathrooms and laundry facilities for $1/week (in the 1940s! God knows how cheap it was in the 19teens). Meals were equally cheap. All subsidized by the charity of the evil capitalists. Just another perspective from the evil 1% Juicy, Jim. thanks! Just curious, how does a retired high school teacher include himself in the 1% (grinning). I was aware that you grew up at the A L Inn. Pretty neat. Ellen/Chusti
On Sun 19 Aug 2012, at 2:15 PM, Jim Powers wrote: The same way that Tony Curtis and the rest of the gladiators announced to their persecutors, "I am Spartacus!" Identification with the victim/s of injustice. I almost hesitate to reply to this. It's been so many years since I've known you well enough to know when you might be speaking with sarcasm. Being rather 'square', I take it on face value. How in the great round world can the 1% be seen as the victims of injustice? I am baffled. C.
On Sun 19 Aug 2012, at 2:31 PM, Jim Powers wrote: Perhaps you missed my numerous references as to how many "evil capitalists" then and now are great philanthropists. it is mind numbing to me how lefties generalize "the rich" into a homogeneous group of blood-sucking exploiters. Like Bill & Melinda Gates? Like Mitt Romney who gives 14% of his wealth (and all of his inheritance) to charity. As contrasted to the Obamas 2% or Biden's 0.125%. Hope that clears up the bafflement. I know it was against the Party Line. That's why I put it in there. I'm sick of the name-calling and stereotyping of the pol. left. I have worked around and associated with wealthy people all my life and find the same cross section among them of human failings as I did among the poor of my first 17 years. I have done volunteer work among poor parts of town in the '50s and '70s. I have studied history & poli. sci. all my adult life and claim some right to speak with authority on these matters. we'll all feel better in 79 days after the election and Nobama is a lame duck. |  FROM CHAD BENJAMIN POTTER, our Salonista in San Francisco Ellen, Love the new layout of the newsletter! I feel a new Huffington Post arising!
FROM JIM PRUES:
Thanks again for your nice work, Ellen... FROM Q BENEDIKT (On the Democratic member of the Board of Elections being fired after voting for extended hours, early balloting.) | Perhaps you were nostalgic for the good 'ol days of Ohio officials manipulating the voting process, like with Mike Dewine attempting to keep Ross Perot off the ballot and Ken Blackwell trying to limit access - apparently you need not fret that they are gone for good. Click Here | | | FROM DAN KREMER (of Eat Food For Life.com, my supplier of grass fed beef, poultry, etc.) Patients recover from non-GMO diets! The truth is emerging...! Article from Jef Smith's newsletter here. Dan FROM BROOKE AUDREYAL (commenting on Jackie's praise of my sunflowers out front)
Ellen is a sunflower
Brooke
FROM COUNCILMEMBER CHRIS SMITHERMAN I was very proud to be a part of the first ever legislation of this nature in the State of Ohio. Hopefully, other cities around the state will follow our lead. The community was very vocal about protecting our water supply, and it felt great to see council come together to unanimously support the people’s desire to not jeopardize our water supply. Thank you for taking a moment to share your thoughts. Councilman Christopher Smitherman brooke | Tri-State Treasures by Jim Kesner is on summer break. We can't wait, Jim! | | | |
