Salon Weekly
A Weekly Email Publication of The Lloyd Hfouse
Circulation: c. 450
Growing out of the Monday Night Salon
For info about the Salon, see the bottom of this email
Join us at the Lloyd House every Monday of the year at 5:45 for pot luck and discussion.
3901 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio
To: Friends on our Pot Luck Salon list.
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Saturday 13 August, 2005
At the Table on Monday, 8/13/05_: David Rosenberg, Dave Houseman, Pam Futerer, Marvin Kraus, Gerry Kraus, Janet Kalven, Dallas Fish, Dan Hershey, Mira Rodwan, Ellen Bierhorst, Shirley Maul.
Topics Nominated:
Kraus¹ vacation in Maine
Dan: pressures on Martha¹s Vineyard
Dan: big news re. Iraq
Mira: Wed 7:30 Fountain Square to support Cindy Sheehan who is camped out in Texas. Her son got killed in Iraq. She wants to talk to bush. Now there 8 days.
Salon book: anecdotes.
What is going on in the Gaza Strip; the pull out?
Janet: Peak Oil.
Gas $2.69 today.
Mira will show video of Matthew Fox and Frances Moore Lappe talks (from Earth Spirit Rising Conference last month) next week at 8 pm after the salon.
DISCUSSION:
Dan: news from Iraq. As you recall I have been pushing the idea that the war is over for the U.S. OUr role now is to train their police, soldiers. Could do that in the U.S. Could bring troops home by thanksgiving. I have been passing that around. ... in this sunday Times, news of the week in Review a well known writer Frank rich, now writing on political things, his story headline, ³someone tell the president, the War is Over!² Summarizes all the rotten things that have gone on. (Read from the article.) Approval for Bush¹s handling of the war now at 34% by Newsweek poll last week. Now there is a real wave against continuing the war. The conservatives are now seriously split over ending the war.
Gerry: I think you should write a letter to the Times in response and mention your idea of training the Iraqis in the U.S.
Dan: I have sent it around to liberal news commentators. No responses but you hope that it germinates.
David: how do you know that you wouldn¹t be training insurgents here in the US?
CINDY SHEEHAN
There have not yet been confrontations between the pro war and the peace people.
Dan: the pro Bush people have tried to dig up mud about Cindy, implying that she was in it for the money, but it didn¹t fly. ...no matter what Bush does, it is a losing situation for him. so they are ignoring it.
Gerry: heard an interview. she has about 100 supporters there with her now. ONe woman with two little girls, her husband is in Iraq. Asked, How does your husband feel? He said they were all cheering Cindy over there. They feel she is doing the right thing. She is raising the morale of the soldiers by objecting to the war.
Ellen: Mike says no good if no program being proposed. This action does seem effective, however. What think?
Shirley M: I think she is raising awareness; part of the process of shifting consciousness.
Pam: we remember Vietnam...
David: huge difference. In Vietnam, we lost, no way to win. In Iraq we have started a civil war. I think the worst things we could do now is leave Iraq without a plan. Destroyed this country and then leave it, with two sides armed to the teeth. Morally repugnant.
Dan: analogy of vietnam. Remember we anointed the gov¹t of S. Vietnam. We knew the North would take over. In Iraq we are arming and fixing the country. ... maybe it will be a federation, Kurds, Shiites, Sunnis.
David R: In Vietnam. we promised all this aid after we withdrew, but we failed to deliver.
Mira: the ³winter soldiers² movie about Kerry and the anti war movement is having a come back. ... the soldiers had killed civilians. ...brought back ears to show how many killed. ... Some hope this will help end the war.
Gerry: all of us have always been against the war. Many of us protested the war when Bush was in town. what Cindy Sheehan is doing is articulating the issue, a problem, in a manner that is understandable, more than they understood the Liberals protesting the war. She just thinks it is wrong. Like the Emperors new clothes. Everyone is afraid to say the War is wrong! she is saying it.
.
Dan: Rich cited the difficulty of recruiters for the army. Openly enlisting gays; also faking scholastic records.
Pam: I have heard that they are preparing a training camp in Louisiana for training 50,000 soldiers who do not speak English.
Dallas: my question: we couldnŒt even keep him from being president when he wasn¹t rightly elected. So how do we think we can do anything about this war thing?
Pam: there are many people working behind the scenes. A ground swell now. Things in Iraq are awful! Just this past weekend generals said ³we are going to bring 30,000 soldiers out² and Bush said No we aren¹t. I am scared to death that we are going to nuke Iran. antiwar.com
Dan: I think the moment for Bush is past; he can¹t bomb Iran. The military is against him; there is A SPLIT BETWEEN THE PENTAGON AND RUMSFELD. If you listen you can hear this beginning to swell. Congress is not with him any more. ... It would have to be like a Nixon thing where he thought he could by fiat do something.
Pam: he might be dangerous, now, backed in a corner.
Dan: the right wing guys in the beginning, tried to defame cindy Sheehan. ³She was a flip flopper². Didn¹t work. Tried other things. ... I am relatively optimistic now about where we are going.
Gerry: I think the country is mobilizing
GAZA STRIP ... PULL OUT
\ Mira: a soldier went in pre deadline to tell protesters they would have to leave. the soldier burst out crying and hugged the settler.
Deadline is Wednesday.
Gerry: Jerusalem post ed. on NPR. Even among Majority of the people support the withdrawal, though not whole heartedly. A minority are adamant against the withdrawal. the majority are not as passionate. ...equate the settlers with the halutzim from the first immigration into Palestine in the late 1800¹s. Excellent interview. No easy answers. It was on today.
Most feel in the long run it is the best, to leave. Gaza is the least biblically associated part of Israel.
Mira: the Palestinians still are talking about wanting their rights in Jerusalem. they claim the withdrawal is because Hamas and their terrorism has been successful. This is a big turn off for the Israeli jews. Makes them not wan to withdraw. ... there are some very orthodox Jews there who believe the messiah will not come unless all the biblical land is in the hands of the Israelis.
Marvin: parallels with bush and Iraq. Maybe some would say that if we withdraw from Iraq that the terrorists have had a victory. don¹t think that is a good reason not to withdraw.
We have to rely so heavily on what we hear... Gaza is not the same as the west bank. Formerly belonged to Egypt, was taken over by Israel in 1967 with the Sinai. At that time, nobody wanted it much. ...today I heard Israeli troops, went to a settlement, broke down the gates to serve eviction notices. Failed to deliver the notices. In a few days they are to start to remove people bodily.
Gerry: I can¹t understand, in the retreat from Gaza the Israelis are destroying their homes. Seems to me less harsh if they would leave them for the Palestinians. A nice gesture to leave them intact.
David R: I thought it was an individual matter whether to destroy their homes.
Marvin: I heard that some houses were being purchased by Palestinians.
SALON HISTORY, ANECDOTES
Gerry: on e of the reasons I like to come is that it reinforces my belief that there is intelligent life in Cincinnati. Most places you can¹t have conversations like this.
Mira: this week more evenly matched as to gender.
... the green goddess says don¹t mix animal waste in the vegetable compost.
Last week, people were vying for the floor. Tonight is more friendly and easy
Shirley: here since June. I am so delighted with the salon. A spot of sunshine. Is it because I have lived in Cinti so long and the feeling here is so convservative...would I like it this much if I lived in a liberal area? The welcoming and the openness to discussion. And I like the opinions expressed. I don¹t know if I would like it as well if it were a mixed group. I love the welcoming spirit.
Dan: Very nice being with a group of activists trying to do good work. Nice to hear about those trying to do some good in the world, especially locally. It is easy to get bitter; to hear positives is good.
Marvin: What I like about the salon is that it brings people together who are willing to talk about things they care about. Share their thoughts with others who want to hear. Not about political position for me. Discussing with Gerry running as an independent. You are who you are, stand for certain things, not a party. We talk about issues, intrinsically, not who you are with respect ot party lines. ... not to mention the food! To be able to sit down and have a very different kind of meal.
Ellen: (Obviously I can¹t take notes and share at the same time. Talked about how much Iove the salon; Interesting as a model of democracy, and yet not really a democracy, since I have ultimate veto as host. Some other stuff I forget. David Rosenberg told me later he thinks it is a loss that I can¹t share very much, being so busy taking notes. What¹s the solution to this? Could someone else take over the laptop while I talk?)
Shirley: Organizations have long sessions to set up a mission statement... we have the preamble of the salon. Has to do with respecting the people who are here. ...you vote with your feet here... the value of respect.
Gerry: I find I learn things I wouldn¹t know about if I didn¹t come here. Like the vigil to support Cindy Sheehan. ... I like hearing what Dan has to say about the far right and the right wing radio. And we have special speakers from time to time, like the guy from Morgantown.
David R: the thing about democracy caught my attention. j reminds me of an experience two winters ago, drove to D.C. in a van to a conference, like Peak Oil conference. Eclectic group of folks, some radical left, I am somewhere in the middle, one guy an arch conservative who wanted to learn how to invest in stocks for the new economy. Lively discussion...hidden policies of the government. I asked the conservative if he weren¹t mad at the secrecy of the govt. and he said No, you have to do what you have to do to get the job done.
I have similar experience as you with my farm. I want the workers on the farm to have ownership... if they go strong with a project, I want them to be a partner, not a wage owner. But I have to maintain authority and standards, because otherwise some folks are destructive because of values or incompetence. ... so the farm is not a democracy either.
Dan: occasionally tension arises between those into politics, and those preferring cultural topics more.
MEN AND WOMEN IN OUR SOCIETY
Marvin: do you think that men are having a more difficult time surviving in our society in our society?
Ellen: (reconstruction) Yes. In the 50¹s when I was at Walnut Hills H.S. all the leadership positions held by boys. In the 80¹s when my dau. was there, most were held by girls. Boys seem bewildered. As a parent, and a psychologist, I believe I see that boys are much harder to socialize. Girls hit the ground wanting to be ³dealt in² to the group, but boys have to be seduced in. Seems to me that females today are excited at the greater freedom they have now, and are streaming into professions and have ambition, but that the males are standing around confused, unfocused.
Marvin I am having a great time. I am finding out what wonderful people women are. Gerry has her Smith College reunion... It¹s great. The women are doing their thing. It¹s great to be a minority.
Dan to support what Ellen was saying. The TV sitcoms, invariably there is a guy who tends to be overweight, not handsome, not so bright. Connected with this terrific babe. This is reflecting what you were saying.
Shirley: it occurs to me it took a while for the role differentiation, the rise of women¹s status to sink in, and it is like men are now free not to do the type A thing. ³I have another way to go² but it is not clear what the other way is. they don¹t have to do the power thing if they don¹t want to.
Pam: I worked for years in corporate world in engineers, stock market, and sales. Glass ceiling! The young men today seem to feel very entitled... I am not too happy with the young ones today. TH ey seem lost, bad manners...
Mira no ceremony welcoming them into male adulthood.
Pam they are told to be anything but feminine.
David H: they are being told to work on the other side of their brains. confused.
Janet: my great nephews and nieces. The boys are as passionate as the girls.
Gerry: I agree. It depends on the people. We raised three sons, came of age in the 80¹s. Great cooks. Parents. When they were growing up they had friends, some of them were females. When I grew up the only friends you had of the opposite sex were romantic relationships. My sons had true friends among girls and I think it made them better human beings. think men and women both are better adjusted today than previously.
Mira: at the UU church I see many young fathers very involved in parenting. diaper changing.... Very interesting. We are a welcoming congregation, so we have alternative families... lesbians with children, a few gay men with children. ... the children run around wildly a bit more than I like, but....
Marvin: I suddenly realized when Mira was talking that we don¹t any longer have female adulthood and male adulthood, but rather we just have ³maturity².
... Being a lawyer, teaching widows married to men who did everything themselves. It was a pleasure to see how capable women were under a little encouragement. There are few people in position to see this. It is wonderful, to see what women are capable of doing. And it is fantastic to have women judges and lawyers. As more and more judges are women, this whole society will change.
PEAK OIL
Janet: I think we are at Peak Oil. We know where all the deposits are and their amounts and the amount we are able to extract will decline from now on each year. Serious problems of energy supply. Petroleum dependent society. Finite supply and now we are coming to the limits. the only arguments are whether the peak is now or in a few years. Means profound changes in civilization.
Mira: just yesterday, prep. for Global Warming forum, people were glad that price of gas was going up because it will help people realize the problem is not going away. A mine canary warning.
Janet: the energy bill we just passed is crazy, nonsense. Moving in wrong direction. We ought to be moving towards sustainability. This bill is putting money in old sources...drilling for oil and coal, funding that. Not funding solar or hydrogen or other sources. big oil getting hand outs. Need to push wind, water power, conservation...
Gerry: global warming also
Hugs,
ellen
(for Articles: see below. First, the "Announcements" section.)...
Don't miss the way cool article you want to read in blue section. It might be one of these:
- Correction by Dr. Anna Sher re. lifespan and age of puberty... interesting!
- When was the Sphinx built? 20,000 years ago? addendum from table conversation.
- Well done article on election fraud in Ohio and Florida... from CommonDreams.org
- Mike Murphy advising re. Peak Oil Conference VS. Anti War March on Washington
- Three Articles from Paul Brown's "Clock is Ticking" series: peak oil relevant
- "Whistleblower" and "Bluechip Review" interesting local online rag
- Pam and Mike on Feminism
Blurb about the Sept. 23-25 Peak Oil Conference in Yellow Springs
•
Announcements:
8/20
Calling All Artists, Poets
Moving pictures
Your art and poetry could ride the region's buses
By Sara Pearce
Enquirer staff writer
HOW TO ENTER
What: ArtMoves, poetry and art on Metro and TANK buses.
When: Kicks off Sept. 30
To enter: Work can be created directly on the 28-inch by 11-inch display cards or submitted electronically to artmovesartmoves@inktank.org. Cards also are available at Enjoy the Arts (1338 Main St., Over-the-Rhine), the Carnegie Visual & Performing Arts Center (1028 Scott Blvd., Covington) and InkTank (1311 Main St., Over-the-Rhine). A template can also be downloaded from www.inktank.org.
Deadline: Aug. 26. Works can be dropped off at the InkTank office.
Information: (513) 542-0195; www.inktank.org.
Here's a chance to showcase your words or art before a mass audience - well, a mass transit audience.
Metro and TANK have teamed up for ArtMoves, a project that will put poems and artwork inside buses this fall on 1,000 placards normally reserved for advertising.
So a call is out for entries from area poets and visual artists. The umbrella theme asks the question "Where are we going?"
"We get all kinds of people on the bus, rich and poor, young and old, students and professionals - and this allows us to extend art into the community," says Sallie Hilvers, Metro's director of public affairs.
Metro was involved in a similar project in 2002 when it worked with the Cincinnati Recreation Commission on All Aboard Arts, which put 200 cards on buses. It was such a success that sets of postcards were sold depicting the top pieces.
This time, the project extends to both sides of the river and an average of 77,000 riders daily. Because the route a bus travels varies, chances are that every rider will eventually see some of the art, Hilvers says.
On the Ohio side, the literary group InkTank and the arts advocacy group Enjoy the Arts are co-sponsors. The project will kick off Sept. 30, coinciding with the launch of Enjoy the Arts' fourth annual 20/20 Festival, which showcases the arts over 20 days.
On the Kentucky side, Northern Kentucky University and Covington's Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center are participating.
Other groups are being brought in, such as Women Writing for (a) Change, Visionaries and Voices, and the Alzheimer's Association.
"It's a wonderful idea," says Pat Statzer, a Delhi Township artist whose "Cityscape" - a Cincinnati skyline made from silk neckties made by Queen City haberdashers past and present - made the cut in 2002.
"All the artwork was wonderful and they had entries from everyone from children to 80-year-olds, so it covered a lot of people."
Art-challenged writers needn't worry about the look of their poems, says Jeff Syroney, InkTank's executive director. "We'll send the poems to graphic designers," he points out.
Of course, there are rules, including one stating that "all artwork and written work must be in good taste and appropriate for viewing by the general public."
Hilvers calls it a common-sense restriction. "After all, these are public buses," she says.
More words to the wise: Enter a copy of your piece; last time, many originals disappeared.
E-mail spearce@enquirer.com
Please join us for an evening with Senator Mark Mallory
Candidate for Mayor of Cincinnati
Saturday, August 27th
6:30 PM
508 Howell Ave. in Clifton
Hosted by Nicole & Matt Gunderman, Carla Sarr & Holbrook Sample
$25 suggested donation (feel free to give more - his campaign needs it!)
RSVP 751-4516 or reply to this email : Nicole Gunderman <nicole.gunderman@customrecognition.com>
Please forward this invitation to others who may be interested in meeting Mark and learning more about his vision for Cincinnati.
7/16/05
2 Rooms Available at Lloyd House
Fabulous Clifton Gaslight Castle; warm, multicultural environment
2 miles from U.C. 1/2 mile from Mitchell Ave. exit I-75
Call Ellen: 513 221 1289
Third floor walk up. One room with sleeping loft, private bath, share kitchen
Room has ethernet for high speed internet connection: $10/mo. extra
Also available Sept. 1: third floor two room suite, private bath, beautiful teak bedroom set, etc. etc.
Share: third floor meditation/dance/yoga room
first floor TV/VCR/DVD, iMac w/ high speed internet, dining room, veranda
Off street parking, spacious yard, gardens, sauna, workout room
2 hours per month building maintenance/yard care/housmates meeting
Laundry (indoor lines for drying) free
Minimum age: 25
Monthly house contribution: $285 (more if you use A/C, internet)
Available 1 August, 2005
Other housemates include: me, Neil Anderson (our fabulous massage therapist), Gordie Bennett (grad student in planning), Alan Bern (musician, doctoral student CCM). I am looking to slowly become more of a community in the house.
No smoking in house.
I am looking for: rock solid good vibes 24/7. Also rock solid financial reliability. Also, prefer a person who will enjoy the Monday night Salon and is interested in building community here. Eventually want to explore sharing ownership and all responsibilities.
Please pass the word to any of your contacts who might know of folks looking for a place to live/work.
ellen
8/20
Love note from PHyllis Dreyfus:
dear ellen--i have never made it to even one of your meetings but have loved every salon update you have sent--now, however, it is time to take my name off your list since I have moved and it isn't fair to you. i know most of your group and heard that gerry is running for council--good for her--she'll stir them up--good luck to you as you and all of those work to touch this world in a positive way.--phyllis
From Ellen: But, we do have a substantial minority of our 480 subscribers who live out of town and still enjoy reading the Weekly.
8/25
Thursday, August 25 meet with
Council Candidates
to hear their views on local environmental issues.
Mother of Christ Church, 5301 Winneste Ave (in Winton Place, off King's Run, which runs E from Winton)
7:00 pm
RSVP Marilyn Evans 541-4109
sponsored by ECO, local Environmental Community Organization (Gerry and Marvin Kraus, Karen Arnet, Marilyn Wall, et al.)
8/30/05
(See the letter that I wrote...using "Mail Merge"-I am proud!... below. ellen)
Local Activist Cheryl Crowe (of Progressive Alliance etc.)
Recommends
Write the local TV Stations before end of August:
They are renewing their licenses (every 8 years) this year
Have you written the TV stations yet? Tell them you don't like so much violence, want more about positive things happening; less sensationalism and celebrity gossip, more on what the people need to know to be good voters, etc. etc. Ellen
WLWT:
OHIO/OKLAHOMA HEARST-ARGYLE TV, INC
c/o BROOKS, PIERCE, MCLENDON, HUMPHREY &
LEONARD
P.O. BOX 1800
RALEIGH, NC 27602
-----------------------------------------------------
WCPO-TV:
SCRIPPS HOWARD BROADCASTING COMPANY
312 WALNUT STREET
28TH FLOOR
CINCINNATI, OH 45203
-----------------------------------------------------
WKRC-TV ch. 12:
Clear Channel
200 E. Basse Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78209
Note: this is a corrected address and owner...original address sent back and I had to call Ch. 12 to get (finally) the owner's name and address. ... the (in)famous Clear Channel! ellen
-----------------------------------------------------
WXIX: (FOX19)
RAYCOM NATIONAL LICENSE SUBSIDIARY, LLC
RSA TOWER, 20TH FLOOR
201 MONROE STREET
MONTGOMERY, AL 36104
-----------------------------------------------------
WSTR-TV: (Ch. 64)
WSTR LICENSEE, INC
SHAW PITTMAN (KATHRYN R. SCHMELTZER)
2300 N STREET, N.W
WASHINGTON, DC 20037-1128
..............................................................................................................
Ellen O. Bierhorst, Ph.D.
Lloyd House 3901 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220-1145
(513) 221-1289
ellenbierhorst@lloydhouse.com
www.lloydhouse.com
Fax: (513) 221-8150
July 30, 2005
(Address of Station Owner)
Dear (TV Station Owner),
I am writing regarding the forthcoming license renewal for (TV Station), your television station in Cincinnati. I am a lifelong resident of Cincinnati.
I believe the news coverage of this station is not serving the public. There is too much about crime and violence, too much about celebrities¹ lives, about sports, and about weather, and not enough about matters that inform the citizens concerning issues that affect our actual lives. I would like to see detailed, educational coverage of city council sessions, council committees, county commissioners¹ meetings, Board of Health actions. I would like to see good coverage of the many citizen advocacy organizations , and I would like to see stories about groups working to enhance their neighborhoods.
Because these kinds of stories are not covered, I avoid the local news programs altogether. The stations are licensed by the FCC in recognition that the airwaves are a shared, public commodity and must be used to serve the interests of the people. The practice of airing only the sensational is not serving that interest.
Sincerely,
Ellen O. Bierhorst
9/17
Greetings Members & Friends of the Progressive Alliance! (Local Political Group)
In this email:
General Membership Meeting & Party Announcement
Business Info – Constitution, Election of Directors, Voting Eligibility, Speakers
Party Info – Food, Drink, Music, Dancing, Volunteers
<> The PA General Membership Meeting will be held Saturday, September 17 at the IBEW Hall at 1216 East McMillan Street, starting at 7:00 PM. See the PA website (http://www.paohio.org <http://www.paohio.org/> ) for details and a map. All members (paid and otherwise) and those with interest in the Progressive Alliance are invited to attend.
BUSINESS INFO
<> Constitution. The PA Governance Committee, under the guidance of Ron Harris, has drafted a constitution and ...https://www.progressiveallianceonline.org/community/).
You can also view, download and print a copy of the final draft at this link: Constitution <http://tinyurl.com/bhe8x> ....
...
<> Voting Eligibility. Members who have paid their $10.00 dues for 2005 are entitled to vote to ratify the constitution and to elect new directors to the board.
If you wish to participate in the voting on September 17, your dues payment must be received no later than August 17. Mail your check for $10, payable to The Progressive Alliance of Southwest Ohio, to:
Tim Swallow, PA Membership & Outreach Committee
30 Fairway Drive, Southgate, KY 41071
Tim Swallow <cincyworldcinema@fuse.net>
If you are not sure about your dues status, contact Tim directly at 859.781.8151 or via reply to this email.
<> Speakers. In addition to a brief update regarding PA progress and future projects, we are arranging for guest speakers to share some thoughts with you after the voting. Names will be announced when confirmed.
PARTY INFO
We expect the festivities to get underway circa 8:30 - plenty of time for socializing with friends and PA members!
Music will be provided by the Howard House Band, offering selections from reggae to classic rock, with a little swing thrown in to boot!
Dancing - we’ll push back the chairs in front of the stage and the dance floor is yours!
Food - we’ll provide finger foods – dips and snacks.
Cash bar - soft drinks, water, beer and wine, coffee and tea.
Volunteers – as with our successful events earlier this year, we need volunteer help. Please contact Sabrina Holloway at sabrinalou1971@yahoo.com for details. Your participation is requested!
If you can join us on September 17, please RSVP via reply email.
Tim Swallow <cincyworldcinema@fuse.net>
___________________________________________
The Progressive Alliance of Southwest Ohio
ProgressiveAlliance@fuse.net
www.ProgressiveAllianceOnline.org
M. Timothy Swallow
Voice: 859.781.8151
Fax: 859.781.8152
"A great democracy must be progressive or it
will soon cease to be great or a democracy."
~ Theodore Roosevelt
___________________________________________
8/20 through 9/30
Cincinnati Earth Institute / Imago Events
and Announcements
... events related to its discussion course topics of simple living, sustainability, and globalization. Details follow below.
-- Healthy Children - Healthy Planet discussion course - NEW! and now available through CEI. Parents concerned about the health, development and happiness of their young children will want to do this course with other like-minded parents
-- 1st Friday Dinner Conversation at Imago Earth Center open to all; 9/2 topic will be the viewing and discussion of the popular video ?The End of Suburbia.?
-- Imago Executive Director Job Opening - the long-time non-profit Imago is currently seeking applications to fill its executive director job.
-- Music in the Woods - Saturday, 9/10 fun, toe-tapping musical event featuring Jake Speed and the Freddies and the Rumpke Mountain Boys to benefit Imago
-- Great Outdoor Weekend 2005 - weekend of 9/24-25 that offers a free sampling of the best nature and environmental activities in the Cincinnati Region.
-- Take Back Your Time Day - is a major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment.
Healthy Children - Healthy Planet Discussion Course - NEW! and now available! This 8-week discussion course delves into the pervasive effects of advertising, media, and our consumer culture on a child?s view of the world. It provides ways to create meaningful family times and healthful environments for children, and ways to develop a child?s connection to nature. They say that our children are our future. As such, parents today must be more intentional and counter-cultural in raising their children to teach and expose them to a natural world that they can experience and fall in love with. This is a ?must take? course for parents wanting to raise their children to live lives that reverence, protect, and celebrate earth.
Four course sessions address cultural pressures, the impact of advertising on a child?s worldview, the link between diet and learning, and the impact of technology and media on a child?s development;
Three course sessions offer suggestions for creating meaningful family celebrations and rituals, finding balance between activities and unstructured time to foster creativity, and ways to promote and foster outdoor time to nurture a child?s inborn sense of wonder.
For more information or to suggest people/groups who may be interested in offering this course, call John Hoff at 513-631-5932 or email to info@cinciearth.org.
1st Friday Dinner Conversation
Date: Friday, September 2nd th at 6:00 PM
Location: Imago Earth Center, 700 Enright Avenue, Price Hill
Registration: none, except dinner buffet
Cost: none, except dinner buffet (suggested donation of $10/person)
Description: Following dinner, the popular video ?The End of Suburbia? will be shown that explores the American Way of Life and its prospects as the planet approaches a critical era, as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. A discussion will follow.
More Information: Call Louise Lawarre at 921-5124 or at llawarre@imagoearth.org
Imago Executive Director Job Opening
Imago, Inc. is an education organization focusing on Ecology and Spirituality. The work is important and exciting with a magnificent staff and council (board). Located in a 16-acre nature preserve. Salary is $15K/year for a 50% work schedule. Imago website: www.imagoearth.org. <http://www.imagoearth.org./> Deadline is August 8th. Send cover letter and resume to Jim Schenk, 700 Enright Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45205, or email to jschenk@imagoearth.org.
Music in the Woods - Imago's annual benefit
Date: Saturday, September 10th from 7:00-11:00 pm.
Location: Imago Earth Center, 700 Enright Avenue, Price Hill
Registration: Pre-order your tickets by calling Imago (921-5124) or email imago@imagoearth.org. To print off a reservation form, visit http://www.imagoearth.org/MusicInTheWoods-ticket.pdf
Cost: Pre-ordered tickets cost $12 each (or $10 each if 4 or more are purchased) while entry at the door costs $15 (no group discount available). Buy your tickets before the event and save! All proceeds from this event will benefit Imago.
Description: This event promises to be a fun-loving, foot stomping good time with the local musical talent of Jake Speed and the Freddies and the Rumpke Mountain Boys. In addition to the music, there will be a silent auction of services, vacations, and a few items donated by local businesses and individuals. This year's items include 5 days at a breath taking beachfront property in Nova Scotia, tickets to the Cincinnati playhouse, certificates to a local salon, and Imago themed gift baskets.
Great Outdoor Weekend 2005
Date: Saturday, September 24, and Sunday, September 25, 2005
Time: throughout the day; refer to program guide
Location: throughout the Greater Cincinnati area; refer to program guide
Cost: Free and open to the public!
Reserve these dates and join us during this fall weekend to experience a free sampling of the best nature and environmental activities in the Cincinnati Region. The Great Outdoor Weekend has been designed by a group of environmental education and outdoor recreational organizations. Visit www.CincyGreatOutdoorWeekend.org <http://www.cincygreatoutdoorweekend.org/> for more information and to view the program guide.
Take Back Your Time Day is a major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment. Monday, October 24th is designated as ?Take Back Your Time? Day. For more information about this important subject, visit http://www.simpleliving.net/timeday/ and click the ?Why You Should Care? link. Collectively, we?re working more than ever in our past and on average, work more than 9 full weeks more than the European Union with about a third of the vacation time EU workers enjoy. The affects? More stress, worse health, diminished quality of life, less informed, less time for loved ones and greater environmental degradation. Check it out!
Cincinnati Earth Institute
www.CinciEarth.org <http://www.cinciearth.org/> ? info@CinciEarth.org
phone 513.207.0038
--
To subscribe from: CEI, just follow these links:
http://cinciearth.org/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=u&l=econews&e=info@cinciearth.org&p=6622 <http://cinciearth.org/cgi-bin/mojo/mojo.cgi?f=u&l=econews&e=info@cinciearth.org&p=6622>
Tri-State Treasures
Sincerely, Jim
~~~~~~~~~~Tri-State Treasures:
First Farm Inn, Kentucky's Bed & Breakfast for People & Horses: Escape your routine. Refresh, reflect, & turn down Stevens Road into a time before weed whackers & pounding boom boxes. Wind your way to First Farm Inn, a quiet refuge for 2 & 4 footed friends who enjoy tasty, healthy food, comfortable surroundings & warm companionship. Or just sit, rock, paddle, ride, swing, ski, play piano, listen to music, watch the stars, laugh at Fluffy herding cats, enjoy some fur therapy (pick your species), or reminisce about the old family farm of your childhood. Ride the horses, relax under the open sky in the whirlpool, fish in the ponds, catch a rainbow from the stained glass windows, listen to rain on the tin roof, meet the alien in the kitchen, watch the lava lamp move, warm up beside the fireplace, or visit with the horses, cows, & goats. Hike the hills, explore the barns, check out the playhouse or track down the spring that feeds the creek. Convenience & comfort. First Farm Inn offers two guest rooms in a elegantly renovated 1870s farmhouse. Their 21 acres are set in Kentucky's rolling hills above the Ohio River where Indiana, Kentucky & Ohio join 20 minutes outside Cincinnati, just off I-275. 2510 Stevens Road, Idlewild, KY 41080. More info between 8 AM & 8 PM @ 859.586.0199, 800.277.9527, info@firstfarminn.com, & www.firstfarminn.com.
French Film Festival [Thursday 18 & 25 August @ 6 PM]: The beautiful newly refurbished Taft Museum presents a series of classic French films by Jean Renoir, son of Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Each film will be introduced by Tom Zaniello, director of the Honors Program & professor of film at NKU. Free admission. Box dinner is available for $12 with 24 hours advance reservation.
<> Thursday 18 August 18: The Rules of the Game (1939). Cloaked in a comedy of manners, this scathing critique of French society is about a weekend hunting party at which amorous escapades abound among the aristocratic guests & the servants downstairs alike. The refusal of one of the guests to play by society's rules sets off a chain of events that ends in tragedy.
<> Thursday 25 August 25: French Cancan (1955). French Cancan recreates the backstage world of the music halls of Montmartre, focusing on the grand opening of the Moulin Rouge. Aging impresario Danglard (Jean Gabin) has a talent for transforming common working girls into dance-hall sensations. Complications arise when he is captivated by Nini (Françoise Arnoul), a beautiful laundress, & decides to make her the star of his new show.
At the Taft Museum, 316 Pike Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202. While there, enjoy the Taft's current exhibit An Impressionist Eye through August 28. More info @ 513.684.4515, taftmuseum@taftmuseum.org, & www.taftmuseum.org.
Dances In The Park 2005 [Thursday 18 August @ 6-10:30 PM]: In the midst of one of the city park jewels, boasting floral gardens that are reminiscent of Europe, Ault Park presents Dances In The Park 2005; great dance music for all ages. Featured will be The Generics on August 18. Free admission; beer & soft drinks for sale, though it is unlawful to bring alcohol onto city property; all profits go to Ault Park. Ault Park is on Observatory Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45208. More info @ 513.871.9015, Info@AultParkAC.org, & www.aultparkac.org.
8th Annual Cincinnati DanceSport Festival [Thursday-Saturday 18-20 August]: This will be their 6th year to be part of the DanceSport Superbowl series in Region 4. Thursday will be an Oriental theme. Friday will be an August Mardi Gras theme with a jazz musician at dinner & the Salsa Calinte Party after hours. Saturday will be a very romantic American theme with romantic music filling the air at dinner & special show for your enjoyment at the end of the evening. Come be part of the party. You can dress for each days theme if you wish. $22,000 available in prize money; many scholarships available for both pro/am & amateur couples, & participation in the superbowl championship. At the Holiday Inn Resort at the Cincinnati Airport, 1717 Airport Exchange Blvd, Erlanger, KY 41018, 859.371.2233. More info @ 513.281.5500, information@CincinnatiDancesport.com, & www.cincinnatidancesport.com.
Final Broadcast of Women Writing for (a) Change [Sunday 21 August @ 8 PM]: In its final show on WVXU, 91.7FM, the show, hosted by Mary Pierce Brosmer, founder of Women Writing for a Change, will weave together the writing of women new to Women Writing for (a) Change with reflections on past shows by women whose voices you¹ve already heard on the air. After 6 years on WVXU, Women Writing for (a) Change on the Radio is exploring a possible relationship with WGUC as they plan new programming for WVXU. Other public venues for the voice of the conscious feminine, including webcasting & podcasting, are also being explored. More info @ 513.591.1172, ext 3, 513.272.1171, awick@cinci.rr.com, & www.womenwriting.org.
Light Over Time - Palimpsest Series: Art by Bill Davis [Opening Friday 26 August @ 6-9 PM]: Knowledge as aesthetic experience. The artist drew, photographed, & printed chalkboard renderings to map & identify the shared boundaries of sound, light, & time. The resulting images are more akin to palimpsests. Initially used by monks, palimpsests are partially erased & rewritten instructional parchments, which continue to transmit traces of previous information. While parts of the work trace the history of light & optics, they also visit how one processes knowledge. In its essence this series seeks to operate amongst the whimsy of imagination & sobriety of intellect. DeoGracias Lerma Gallery, 1319 Main Street, Cincinnati, OH, 45202. More info @ 513.305.2585, william.davis@wmich.edu, & http://homepages.wmich.edu/~wdavis/.
Seeking Local Artists for 3rd Annual Summer Arts Fair [Saturday 27 August @ noon-5 PM]: The Covedale Center for the Performing Arts presents original, mix media works of art. The Arts Fair will be at the Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Avenue, Western Hills. More info @ 513.241.6550, jen.johnson@fuse.net, jenniferperrino@covedalecenter.com, & www.cincinnatilandmarkproductions.com.
Ohio River Run from Aurora to Rising Sun [Saturday 27 August; registration & unloading @ 7:30 AM, take-off @ 8:30 AM]: Venture down the river to a couple charming river towns in Indiana & then enjoy a day on the river canoeing or kayaking. Registration ($15 before Aug. 15; $20 day of event) includes boat launch, lunch in Rising Sun provided by Grand Victoria Casino & Resort, transportation back to Aurora for vehicle pick-up, & goodie bag. Pre-registrants get a free t-shirt. Registration & unloading is at the Aurora Landing Marina. More info @ 812.926.1100, mainstreetaurora@suscom.net, & www.ohioriverway.org/paddlefest/ohioriverrun/.
Zumba @ Six Sundays At Six Acres - Evening Concerts [Sunday 28 August @ 7 PM]: High energy, spicy Cuban and Latin rhythms and moves. The Six Acres B&B embraces history & elegance in this 1850s Colonial mansion that was part of the Underground Railroad. Concerts are from the spacious outdoor patio for an audience seated on the lawn in a uniquely scenic, wooded & serene setting. Bring your lawn chairs & blankets as seating is limited. Smooth grooves, tasty treats, & a cool new musical experience in Cincinnati. $15 admission includes appetizers & drinks. Shuttle parking provided from Twin Towers Retirement Community @ 5343 Hamilton Avenue. Six Acres B&B is @ 5350 Hamilton Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45224. More info @ 513.541.0873, info@sixacresbb.com, www.tracywalker.com, & www.sixacresbb.com.
Celtic Retreat [Friday 26 August @ 4 PM thru Sunday 28 August after lunch]: If you are looking for a peaceful get-away on a late summer weekend, you might wish to consider attending the Celtic Retreat held at the Mt. St. Joseph Spirituality Center on the far west side of Cincinnati on a cliff high above the Ohio River at the convent of the Sisters of Charity Spirituality Center. The retreat is open to both men & women. There will be presentations, workshops, discussions on Celtic spirituality, a prayer walk, a Saturday evening Ceilidh, an evening of songs & stories, & the climax of a celebration of the Eucharist in the Celtic Tradition. Some of the workshop topics will include a labyrinth experience & hands-on Celtic art. The Celts had an underlying conviction that the pulse of God's heart permeated all creation & all experience. The retreat will be led by an experienced team of Catholic & Episcopal leaders. Fee: $190 for overnight retreatants ($200 after Aug. 18); $140 for commuters ($150 after Aug. 18); $50 non-refundable deposit required. At the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse, 5900 Delhi Road, Mt. St. Joseph, OH 45051. More info @ 513-347-5449, matyi@fuse.net, & www.srcharitycinti.org/spirit.htm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tri-State Treasures is compiled by James Kesner.To submit Tri-State Treasures, or to request your email address to be added or removed
from the Tri-State Treasures list, send an email to jkesner@nuvox.net and specify Tri-State Treasures.
8/27
A Day For Men Workshop
Shirley Reischman (our estimable homeopath) sends this along. I don't know about it, but Jack Armstrong is a wonderful healing professional, worked on my family many years to great benefit, is a D.C.
Gary Matthews is a massage therapist in town, good guy, partner of Beverly Wellbourn.
Shirley says,
FYI. Gary Mathews and Jack Armstrong are among those doing workshops at A Day for Men event on August 27th. Please pass this on to all the men you know. http://www.celebratewisdom.com/pages_blocks_v3_exp/index.cgi?Key=402&Field=key_field&catg=index&Exact=Yes&this_sect=The%20Wisdom%20Center%20Coaching%20&thisroot=/pages <http://www.celebratewisdom.com/pages_blocks_v3_exp/index.cgi?Key=402&Field=key_field&catg=index&Exact=Yes&this_sect=The%20Wisdom%20Center%20Coaching%20&thisroot=/pages>Check out the Peak Oil Conference, Yellow Springs, also is the weekend of Sept. 23. In the Blue section below, last article.
9/23/05
Huge March in Washington
against war in Iraq
Sept. 24
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
===========================================
Hold Bush & Congress Accountable for the Deaths, the Destruction,
the Lies, and the Toll on Our Communities
SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2005END THE WAR ON IRAQ - BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
Leave no bases behind - End the corporate occupation of Iraq
Stop bankrupting our communities - No military recruitment in our schools
Sat., 9/24 - Massive March, Rally & Festival
Sun., 9/25 - Interfaith Service, Grassroots Training
Mon., 9/26 - Lobby Day, Mass Nonviolent Direct Action and Civil Disobedience
------------------------------------------------------------------------
More than two years after the illegal and immoral U.S. invasion of Iraq, the nightmare continues. More than 1600 U.S. soldiers have died, at least another 15,000 have been wounded; even the most conservative estimates of Iraqi deaths number in the tens of thousands. Iraq, a once sovereign nation, now lies in ruins under the military and corporate occupation of the United States; U.S. promises to rebuild have not been kept and Iraqis still lack food, water, electricity, and other basic needs. ....
===========================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
===========================================
- end of Announcements -
A r t i c l e s
9/17/05
My Daughter Anna, a biology prof., reads the weekly and send in this on:
Correction: Age of Puberty and Life Span
> From: Anna Sher <anna@sher.com>
>
> Correction on Wayne Green's info, below regarding life span. "We should live
> to ten to fifteen times longer than the age of puberty. Only mammal who
> doesnt. " Not true.
>
> Elephants are very similar to humans- age of puberty is about 13, life span
> around 70. Female gorillas usually reach sexual maturity around 10, males not
> until 15 or even 20. Life span for Gorillas is 35 in the wild (as long as 60
> in captivity). The issue is that humans (and elephants, gorillas, and others)
> all have a very prolonged childhood, relative to other mammals, with no
> increase in total longevity. Lots of interesting research on why this
> strategy has nonetheless been so successful for these groups.
>
> As mammals, humans are considered the longest lived, with the whale being just
> behind us (I read that fin whales are believed to live as long as 100, Blue
> wales to 80. They also mature in their early teens). According to one
> source I found, most medium to large mammals do not see 30 years (just as Homo
> sapiens used to, according to archeologists).
>
> -----------
> If you're interested in some of the evolutionary thought around this, here's
> my 2 cents:
>
> I don't see any consistent relationship between age to adolescence and life
> span in the animal kingdom- Life span against body size is probably a more
> robust model, but still very limited, because both variables appear to be
> controlled by different factors in the environment. A highly competitive
> environment seems to select for higher paternal input and possibly longer time
> to adolescence. High disturbance or predation seems to lead to the oppositte.
> Number of years of reproduction will then be determined by survival rate of
> those offspring. Elephants, people, etc. all have high survival rates for
> off-spring, thus having a relatively short reproductive period works out okay.
> In contrast, mice and other relatively long-reproductive years animals have
> much lower survival of young.
>
> Fun stuff!
>
> Anna Sher
8/20
Mike Murphy on Dating of Civilization, the Sphinx, etc.
Some eyebrows were raised this past Monday when I referred to civilization as being '10,000 or maybe 20,000 years old,' and made referrence to the weathering-dating of the Sphinx in Egypt. There seems to be no certainty as to the age of the carving of the Sphinx. There is, however, agreement that such a monument is not the product of hunters & gatherers, but rather is the product of a substantial civilization. What civilization, and when, is the question.8/20
A partial answer to the 'when' part is offered by the observations of independent Egyptologist John A. West and Boston University geologist Robert Schoch. They noted that the weathering on the Sphinx is not the typical horizontal weathering produced by years of wind-blown sand, but rather the vertical weathering produced by years of falling rain. So, asking themselves when is the last time there was a very extended period of rainfall in the neighborhood of the Sphinx, each came up with the period at the end of the last Ice Age, eleventh millennium BCE. Many other geologists agree with their interpretation.
Additionally, the arrangement and other details of the pyramids at Giza--themselves, sophisticated engineering works similarly presuming a substantial civilization-- also seem strongly focussed on the 10,450 BCE time period, according to archaeo-astronomer Robert Bauval. Because precession of the equinoxes is a built-in indicator, the time period framed may actually be as early as 36,000 BCE.
Click on www.jawest.org <http://www.jawest.org> , or google on the above names or the author Graham Hancock to explore further. Mike Murphy mmurphy10@fuse.net
DISTURBING, Well-researched ARTICLE ON [OHIO] ELECTION FRAUD
sent in by Caeli Good
originally published on Commondreams.org
complete text at:
http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views05/0813-29.htm
Sent: Thursday, August 18, 2005 7:29 PM Subject: FW: 300% of registered
Republicans voted
Election Fraud Continues in the US New Data Shows Widespread Vote
Manipulations in 2004
By Peter Phillips
In the fall of 2001, after an eight-month review of 175,000 Florida ballots
never counted in the 2000 election, an analysis by the National Opinion
Research Center confirmed that Al Gore actually won Florida and should have
been President. However, coverage of this report was only a small blip in
the corporate media as a much bigger story dominated the news after
September 11, 2001.
New research compiled by Dr. Dennis Loo with the University of Cal Poly
Pomona now shows that extensive manipulation of non-paper-trail voting
machines occurred in several states during the 2004 election.
The facts are as follows:
In 2004 Bush far exceeded the 85% of registered Florida Republican votes
that he got in 2000, receiving more than 100% of the registered Republican
votes in 47 out of 67 Florida counties, 200% of registered Republicans in 15
counties, and over 300% of registered Republicans in 4 counties. Bush
managed these remarkable outcomes despite the fact that his share of the
crossover votes by registered Democrats in Florida did not increase over
2000, and he lost ground among registered Independents, dropping 15 points.
We also know that Bush "won" Ohio by 51-48%, but statewide results were not
matched by the court-supervised hand count of the 147,400 absentee and
provisional ballots in which Kerry received 54.46% of the vote. In Cuyahoga
County, Ohio the number of recorded votes was more than 93,000 greater than
the number of registered voters.
... (for the complete, long article go to: http://www.commondreams.org/cgi-bin/print.cgi?file=/views05/0813-29.htm
Article continuing:...)
The Role of Mass Movements and Alternative Media
What can be done? The Eugene McCarthy campaign of 1968 and the George
McGovern campaign in 1972 didn¹t end the war in Vietnam. The Vietnamese
people and the anti-war movement ended the war. Civil rights weren¹t secured
because JFK and LBJ suddenly woke up to racial discrimination. The Civil
Rights Movement and Black Power Movement galvanized public opinion and
rocked this country to its foundations. Men didn¹t suddenly wake up and
realize that they were male chauvinist pigs - women formed the Women¹s
Movement, organized, marched, rallied, and demanded nothing less than
equality, shaking this country to the core. The Bush administration is
bogged down and sinking deeper in Iraq not mainly because the top figures of
the Bush administration consist of liars, blind (and incompetent)
ideologues, international outlaws and propagators of torture as an official
policy, but because the Iraqi people have risen up against imperialist
invasion. Prior to the war, the international anti-Iraq war movement brought
out millions of people into the streets, the largest demonstrations in
history, denying the U.S. imperialists the UN¹s sanction and leading to
Turkey denying US requests to use their land as a staging area. These are
major, world-historic feats.
The 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections fraud underscores the critical importance
of building a mass movement, a movement of resistance that doesn¹t tie
itself to the electoral road and electoral parties. In addition, as Robert
Parry has eloquently argued, a counterforce to the right-wing media empire
must be built by the left and by progressive-minded people. As it stands
today, the right can get away with nearly anything because they have talking
heads on TV, radio, the Internet and other outlets who set the tone and the
political agenda, with mainstream media focusing on sex and sensationalism
and taking their political cues to a large extent from the right.(39)
Like a bridge broken by an earthquake, the electoral road can only lead to
plunging us into the sea which is precisely what happened in the 2004
election.
8/20 Mike Murphy writes, re. the scheduling conflict of Peak Oil Conference vs. March on Washington against War: "March On Washington to Make New Friends, But Build Sustainable Communities At Home If You Want to Make a Difference."
The Importance of Viable Alternatives
When a 5-year old child says, ³I¹m running away,² the parents do not pay much attention. But when that same child grows up a bit into a 15-year old and then says, ³I¹m leaving home,² he/she is taken seriously.
What is the difference?
Obviously, there are differences of capability. In the second case, a serious viable alternative exists. Maybe the parents are no longer necessary.
Similarly, when 500,000 people march on Washington demanding peace from politicians who are bought and sold or who have even already stolen elections, who will take the marchers seriously? By itself, the march is a self-serving exercise in venting and fantasy, robbing its members of meaningful thought, effort and energy.
However, when 500,000 people march on Washington demanding peace, and already 100,000 of them have resisted the draft or withheld taxes or have by-passed governments to set up citizen-to-citizen peace villages, those in government sit up and take notice. In fact, maybe the governments are unnecessary.
Likewise, when 500,000 workers go out on strike for higher wages, they do not have near the impact as do 100,000 who take over the industries and run them democratically themselves. Maybe the owners are unnecessary.
Obviously, 500,000 citizens demanding sensible centralized energy policies from politicians who have already have demonstrated their contempt for citizen needs or citizen opinions, will not have near the effect of 100,000 citizens who are already demonstrating their independence from coal or nuclear-produced and grid-distributed energy, by the fact they have already built or tinkered-together energy-efficient cars and houses. Maybe we no longer need the present crude and rapacious system.
The point is, we the people are no longer the 5 year-olds we may have once been. We have grown up a bit. We have begun to create liberating, viable alternatives to society¹s widely-and-meekly-tolerated dominance by short-sighted, self-serving, pig-headed bosses and politicians. We can grow more by and establishing communities dedicated to sustainable ways and means, ecovillages committed to sensible energy practices and peaceful conflict resolution methods. We can make our own small societies in which we welcome earth-friendly, people-friendly, expansive intellectual and spiritual concepts. We need to go considerably beyond begging openly contemptuous politicians to adopt policies and actions which are way beyond their timid corporate-serving radar screens. Five-pint Œleaders¹ cannot cope with ten-gallon needs.
We need to talk among ourselves. We need to design a more sensible world. We need a better life. We need to grow up, and create viable alternatives ourselves. We are old enough. We can do it. #--Mike Murphy 8-3-2005
P.S. Ellen-- But please note: I'm not taking an either or stance. I'm saying 'both-and.' Because demonstrations and even politics are meaningful only when backed up by serious and simultaneous, viable alternatives. We all can see that the child who threatens to run away is not taken seriously. But the capable teenager or adult is. Therefore, let us not simply go to Washington and throw a child-like tantrum. I'm saying, on the homefront, let's also come up with and implement some viable, adult alternatives, such as those urged by our own local aea group, and as well as alternatives I anticipate will be suggested by many at the Peak Oil Conference. Demonstrations and politics are simply a means of posting notice. They are sound and fury signifying nothing, unless they are followed up with taking definite alternative steps toward peace or sustainable energy. See? Mike
8/5/05
The Clock is Ticking
by
Paul B. Brown, PhD
CHIEFS
The transition from social groups without leaders to those with leaders marked an important turning point in human society. The relatively structure of hunter-gatherers indicates that humans have the capacity for living with or without leaders. What determines which way a group will go?
One factor is group size. A band of 5 20 people may be small enough to reach decisions fairly quickly without a designated leader, and may benefit from not having one. Larger groups (clans, tribes, chiefdoms, nations) would be too unwieldy for quick responses to challenges and everyday management of activities if everyone had to be involved in every decision. Also people in larger groups inevitably manifest more pronounced divisions of labor and develop unequal status and wealth. The increased complexity of social links allows for the formation of power groups. Managers are needed to keep track of large-scale endeavors like farms, in which many individuals work together and are rewarded according to the effort they invest. Community policy is required for matters of defense, resource allocation, dispute management and trade, and such policy is most conveniently arrived at by a manageable subset of the whole community.
Timothy Earle has dedicated much of his career as an anthropologist to studying the processes by which chiefs come to power. His book of the same name examines three very different chiefdoms (societies of a few thousand to tens of thousands of people) in order to look for common themes: Denmark during the Neolithic and early Bronze Ages (2300-1300 BC), the Incas (500 1534 AD), and Hawaii from early in its settlement until its incorporation into the world economy (800 1824 AD).
Earle starts with a few important definitions, which I paraphrase. Authority is the right and responsibility to lead, sanctioned by a group, in recognition of certain capabilities or social position. Power, on the other hand, is measured by the mastery that a leader exercises over others, the ability to force compliance with the leader¹s commands. It reflects unequal relationships among people. Sources of power include social relationships, economy, military might, ideology and information.
Social relationships are rooted in our biology: bonds of nurturing, cooperation, and domination. Hierarchies of clan and lineage develop as societies become more complex. Power accrues from manipulation of social relationships, e.g., by strategic marriages between powerful families. Economic power arises from the ability to buy compliance. Military might provides the ability to coerce compliance. It¹s problematic, because the military may decide to shift its support from one leader to another. Ideology presents a rationale for the authority structure of a society. Information can be manipulated by leaders to make it appear that the ruling elite have both the right and the might to retain power.
In the Hawaiian case, economic power didn¹t come from the need for centralized management of the complex of irrigation canals, because the complex consisted of independent systems, each of which was simple to manage. Instead, the chiefs came to own the land and canals through wars and inheritance. The chiefs allocated plots to farmers in return for a fraction of the food they produced. They rewarded their military with plots of land, and had managers that supervised the construction of the irrigation system. The foods they produced were the currency of the chiefdoms. Island chieftains later fought to absorb other island chiefdoms, and rule was consolidated into a small number of larger chiefdoms.
In the Andean highlands, economic power was more limited because the agriculture was less intensive and environmentally marginal. Canals were used to water the farm land. Population expansion led to land wars, forcing populations into large fortified settlements on hilltops and ridges. The chiefs had less economic power because there was less surplus food. The Inca came to power through military strength, and maintained their power by forcing farmers to produce more foodstuffs and clothing for them. The Incas achieved greater productivity with more highly planned irrigation, farming and storage complexes. The Inca came to impose an ideological base for rule as time went by.
In Denmark, development didn¹t proceed from egalitarian to ranked to stratified societies or from equality to political authority to coercive state. In the early Neolithic period there was no economic or other source of power or authority that could support chiefdoms. Only in the Bronze age did prestige wealth begin to accrue from raids on the former Roman empire. Wealth in the form of metal became a measure of personal valor and connection. Chiefdoms were based on military might and ideological legitimacy. Late in the Viking period states grew up around trade centers, the development of currency and a new urban growth focused on trade.
We¹ll examine in greater detail the development and use of military sources of power and ideology as a source of power in later columns. For more reading relevant to this column, I recommend Chance and Jolly, Social Groups of Monkeys, Apes and Men (1970); Earle, How Chiefs Come to Power (1997); and Bogucki, The Origins of Human Society (1999).
for release on or after August 14, 2005
The Clock is Ticking
by
Paul B. Brown, PhD
THE CLIMATE TIPPING POINT
Readers of my earlier columns will recall my description of the effects of positive feedback on global climate change. Positive feedback loops accelarate (speed up) global warming, countering the negative feedback loops which used to keep temperature stable. The excessive CO2 in the atmosphere caused by burning carbon fuels is producing a greenhouse effect in which the ecosphere absorbs more solar energy than is radiated back into space. Our environment is heating up. The warmer air can hold more water, another greenhouse gas, speeding the warming process. Global ice is now melting faster than it¹s produced, diminishing the Earth¹s albedo, or brightness, so less sunlight is reflected, speeding up warming. As the oceans get warmer, dissolved CO2 is coming out of solution into the air. As the land heats up, carbonates in rock are becoming CO2 and oxides, releasing more CO2 into the air. The increased atmospheric CO2 in the air is speeding up warming.
As population continues to grow, people are burning more carbon fuels, increasing the rate of human CO2 production, speeding warming. Forests are vanishing due to logging and settlement, decreasing the rate at which CO2 is converted to living matter and oxygen. As a consequence, CO2 is building up faster in the air, speeding warming. The warming oceans are speeding up oxygen consumption by algae, lowering oxygen levels to the point where enormous dead zones are developing in which plankton die, slowing removal of CO2 and replenishment of oxygen.
As forests vanish, rainfall is decreasing and erosion is increasing, producing more desert land and decreasing arable land. The forests are being killed faster for a short-term increase in arable land.
As ecospheric heating accelerates the positive feedback loops get worse, and new ones come into play. The negative feedback processes, like photosynthesis, are weakened, further strengthening the positive feedback loops. If left alone these positive feedback processes will kill us. Long before that they will have reached the point where there¹s nothing we can do to stop them.
The only hope of reversing these positive feedback processes is to intervene aggressively immediately, damping the positive feedbacks and strengthening the negative feedbacks. Nature will intervene in the form of droughts, floods, and plagues, enough to weaken our own ability to intervene but not enough to heal the ecosphere.
Our intervention must take the form of rapidly decreased population, rapidly switching to renewable energy, and ecological repair. Even if we devote all our wealth and energy to this one endeavor, living at a subsistence level worldwide, it will take decades before temperature can be stabilized and centuries before we can return to pre-industrial temperatures. This will require a coordinated international crash program.
Please take a few minutes, right now, to read ³Too Much of Nothing,² By Tom Athanasiou, http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/176, for a clear description of the ineffectiveness of the response of the world¹s leaders. Then come back here for some closing discussion.
Did you read it? If you did, you know the World Trade Organization is not pat of the solution, but part of the problem. So are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. That¹s because they¹re dominated by the developed countries (G8), as is the UN. Stay tuned.
Links:
Shuttle Sees Wide Environmental Damage, http://enn.com/today.html?id=8443
Energy Bill Bestows Huge Windfall on ExxonMobil, http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/mt_archives/000287.php
A Progressive, a Brontosaurus, and the Science of Intelligent Design, http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0804-21.htm
Globalisation is an Anomaly and Its Time is Running Out, http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0804-26.htm
US Drinking Water Standard for Plutonium 100X Too Weak, Based on Obsolete Science, http://www.commondreams.org/news2005/0804-03.htm
The Twilight Era of Petroleum, http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/080505L.shtml
Manufacturing Science, http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=05-P13-00031&segmentID=4 <http://www.loe.org/shows/segments.htm?programID=05-P13-00031&segmentID=4>
Earth losing fight against global warming, http://www.sundayherald.com/51146
Other remedies 7 times more beneficial than Nuke energy, http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/07/ING95E1VQ71.DTL&hw=nuclear&sn=001&sc=1000 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/08/07/ING95E1VQ71.DTL&hw=nuclear&sn=001&sc=1000>
National Health Care Would Save Jobs, http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0809-26.htm
The clock is ticking.
Paul Brown is a professor of Physiology at West Virginia University. He can be contacted at pbrown@clockticking.com. Previous columns and other resources can be accessed on the Web at http://clockticking.com <http://clockticking.com/> . For a free weekly email subscription, send an email (no message necessary) to subscribe@clockticking.com. To unsubscribe, send an email (no message necessary) to unsubscribe@clockticking.com.
Copyright 2005 by Paul B. Brown
for release on or after August 14, 2005
THE CLIMATE TIPPING POINT
Readers of my earlier columns will recall my description of the effects of positive feedback on global climate change. Positive feedback loops accelarate (speed up) global warming, countering the negative feedback loops which used to keep temperature stable. The excessive CO2 in the atmosphere caused by burning carbon fuels is producing a greenhouse effect in which the ecosphere absorbs more solar energy than is radiated back into space. Our environment is heating up. The warmer air can hold more water, another greenhouse gas, speeding the warming process. Global ice is now melting faster than it¹s produced, diminishing the Earth¹s albedo, or brightness, so less sunlight is reflected, speeding up warming. As the oceans get warmer, dissolved CO2 is coming out of solution into the air. As the land heats up, carbonates in rock are becoming CO2 and oxides, releasing more CO2 into the air. The increased atmospheric CO2 in the air is speeding up warming.
As population continues to grow, people are burning more carbon fuels, increasing the rate of human CO2 production, speeding warming. Forests are vanishing due to logging and settlement, decreasing the rate at which CO2 is converted to living matter and oxygen. As a consequence, CO2 is building up faster in the air, speeding warming. The warming oceans are speeding up oxygen consumption by algae, lowering oxygen levels to the point where enormous dead zones are developing in which plankton die, slowing removal of CO2 and replenishment of oxygen.
As forests vanish, rainfall is decreasing and erosion is increasing, producing more desert land and decreasing arable land. The forests are being killed faster for a short-term increase in arable land.
As ecospheric heating accelerates the positive feedback loops get worse, and new ones come into play. The negative feedback processes, like photosynthesis, are weakened, further strengthening the positive feedback loops. If left alone these positive feedback processes will kill us. Long before that they will have reached the point where there¹s nothing we can do to stop them.
The only hope of reversing these positive feedback processes is to intervene aggressively immediately, damping the positive feedbacks and strengthening the negative feedbacks. Nature will intervene in the form of droughts, floods, and plagues, enough to weaken our own ability to intervene but not enough to heal the ecosphere.
Our intervention must take the form of rapidly decreased population, rapidly switching to renewable energy, and ecological repair. Even if we devote all our wealth and energy to this one endeavor, living at a subsistence level worldwide, it will take decades before temperature can be stabilized and centuries before we can return to pre-industrial temperatures. This will require a coordinated international crash program.
Please take a few minutes, right now, to read ³Too Much of Nothing,² By Tom Athanasiou, http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/176, for a clear description of the ineffectiveness of the response of the world¹s leaders. Then come back here for some closing discussion.
Did you read it? If you did, you know the World Trade Organization is not pat of the solution, but part of the problem. So are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. That¹s because they¹re dominated by the developed countries (G8), as is the UN. Stay tuned.
Links:
The Clock is Ticking
by
Paul B. Brown, PhD
A RATIONAL ENERGY ECONOMY
We¹ve developed the logic for a rational energy economy which could be implemented in a decade if our government weren¹t in the pockets of the fossil and nuclear energy industries. Humans can virtually eliminate the greenhouse gas pollution that¹s killing our planet. No jobs would be lost, and the same energy fat cats could remain very wealthy, but most of them see no need to switch. The current oil shortage is pouring our dollars into their pockets at an unprecedented rate. Fossil fuel and power companies² stocks are doing very well, thank you. They¹ve made massive investments in fossil and nuclear energy, and they don¹t want those investments to go to waste. Only a few energy companies like BP, Shell, and GE are getting into renewable energy. Only a few automobile manufacturers are working on hydrogen vehicles.
Only two ingredients are needed to break the power these corporations have over energy. The first is a means of storing energy to compensate for natural fluctuations in supply of sunlight and wind, the two largest sources of renewable energy. The second, more difficult, is the guts to fight the powerful corporations and our own government when they obstruct the changeover to rational energy.
Power can be stored in many ways. During periods of excess supply, when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing and demand is low, excess electrical energy can be stored in batteries, as it is in off-grid homes. During periods of excess demand, battery power can be tapped and even fed into the grid. But batteries are expensive. They wear out and our recycling system is pitifully inadequate to the task of keeping their toxic materials out of our food, water and air.
We can also use excess electrical energy to power electric motors to pump water uphill, storing potential energy. During excess demand we can convert the potential to kinetic energy by letting the water flow back downhill, driving the electric motors backwards as generators, putting power back into the grid. This can be a relatively benign process if implemented properly.
A third method of storing energy is to use an element that will be integral to the rational energy economy anyway, namely hydrogen. During excess electrical energy supply, we can produce hydrogen by hydrolysis, releasing oxygen to the atmosphere. The stored hydrogen can be recombined with oxygen to produce electricity during periods of excess demand. Although stored hydrogen tends to leak, it¹s easy to recapture leaked hydrogen and re-store it.
The transition to renewable energy, alternative-fuel vehicles and a hydrogen economy is already in motion. Such changes only occur when economically advantageous, i.e., in Europe where fossil fuel energy is cost-prohibitive and people and governments are relatively enlightened. They aren¹t occurring in fossil-fuel rich nations, i.e, in the Middle East. In the US, where our tax dollars and military bullying subsidize fossil fuel costs, the people don¹t recognize the truly horrible hidden costs of fossil fuels and the government isn¹t sufficiently enlightened to get out of the foul fossil and nuclear energy business. The US is far behind Eurasia in switching to renewables, and the resulting economic disadvantage will really, really hurt.
Nevertheless, economic forces are making renewable energy more attractive. New technology is driving costs of renewable energy down while the cost of fossil and nuke energy climbs. People are catching on to the dangers of greenhouse gases and nuclear waste.
The changeover has begun, even in the US. Maybe economic forces will swing it, and the fossils and the nukes will just die off. Maybe the American people won¹t have to grow a backbone for a little longer. But don¹t count on it.
Links:
The clock is ticking.
Paul Brown is a professor of Physiology at West Virginia University. He can be contacted at pbrown@clockticking.com. Previous columns can be accessed on the Web at http://clockticking.com.
To unsubscribe, send an email (no message necessary) to unsubscribe@clockticking.com.
Copyright 2004 by Paul B. Brown
8/20/05 Interesting local online rag:
The Blue Chip Review <http://www.bluechipreview.com/>
featuring The Whistleblower <http://www.bluechipreview.com/>
AUGUST ISSUE
OPINION
Marines Died in a War Worth Fighting
by Steve Fritsch
Repeal the 17th Amendment
by Matthew McGowan
Black People Want to Work
by Nate Livingston
Raising Money Only One Part of a Campaign
by Paul McGhee, 2005 Cincinnati Council Candidate
LAW - "ASK AN ATTORNEY"
Obscenity and the Law
by James F. Bogen, Esq
FINANCE / BUSINESS
Test Your Mutual Fund Knowledge
by Josh Weitzman
SPORTS
A Day with the Memphis Tigers
by Bill "Cigar Boy" Kintner
ENTERTAINMENT
DVD Release: Constantine
by Kristin Love
DVD Release: House of Flying Daggers
by Kristin Love
8/20
8/9/05
New Member Pam F. on Patriarchy
And Mike Murphy, reading this on the Yahoo LloydHouseSalon Group replied:
----- Original Message -----
From: femalerapture <mailto:pamelafuterer@fuse.net>
Hi,
I enjoyed my first Salon at the Lloyd House...once I got the diagonal parking
down...lol. Great people and great food.
Maybe because it was my first vist, I didn't say anything when the
conversation turned to how the white conversation has to be filtered/
translated by the black community. I was rather surprised/disappointed that
this conversation didn't mention how the male/patriarchal conversation has to
be filtered/translated by the female community.
This nation is experiencing a tremendous Backlash...which began when
Reagan took office. The fact that we are facing dilution of the Voting Rights
Act and the outlawing of a women's right to freedom via this nomination of
Johnny Bob Junior to the Supreme Court proves the extent of this Backlash.
It's like Deja Vu....we are back in the 1950's and again having to fight the
same fights all over again.
Here are two paragraphs from Sue Monk Kidd's book, "The Dance of the
Dissident Daughter," regarding the effects of patriarchy:
"I realized that lacking the feminine, the language had communicated to me in
subtle ways that women were nonentities, that women counted mostly as they
related to men.
Until that moment, I'd had no idea just how important language is in forming
our lives. What happens to a female when all her life she hears sacred
language indirectly, filtered through male terms? What goes on deep inside
her when decade after decade she must translate from male experience to
female experience and then apply the message to herself? What does the
experience imprint inside her?"
Lerner writes in 'The Creation of Patriarchy:' "Women have not only been
educationally deprived throughout historical time in every known society, they
have been excluded from theory formation."
I have a class at Media Bridges this evening so I won't be able to make the
Salon...hopefully next Monday.
pam futerer
Glad to read your comments, Pam.A book I'm currently reading you may like is 'Gods, Genes & Consciousness: Nonhuman Intervention in Human History.' Discusses patriarchy and language as a culture-shaper, among other things. Mike Murphy
As to parking, often it's simpler to park on Lafayette.
I know what you mean about translating. I'm a white male and still do a lot of translating--of various religions incl paganism, and of economic viewpoints [capitalism is not at all the summum bonum in my book], to take two broad examples.
Perhaps it would be a good table exercise for us to go around and confess to one another the regular inner-translating tasks we perform. Could even be done as a comedy routine.
7/16/05
At the Earth Spirit Rising Conference I saw Megan Quinn, salon attendee (at least one time!) and manager of Community Solutions, the group in Yellow Springs that sponsored that terrific Peak Oil conference David R, Mike M and I went to last November. The conference this year will be in September. Invisible salonista Judy Leever who heard about it here says she has already registered! The power of the Weekly! ellen.
Second U.S. Conference
on ³Peak Oil² and
Community Solutions
Peak Oil the point in time when world oil
Keynotes: Richard Heinberg, author
production will begin to decline forever.
Hear the latest on this vital issue and its
connection to economics. Also learn about
designing viable low-energy living solutions
and new forms of community.
of Powerdown: Options and Actions for a
Post-Carbon World and The Party¹s Over: Oil,
War and The Fate of Industrial Societies and
Michael Shuman, author of Going Local:
Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a
Global Age.
Friday evening, September 23
Register with the attached form or online:
through Sunday, September 25,
2005, Yellow Springs, Ohio
http://www.communitysolution.org
(For detailed speaker descriptions see our web
site:
http://www.communitysolution.org
, or more information call 937-767-2161)
end of articles
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