From:  @aol.com

Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:35:05 EST
Subject: Background for Café Philo DC on "I Lo

 ve You"

Greetings:

Below and attached is a cornucopia of suggested (and, as always, optional) background readings apropos the Café Philo DC discussion this Valentine's Day, Sunday, February 14, 2010 from 1PM-3PM at Reiter's Bookstore in downtown Washington on the topic "What is the Meaning of 'I Love You'?" Many of the most pertinent readings can be found in the attachments, which relate to previous Café Philo DC discussions of this same theme. Feel free to pick and choose from among the offerings according to your inclinations.  Steve Gell will moderate (lovingly) the discussion.

"Love", Merriam Webster online dictionary:

Main Entry:1love

Pronunciation:\_l_v\

Function:noun

Etymology:Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English l_of dear, Latin lub_re, lib_re to please

Date:before 12th century

1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties <maternal < for a child>

(2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers

(3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests << for his old schoolmates>b: an assurance of love <give her my <>

2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion << of the sea>

3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration <baseball was his first <>b (1): a beloved person : darling often used as a term of endearment

(2)British: used as an informal term of address

4 a: : unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as

(1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind

(2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God

5: a god or personification of love

6: an amorous episode : love affair

7: the sexual embrace : copulation

8: a score of zero (as in tennis)

9capitalizedChristian Science: god

- at love : holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis

- in love : inspired by affection

Main Entry:2love

Function:verb

Inflected Form(s):loved; lov·ing

Date:before 12th century

transitive verb

1: to hold dear : cherish

2 a: to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness forb (1): caress

(2): to fondle amorously

(3): to copulate with

3: to like or desire actively : take pleasure in <loved to play the violin>

4: to thrive in <the rose <s sunlight>

intransitive verb

: to feel affection or experience desire

Main Entry:love affair

Function:noun

Date:1591

1: a romantic attachment or episode between lovers

2: a lively enthusiasm <America's love affair with baseball>

Suggested references:

Inquisitive Mind, Anatomy of Love

http://www.in-mind.org/issue-6/the-anatomy-of-love.html

The Philosophy of Love, review of Martha Nussbaum's Upheavals of Thought: The Intelligence of Emotions, Wendy Steiner, The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/18/books/the-philosophy-of-love.html?pagewanted=2

Christopher Phillips. Philosophy Now Magazine

Christopher Phillips is known for promoting the art of Socratic enquiry in cafés, schools and even prisons all over the globe. David Taube met him to talk about his new book, Socrates In Love, a series of anecdotes, interviews and essays based around the five Greek concepts of love.

http://www.philosophynow.org/issue62/62phillips.htm

Review of Philosophy of Love by Irving Singer

http://www.powells.com/biblio?show=HARDCOVER:NEW:9780262195744:14.95#synopses_and_reviews

We Get To Carry Each Other: U2 and Kierkegaard on Authentic Love, Philosophy Now Magazine

Mike Austin listens to Bono while reading Kierkegaard, and discovers that they have the same soul.

http://www.philosophynow.org/issue64/64austin.htm

Plato is my dog, yo!: Dogs, Love and Truth, Philosophy Now Magazine

Jeremy Barris enlists the help of Plato, Ortega and pragmatist philosophy to argue that love at its deepest is our connection with ultimate truth, and that this connection is found in our love for our dogs.

http://www.philosophynow.org/issue67/67barris.htm

Don't forget to take a look at our affiliated Yahoo discussion list, Café Philo DC Dialogue, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cafephilodcdialogue, for exchanges already underway on this topic.

I wish those of you who attend Sunday's discussion meeting a rewarding exploration of this eternally compelling and mystifying subject.

Best regards,

Ken Feldman

Founder, Café Philo DC

KenFphilo@...

-- 

From: Fariba Ferdowsi < @gmail.com>

Date: Mon, 8 Feb 2010 19:04:15 -0500

Subject: Have You ever Wondered what you may be Missing in Life?

To: Fariba Ferdowsi < @gmail.com>

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007.  The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. 

During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: 

The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: 

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again. 

10 minutes: 

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.  The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time.  This action was repeated by several other children..  Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour: 

He finished playing and silence took over.  No one noticed.  No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. 

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world.  He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.  Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story.  Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities  The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?  Do we stop to appreciate it?  Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context? 

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made..... How many other things are we missing??

Here is the video of this event:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMyXfdk_Fp8&NR=1

--

Fariba Ferdowsi Realtor ABR®,  Short Sale & Foreclosure Certified

Weichert Realtors

1355 Beverly Road

McLean, Va  22101

Cell: (703) 581-2700

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My New Listing  http://9975stonevaledr.nicefamilyhome.com/

faribaferdowsi.valuedagent.com

-- 

To:  @geotrees.com

Subject: Lent: A Journey for Peacemaking
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:28:59 -0500

From: CPW <webservant@...>

CPW Enews

February 3, 2010

No More of This!

A Study on Christian Peacemaking

Christian Peace Witness will bring:

Tony Campolo - Sr. Dianna Ortiz - Rev. Lennox Yearwood -

Kathy Kelly - Joshua Casteel - Liz McAlister -

Noah Baker Merrill - Ken Butigan

to YOUR CHURCH for Lent!

AVAILABLE NOW, this inspiring study includes DVD presentations by each of these faith leaders, biblical reflections on lectionary passages for Lent, and seven complete lessons which can be used as a series or individually. All for $30.

ORDER TODAY AT www.reachandteach.com/cpwlent. Overnight delivery included in the price!

PLAN A CHRISTIAN PEACE WITNESS IN YOUR COMMUNITY:

If you are planning a local CPW witness, be certain to post it on our website so others can join you. If you aren't already planning one - why not? CPW invites regional witnesses to be help across the nation between Easter and Pentecost.

Learn more at http://www.christianpeacewitness.org/vigil.

Ecumenical Advocacy Days

If you are going to be at Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, D.C., March 19-22, stop by the Christian Peace Witness exhibit table and say "hi." If you have time, volunteer to help staff the table. Contact David Ensign at revdocdee@... and let him know when you are available.

Truth Commission on Conscience in War

Christian Peace Witness is pleased to be a co-sponsor of the first Truth Commission on Conscience in War, a national gathering of community and religious leaders, advocacy groups, and artists. The Commission will receive personal testimony from veterans and briefings from expert witnesses about:

• moral and religious questions facing soldiers both before and during combat
• moral and religious criteria of just war
• international agreements governing the justification and conduct of war
• limits of military regulations on Conscientious Objection
• 
  

Truth Commission proceedings will launch conversations about just war, international law, and greater freedom of conscience for our nation's service members, conversations led by the Commissioners.

The Public Hearing of the Commission will be held March 21, 4-8 pm. at The Riverside Church Nave, New York City. It will include:

• Screening of Soldiers of Conscience
• Testimony from Veterans
• Briefings from Expert Witnesses
• 
  

To learn more about the Commission and how you can be involved, visit their website at http://conscienceinwar.org.

No More of This!

Contents of DVD & Study Guide

First Sunday of Lent: Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 and Luke 4:1-13

"It is people who beat swords into plowshares, spears into pruning hooks.

The consequence is that nations don't train for war anymore."

-- Elizabeth McAlister

Second Sunday of Lent: Psalm 27

"I was supposed to have learned despair. But I can't help hoping."

-- Sister Dianna Ortiz, OSU

Third Sunday of Lent: Isaiah 55:1-9 and Psalm 63:1-8

"My life began to change, and that's what happens when you begin to be a witness for Christ"

--Rev. Lennox Yearwood - plus Joshua Casteel

Fourth Sunday of Lent: Psalm 32 and 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

"How can we adequately say we're sorry, we're so very sorry?"

-- Kathy Kelly

Fifth Sunday of Lent: Psalm 126 and Matthew 5:9

"It's Friday, but Sunday's coming!"

--Dr. Tony Campolo

Palm/Passion Sunday: Luke 19:28-40 and 22:47-53

"There is life that triumphs over death, and invites us to participate in that life."

-- Noah Baker Merrill plus Ken Butigan

Easter Sunday (or 2nd Sun. of Easter): Isaiah 65:17-25, I Cor. 15:19-26 & John 20:1-18

"Show us the resurrection"

--Noah Baker Merrill

Interfaith Delegation Gaza Freedom March

A Report from Mark Johnson and Lynn Gottlieb

Note: Mark Johnson is the Executive Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and a member of the CPW steering committee. In late December of last year, he traveled with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and others to Egypt for the Gaza Freedom March. Here is their report.

Preface

Even though we might be made blind to the evil afoot, we will not be silent. This is the lesson of modern history. We will sing a new song as strangers in a strange land: Let My People Go. While the Egyptians, Israelis and Americans conspire to keep us from seeing the conditions of life in the world's largest prison (sorry, no visiting hours this month), there is a chorus, a voice, 43 nations rich, which is lifted in greater harmony and crescendo than ever before to call for raising the siege of Gaza and thereby increasing the security of Israel.

So many of the metaphors and rhetorical flourishes of chants and psalms that were a part of the gathering Egypt, in support of ending the blockade of Gaza, come out of the stories of exile and Diaspora of the Jewish people. The Gazans have now been recast as the persecuted of the lands of Judea and Samaria. In so many of those stories Pharaoh was the tyrant, making Egypt an easy party to demonize and hold responsible for our sense of being held hostage by the State. But the response of the French Embassy, United States Embassy and Congressional Representatives, and the United Nations all make clear that the levers of power are shared, if not completely controlled, by Egypt's partners. So much of the experience appears to have been intended to divert attention from the continued blockade of Gaza and focus attention on the delegation's challenges. In the end the strategy failed if it is judged by the level of international press attention and the radicalizing of a tipping point of the travelers on this pilgrimage. We may have come hoping for a miracle, but we left prepared to make our own changes to the balance of power in the world.

Divide and Conquer

The organizing structures of the March lent themselves to the Egyptian tactic, implemented from the beginning, to separate the mass of 1362 delegates into smaller groups and to prevent their ever collecting in one place at one time. The March quickly grew beyond its capacity to organize in an unknown venue.

Organized around multiple identities and thus diluting the cohesive potential of the affinity groups, the March was often consumed by trying to create or recover consensus and distracted from its goal of throwing a bright light on the siege of Gaza. Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and I co-convened a spiritually focused affinity group under the name of the Interfaith Satyagraha Peacewalk. We included more than 40 individuals in our conversations prior to arriving in Cairo, but we never gathered more than two dozen in any one meeting. I was also understood to be a part of the New York Delegation and others in our group saw themselves as similarly geographically affiliated, nationally affiliated, part of the Women's Group, trainers in nonviolence, or engaged in a hunger strike.

There was no tested decision-making process to guide tough decisions that had to be made in short time periods. Offers to convene groups for training were advanced but only slowly embraced and even then competed with other choices at any given hour. And yet these challenges also worked, in the end, to open possibilities of new tactics and rising leadership.

11.3 Public Training in Nonviolence

The tolerance for smaller gatherings also offered some ironies. A team of ten of us drafted a curriculum for preparation in nonviolence practices after demonstrations at the UN headquarters and a solidarity gathering at the Journalist Syndicate on December 29 and 30. Lacking a suitable meeting room in any local hotel, we broadcast a set of meeting times for the largest public plaza in the area, Tahrir (Independence) Square. As we started in a group of 30 to do our first two-hour session a plain-clothed officer approached me about our intention - "Was this going to lead to an action?" I answered that we were simply an international community of like-minded individuals and since we were not allowed to gather in a single large group, we thought we would spend time getting to know one another in smaller groups throughout the day. (Meanwhile an American group was being manhandled at the doors of the US embassy and the sidewalk encampment of 250+ at the French Embassy continued und er close police containment and supervision). A number of plain-clothed policemen were assigned "for our safety" to keep others away from us and to listen in on our conversations. (During one of the day's exercises I had a long conversation with one of the officers assigned to us. His English was unaccented and we shared our educational backgrounds, our interests in literature. I explained our reason for being in Egypt and our desire to go to Gaza. It seemed to be enough of an explanation for him to wander further away for the balance of the exercise.) Another circle of 30 gathered with Starhawk an hour and a half later and as the sun set we finished a day of rudimentary preparation for nonviolence for a large number of novices who had come expecting to be walking in solidarity in Gaza, not confronting shield-faced, truncheon-belted, uniformed policemen on the streets of Cairo. If you want to make God laugh, tell her your plans.

11.4 Women First

The community may have underestimated the depth of male chauvinism in Egyptian society. Significant leadership from the very beginning had come from CODEPINK and from women throughout the peace movement with particular history in the Israel/Palestine conflict. International leadership provided by women was also evident form the beginning. Given the fact that conservative and fundamentalist Islam-signs of which were evident in the police assigned to our "care"-condones physical punishment of non-conformists and of women before men, putting women at the front of actions was taunting the Egyptians. The plains clothes policemen, often wearing winter jackets to conceal pistols, took clear pleasure in striking women and pulling them about by their hair. Men they kicked while they were down in puppy piles, and pummeled to the point of drawing blood. I was impressed with the leadership and inspired, learning to allow myself to let-go of an ego-grounded call to the front line and serv ing instead to pull people over the barriers into safer areas of sidewalk.

11.5 We Are Not Afraid: The Power of Nonviolence

The turning point in the relationship with the Egyptian police, I thought, was that once confined to "Free Gaza Plaza" the gathered began to celebrate with song and dance. The beauty of song is often its simplicity. The phrases "Free Gaza," "We shall not be moved," and "We are not afraid" were so easily understood to say that those attacked were unmoved by violence and intimidation that a grudging respect seemed to emerge on the police lines. Voices rose with greatest passion and authenticity on precisely those phrases. By the time the Horah circle transformed to a Dabke line the soldiers began expanding the space in which the group was confined by stepping back a few paces every few minutes, dropping their interlocked arms, and allowing restrained smiles to break their lips. When the group voted to disband after six hours, the restraining lines opened and people walked away without further molestation. Significantly, to plan another action.

11.6 Strangers in a Strange Land: Culture is still a Mystery

One can only speculate. It is hard to imagine what advantage accrued to Egypt of holding the GFM in Cairo for a week. Certainly a week of tourism dollars was welcome, though this was not a group that booked four star hotel rooms, ate three meals a day, or shopped for antiques. It would have been easier, I would have thought, to provide the buses requested and taken the group to Al Arish and locked us down with the few who had made it that far before the masses arrived. But perhaps the same level of containment was not possible at that distance from Cairo. After the March there have been hints that various governments were sharing intelligence concerning the prospect of violence once the group was admitted to Gaza. The coincidence of the announcement and beginning of work on a subterranean wall along the Egypt-Gaza border had led to some public exchanges of gunfire near the Rafah border. The gate had not been opened in some time, no doubt intensifying conditions there. The Viv a Palestina caravan, led by British MP George Galloway, was scheduled to arrive just ahead of the Gaza Freedom March. The anniversary of Operation Cast Lead and the recent release of the Goldstone Report, while purposefully chosen and fortuitously leading to heightening the media potential of the March, also likely increased the levels of concern by all parties. And finally, the culture of totalitarianism is, oxymoronically, impenetrable.

The Costs and Constraints of Delegation Leadership

I engaged from the beginning in the Gaza Freedom March in partnership with Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb who had proposed an Interfaith Gaza Satyagraha as an affinity group within the larger march, part of a tradition of nonviolent pilgrimages and as a safe-haven for those whose faith grounded their participation and who feared that the role of witness might be obscured by political tensions, realities and necessities.

One of my strengths is logistical thinking. It was sorely tried by conditions in Cairo, but to the extent it could be brought to bear it did strengthen the group's spirit. We had three weekly calls before leaving for Egypt and we met five mornings for worship and reflection while in Egypt. We gravitated to one another's presence in actions and wore a white sash, courtesy of Julie Moenck from Colorado, as a reminder that we represented a peace witness of love and solidarity.

We created a peace line between some delegates who wished to agitate the young policemen surrounding us and the lines they formed at both the United Nations headquarters and in "Free Gaza Plaza" as we labeled the area opposite the Egyptian Museum. We led singing and dances and bore silent witness while others uttered slogans and chants. Many of our number joined the fast inaugurated by Hedy Epstein, though not all the fasters identified with the Interfaith Satyagraha. Some rituals grew out of the whole community's sensibilities-a candlelight vigil on New Year's Eve in Tahrir Square, for example. Other commitments of the whole community sprang from input we offered early on, such as the signing of a commitment to nonviolence, and a proposed walk in the Satyagraha tradition of Gandhi.

One internet story on the GFM concludes like this: "However, for millions of Palestinians who routinely feel abandoned by the international community, the most poignant effect of the Gaza Freedom March may be the message of worldwide solidarity embodied by marchers. 'During these years, we have felt unheard, unnoticed, and even unworthy,' writes Zeina Abu Innab, a Palestinian resident of Jordan. 'You have revealed that this is no longer the case. You have shown us that somewhere, sometime, there are people who hear the cries of Palestinians under siege and occupation. You have given us strength by proving to us that we are no longer alone. This is an aspiration that we do not take lightly.' Mohammed Omer, a resident of Gaza, adds, 'For us, a population of 1.6 million being imprisoned and starved, the gratitude we express to you, the Gaza freedom marchers, is immense. Thank you all from the depth of our hearts!'"

Conclusion:

I remember once trying to find an open checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem in a private car of a Palestinian colleague from East Jerusalem. We would fall into a line of cars that appeared to be moving through a check point, only to have it closed and to see all the cars in line do simultaneous 180 degree turns and head to another checkpoint, racing through back streets which became clogged with the routine and to repeat the exercise at the next gate. It reminded me of nothing more than a Keystone Cops silent movie. It defined life in the occupied territories as a Tragedy disguised as a Comedy.

It redefines the Gaza Freedom March effort to lift the siege of Gaza in the same way. The drama was intense, and as one analyst from the Palestinian Think Tank suggests, surely Israeli, Egyptian and American strategists are still laughing at the naivete of confronting state power with the tools of civil society. But the underlying point is that this is an ongoing tragedy and we are all the authors and actors, not simply the audience.

Joseph Kip Kosek, in his book "Acts of Conscience: Christian Nonviolence and Modern American Democracy" points repeatedly to E.A. Ross's sociological analysis of the role of spectacle in the work of active nonviolence. The banner headlines and photo-montages in all of the major Egyptian newspapers suggest that Cairo has not enjoyed such spectacles in a long time (one headline, over a photograph of Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb and FOR members Russ Greenleaf from Louisville, Kentucky and Margaret Hawthorne of Amherst, Mass., suggested there had been no protests in front of the Israeli embassy in decades). While a symbolic truck-load of humanitarian aide was delivered to Gaza with the two-bus delegation, and while some portion of Viva Palestina's caravan has now crossed into Gaza, the repeated affirmation was that we were not gathered to distribute charity but to raise awareness and stand in solidarity with an oppressed people.

Someone will finally calculate the number of stories, column inches or press minutes of airtime, number of videos posted on YouTube, but until that time my anecdotal experience is that though there was not widespread coverage in mainline U.S. media. The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN and the Christian Science Monitor were only a few of the many that did carry stories. The world press and blogosphere was very busy. It also appears that the hunger strike, a quintessential act of witness and solidarity, was the lead story for many news sources and clearly affirmed with appreciation by those in the Gaza Strip. The goals of media attention and solidarity were realized.

To learn more about Christian Peace Witness and how you can be involved, visit our website www.christianpeacewitness.org.

Forward a Message to Someone this link

-- 

Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 10:11:49 -0800

From: "Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Political Action" <moveon-help@...>
To: "Charles Stevenson" <anjinsan@...>

Subject: Seriously?

Clicking here will sign your name:

"Bailed-out companies shouldn't be allowed to waste money on bonuses until they've paid back their debt in full."

Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday news broke that AIG-the bailed-out insurance giant-will give out another $100 million in bonuses.1 Seriously?

These are the people who wrecked our economy. And AIG still owes taxpayers $182 billion.

Their priority should be paying us back-not giving out obscene bonuses.

But unless Congress acts-by blocking bonuses at bailed-out banks or imposing heavy taxes on them-they'll keep wasting our money. Can you sign our petition telling them that serious action to rein in bonuses is long overdue? Clicking below will add your name.

http://pol.moveon.org/aigagain/o.pl?id=18846-2531331-If78F7x&t=3

The petition says: "Bailed-out companies shouldn't be allowed to waste money on bonuses until they've paid back their debt in full."

Bankers in other countries have already gotten the message that their behavior is unacceptable. England and France have imposed heavy surtaxes on outrageous banker bonuses.2

But the banks still hold enormous power in Washington-as Sen. Dick Durbin put it, "They frankly own the place."3 And they're using all of their lobbying clout to oppose any attempts to rein in their bonuses.4

So despite the huge outcry over the last round of AIG bonuses, Congress still hasn't done anything to stop Wall Street from giving out huge bonuses. AIG's bonus plan is unacceptable. Clicking below will add your name to the petition letting Congress know they need to do something to stop it.

http://pol.moveon.org/aigagain/o.pl?id=18846-2531331-If78F7x&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

-Daniel, Carrie, Kat, Wes, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "AIG plans to pay $100 million in another round of bonuses," The Washington Post, February 3, 2010

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86394&id=18846-2531331-If78F7x&t=5

2. "France joins UK to target traders in bonus tax move," Reuters, December 16, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86395&id=18846-2531331-If78F7x&t=6

3. "Dick Durbin: Banks 'Frankly Own The Place'," The Huffington Post, April 29, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51421&id=18846-2531331-If78F7x&t=7

4."Wall Street's fingerprints evident on financial reform bill," The Christian Science Monitor, December 22, 2009

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=86389&id=18846-2531331-If78F7x&t=8

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members-no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

-- 

Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 13:53:05 -0600

From: "Sheila Nix, ONE.org" <one-help@...>
Reply-To: one@...

To: "Charles Stevenson" < @geotrees.com>

Subject: Great news for Haiti

Dear Charles,

Breaking news: The United States Treasury Department has just announced U.S. government support for complete debt cancellation for Haiti and will work with our international partners to ensure that new assistance comes in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans. It's exactly what more than 200,000 ONE members have been calling for. And this weekend, the U.S. will take this message to G7 finance ministers' summit, creating strong momentum to get a global deal and guarantee debt cancellation for Haiti.

This big win for our campaign comes just a few days after Haiti's ambassador to the United States, Raymond Joseph, recorded a video message to thank ONE members.

Please click below to watch the video, get more details about this landmark announcement and keep the pressure on other world leaders by adding your name to our debt relief for Haiti petition:

http://www.one.org/us/actnow/drophaitiandebt/o.pl?id=1444-3477923-dyfLXsx&t=1

The petition reads:

As Haiti rebuilds from this disaster, please work to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti's $1 billion debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans.

But even as we celebrate this huge step forward, we will continue to make sure the U.S. takes concrete steps to meet this exciting new commitment and that other countries follow its lead.

In fact, ONE will be there when U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his counterparts in the G7-the very people who sit on the governing boards of the international lending institutions that hold Haiti's $1 billion debt-meet in the far-north Canadian town of Iqaluit this weekend for a G7 finance ministers' summit. Among Iqaluit's 7,000 residents is ONE member Michčle Bertol, and she has graciously agreed to deliver our petition to the host of the summit, Canadian Finance Minister James Flaherty.

Your voices and support for Haiti are the reason we're celebrating a victory on debt relief today. This important news from the U.S. government, combined with the grassroots presence Michčle will lend to the Iqaluit meeting, makes me optimistic that we'll be hearing more good news on debt relief for Haiti soon, as its people look to rebuild and live out their motto L'union fait la force (Unity is strength.)

Learn more and take action here:

http://www.one.org/us/actnow/drophaitiandebt/o.pl?id=1444-3477923-dyfLXsx&t=3

Thank you,

Sheila Nix

U.S. Executive Director, ONE

ONE.ORG | BLOG | PRIVACY | SUBSCRIBE | UNSUBSCRIBE | CONTACT US | ABOUT

-- 

From: "David & Eileen" < @verizon.net>

Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:05:25 -0500

Subject: [Cleveland-Park] Washington Latin PCS Open House 2/11 6:30-8pm

Washington Latin Public Charter School is hosting an open house on Thursday, February 11th from 6:30-8:00pm. 

Rooted in its commitment and grounded in the love of learning, Washington Latin PCS is a 5th-12th grade college preparatory school offering a program of arts, sciences, and Latin within an environment that encourages serious scholarship and independence of thought.

Come hear about the terrific faculty, small-class learning, and school philosophy.  The open house is held at 4115 16th Street (Upshur and 16th Streets) and the phone number is 223-1111.

Applications for the 2010-2011 school year are being accepted through March 5th and a lottery will take place March 6th. 

On the Web:    http://www.latinpcs.org/

-- 

From: Daniel Tutt <@upf.tv>

To: "20K Dialogues in DC" <dc@...>
Subject: Please Join Us for Inside Islam at St. Paul's College - February 11th

Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 14:57:41 -0500

Dear Friend,

Please join us this Thursday February 11th for a special interfaith dialogue and film screening at St. Paul's College at 7:30 pm.  RSVP now by going here (no cost but RSVP required) http://stpaulscollegeinsideislam.eventbrite.com

Join Us for a Special Evening of Film and Interfaith Dialogue

"Inside Islam" at St. Paul's College - February 11th

Thursday, February 11, 2010 from 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM (ET)

St. Paul's College

3015 4th St.

Washington, DC 20017

About the film:

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think, a new documentary film from Unity Productions Foundation, explores the expertly gathered opinions of Muslims around the globe as revealed in the world's first major opinion poll, conducted by Gallup, the preeminent polling organization. Focused on the issues of Gender Justice, Terrorism, and Democracy - the film presents remarkable data deftly, challenging the popular notion that Muslims and the West are on a collision course. Like the research, the film highlights a shared relationship that is based on facts - not fear.

Remarks Offered By

Father Sidney Griffith is a professor of history and religion at the Catholic University of America in the Department of Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literature.  His principal areas of interest include Arabic Christianity; Syriac monasticism; medieval Christian-Muslim encounters and ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.

Program

Doors open at 7:30 PM

Program begins at 7:30 PM

Film airs at 8:00 PM

Interfaith Dialogues from 9:00 to 9:30 PM

Admission: FREE

Partners: Unity Productions Foundation, Paulist Fathers, AMIN DC, Faiths Act Fellows

With questions on partnering with this event, or to donate, please contact Craig Campbell at ccampbell@..., (202) 510-8549.

· 

Facebook

· 

Twitter

-------------------------------

Daniel Tutt

Outreach Manager, 20,000 Dialogues 

and Unity Productions Foundation

Direct (202) 298-8088

Mobile (202) 262-1304

Fax (202) 204-5182

Make Peace Happen

www.20000dialogues.org 

www.upf.tv 

Follow Us on Twitter! 

http://twitter.com/20000Dialogues

-- 

Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 23:24:34 -0500

To: @geotrees.com

From: "Sisterspace and Books" <info@...>

Subject: Sisterspace and Books, We Walk by Faith, Not by Sight February 4, 2010

 

During the dawning decades of the twentieth century, it was commonly presumed that black people had little history besides the subjugation of slavery. Today, it is clear that blacks have significantly impacted the development of the social, political, and economic structures of the United States and the world. Credit for the evolving awareness of the true place of blacks in history can, in large part, be bestowed on one man, Carter G. Woodson. And, his brainchild the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, Inc. is continuing Woodson's tradition of disseminating information about black life, history and culture to the global community.

Known as the "Father of Black History," Woodson (1875-1950) was the son of former slaves, and understood how important gaining a proper education is when striving to secure and make the most out of one's divine right of freedom. Although he did not begin his formal education until he was 20 years old, his dedication to study enable him to earn a high school diploma in West Virginia and a bachelor and master's degrees from the University of Chicago in just a few years. In 1912, Woodson became the second African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University (the first was W.E.B. DuBois). Applying the insights he gained during his academic matriculation, Dr. Woodson began teaching black students in the District of Columbia's public schools and at Howard University. http://www.asalh.org/woodsonbiosketch.html

Saturday, February 6th, 5:30pm- Sisterspace and Books will sell Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's books "Why I Love Black Women" and "Can You Hear Me Now" at the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.'s Delta Days Conference. Dr. Dyson is scheduled to speak at 6:15pm. Location: Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street N.W. For more information about the conference call 202-986-2400 ext. 557 or for book information call 202-829-0306. www.deltasigmatheta.org, www.sisterspacedc.com . To purchase signed copies of Dr. Dyson's books, come to the store or give us a call. We still need vol! unteers to help us sell his books on this snowy SaturdayŠ Volunteers we will see you at the Omi Shoreham Hotel.

All events that are being held at

Sisterspace and Books are marked

[Location: SSB]

Healthy affordable refreshments will be available for sale at all Sisterspace and Books events.

Upcoming Events

Friday, February  5th, 11:00am-12:00pm~Tune in to WPFW, 89.3fm for an interview with best-selling author and handwriting expert Beverley East. Ms. East is the author of 'Finding Mr.Write - A New Slant on Selecting the Perfect Mate' and 'Reaper of Souls', a novel based on the 1957 Kendal crash.  She will be discussing her work as a handwriting expert and promoting our pre-valentine seminar,"What Makes You Tick??"  at Sisterspace and Books. During her interview you will be able to pledge for a signed copy of her best-selling book "Finding Mr. Write".   For more information call 202-434-8767 or www.writeanalysis.com. Call into WPFW, 89.3 at 202-588-0893. www.wpfw.org.

Saturday, February 6th, 5:30pm- Sisterspace and Books will sell Dr. Michael Eric Dyson's books "Why I Love Black Women" and "Can You Hear Me Now" at the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.'s Delta Days Conference. Dr. Dyson is scheduled to speak at 6:15pm. Location: Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street N.W. For more information about the conference call 202-986-2400 ext. 557 or for book information call 202-829-0306. www.deltasigmatheta.org, www.sisterspacedc.com . To purchase signed copies of Dr. Dyson's books, come to the store or give us a call. We still need volunteers to hel! p us sell his books on this snowy SaturdayŠ Volunteers we will see you at the Omi Shoreham Hotel.

Sunday, February 7th, 11:00am~ 30th Anniversary Celebration of the ordination of Reverend Graylan Scott Hagler. It has been 30 years since Graylan Scott Hagler was ordained into ministry.  This will be a joyous occasion with special music, a liturgy of renewal for all of us and blessings, affirmations and anointing to carry him forward.  The Reverend Jorge Morales from the Illinois Conference will be our guest speaker. You are invited to be an active participant in this very special occasion by submitting ways in which you have been blessed through your involvement with Reverend Hagler and Plymouth Church. You may send an email to lhallen@... or place them in a box in the narthex.  Let's overwhelm Reverend Hagler with our blessings of love and admiration. Location: 5301 North Capitol Street N.W. (corner of North Capitol and Missouri Ave. N.E.) 202-723-5330.

Friday, February 12th, 6:30-8:30pm~ Language, Performance and Invisibility: African American LGBT Intersections of Community, Religion and Spirituality. This is a special session of the XVIIth Annual American University Conference on Lavender Languages and Linguistics, February 12th-14th, 2010.  The papers in this session examine how African American LGBTQ people speak about their connections with components of the larger Black communities with which they are a part. Of particular interest are their connections to religious institutions, and efforts to maintain continuity between sexuality and African American spiritual traditions. Location: Butler Board Room, 6th floor Butler Pavilion,  American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington DC 20016. No admission fee. An accessible facility. Sign language interpreters on-site. Directions to campus and information re: complementary parking can be found at www.american.edu www.american.edu/lavenderlanguages .

Saturday, February 13th, 12:00pm-2:00pm~ Sisterspace and Books Volunteer Meeting. Let's try this again. Rain nor snow will stop us this time. Please be on time. We are getting ready to provide services to our community, we are getting ready for a parade and we are getting ready for our April conferenceŠ How will it happen without money? Be magical-who needs moneyŠ Location: SSB

Saturday, February 13th, 3:00pm-5:00pm-What Makes You Tick?  -  A new slant on understanding yourself  - through handwriting analysis. Join Handwriting expert and author Beverly East and Learn what makes you tick from the power of the pen:   What your t's tell about you; How you communicate, Your emotions ,  How  you process information, Your strengths and weaknesses and the Secrets in your Signature.  You can finally stop second guessing yourself . It is factual, fascinating and Fun.  This is aPre-Valentine Gift to you from Sisterspace and Books.  Beverly East is the Best-selling author of 'Finding Mr. Write - A New Slant on Selecting the Perfect Mate' and 'Reaper of Souls', a novel based on the 1957 Kendal crash. www.writeanalysis.com Location: SSB

Saturday, February 14th, 3:00pm-6:00pm~ Celebrate Fredrick Douglass' Birthday with a Drum Jam facilitated by Takada Harris. Come out and learn the basic of African Drumming or better yet release the rhythm that already resides within you.  Let's channel the spirit of healing, love, and abundance on this day. We have so many reasons to drum. Let us drum for the people of Haiti, let us drum up accessible education, let us drum up adequate healthcare, let us drum out economic oppression, let us drum out violence in our community, let us drum in positive energy for Sisterspace and Books' new location, and let us drum in positive energy for all the small businesses in Washington, DC that are struggling to maintain and survive. No prior drumming experience necessary. We will have a few drums for people to play, however if you have a drum or any type of instrument please bring it with you.  We have Fredrick Douglass Poster for sale fo! r $6.00. Location: SSB

Sisterspace and Books Hosts Sister Souljah

Saturday, February 20th, 12:00pm-2:00pm~Get ready for Sister Souljah. Come to the store. Who will ask questions? Who will introduce her? Why do you love her? Sign her card. Location: SSB

Saturday, February 20th, 3:00pm-6:00pm~ Sistah Souljah: A discussion and Booksigning. Location: Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, 5301 North Capitol Street N.E. All books must be purchased on-site by Sisterspace and Books.

Sister Souljah

Born in Bronx, New York, raised in the projects, Souljah is a fighter who came up from the bottom. A graduate of Rutgers University, she earned a degree in American History and African Studies. She also attended Cornell University Advanced Placement Studies, and studied abroad in Europe at the University of Salamanca.

A global student, Sister Souljah traveled throughout her college years to England, France, Spain, Portugal, Finland, and Russia. Her academic accomplishments were reinforced with first hand experiences. She worked to build a medical center for families in Bindura, Zimbabwe. She worked with refugee children from Mozambique. A major participant in the international student anti-apartheid movement, she helped to create a momentum, movement and fervor with liberated Nelson Mandela and brought about the divestment of millions of dollars from corporations doing business with apartheid South Africa. Her travels in Africa also included Zambia and South Africa. She believes it is essential that African professionals help one another to save our continent, resources, families, and children. Read more...

Wednesday, February 24th, 6:30pm~DC Coalition Meeting. Agenda items include; Strategic Planning for organization, educating community about marriage equality, upcoming pride events, etc. All are welcome. Click here to join the DC Coalition FaceBook group and/or subscribe to DCCoalitionYahooGroup . For more information call 202-302-5550. Location: SSB

Friday, February 26th, 7:00pm-9:00pm~ Spoken Word artist "Face" will lead us in a discussion on the "role of the artist in a capitalist society." Spoken word will follow the discussion. Fee: $5.00; Refreshments for sale. Location: SSB

Saturday, February 27th, 11:00-2:00pm~ This is My Story, this is My Song: Creating a Powerful Personal Story. (Re)-constructing Your Story: What is your Story?  What about the story that you tell is empowering, life affirming and real? What about your story is disempowering, negative and false? How can we re-construct the stories that we tell about who we are and create a truer and more authentic story; one that communicates self-love, self-acceptance, value and purpose to the world and most importantly to ourselves?  Join Workshop facilitator, Aisha Karefa-Smart for an afternoon of reflection, empowerment and renewal. Fee: $10.00. No one will be turned away. Location: SSB

Saturday, February 27th, 3:00pm-5:00pm~ Herbal Medicine: The Basics and Beyond. Deb Friedman is a Clinical Herbalist with a master's degree in herbal medicine and certification in nutritional counseling. The workshop will discuss herbal medicine, a holistic practice that deals with the causes of illness, not merely the symptoms. (Herbal medicine can also, in most cases, be used in conjunction with pharmaceutical drugs.) Bring your health questions and Deb will provide answers from the perspective of an alternative healthcare practitioner. (Community activists who come can also sign up for a free personal consultation with Deb, to be scheduled at a later time.) 240-593-6237. Location: SSB

Saturday, February 27th, 6:00pm-8:00pm~Michelle Sewell will host an Open Mic Poetry Jam. Let's celebrate Black History Month and the beginning of Women's History Month by coming out and sharing your words on the mic at the new and improved Sisterspace and Books. If you are interested in reading please contact Michelle at michelleinbold@... or call 202-829-0306. See you at Sisterspace and Books! Fee: $5.00. Refreshments for sale. Location: SSB

Sunday, February 28th, 3:00pm~Metropolitan Community Church of Washington D.C. Annual Black History Month Concert: Feel Like Goin' On. Directed by Music Minister Shirli L. Hughes. Reverend Dwayne Johnson, Senior Pastor. Location: MCC-DC, 474 Ridge Street N.W. (Mt. Vernon Square/Convention Center Yellow and Green Lines). For more information call 202-638-7373, email. churchoffice@..., or visit www.mccdc.com

This message was sent from Sisterspace and Books to  @geotrees.com. It was sent from: Sisterspace and Books, 3717 Georgia Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20010. 

-- 

From: Paco Mad <_Scribe@...>

Mailing-List: list DC_International_Connection@yahoogroups.com; contact DC_International_Connection-owner@yahoogroups.com

Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 11:08:12 +0000
Subject: [DC_International_Connection] PWYC Staged Reading
 of "Who Killed Capta

 in Kirk?"

Beam Me Up Scotty!!!!

Come to the Pay-What-You-Can Staged Reading of

"Who Killed Captain Kirk?"

A Murder Mystery for the 21st Century

At a Star Trek convention, the actor William Shatner aka Captain Kirk is murdered.  It's up to a group of trekkies dressed up as their favorite characters from the 1960s TV sci-fi adventure series to solve the crime.  The only problem is they are all also suspects.  In a murder mystery that combines humor and Star Trek fandom, the audience decides whodunit.  "Who Killed Captain Kirk?" also delves into some of today's hot button social issues, including immigration, same-sex marriage, and race in the age of Obama.

Written by Paco José Madden (writer/director for the 2009 Capital Fringe show "The Fifth Musketeer") and starring Mundy Spears (Mr. Spock), Paige Hernandez-Funn (Captain Kirk), Jay Saunders (Sulu), Chris Galindo (Uhura), James Finley (Bones), Sara Barker (Pluto), and Joe Brack (Scotty). (Special Advisory: The actual William Shatner was not harmed during the making of this play.)

Star date: Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 @ 1900 hours (or 7:00 p.m.)

Coordinates: Clark Street Playhouse (601 S. Clark Street, Arlington, VA 22202)

Boarding Pass: "Pay-what-you-can" at the door.  Please RSVP to wsc.special@....

Set Phasers on Stun!

The DC International Connection website is:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DC_International_Connection

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional

Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)

Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured

Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

-- 

To:  @geotrees.com

Subject: [Heathcote Events Announcements] Permaculture and Facilitation Workshops 
Sponsored by Heathcote Community

From: "Heathcote Events" <events@...>

Date: Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:17:24 -0500

Sender: "Heathcote Events" <events@...>

Permaculture and Facilitation Workshops Sponsored by Heathcote Community

Gardening Like the Forest: Home-Scale Ecological Food Production with Dave Jacke, author of Edible Forest Gardens

Sunday, February 7, 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Baltimore, MD

Suggested Donation - $10

Seating capacity 45 - please RSVP at education@... or 410-357-9523

Healthy forests maintain, fertilize, and renew themselves, naturally. Wouldn't

you like to grow an abundant food-producing ecosystem like this in your back yard?

You can! Edible forest gardens mimic the structure and function of natural forests

through all their stages of development and grow food, fuel, fiber, fodder, fertilizers,

farmaceuticals, and fun. We can meet our own needs and regenerate healthy

ecosystems at the same time! This talk introduces the vision of forest gardening with

some scientific background, a few living examples, and a sampling of some useful

perennial edibles you can use in your own garden.

Design For Living: Home-Scale Permaculture Design Course

Starting February 13 in Freeland, MD!!  Register Now!!

Learn ethical principles and practical skills for producing your own needs from local natural resources by mimicking natural ecosystems.  Topics include energy efficient site planning for house, gardens, orchard, woodlot and wildlife habitat; farm animal forage systems; beneficial microclimate; urban strategies for food and energy production; sustainable community economics and food security. INTRODUCTORY COURSE Option ($700) - 7 Saturdays in 2010:  February 13 & 27, March 13 & 27, April 10, 24, May 8.  DESIGN CERTIFICATION Option ($1400) - 12 Days in 2010:  Take Introductory Course plus May 22-23, June 5-6, June 19.  See course details and register online at http://www.heathcote.org/cms/content/home-scale-permaculture-design-course-2010.   Financial aid is available.  Hosted by Heathcote Community & the School of Living.  Call 410-357-9523 or email education@....    

Mid Atlantic Cohousing Conference

Saturday, March 20, UMCP Campus, Maryland

Featuring Permaculture workshops with Patty Ceglia and Karen Stupski, and a Facilitation workshop with Laird Schaub!

For details and to register see this link:  http://www.midatlanticcohousing.org/conf/Conference.html

Introduction to the Art of Facilitation with Laird Schaub & Ma'ikwe Ludwig

March 21, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm at Heathcote Community in Freeland, MD

Cost:  Sliding Scale $50 - $150

Do meetings frustrate you? Is the facilitation so passive that meetings are like walking through molasses and progress takes forever? Is the facilitation so controlling that people feel like they've been run over by a truck (or that the decisions were already made behind closed doors and the meeting is just a rubber stamp)? Do you dream of meetings where the group feels energized, engaged, and solid decisions get made? Help is on the way!  The husband and wife duo of Laird Schaub and Ma'ikwe Ludwig will be offering a one-day workshop that provides an overview of the art of Integrative Facilitation, introducing participants to the essential orientation and skill set needed to turn pain into gain in cooperative groups.  For more details and to register go to:  http://www.heathcote.org/cms/content/introduction-art-facilitation-laird-schaub-and-maikwe-ludwig.   For more information call 410-357-9523 or email education@....

Integrative Facilitation Training Program with Laird Schaub & Ma'ikwe Schaub Ludwig

Mid-Atlantic Region:  MD, VA, WV, PA, DE, DC, NJ

First Weekend:  May 27-30, 2010 at Julian Woods Community, Julian, PA

This is a proven program for making a quantum leap in your ability to run dynamic and effective meetings, and in understanding the nuances and challenges of how cooperative groups function. The training extends over two years, consisting of eight 3-day weekends, spaced about three months apart. You'll receive handouts, chances to practice the techniques and principles, and lots of hands-on experience facilitating live meetings. $2800 for full two-year training program.  Only $2400 if paid in full up front.  Audit individual weekends for $250 each.  For details and to register see http://www.heathcote.org/cms/content/integrative-facilitation-training-program-laird-schaub.  For more information call 410-357-9523 or email education@...

Summer Permaculture Design Course

August 13-29, 2010 in Freeland, MD

Earn your Permaculture design certificate with Dancing Green during our summer residential immersive!  Dancing Green offers the whole Permaculture design course curriculum as an immersion in educational experiences of integration, collaboration, consensus, and self-empowerment within the context of Permaculture land-use design. The 17-day residential immersive allows you two levels of enhanced focus: (1) the routines of daily life are set aside, freeing & enhancing your attention, & (2) the process is predominately collaborative. Course facilitators are Dawn Shiner, Patty Ceglia, and Karen Stupski.  Dancing Green's website is www.sustainableagriculture.org. Tuition is $1750.  Financial aid is available.  More details at http://www.livingmandala.com/Living_Mandala/Heathcote_Permaculture_Design_Course_10.html

Find out all about Heathcote Community on our website at http://www.Heathcote.org

Heathcote Community, 21300 Heathcote Rd., Freeland, MD 21053

410-343-DIRT

-- 

Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 18:25:41 -0500 (EST)
From: Peaceful Families Project <info@...>
Reply-To: info@...

To:  @geotrees.com

Subject: (Campaign): Call to Action, February

Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

Call to Action

Take a Stand Against Domestic Abuse

February

2010

Greetings!

Please share the word regarding the following campaign being spearheaded by Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse.

PFP

-----

Call to Action: Take a Stand against Domestic Abuse

Muslim Men Against Domestic Abuse (mmada.org)

February 2010

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Peaceful Families Project is a national 501(c)(3) organization devoted to ending domestic violence in Muslim families by facilitating awareness workshops for Muslim leaders and communities, providing training and technical assistance for helping professionals, conducting research, and developing resources.

Please support our work by donating online or by mail.  Your tax deductible contribution will help educate and protect Muslim families from abuse. http://peacefulfamilies.org/donate.html

P.O. Box 771, Great Falls, Virginia 22066    e: info@...    w: www.peacefulfamilies.org

Forward email

This email was sent to  @geotrees.com by info@....

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Email Marketing by

Peaceful Families Project | P.O. Box 771 | Great Falls | VA | 22066

-- 

Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2010 11:45:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Reston Interfaith <newsletters@...>
Reply-To: newsletters@...

To:  @geotrees.com

Subject: RI Volunteer Opportunities and February Newsletter

Having trouble viewing this email?   Click here

Newsletter and Volunteer Opportunities 

February 2010

Join RI on

Twitter and Facebook!

_______________

*Volunteer

Opportunities

Just click here for more

information on the below opportunities.

To sign up, contact

Mandy Guernsey

at 571.323.9565.

Volunteer Orientations

Year round

Prepared Meal Caterers

Year round

Child Care Assistants

Wednesdays

Women's Health & Beauty Workshop Leaders

Tuesday, February 9

Valentine's Day Celebration Hosts

Wednesday, February 10

Spaghetti Dinner Hosts

Wednesday, February 24

Community Breakfast Hosts 

Saturday, February 27

_______________

*RI In the News

Hunter Mill Coat Closet Interview, Cox Local Edition, January 2010

Reading is Fundamental February Program of the Month: Laurel Learning Center, Reading is Fundamental, February 2010

Community Service Honored, Reston Connection, January 20, 2010

Reston Interfaith Receives RCC MLK Community Service Award, The Observer via YouTube.com, January 19, 2010

Fairfax Group Brings Social Services Under One Roof, Washington Post, January 14, 2010

Connections for Hope, Washington Post, January 14, 2010

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award Recipients Named, Reston Connection, January 13, 2010

ACollaboration of Hope, The Fairfax Times, January 12, 2010

AMiracle Effort, The Observer, January 8, 2010

Architect of Fairfax County Social Services to Retire, The Washington Post, January 7, 2010

Shelter from the Storm, NPR Morning Edition, January 5, 2010

 _______________

*Sponsorships

are now available for Best of Reston 2010. Stay tuned to learn the names of our 2010 Honorees. We look forward to celebrating with you on April 15, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Reston. Click here for more information.

_______________

*Did You Know...

Since receiving nearly $430,000.00 in Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) stimulus dollars in the fall of 2009, RI and partner agencies have distributed approximately $66,400.00 in direct financial assistance to 37 households or 99 individuals.

These funds are allowing RI and other agencies to provide front-line assistance to people who have been directly impacted by the economic downturn, and have successfully prevented homelessness in 31 out of the 37 families served to date.

 Greetings from CEO Kerrie Wilson

Two thousand and ten marks the beginning of Reston Interfaith's 40th year of service in our community. This is a proud moment for me, and as I look forward to an exciting year of celebration, I also pause to look back on how this special organization began. In 1970, a small group of committed Reston volunteers sat together around a table and discussed the need for a local support network. While Reston was flourishing around them, they realized that in addition to well-planned communities, their neighbors also needed a well-planned system to provide help for those struggling to make ends meet.

We can all guess what happened next - Reston Interfaith was formed. It is incredible to look back over the past four decades and reflect on the positive growth that both our organization and our community have experienced.  We have evolved from a core group of supporters serving hundreds to a large network of individuals, corporations, organizations and faith groups serving thousands. Reston has grown from a population of just over 12,000 in 1970 to more than 60,000 in 2009. Just as the number of buildings, businesses, and homes have increased in our town, so too has the commitment to meeting the basic needs of those who work and live here.

For the past 14,600 odd days, Reston Interfaith has been here, with you by our side, extending a helping hand to our neighbors in need. Every day, we serve healthy meals, give deserving families a place to sleep at night, help people learn to speak English, stay in their homes, access affordable childcare, and find the resources that they need to overcome barriers and achieve financial self-sufficiency. I hope that you will take every opportunity to join us - whether by volunteering, attending an upcoming event, or simply visiting our website to learn more - as we celebrate 40 wonderful years of homes, people, and hope.

Reston Interfaith Partners to Open Connections for Hope Center in Herndon

On February 12, 2010, Connections for Hope, a new partnership of nonprofit and community service organizations, will open its doors to serve those in need in Herndon. This special opening marks the end of a five-year planning process to open the first collaborative nonprofit social services facility in Western Fairfax County. This new partnershp provides the ability to work cooperatively with a range of services that enables each organization to deliver its programs in a cost-effective and integrated model. Both clients and organizations will benefit from having multiple services, including medical, legal, employment, housing, financial, and immigration, housed in one place and working together with a shared purpose. Reston Interfaith will provide both housing counseling/foreclosure mitigation and prevention as well as Homeless Prevention and Rapid Rehousing Program  (HPRP)  assistance. The 10,000 square-foot facility will inclue these partnering organizations: Fairfax/Falls Church Community Services Board; Helping Children Worldwide; The Jeanie Schmidt Free Clinic; Just Neighbors; The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia; Reston Interfaith; and Vecinos Unidos/Neighbors United.

Record-Breaking Capitol Steps Benefit for RI

On January 24, 2010, Reston Interfaith hosted its 27th Annual Capitol Steps Benefit Performance. Thanks to the overwhelming support of our community, this year's event was a record-breaker, raising approximately $83,000.00 to support the programs and services of Reston Interfaith.

Click on the picture to the left to see a slideshow of images from the Capitol Steps event!

On a chilly Sunday evening, over 600 guests enjoyed a hilarious performance, fine wine, and decadent desserts at the Hyatt Regency Reston. The silent and live auctions, led by Delegate Ken Plum, were enjoyed by all in attendance, and contained unique items such as a private tour of National Public Radio, a getaway to Mexico, locally-made jewelry, and several top-of-the-line technology products.

RI would like to extend special thanks to the Capitol Steps Committee Chair, Boofie O'Gorman, the committee members, and all sponsors and guests for their support in making this year's performance the most successful yet. For more information, please contact Cathy Hoskinson, at 571-323-9566.

Sponsors of the 2010 Capitol Steps Benefit Performance

Presenting Sponsors: Boofie O'Gorman, Data Networks Corporation, Professional & Scientific Associates, Inc.,

Regulatory Economics Group, LLC

Champagne Sponsor: Kitty Bernard Team

Wine Sponsor: Bonnie Haukness

Program Sponsor: Christine Basso Broyhill, Marion and Steve Meader

Dessert Sponsors: Blooms Today, Inc. - Karen and Jim Cleveland  DryHome Roofing & Siding - Sylvia Haefer-Rose - Lynn and Phil Lilienthal  Jane and Delegate Ken Plum - Mary E. Szpanka - Washington First Bank

Update on Housing Counseling Services

Reston Interfaith's housing counseling and foreclosure mitigation and prevention program began in response to the housing crisis that hit residents of Fairfax County, and especially those in Herndon, in the fall of 2008. Eighteen months into the program, we have seen a shift in those seeking assistance. The first wave of people coming to RI for help took on risky mortgages that were unsustainable, often saddled with loans that had been marketed by unscrupulous members of the real estate and lending industry. The housing bust dashed the dreams of these homeowners, and they came to RI needing assistance in evaluating their options. Today, the majority of our housing clients took out conventional loans with fixed rates that were well within their budgets, but due to the ongoing economic downturn, these families are now are unable to make their payments. Many work in the service industry and are earning hourly wages; with reductions in hours or the disappearance of second or part-time jobs, they have fallen far behind on payments and are in dire need of assistance.

RI's Dedicated Housing Counselor, Martin Rios

Our housing counselors work quickly to understand the financial condition of each family, lay out the strategies available to them, and then put together a plan of action based on the goals of the client. Whether this means renegotiating payments and saving the home, or opting for a short sale, our trained staff provides the guidance needed to understand complex financial matters and sort out all the options. Out of the 54 clients served since July 2009, while all were on the brink of foreclosure, only one has actually foreclosed. We have been highly successful in modifying the terms of the loans, obtaining forbearance agreements, and keeping lenders engaged in pursuit of a mutually acceptable outcome.

RI is one of the only organizations in the area that offers free and reliable housing assistance, especially for Spanish-speaking clients. While the NoVA Foreclosure Network provides an important housing safety net, the need for more assistance absolutely exists. RI receives an average of six phone calls per day, all from new families in dire need of help. Our message to those who may be facing a housing crisis is not to wait - those homeowners who seek assistance early are more likely to save their homes. For more information about our housing counseling program, please click here.

*Reston Interfaith, RI Board Member Jill Norcross Receive Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Service Awards

Reston Interfaith is honored to have been selected as the Organizational Recipient for the Reston Community Center's 2010 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for Community Service. RI board member Jill Norcoss received the same award in the Individual Category. Other honorees included the Langston Hughes Middle School Peer Mediators and Global Camps Africa.

Thanks to the efforts of the Reston Community Center and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Planning Committee, Reston community members celebrated Dr. King's legacy through a variety of participatory workshops and engaging presentations on Monday, January 18. The day kicked off with a commemorative march followed by community service awards, a panel presentation around the theme of social justice and volunteer activities benefitting the Embry Rucker Shelter. To read more about this day of celebration for Dr. King's promise, please check out the above links to local news stories.

*How You Can Help

Have you ever thought of having a "friendraiser" to benefit Reston Interfaith?

Throughout the year, community organizations, schools and individuals, as well as area businesses, organize a variety of activities - yard sales, food drives, bake sales, mini-walks, golf outings - to benefit Reston Interfaith.

If you would like to organize an event, please contact Cathy Hoskinson, Vice President, Resource Development, at 571-323-9566.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: From time to time Geotrees will offer news and information about activities in other parts of the country, or indeed, from around the world, that do not have direct local connections.  We offer them because they might be good models for local activities, and because it's good to occasionally share inspiring news.  We offer Dr. Stolov's work in that spirit, and will post news of his next visit to our area.   - Editor Charles

From: "Yehuda Stolov" <@interfaith-encounter.org>

To: "Yehuda Stolov" <@interfaith-encounter.org>

Subject: [iea-stories] EDUCATION - ADAMA Interfaith Encounter group on
  December 17
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 11:58:20 +0200

Reply-To: iea-reports+owners@googlegroups.com

ADAMA (Abu Dis and Maaleh Adumim) met on December 17th, the 7th night of the Jewish festival of Chanukah for a festive gathering and a talk on education.  This seemed appropriate as during ancient times, the Romans forbade Jews from learning Torah.

In the Koran, the first words were sent to the prophet Mohammad by the angel Gabriel, "read in the name of your God, who created humans".  The prophet protested because he did not know how to read, but the angel persisted with this message. 

Receiving knowledge is compulsory for every woman and man.  Verses in the Koran encourage Moslems to read.  The word "Jihad" comes from the word "Jihada" which means doing your best.  Asking for an education is doing this for God.

There were wars between Moslems and the pagans, Romans and Persians.  The prisoners of war who were captured by Moslems were given an ultimatum that they can either remain in prison, but if they wanted their freedom they must teach 10 Moslems to read and write. 

For the Christian view on education, we were given a modern perspective on schools in Germany.  Even state-controlled schools teach religion.  Churches have their own universities.  Those universities and theology students in regular universities have special dormitories where people live and eat together.

Jewish formal education began in the 1st century CE.  Prior to this, parents taught their children informally.  The sage Joshua ben Gamla instituted schools in every town and made education compulsory from the age of 6 or 7.    In the Talmudic era, boys attended elementary school or studied with a tutor from the age of five, six or seven until the age of twelve or thirteen.  At age twelve they studied Mishnah.  No formal instruction in secular courses such as mathematics or Greek was included in the Jewish school curriculum.  Initially, children from the lower strata of society were excluded, but by the third century, education was made available to children of all classes.  Girls were, by and large, excluded from the elementary schools, though some Talmudic sources suggest that fathers taught their daughters informally. 

After our presentations we heard the blessing said over the Chanukah Menorah while 7 candles were lit and everyone sat down to some home made latkas (potato/vegetable pancakes), special hanukah donuts (sufganiot) .  New people were introduced and we also welcomed our youngest addition to our meetings, Karen's five-week old son.  Many people stayed on for a while to get to know and connect with one another.  Unfortunately, the Palestinian's permits were about to expire, so we bid them a safe trip back to their homes with the hopes that they could stay with us much longer next time.

(Report by Leah Lublin - Jewish coordinator)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Interfaith Encounter Association

P.O.Box  3814, Jerusalem 91037, Israel

Phone: +972-2-6510520

Fax:     +972-2-6510557

Website: www.interfaith-encounter.org

Board: 

  Ms. Evelyne Savir (Chair)

  Dr. Shlomo Alon

  Ms. Nadia Tutunji-Nuseibeh

  Ms. Saheer Siam

  Mr. Rizk Azam

  Ms. Randa Zreik-Sabag

Dr. Yehuda Stolov, Executive Director

E-mail: yehuda@...

Mr. Salah Alladin, Assistant Director

PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TO THE INTERFAITH ENCOUNTER ASSOCIATION. SUPPORT ONE OR MORE OF OUR PROGRAMS AND JOIN US AS A MEMBER IN WORKING FOR INTERFAITH UNDERSTANDING AND PEACE.

All contributions are welcome, small and large!

NEW: Donate securely on-line (tax deductible in the US) at: http://www.interfaith-encounter.org/donations.htm

Contributions made from the U.S., Switzerland and the U.K. are tax deductible.

You and others are welcome to join our e-mailing lists by sending a blank message to:

• In Israel (gets also invitations):

        iea-announcements-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

• Abroad (gets reports only):  iea-reports-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please note that the reports we send out do not necessarily represent the views of the Interfaith Encounter Association or even of the people who wrote them. The reports represent the views of the people who attended an encounter and their primary purpose is to give you a glimpse of what happened in the encounter.

-- 

To: DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork@yahoogroups.com

From: Loretta Garcia <@verizon.net>

Sender: DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork@yahoogroups.com

List-Id: <DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork.yahoogroups.com>

Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 07:01:20 -0600 (CST)

Subject: Re: [DC-HispNtwk] Director Job

Seeking Program Director

The Washington County Community Mediation Center, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization is seeking a Mediation Program Director to manage all aspects of case management, including supervising AmeriCorps members.  Position will be trained in all aspects of executive director duties.  General office duties to include answering phones, filing, case database input, writing grants, submitting quarterly and yr-end repots, etc.

Must be trained and experienced in a facilitative model of mediation; member of Maryland Program for Mediator Excellence (MPME); experience managing volunteers; knowledge of local and state-wide community organizations and resources; excellent written and verbal communication skills and possess strong computer skills in word, excel, power point and Google non-profit applications; detail-oriented, and self-directed. 

Preferred skills include experience in fundraising, grant writing, and experience in Community Mediation Maryland model of mediation.

Bi-lingual (Spanish) applications are encouraged to apply.

35-40 hrs/wk with a flexible schedule - must be able to work evenings and weekends.

To apply: Send cover letter and resume to WCCMC, 101 Summit Ave.,Hagerstown, MD 21740 or fax to 240-625-9220.  No phone inquiries please.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

-- 

From: "Ross Kaplan" < @dcinternationals.com>

Feb 2010 19:25:22 -0000

Sender: cleveland-park@yahoogroups.com

Date: Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:56:41 -0000

Subject: DC Internationals: Music, dancing, and more, Sat., Feb 6

DC Internationals invites you to kick-off its new Middle East and South Asia Language Institute with an alluring night of Middle Eastern and South Asian culture extravaganza!

Come be moved by a live Middle Eastern concert performance, enchanted by scintillating belly dance performances and lessons, and devour succulent savory and sweet dishes from the Maghreb, Levant, and the Gulf.

Buy regional goods in the Arab souq and Indian Bazaar! Witness silver from Khajuraho while wearing saris from Jaipur!  Relax, tasting the tea of Assam, applying oils from Cairo or enjoying the aromas of frankincense from Muscat!

The Arabi Band will perform Eastern music, Maghrebi tunes, as well as hits from the Persian Gulf, allowing you to dance the night away!

When: Saturday, February 6th 2010 from 8 pm - midnight

Where: United Methodist Church - 1920 G Street, NW

Tickets: The General Public ticket price is $20 and can be purchased online or at the door.

Students with a valid University ID (i.e., Gworld) will receive a 25% discount when purchasing tickets at the door.

More information about DC Internationals can be found at http://www.dcinternationals.com .

Ross Kaplan

-- 

Subject: ADC Commends DOJ-CRD on Decision to Review Imam Shooting

To:  @geotrees.com

From: "ADC Media" <Media@...>
Reply-To: "ADC Media" <Media@...>

Date: Wed,  3 Feb 2010 15:35:51 -0500 (EST)

ADC Commends DOJ-CRD

on Decision to Review Imam Shooting

Washington, D.C. | February 3, 2010 | www.adc.org | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) commends the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division (DOJ-CRD) on its decision to begin the investigative process into the shooting death of Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah by FBI agents in Detroit in October of 2009.  The Imam was shot 21 times by FBI agents during a raid in Dearborn, Michigan.  

The Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, The Honorable John Conyers, in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, requested a separate independent review by the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.  The full text of the letter from Congressman Conyers can be read here.

ADC Michigan (ADC-MI) Regional Director and Senior National Advisor, Mr. Imad Hamad, said, "ADC-MI is encouraged by the decision of the DOJ CRD to begin the investigative process into this matter.  We hope that this investigative process is conducted amicably and all the facts are made public."  Hamad also stressed that, "ADC-MI will coordinate with the local Federal leadership to ensure that dialogue between both the Community and the Federal agencies are not foreclosed despite the seriousness of this incident."

ADC will continue to monitor this matter and support the course of a full independent investigation.

###

NOTE TO EDITORS: The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), which is non sectarian and non partisan, is the largest Arab-American civil rights organization in the United States. It was founded in 1980, by former Senator James Abourezk to protect the civil rights of people of Arab descent in the United States and to promote the cultural heritage of the Arabs. ADC has 38 chapters nationwide, including chapters in every major city in the country, and members in all 50 states. 

The ADC Research Institute (ADC-RI), which was founded in 1981, is a Section 501(c)(3) educational organization that sponsors a wide range of programs on behalf of Arab Americans and of importance to all Americans.

__________________________________________ 

Contact: Haythem Khalil, media@..., 202-244-2990

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination                                                               Committee |                                                             www.adc.org

1732 Wisconsin Ave., NW | Washington, DC | 20007

Tel: 202-244-2990 | Fax: 202-333-3980 | E-mail:                                                         media@...

-- 

To: DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork@yahoogroups.com

From: Padrino50 < @yahoo.com>

List-Id: <DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork.yahoogroups.com>

Date: Wed, 3 Feb 2010 17:02:38 -0800 (PST)

Subject: [DC-HispNtwk] Hispanic College Fund: 13 More Days Till Scholarship Applications Close!!!

The Hispanic College Fund scholarship program

is now accepting applications!

The program is open to students of Hispanic background majoring in business, finance, accounting, computer science, computer engineering, IT, hospitality management, hotel management, culinary, food & beverage, nursing and many more! Scholarships awards are up to $10,000. Students can read more and apply at:

http://scholarships.hispanicfund.org/applications/ 

The Main Site:

http://www.hispanicfund.org/

------------------------------------

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork/

-- 

From: "Alhewar" <alhewar @ alhewar. com>
To: <onlinelist@...>
Subject: FW: CNN World: Muslim inventions that shaped the modern world

Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 01:26:48 -0500

CNN World:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/01/29/muslim.inventions/index.html?hpt=C2

Muslim Inventions that Shaped the Modern World

By Olivia Sterns for CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Exhibition celebrates 1,000 years of "forgotten" Muslim heritage
• From coffee to cranks, items we couldn't live without today are Muslim inventions
• Modern hospitals and universities both began in 9th century North Africa

London, England (CNN) -- Think of the origins of that staple of modern life, the cup of coffee, and Italy often springs to mind.  But in fact, Yemen is where the ubiquitous brew has its true origins.

Along with the first university, and even the toothbrush, it is among surprising Muslim inventions that have shaped the world we live in today.

The origins of these fundamental ideas and objects -- the basis of everything from the bicycle to musical scales -- are the focus of "1001 Inventions," a book celebrating "the forgotten" history of 1,000 years of Muslim heritage.

"There's a hole in our knowledge, we leapfrog from the Renaissance to the Greeks," Professor Salim al-Hassani, Chairman of the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, and editor of the book, told CNN.

"1001 Inventions" is now an exhibition at London's Science Museum. Hassani hopes the exhibition will highlight the contributions of non-Western cultures -- like the Muslim empire that once covered Spain and Portugal, Southern Italy and stretched as far as parts of China -- to present day civilization.

Here Hassani shares his top 10 outstanding Muslim inventions:

1. Surgery

Around the year 1,000, the celebrated doctor Al Zahrawi published a 1,500 page illustrated encyclopedia of surgery that was used in Europe as a medical reference for the next 500 years.  Among his many inventions, Zahrawi discovered the use of dissolving cat gut to stitch wounds -- beforehand a second surgery had to be performed to remove sutures.  He also reportedly performed the first caesarean operation and created the first pair of forceps.

2. Coffee

Now the Western world's drink du jour, coffee was first brewed in Yemen around the 9th century.  In its earliest days, coffee helped Sufis stay up during late nights of devotion.  Later brought to Cairo by a group of students, the coffee buzz soon caught on around the empire.  By the 13th century it reached Turkey, but not until the 16th century did the beans start boiling in Europe, brought to Italy by a Venetian trader.

3. A Flying Machine

"Abbas ibn Firnas was the first person to make a real attempt to construct a flying machine and fly," said Professor Hassani.  In the 9th century he designed a winged apparatus, roughly resembling a bird costume.  In his most famous trial near Cordoba in Spain, Firnas flew upward for a few moments, before falling to the ground and partially breaking his back.  His designs would undoubtedly have been an inspiration for famed Italian artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci's hundreds of years later, said Professor Hassani.

4. The University

In 859 a young princess named Fatima al-Firhi founded the first degree-granting university in Fez, Morocco.  Her sister Miriam founded an adjacent mosque and together the complex became the al-Qarawiyyin Mosque and University.  Still operating almost 1,200 years later, Professor Hassani says he hopes the center will remind people that learning is at the core of the Islamic tradition and that the story of the al-Firhi sisters will inspire young Muslim women around the world today.

5. Algebra

The word algebra comes from the title of a Persian mathematician's famous 9th century treatise "Kitab al-Jabr Wa l-Mugabala" which translates roughly as "The Book of Reasoning and Balancing."  Built on the roots of Greek and Hindu systems, the new algebraic order was a unifying system for rational numbers, irrational numbers and geometrical magnitudes.  The same mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi, was also the first to introduce the concept of raising a number to a power.

6. Optics

"Many of the most important advances in the study of optics come from the Muslim world," says Professor Hassani.  Around the year 1000 Ibn al-Haitham proved that humans see objects by light reflecting off of them and entering the eye, dismissing Euclid and Ptolemy's theories that light was emitted from the eye itself.  This great Muslim physicist also discovered the camera obscura phenomenon, which explains how the eye sees images upright due to the connection between the optic nerve and the brain.

7. Music

Muslim musicians have had a profound impact on Europe, dating back to Charlemagne tried to compete with the music of Baghdad and Cordoba, according to Professor Hassani.  Among many instruments that arrived in Europe through the Middle East are the lute and the rahab, an ancestor of the violin.  Modern musical scales are also said to derive from the Arabic alphabet.

8. The Toothbrush

According to Professor Hassani, the Prophet Mohammed popularized the use of the first toothbrush in around 600.  Using a twig from the Meswak tree, he cleaned his teeth and freshened his breath.  Substances similar to Meswak are used in modern toothpaste.

9. The Crank

Many of the basics of modern automatics were first put to use in the Muslim world, including the revolutionary crank-connecting rod system.  By converting rotary motion to linear motion, the crank enables the lifting of heavy objects with relative ease.  This technology, discovered by Al-Jazari in the 12th century, exploded across the globe, leading to everything from the bicycle to the internal combustion engine.

10. Hospitals

"Hospitals as we know them today, with wards and teaching centers, come from 9th century Egypt," explained Professor Hassani.  The first such medical center was the Ahmad ibn Tulun Hospital, founded in 872 in Cairo.  Tulun hospital provided free care for anyone who needed it -- a policy based on the Muslim tradition of caring for all who are sick.  From Cairo, such hospitals spread around the Muslim world.

For more information on muslim inventions go to: muslimheritage.com. For more information about the exhibition at London's Science Museum go to: science museum.org.uk

Interesting articles & Links about Islam and Arabs

Challenging Ignorance on Islam:

A Ten-Point Primer for Americans

by Gary Leupp

http://www.alhewar.com/gary_leupp_challenging_ignorance_on_islam.htm

A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM

By Graham E. Fuller

(former vice chairman of the National Intelligence Council at the CIA)

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/users/login.php?story_id=4094&URL=http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4094

Facts about Arabs and the Arab World:

http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=248

Famous Arab Americans

A brochure by Casey Kasem

http://www.aaiusa.org/arab-americans/23/famous-arab-americans

ARAB CIVILIZATION

Introduction to the Arab World

http://www.alhewar.org/ArabCivilization.htm

About Islam and Arabs

http://www.alhewar.org/SEPTEMBER%2011/Sept11_about_islam_and_arabs.htm

==================================================

Al-Hewar Center

The Center for Arab Culture and Dialogue

Founded in 1994

For general Information about Al-Hewar Center:

* About Us

http://www.alhewar.com/About%20Us.html

* How to Subscribe

http://www.alhewar.com/support.html

* Calendar of Upcoming Events

http://www.alhewar.com/newevents.html

* Previous Events Hosted by Al-Hewar Center

http://www.alhewar.com/oldevents.html

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

We hope you will visit (http://www.alhewar.com) frequently (and tell your friends about us too!).

Best regards,

Al-Hewar

http://www.alhewar.com/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Al-Hewar Center needs your support to be able to continue our work through Al-Hewar Magazine, Al-Hewar online, and hosting weekly dialogues at Al-Hewar Center in metro Washington.

Now you can support Al-Hewar Center or you can pay for your subscription to Al-Hewar Center and Al-Hewar Magazine with a credit card (using PayPal):

http://www.alhewar.com/support.html

_________________________________________________________________

Questions and comments may be sent to alhewar@...

-- 

From: "Max Obuszewski" <mobuszewski @ verizon. net>
To: "Max Obuszewski" <mobuszewski @ verizon. net>
Subject: What I Have Learned Doing Civil Disobedience for Single Payer

Date: Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:17:54 -0500

Friends,

This is a wonderful article.  However, the good doctors were not doing civil disobedience.  They had a right to be on that sidewalk.  It is the president who has aligned hinself with the insurance companies, and people are dying as a result.  Our good friends were doing civil resistance, trying to remind the president that he is doing wrong.

Kagiso,

Max

Published on Monday, February 1, 2010 by CommonDreams.org

What I Have Learned Doing Civil Disobedience for Single Payer

by Carol Paris

"People should go where they are not supposed to go, say what they are not supposed to say, and stay when they are told to leave."  --Howard Zinn   

Well, that quote pretty well sums up "what to do."  But my biggest challenge is "how."  Specifically, how do I neutralize some pretty powerful fear? 

I was scared Friday when I joined Margaret Flowers to attempt to deliver a message to the President.  My thoughts raced.  We're talking secret service.   

"How do I get myself into these things?" 

"This is crazy." 

"This is pointless." 

"I can't even make sensible statements; I know what I want to say but I'm so nervous." 

"Other people are so much more knowledgeable and speak so much more eloquently."

"But I am doing it!" 

We stood in front of the Harbor Hotel in Baltimore clutching a banner that read "Letting you know.  Medicare for all" and Margaret's letter for the President written in response to his appeal for solutions to health reform.  The hotel manager, police and secret service surrounded us and asked us to move. 

If you watch the video [1], you'll see that there was a point, a moment, which felt suspended in time, when Margaret looked at me and I looked at her and we both knew "we ain't goin' across the street." 

The feeling associated with that awareness was not fear, or anger, or self-righteous indignation.  It was a feeling of quiet liberation.  The things I was saying to myself, thoughts powerful enough to imprison me in a jailhouse of fear, had been neutralized.  In their place was a calm determination to trust my intuition.   

My gut told me "so be it.  You're doing the best you can.  This is a no-brainer.  Gotta do it.  Margaret and I have been needing some quiet time to catch-up; might as well be in a police station." 

My gut has a great sense of humor. 

Fear overcomes me when I listen to my head; calm enfolds me when I listen to my gut. 

So, for what it is worth, here are few tips for "doing cd for Single Payer": 

1.      Ignore your head.  That means, all those familiar thoughts that leave you feeling fearful and bad.

2.      Listen to your gut.  You know it's your gut talking if you start feeling calmness, clarity, and quiet determination.

3.      We need people engaging in "gut-driven" cd to right all kinds of wrongs.  Be authentic; for many of us, the gut issue is Medicare For All.  If yours is the environment, then do cd for that. 

4.      Don't try this alone.  Take a friend. Or several.

5.      Do the best you can.  Speak from your heart.  Once you're in handcuffs, the worst is over.  The "authorities" aren't your enemy; most will treat you respectfully and the ones who don't are just having a bad day.  Don't take it personally.

6.      I like to take a "token" with me, tucked in my pocket with my driver's license. For me, it's a picture of my grandchildren and the holy card from my father's funeral.  It reminds me that he would be proud of me and that I'm doing this for the people who inspire me--my family and my patients.

7.       If you have the choice of doing cd in the winter or the summer, definitely choose summer!  Wear layers either way because it's cold in jail.

Remember that we all have talents to contribute.  Without Bill Hughes taking the video, our action wouldn't have been as fruitful.  Without Kevin Zeese, we'd have worried about our families and "legal stuff."  Without Mark Almberg, we wouldn't have a press release.  Without researchers like David Himmelstein and Steffie Woolhandler, we wouldn't have compelling data to support us.  We draw support from each other. 

As Margaret Mead said:  Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."     

Dr. Carol Paris is one of the "Baucus 8" and a psychiatrist in Leonardtown, Maryland.

URL to article: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/02/01-4

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives."   - Eugene Victor Debs

-- 

To: DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork@yahoogroups.com

Cc:  @yahoo.com

From: Padrino50 <padrino50@...>

Sender: DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork@yahoogroups.com

Delivered-To: mailing list DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork@yahoogroups.com

List-Id: <DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork.yahoogroups.com>

Date: Mon, 1 Feb 2010 17:11:51 -0800 (PST)

Subject: [DC-HispNtwk] ELP Spring 2010 High School mentoring program - Wed. Feb, 17 (6-7:30

ELP Spring 2010 High School mentoring program - Wed. Feb, 17 (6-7:30)

Posted by: "Juan-Carlos R"    hoyasjc

Sun Jan 31, 2010 9:18 am (PST)

Crew,

Here is a great opportunity to volunteer in the community - HS Mentoring Program - ELP Spring 2010! - I was a mentor last Fall! and plan on joining again this Spring! - JC

The mentor orientation session will take place on Wednesday, February 17th from 6-7:30 pm.  It will be held at the Escuela Bolivia office located in the Clarendon Adult Education Center.

Escuela Bolivia

2801 Clarendon Blvd.

Arlington, VA 22201

Suite 216

"I hope you are all doing well!!  I'm looking forward to seeing you in the Spring 2010 ELP session (see below).

ELP Spring 2010

WHEN: 10 Saturday Sessions

Sat. February 27 - Sat. May 15, 2010

(No sessions on March 13 and April 3)

TIME: Sat. 9:30am - 12:30pm

WHERE: Claremont Elementary School

4700 S. Chesterfield Rd.

Arlington, VA 22206

------------------------------------

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DC-HispanicEmployeeNetwork/

-- 

From: "Uli Zislin" < @zislin.com>

To: "Uli Zislin" < @zislin.com>

Subject: Russian Cultural Selected Calendar-2010

Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:54:12 -0500