WLN In Action June 2007
Whole Life Network Release
Immigrant Integration
One Community: Learning to grow together
One Community
of Montrose and Delta counties hosted their first of several public meetings on
May 12th in Olathe. The
meetings are very interactive and engaging.
The group listed what is already in place in Olathe that supports
community integration. A huge mind map
was created on the wall to categorize ideas and concerns. The three issues prioritized by the
participants include:
·
Creating a community welcoming and
resource center for orientation of newcomers
·
Bridging the leadership within the
immigrant community with local leaders
·
Finding more opportunities for social
exchange amongst groups and more cultural events
The final activity created small bilingual
groups in which people shared their vision for the future of Olathe as an
integrated community.
The next public meetings will be held in
Montrose and Delta at the following times:
·
June 2nd: Montrose, 2-5:00 pm, United Methodist
Church, 19 S. Park St.
·
June 23rd: Delta, 2-5:00 pm, Delta Middle School
Cafeteria, 910 Grand Ave
One Community
invites you to participate in these events and others in July and August as we
gather the information we will need to write a community integration plan for
Montrose and Delta counties. For
information call Elizabeth Roscoe, 249-0397 or visit
OneCommunityDelta.org OneCommunityMontrose.org
Friends of the River
Uncompahgre, FORU
!!What’s good for the river
is good for-U!!
FORU learned recently that the 401 Clean
Water Act permit application for the River Landing development was initially
denied due to lack of compliance with storm water run off criteria. A conditional permit has subsequently been
approved with specific stipulations for storm water best management
practices. Ken Jacobson of the Army
Corps of Engineers is in the final stages of review for the 404 permit. At a recent meeting he stated that a 404
permit cannot be issued if there has been denial by the State of Colorado for
the 401 permit, which he says is a very rare occurrence. Ken also stated that there has been a
re-delineation of the wetlands boundary which has reduced the size of the
jurisdictional wetlands at River Landing.
Ken Jacobson is very supportive of the
creation of the watershed partnership with the Uncompahgre River Stewardship
Alliance, URSA, because he feels it is the only way to preserve the river as a
whole, rather than waiting and reacting to developments as they occur parcel by
parcel. He expressed his intention to
work with FORU and others to accomplish the work of getting ordinances in place
at the local government level, as other municipalities have done, to make sure
that the proper 401 and 404 permits are in place before construction begins at
river sites.
The work day in memory of Tina Mayfield
has been scheduled for Saturday, June 30th. Friends of Tina and FORU will be planting
wetlands shrubs along the river in Cerise Park. The memorial bench and plaque will have been installed by that
time.
Kevin Davis and Elizabeth Roscoe, both
FORU board members, visited fifth graders at Northside elementary school in
Montrose May 17th. The class
created a Super School News program earlier in the year with their selected
topic of river protection and recycling.
The students were given brochures and made honorary members of
FORU. It was acknowledged that, as they
grow, the young people will be the ones to carry on the work that FORU members
have begun. Caring for the Uncompahgre
river will be a lifelong labor of love for the beauty of the river and the wild
life which depends on it.
Uncompahgre Chapter:
Health Care for All Colorado
The Blue Ribbon Commission for Health Care
Reform has received 28 proposals from around the State of Colorado. HCAC’s proposal #16, the Colorado Health
Services Plan, written by Dr. Rocky White of Alamosa, made the final cut as
four plans were selected by the Commission to send to an evaluation firm for
further analysis.
The HCAC proposal is a single payer,
publicly financed program that covers all primary, preventive, specialty and
surgical care, automobile and work-related injuries, prescription drugs, mental
health services, chiropractic, dental, basic vision and hearing, home health,
long-term care, and hospice, among others.
Under this program, all providers and hospitals would be paid the same
for the same level of service, thus competing by the quality of care provided. Through it, every resident has equal access
to program benefits. For up-dated
Commission information about public comment periods and to review proposals
visit www.colorado.gov/208commission.
Dr. Dick Gingery of Montrose will be
speaking about the single payer plan June 7th, 7:00 pm, at the
Ridgway Community Center. He will also
give presentations at the Montrose Regional Library on Wednesdays June 6th
and 20th at 7:00 pm. For
more information or to invite Dr. Gingery to speak call 970-209-2423 or visit
www.hcac.montrosehealth.org.
Back
to Top
Remembering Aztlán
a Column of Poetry, Culture & Spirit
by Art Goodtimes
BINGO! … Unbelievably,
Telluride has come up with the $50 million in ransom money the courts ordered
be paid to keep the community’s gateway “Valley Floor” from being developed by
a wealthy defense contractor-turned-developer name of Blue (CEO of General
Atomics – suppliers of a new breed of nuclear reactors, among other things) …
Handed the most unfavorable of legal decisions, Telluride rolled up its sleeves
and got to work putting its money where its mouth was. Not just the rich. Oh,
they gave plenty. But thousands of little folks too. Waitrons and carpenters.
Barkeeps and shop owners. That’s the real story here. How the people drove this
decision -- not the powers that be … What better example of democracy at work
than a town united against unwanted growth?
TALKING GOURDS
… Gourdsters from all over Colorado and New Mexico converged on Telluride in
April (National Poetry Month) for three days of hip-hop, slam, spoken word and
performance poetry … For the second year in a row, Denver’s premiere trio
Roc’em Soc’em (Day Acoli, Oracle Speaks & Bianca Mikahn) tamed the waters,
healed the sick and rocked the Saturday night rafters at the historic Sheridan
Opera House, preceded by the elegant and understated artistry of Tres Chicas –
the incomparable poets Joan Logghe, Renee Gregorio & Miriam Sagan … Friday
saw award-winning poet Aaron Abeyta and his Adam State colleague Carol
Guerrero-Murphy lead a troupe of adults and students in a fine group
performance as the Grizzly Growlers, followed by three members of the 2006
Denver Slam Team that took first place at the National Poetry Slam competition
in Austin, Texas, last year – Ken Arkind, Jen Rinaldi and Roc’em Soc’em’s
Bianca Mikahn. Ken’s performances were wild and wicked, Jen had great chops
talking about the importance of women in the kitchen, and Bianca charmed us all
… Saturday’s noon show featured the Yoolgai trio from Shiprock – zoEy bEnally,
Tish Ramirez & Curt Yazza. Both Tish and zoEy had me laughing through my
tears, their rants and reveries about current rez life and the genocidal waves
of the past both brilliant and powerful. North Beach émigré in Oak Hill-hiding
Jack Mueller did his best stand-up Ferlinghetti, and took people’s breath away
with dazlling off-piste zingers. This year’s Mark Fischer award winner Michael
Adams (Adamsa in Slovak) of Lafayette and history teacher Phil Woods of Denver
teamed up to wrench our hearts with the political and immerse our heads in the
natural. They’re two thirds of a Front Range performance poetry trio called the
Underground Railroad … And Telluride’s Peggy Dobbins of Iron Springs Mesa (who
took a Mark Fischer runner-up prize), together with long-time friend Kathy
Barrett, gave a didactic art happening masque as uncloistered novitiate and her
chuddar’d Arabian channel, and erected an installation tent of eight panels of
Karankawan pictograms “illustrating the Hebrew Genesis as revealed in Arabic to
a 17th century Mexican nun.” … Perhaps the biggest surprise hit of the gathering
was the winner of the Talking Gourds’ Tellus Award for the best poetry film of
the year – Committing Peace in a Time of War, presented by film principle Bill
Nevins and his partner Priscilla Baca y Candelaria, as well as
producer/attorney Erik Sorotkin of Ubuntuworks … Beyond showings and
performances, there were a bunch of workshops, open mikes, shared tables in
what restaurants were open, bar tabs and unsanctioned readings, as well as the
usual serendipities and private hanky-pankies that festivals are famous for …
Yo, let’s do it again next year. April 24-27, 13008.
SMARTER THAN YEAST?
… Richard Heinberg, author of the books The Party’s Over and Powerdown,
shows one slide during his presentations that plots the vertical growth of
yeast when sugar is added to a petri dish. The yeast multiply out of control
before starvation and toxins in their own waste cause a massive die-off … In
the next slide, Heinberg plots growth of the human population since the
discovery of fossil fuel -- a curve that happens to match the growth part of
the yeast curve … Then he asks, are we smarter than yeast? … (thanks to Lance
Christie)
IRIS WILLOW …
Omygoddess, where did the years go? My eldest’s recently celebrated her 24th
birthday … It seems like just yesterday she was my two-year-old cover girl for
the now defunct Telluride Times, sniffing the blooms of a spring cactus
down in Sand Canyon.
SPEAKING OF KIDS
… In a study published February 21 last year, researchers at Emory
University in Atlanta analyzed urine samples from children ages three to eleven
who ate only organic foods and found that they contained almost no metabolites
of two common pesticides, malathion and chlorpyrifos … Once the same children
returned to eating non-organic foods, concentrations of these pesticide
metabolites quickly climbed as high as 263 parts per billion!
SPEAKING OF PESTICIDES
… The Chinese have cultivated spider populations in field crops as a pest
management strategy for centuries. Most of the so-called “inventions” of the
modern world originated in China, according to Cambridge scholar Joseph Needham
… Spiders are able to rapidly colonize a planted field by parachuting in on
silk threads, or what’s called “ballooning.” However, spiders have a soft
external skeleton, making them more vulnerable to variations in temperature and
humidity than pest insect cousins, protected by hard exoskeletons of chitin …
Mulching and no-till cropping techniques help maintain suitable spider habitat.
A study in Germany found that mulch increased spider densities in wheat fields,
leading to reducing cereal aphid populations by 25 percent. Spiders are very
effective predators, killing more pest insects than they can consume … The researchers
also found that the presence of spiders causes many insects to abandon host
plants -- cucumber beetles, Japanese beetles, cutworms, greenbugs, leafhoppers,
planthoppers, and moth larvae in apple orchards.
© 2006 Art Goodtimes
Back
to Top
Growing Fuel- A Corny Idea?
by Bonnie Poole
Corn fields traditionally grown for food
are being converted into fields grown for fuel. Biodiesel and ethanol additives
for cars are being promoted as a ‘green’ alternative to petroleum use. The
false idea that growing corn for fuel is sustainable and will reduce our
dependence on foreign oil is prompting state and federal government to pass
legislation supporting these alternatives to petroleum. As more and more
biodiesel refineries and ethanol distilleries are licensed, major concerns are
growing across America’s farmland.
The greens, hawks and some farmers helped
to convince the US Senate to add an ethanol provision to the energy bill. The
new requirement would move fuel refineries to use 8 billion gallons of ethanol
by 2012. Professors David Pimental of Cornell University and Tad Patzek of the
University of California calculate that 8 billion gallons of ethanol might
reduce America’s overall oil consumption by 0.5%. Even the General Accounting
Office concluded that ethanol’s potential as a petroleum replacement is so small
that it is unlikely to affect energy security. Converting the entire US grain
harvest to ethanol would satisfy only 16% of the US auto fuel needs!
Pimental and Patzek have also calculated
the costs of corn- to- ethanol production and use. Petroleum fuel inputs to
ethanol production include diesel fuel for tractors, petroleum based
fertilizers, energy to transport the grain to distilleries, the energy costs of
distillation and a cooler and less efficient burn of ethanol in an auto engine.
When comparing the BTU’s of energy needed to produce ethanol and the BTU’s
obtained from that production, corn is seen as the poorest choice of grain.
Corn-to- ethanol production requires 50% more fossil fuel energy to create it
than energy is produced! The best yield comes from soybeans where the net loss
of energy is 27%. More ethanol production actually increases America’s total
energy consumption which is currently dependent upon foreign petroleum.
Other costs of biodiesel and ethanol
production must also be taken into account. American tax payers subsidize the
production of corn. Between 1995 and 2003, federal corn subsidies totaled $37.3
billion. This handout will increase under the new provision. Costs associated
with environmental pollution have not been calculated.
The US corn crop accounts for 40% of the
global harvest and 70% of the world’s corn exports. The price of corn has
doubled recently as there is more demand for biodiesel and ethanol production.
Some farmers are enjoying this windfall of higher prices. Other farmers with
markets overseas are warning of increasing trade deficits as foreign markets
refuse to pay higher prices. Farmers who feed livestock are also paying higher
prices for grain. Consumers can expect to see higher prices not only on cereal
but also meat and dairy products. Because corn competes for land with other
grain crops, as corn prices rise, so too will the price of wheat and rice. This
soaring demand for corn comes at a time when world wide grain production has
fallen below consumption for six of the last seven years. World wide grain
stocks are at their lowest level in 34 years. The consequences of growing food
insecurity are anyone’s guess.
There are four sources of sustainable
energy: the sun, gravity, wind, and geothermal. If we begin to understand the
costs of non-sustainable energy sources, these ‘alternatives’ look like a
bargain. The US energy consumption is still expanding. Conservation through
energy efficient cars, homes, and appliances is the cheapest and most obvious
source of ‘new’ energy.
It is time for a moratorium on the
licensing of new distilleries. The consequences of this head-long rush to grow
fuel cannot be fully appreciated. We risk creating far greater problems as we
attempt to solve our problem of dependence on foreign oil. When combining the
negative net energy effects of ethanol with the potential impacts of small
farmers and food costs, corn- based ethanol is bad energy policy.
Back
to Top
Flower Essences
© Anne Calzada Herbalist
Flower essences are vibrational remedies
that help to restore balance and harmony within body and soul. They are plant
spirit medicine in the form of liquid. Originally researched and explored by
Dr. Edward Bach of England. Using homeopathic principles, he discovered that
the subtle energies of plants resonate with emotional, mental and spiritual
imbalances and assist in realigning the individual with their true self. The
original self in complete health and balance. He began compiling his studies in
1930 and passed away in 1936, leaving behind him a legacy and modality of
healing that is practiced globally. Thank you Dr. Bach for your visionary
endeavors!
The original 38 flower essences have been
expounded upon most notably by the American organization known as The Flower
Essence Society or FES. There are now literally dozens of companies devoted to
the creation of flower essences and even other vibrational remedies such as
gemstone essences.
Flower essences are generally taken by
using 4 drops under the tongue up to 4 times a day. You can take more than one
remedy at a time. They do not react adversely with medications. They may be
taken orally, applied topically or used in a bath. They can be taken as long as
needed. You will intuitively know when you are done with a specific remedy or
follow your healthcare practitioner's advice. Find them at the health food
store.
Here is a glimpse into the original Bach
flower essences…Enjoy!
1. Agrimony.
Those who suffer considerable inner torture as they
try to dissemble behind a façade of cheerfulness.
2. Aspen.
Apprehension and foreboding. Fears of an unknown
origin.
3. Beech.
Critical and intolerant of others. Arrogant.
4. Centaury.
Weakness of will; those who let themselves be
exploited or imposed upon, become subservient; difficulty saying
"no", human doormat.
5. Cerato.
Those who doubt their own judgment, seeks advice of
others. Often influenced and misguided.
6. Cherry
Plum. Fear of mental collapse/desperation/loss of control
and fear of causing harm. Vicious rage.
7. Chestnut
Bud. Refusal to learn by experience; continually repeating
the same mistakes.
8. Chicory.
The over-possessive, demands respect or attention
(selfishness), likes others to conform to their standards. Makes martyr of
oneself, self pity.
9. Clematis.
Indifferent, inattentive, dreamy, absent-minded.
Mental escapist from reality.
10. Crab
Apple. Cleanser. Feels unclean or ashamed of ailments.
Self-disgust/hatred. For cleansing out toxins.
11. Elm.
For temporary feelings of inadequacy, overwhelmed by
responsibilities.
12. Gentian.
Despondent. Easily discouraged and dejected. Self
doubt.
13. Gorse.
Extreme hopelessness-pessimist. "Oh what's the
use?"
14. Heather.
People who are obsessed with own troubles and
experiences. Over talkative/poor listeners.
15. Holly.
For those who are jealous, envious, revengeful and
suspicious. For those who hate.
16. Honeysuckle.
For those with nostalgia and who constantly dwell in
the past. Homesickness.
17. Hornbeam.
"Monday morning" feeling but once started
task is usually fulfilled. Procrastination.
18. Impatiens.
Impatience. Irritability.
19. Larch.
Despondency due to lack of self-confidence; expectation of failure, so fails to
make the attempt. Feels inferior though has the ability.
20. Mimulus.
Fear of known things. Shyness, timidity.
21. Mustard.
Deep gloom like an overshadowing dark cloud that descends for no reason which
can lift just as suddenly. Melancholy.
22. Oak.
Brave determined types, struggles on against adversity despite setbacks.
Plodders.
23. Olive.
Extreme tiredness drained of energy, everything an effort.
24. Pine.
Feelings of guilt. May blame self for other's mistakes. Always feel they should
do better.
25. Red
Chestnut. Excessive fear and over caring for others especially those held dear.
26. Rock
Rose. Terror, extreme fear or panic.
27. Rock
Water. For those who are hard on themselves, often overworked. Rigid minded,
self-denying.
28. Scleranthus.
Uncertainty/indecision/vacillation. Fluctuating moods.
29. Star
of Bethlehem. For all the effects of serious news, or fright following an
accident, etc. Any of life's traumas.
30. Sweet
Chestnut. Anguish of those who have reached the limit of endurance-only
oblivion left.
31. Vervain.
Over-enthusiasm, over effort; straining. Fanatical and highly-strung. Incensed
by injustices.
32. Vine.
Dominating/inflexible/ambitious/tyrannical. Loves power. Can make good leaders.
33. Walnut.
Protection remedy from powerful influences. Helps adjust to any transition or
change such as puberty, menopause, divorce, new surroundings, job.
34. Water
Violet. Proud, reserved, sedate types, sometimes
"superior". Little emotional involvement but reliable/dependable.
35. White
Chestnut. Persistent unwanted thoughts.
Preoccupation with some worry or some episode. Mental argument.
36. Wild
Oat. Helps determine one's path in life.
37. Wild
Rose. Resignation, apathy. Drifters who accept their lot,
making little effort for improvement-lack ambition.
38. Willow.
Resentment and bitterness with "not fair"
and "poor me" attitude.
39. Rescue
Remedy. A combination of Cherry plum, Clematis, Impatiens,
Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem. All purpose emergency blend for causes of
fright, shock anguish, panic, emotional upset, stage fright etc…
Anne Calzada is a Certified Herbalist and
founder of Healing Heart Herbs. For consultations please call 626 5663 or email
her at annecalzada@aol.com.
Back
to Top
The Next Eternity
by Bruce K. Avenell
You can know what the stars know.
You can speak to them all.
If you enter the night lightly,
And do protocol.
You can know what the stars know.
You can see what they see.
If you enter the night lightly,
And tell them you’re feee.
You can know what the stars know.
You can dream with their dreams.
If you enter the night rightly,
It can be as it seems.
You can know what the stars know.
As they stand across time.
If you find the right focus,
And are free of your mind.
You can know what the stars know.
They will show you the way.
Just dream in your dreams,
You can hear what they say.
You can know what the stars know.
It is so destined to be.
If you find the nights song,
And sing it to thee.
You can know what the galaxies know.
As they move across time.
Just hold the nights song.
And thrice make it rhyme.
Bruce K. Avenell
10-10-2000
Back
to Top
So What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
by Carol Harris-Fike
The answer to the question: “What do you
want to be when you grow up?” seems simple and straight forward… a doctor,
lawyer, merchant chief… but is it? The first question to ask is: “How do
you want to be in this world?” If you can answer that one, the other becomes
much easier, or perhaps, not so important. Many of us think that a certain
career will lead to the life we want to live, but has it? Or has it given us
some sense of accomplishment, but we know something is still missing? Isn’t our
contentment with life really tied to how we are living our life in all aspects?
I encourage you to play with this idea:
List ten ways (statements) of how you want to “be” and pay close attention to
your responses. If you have never thought about this, it is usually harder than
you first think. “I want to be happy… peaceful… wealthy…” trips off our
tongues, but then we come to a halt. What does each of those ideals really
mean? What is the happiness about? What does peace look like? What is
the wealth for? How do I describe how I want to be in ten statements
that are entirely true to who I am in this world? Only then can we answer the
question: If I live my life in this way, what would I be doing?
To find our answers we need to observe
ourselves. Even more, we need to observe how we are observing ourselves.
When we can become a different observer and truly “see” ourselves and then ask
our higher self… we will know or perhaps see for the first time what is most
important in how we want to be in the world. Becoming a different observer
allows us more choices… and then actually provides us with the answers for
which we are searching.
One of my former clients wanted to do
something different with her life, but what? Her first observation was that the
way to do something different meant getting schooling/training for a new
career. But something just didn’t feel right and she couldn’t move ahead. We
began to work from the question: “How do you want to be?” What came after a few
sessions and a lot of checking in with her higher self led her to an entirely
different place. She prioritized her list of ten ways to be and then searched
out what her higher self knew were her true gifts. From there she discovered
that her avocation of meditation and spiritual growth led her to all of the
ways she wanted to be. Her higher self told her that her gifts were in teaching
meditation and other spiritual practices and she had all the training she
needed to begin! As soon as she made this discovery she was asked (guided?) to
lead a group which led to the “wealth” she needed to live life the way she
dreamed. The master’s degree and the money to get it were no longer necessary
to be in this world the way she desired at this time. Asking the question: “How
do you want to be?” helped this person to discover the right answers for her;
it will be different for each of us. What will you discover?
Back
to Top
Refusing to be a Victim
by Jerry Overton
Four days ago, I was the recipient of a
rear-end collision. My vehicle was hit so hard that it literally knocked it off
the ground and shoved it forward nearly a block. The adrenalin coursing through
my body was so intense that I didn’t know if I was hurt or not.
Several bystanders inquired as to my
condition, and when I told them that I didn’t think I was hurt, most responded
with, “Well, you’re going to be sore in the morning.” And, I must admit that my
own memory of other accidents, gave me the same thought.
Later that evening, I remembered years of
study that said that my body would actually respond to whatever thoughts I had
about it. If I had the thought that it would be “sore in the morning,” then it
would. And likewise, if I had the thought that it was perfectly fine, with no
reason to be sore, then it would be that way, too.
In order to be sure of what thoughts I was
carrying around, especially those in my unconscious and out of my awareness, I
used a healing modality called the Emotional Freedom Techniques. With this
technique, I began to explore possible set-up statements, which is the first
step in the healing process with this modality. And to my amazement, I had all
kinds of “reasons” as to why I should be “sore in the morning.”
One was that, “after all I had been in a
rear-end collision, and whip-lash was to be expected.” Another was that “an
injury would confirm to my friends that I had been through quite a trauma” and
thus give them reason to give me attention and sympathy. And still another was
that if I was hurt, then I would have legitimate reason to blame the one who
hit me, which seemed “necessary” given the fact that he was intoxicated.
As I began to look at all these “logical
reasons” for “being sore in the morning,” one thing became clear to me. They
were all simply ways to be a victim and to satisfy my ego’s notion that I’m no
more than a body, subject to all the pain and suffering of such a fragile
existence.
With that awareness, I knew I could choose
differently. I could choose not to be a victim, and therefore not be “sore in
the morning.” And with that freedom, came others, like for example, I was also
free not to blame the one who rear-ended me, and to thus be free of carrying
around those ill feelings. And, as I chose not to be a victim, I would have yet
another example of how I could always choose to live life free of pain and
suffering, and even be an example to others who might be tempted to be the
victim and suffer all the resulting consequences of that thought.
Armed with those awarenesses, I used the
process of EFT before I went to bed, which only took about 3 or 4 minutes, and
I slept very well, with no sense of trauma at all. I even had a dream that my
head was being cradled throughout the night with several soft and downy pillows
keeping my head and neck comforted. And, I awoke with no soreness at all!
I’m thankful that I’ve been exposed to
teachings that keep me aware that I don’t have to be a victim. That it’s always
a choice, and one that I can make easily as I consider the alternatives. And
yet, it does require just a little willingness to take charge of one’s life and
to make good choices for ourselves, becausemost of the world would have us
believe that we are simply victims of whatever the world might throw at us.
Those bystanders didn’t intend harm to me
when they said I was “going to be sore in the morning.” They were simply
revealing to me their own beliefs. Fortunately for me, I had access to other
beliefs that gave me a different outcome.
And now, so do you. May you use them well,
because even though you might be tempted to be the victim, you really have no
good reason to do so. Choose instead to be happy! You deserve it!
Copyright 2007 Dr. Jerry Overton
Jerry is a practitioner of the Emotional
Freedom Techniques, a modality that can heal all sorts of fear, trauma, and
disease. He can be reached at 970-252-9311.
Back
to Top
