Endangered California Tiger Salamander! - OAEC Video

Sonoma County's Endangered
Tiger Salamander
Video from the Occidental Arts
& Ecology Center
Water Institute

We hope that you will enjoy and find our latest project of interest.
http://www.oaecwater.org/kcts-video
Please forward it out widely and/or blog about the plight of this amazing animal and its threatened Valley Oak Savannah & Vernal Pool world!!

This is another collaborative project between Ben Zolno, Brock Dolman and Jim Coleman of ZoDoCo Productions, with special thanks to Dave Cook!

The fate of our distinct Sonoma County population of California Tiger Salamander hangs in the balance pending a process and decision over the next year by the California Fish and Game Commission. Please encourage them to list this species population as “endangered” (see info below and in video)!

BTW - Note: No salamanders were harmed in the making of this film.

Sal E. Manderly Yours, Brock

SAVING THE CALIFORNIA TIGER SALAMANDER ...This beautiful amphibian is a discriminating species that can only thrive in unique — and now extremely rare — habitats. As California's vernal pools, grasslands, and oak woodlands disappear, the tiger salamander has fewer and fewer reasons to grin. The species' plight is particularly extreme in Sonoma County, where development threatens 95 percent of remaining salamander habitat, and the Santa Barbara population — although it was luckily listed as federally endangered in 2000 — is still on the verge of going extinct.

This is a special report on the slayings of rare California Tiger Salamanders on a Sonoma County Road, and one easy thing you can do to save the rest of them!

It will take only 45 seconds of your time to save California Tiger Salamander in Sonoma County.

The California Fish and Game Commissioners have one-year to decide if the rare California Tiger Salamander in Sonoma County should be listed as "endangered". If they don't list it, the protections that come with an endangered status will be lost. Contact these folks and remind them that scientists agree that they are, in fact, endangered, and that the Sonoma County California Tiger Salamander should be listed by the State of California as an endangered species!

California Fish and Game Commission
1416 Ninth Street
P.O. Box 944209
Sacramento, CA 94244-2090
Phone (916) 653-4899
Fax (916) 653-5040
E-mail: fgc@fgc.ca.gov
(e-mail is fine, but if you take a minute to print it out and mail it, it has a much bigger impact!)

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Conscious Dying and Conscious Grieving

There is No Death
Mystical Pathways to Conscious Dying
and Conscious Grieving

A talk by Terri Daniel, author of

A SWAN IN HEAVEN: Conversations Between Two Worlds

This workshop explores the myths and misconceptions that have created a fear of death in our culture, and offers an extraordinary metaphysical perspective on the dying and grieving process.

Using interactive exercises, guided meditation and after-death communication techniques (ADC), participants will acquire unique tools for navigating the dying and grieving process. Based on Terri's experience as a hospice worker, channeler and grief guide who works with assistance from The Other Side, she uses interdimensional journeying to gently guide participants into contact with the higher realms, where out-of-body experience and death itself are seen as simply the continuation of life in another dimension.

Terri Daniel is a channeler, hospice worker and author who teaches after-death communication techniques as a path to understanding loss and grief. Her book, A SWAN IN HEAVEN, is based on dialogs with her son, who died at age 16 and now shares insightful, inspired teachings from the Other Side.

WHEN: Saturday, May 30 - 10 am - 6 pm
WHERE: The Yumtha Center for Conscious Living and Dying
4115 Ross Rd., Sebastopol, CA.
COST: $80 - $140* sliding scale/ includes lite lunch
RSVP: Dr Anna Bonas Yumtha Metta Care Center - 707-829-6893
http://www.yumtha.org/

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Beyond Bailouts: REAL Economic Solutions - David Korten

David Korten has just come out with a book ("Beyond Bailouts: Agenda for a New Economy") describing the different approach he says we need to take to address our current economic crisis.

WCG reader and columnist Patricia Dines recommends David's book -

Dear Vesta,
I'm so delighted that David Korten has just come out with a book ("Beyond Bailouts: Agenda for a New Economy") describing the different approach he says we need to take to address our current economic crisis. I've long appreciated the quality of Korten's thinking/ideas so I look forward to reading it. While I'm a big fan of Obama, I think he's accepted standard economic thinking too much, at a time when we need to seriously change that direction. Hopefully the Prez will also keep his word to listen to us, AND we'll speak up for positive proposals. That's why I'm so thrilled that Korten has written out his perspective AND some ideas we might propose.

I've included his essay below. But this is the short version that Korten articulates (which I see also) - that we can't prop the current economic system up, no matter how many gazillions we take from future generations - that the economic breakdown is the predictable result of real problems with our economic approach - and thus the only way to come out of this in decent shape is to make key shifts in our economic system.

But the good news could be that we use this opportunity to finally align our system with true wealth, making it easier for people to earn a fair living while taking care of the planet and building community - things that are too often challenging to do under the current system.

I hope you find this of interest.

Patricia Dines
EcoWriter
www.patriciadines.info

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Dear Reader, [of Yes! magazine]

You may be catching some of the media excitement around Dave Korten's just-published book, Agenda for a New Economy. With Wall Street crashing and the government flailing, his message to replace Wall Street with a financial system that works for Main Street is catching fire.

Now here's a secret about this book. Dave wrote it in a mere three weeks! The genesis was his article for YES!, Beyond Bailouts: Agenda for a New Economy. When Dave's publisher read it, he asked Dave to turn it into a book, and they targeted the launch for January 23, when Dave was set to deliver a keynote address at Trinity Church in the heart of Wall Street. So Dave literally wrote night and day, the words pouring out from a lifetime of thought. Dave said "I feel like I have lived my whole life to write this book."

I was with Dave in New York and accompanied him to his interview with Amy Goodman for Democracy Now! After Amy finished her interview with Dave, she discovered I had been friends with Barack Obama's mother so she called the camera crews back to interview me about our friendship. I think you'll enjoy both these interviews.

Fran Korten
Publisher,
YES! Magazine

------------------------------------------------------
Yes! Magazine - Path to a New Economy

Don't Fix Wall Street, Replace It
by David Korten

Why not an economy of real wealth?

The current economic debate centers on how best to revive our existing economic system through some combination of a Wall Street bailout and a job-creating economic stimulus package. That amounts to trying to revive an economic system that has failed in every dimension: financial, social, and environmental. Rather than prop up a failed system, we should use the current financial crisis as the opportunity to create a system that works. Trying to solve the crisis with the same tools that caused it is the definition of insanity.

As individuals, we humans appear to be an intelligent species. Collectively, however, our behavior ranges from supremely wise to suicidal. Our current collective economic insanity is the product of an illusion—a belief, cultivated by the prevailing economic orthodoxy, that money is wealth and that making money is the equivalent of creating wealth.

Money is merely an accounting chit with no intrinsic value—it is useless until we exchange it for something of real value. Wall Street’s specialty is creating money for rich people without the exertion of producing anything of corresponding real value. They increase their claims against real wealth without increasing the supply of goods, making it harder for the rest of us to meet our needs.

Real wealth is, first of all, the tangible things that support life—food, shelter, clothing. Of course, the most valuable forms of real wealth are those that are beyond price: love; a healthy, happy child; a job that provides a sense of self-worth and contribution; membership in a strong, caring community; a healthy vibrant natural environment; peace. Our Wall-Street-driven economic system makes fantastic amounts of money and actively destroys all these many forms
of real wealth.

We have been in thrall to a pervasive cultural story, continuously reinforced by academics, government officials, and corporate media, which led us to believe our economy was functioning splendidly even when it was quite literally killing us. You have heard this story many times:

“Economic growth, as measured by Gross Domestic Product, creates the wealth needed to provide material abundance for all, increase human happiness, end poverty, and heal the environment. The faster we consume, the faster the economy grows and the wealthier we become as the rising tide lifts all boats.”

The logical conclusion from this story is that the faster we convert useful resources to toxic garbage, the richer we are. The only true beneficiaries of this obviously stupid idea are a few very rich people who reap financial gains from every economic transaction—whether the
transaction cures a disease or clearcuts a rainforest. It is a system that deifies money and dilutes wealth.

In contrast, the Main Street economy is comprised of local businesses and working people who produce real goods and services to meet the real wealth needs of their communities. It has been battered and tattered by the predatory intrusions of Wall Street corporations, but it is the
logical foundation on which to build a new, real wealth economy of green jobs and green manufacturing, responsible community-oriented businesses, and sound environmental practices.

Let Wall Street corporations and their phantom wealth machine slip into the abyss of their own making. Devote our public resources to building and strengthening Main Street businesses and financial institutions devoted to creating real wealth in service to their local communities.

David Korten wrote this article for the Spring 2009 issue of YES! Magazine, Food for Everyone . David's latest book is Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth (published by Berrett-Koehler, Feb 2009). Read an extract . David is also the author
of the international bestseller When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community . He is co-founder and board chair of YES! Magazine , and a board member of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies .

www.davidkorten.org

See more details at:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?ID=3050&utm_source=feb09&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=N3_topArticl

Winter 2009: Sustainable Happiness
Beyond the Bailout: Agenda for a New Economy
by David Korten

(This article inspired David Korten's new book)

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Our Economy in Crisis - A Reader's Perspective

Another Crisis Wasted
By Larry Stirling

Philosopher Garrett Hardin committed suicide a few years too soon to witness his prediction of our economic Waterloo coming to fruition.

Hardin’s notion, “The Tragedy of the Commons,” employed the quaint example of a village green overgrazed by neighbors’ cows eventuating in everyone going without milk.

Thus the fate of Easter Island in miniature and the fate of our economy in colossus.

His view was that any resource held “in the public interest” ends up being guarded by no one then subsequently raided by everyone.

That includes the bogus notion that there is such a thing as “The full faith and credit of the United States Government.” There isn’t. Congress does not hock their own land or sign personal notes for their debts. Instead, they impose their disastrous decisions on us.

Dr. Hardin made the mistake of assuming government was a benign force and could be entrusted with policing “the common.”

The government, under its present unchecked democratic control, is a wholesale plunderer of the ultimate public resource, the energy and intelligence of its citizens. Liberal governments treat our businesses and us as slaves to be taxed of resources and steal our time through “mandates.”

The Libertarian’s have this right. Government bribes us with other people’s money and bribes other people with our money grabbing an unconscionable chunk for themselves during the transaction.

Government is a pernicious form of economic cancer resulting in two totally perverse public policies destined to bankrupt any nation: the vilification and over taxation of the productive simultaneous with the creation, adulation, and subsidy of an ever-increasing group of dependents.

Or as Dr. Hardin put it, “We fail to mandate economic sanity because our brains are addled by compassion.”

Dr. Hardin spent many years teaching at the University of California at Santa Barbara. If he were still alive he would have had a clear view of the latest crises generated by our California state government.

The courageous Republican legislators saw the state’s stupendous deficits for what they are: a clear signal that something is mightily amiss in the constitution and operations of California.

To their everlasting credit Republican legislators demanded change.

For months, they were brutalized by the liberal press and their own “RINO” governor for “not understanding” the needs of the voracious state bureaucracy along with their fellow travelers in local government and the myriad other tax-dependent constituencies.

In the end, a few Republicans, instead of demanding reengineering of the state, caved in to the unimaginable pressure.

Thus the courage of the stalwart Republicans was squandered and another crisis wasted.

Already a group of several hundred people have held a rump “constitutional convention summit” in Sacramento to rethink the states current governing document and to find ways around the
Republicans and their sole leverage, the two-thirds vote requirement for annual budget adoption.

Convention proposals include: the elimination of term limits; creation of more, smaller districts to pack the legislature with more liberals; and promoting even more voter fraud by permitting Election Day voter registration.

Every one of those proposals might as well come right out of an ACORN elections-policy committee and probably did.

Each of the above suggestions will substantially steepen our state’s present financial death spiral.

It is true, the state’s unwieldy constitution does need to be amended but here are three major changes needed.

First and foremost constitutionally reverse the disastrous U.S. Supreme Court case ruling in Reynolds v. Sims (377 US 533) which required all state senates to be reapportioned on the basis of population contrary to what their constitutions explicitly provided.

It is the nature of democracies that they lean toward bankrupting their governments. There has to be some brake on that tendency. Thus the existence of senates.

The U.S. Senate is based on geography: two senators per state irrespective of population so that the small states would not be overwhelmed by the large.

California’s constitution, paralleling the Feds, should provide for one senator elected from each county for the same reasons.

The practical advantage of senates is to calm the process, to reflect, to bring some wisdom to the hot-headed, rampaging, greedy Assembly proposals: “to saucer the hot coffee” as George Washington urged upon Alexander Hamilton.

All that was lost at the state level thanks to the Sims decision. Instead of providing mitigating reflection, urban senators were forced to join the spending rush to keep local assembly members from knocking them off their perches.

Next, constitutionally forbid further state borrowing for the obvious reasons. Make it a “pay-as-you-go” rather than an “owe-as-you-go” budget.

And finally, add to the constitution the office of State Auditor. California suffers from major fraud and internal inefficiency. Since there is no constitutional officer designated to check on such profligacy, it goes effectively unaddressed in our state.

Time to think outside the deficit.

Larry Stirling - Retired Superior Court Judge, San Diego
thestirlings@cox.net

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FORESTVILLE: A Roundabout at Mirabel Rd and Hwy 116

Forestville's Roundabout Dreams Come True
By Vesta Copestakes

Forestville citizens have been dreaming about, designing and lobbying for a roundabout at the intersection of Hwy 116 and Mirabel Road for at least a decade - if not longer. In the February 2002 issue of the Forestville Gazette, Robert Tanner, local advocate for ecologically responsible transportation solutions, illustrated his design and explained why a roundabout would be a vastly superior alternative to a four way traffic signal at this busy downtown intersection. Alan Tilton, Sonoma County traffic engineer and owner of Case Ranch Inn in Forestville, designed several versions of a roundabout and presented them to committees, supervisors, Caltrans planners and Sonoma County Transporation department planners. But until the head honchos at Caltrans and SoCo Roads retired, there was little hope that this alternative to a traffic light in town would ever have a chance of becoming reality.

“Time is on our side...yes it is!”
“Good things come to those who wait.”

Unincorporated towns have a hard time pushing their own agendas in county government. It's the main reason why the Forestville Planning Association was established years ago. Developments that threatened the serenity of our home town were coming our way, and we needed to at least have a say on what came to town. Town meetings were established to create opportunities for information and discussion. The rumble of gravel trucks through town from the two gravel quarries has always been a concern and the proposed bypass around downtown keeps getting farther and farther away as every year it becomes more expensive.

People are attracted to the Small Town spirit of this West Sonoma County community. The thought of a four-way traffic signal in the middle of town has brought many people in from the forest to protest potential air pollution from idling engines as well as braking and accelerating trucks at a traffic signal. We've been proud of being a town with no traffic light.

But the intersection of Highway 116 and Mirabel Road has become a problem as the community grows. Early mornings before school starts has traffic backed up as cars wait at the end of Mirabel Road for Hwy 116 cross-traffic to open up. The hill heading into Pocket Canyon blocks the view of on-coming traffic. There has to be a solution.

When the Crinella/Thiessen project was presented, it was designed around space for the proposed Hwy 116 bypass that comes off Mirabel Road, wraps around the north end of town and comes out past Forestville School at the east end of town. Caltrans had plans of taking the west end hill down to provide a safe line-of-site coming into the intersection from the west. But a traditional four-way stop takes up too much land, and power and maitenance costs are prohibitive. As time passed and the Thiessen Forestville Town Square project went into design review, the County asked Orrin Thiessen to redesign how his development fit with a roundabout instead of a four-way intersection. It was the first ray of hope that the county would be receptive to the roundabout solution.

Notice of a public hearing on Febraury 26th came as a surprise to many. The lone illustration of a roundabout brought joy to every Forestville roundabout advocate's heart. At last, county traffic planners and Caltrans have seen the light for our community, and there's hope for our roundabout dreams.

The Forestville School auditorium was packed to capacity with residents and business people anticipating what road planners had to say. Many were surprised at the enthusiasm Caltrans planners have for roundabouts, pointing out how much safer they are then four-way signalized intersections, etc. Roundabout advocates also brought up the superior safety for pediestrians who have less distance to travel across a roundabout intersection. Air Pollution concerns were met with praise for slowly moving traffic and no idling engines. With the exception of landowner Ramona Crinella whose land is impacted by this design, people were in general agreement that a roundabout is a vastly superior alternative to a four-way traffic signal at this vital downtown intersection. Many of Ramona's objections can be met with a slight change in the design presented and is already a considered alternative.

Caltrans and SoCo Transportation employees presented drawings, statistics and even an animated computer illustration of how gravel trucks will come through the roundabout - a consistent concern for many. In the end, the community embraced the concept and it looks like our roundabout dreams will come true starting in about two years. For everyone in the community who treasures having no traffic light in Forestville, it looks like we get to keep our downtown traffic-light-free - at least for now.

------------------------
Below is a report from Forestville Planning Association president Richard Naegle, written prior to the public hearing. It covers timing and funding for both the intersection and the proposed Forestville bypass:

FPA REPORTS The Forestville Planning Association
Website: forestvillefpa.org
By Richard Naegle

Many of us have been wondering if there has been any progress on plans for the intersection improvements at Mirabel/Hwy116 as well as for the proposed Bypass around the downtown. In December I questioned Tom O’Kane, Deputy Director of Sonoma County Transportation and Public Works, about these issues. His responses are below.

Hwy 116/Mirabel intersection improvements
“-- according to the 2007 Measure M Strategic Plan, this project is considered Phase I of the Forestville Bypass project – surprisingly enough, the intersection improvement plan is moving along through Caltrans - County staff has met on several occasions this summer & fall w/state personnel to coordinate on a final concept – as you probably know, the state originally had indicated that this would be a signalized intersection, incorporating a number of geometric changes – however, they are favorably considering an alternative design for a round-about – as w/any project that involves Caltrans, there are still an number of hurdles to overcome before this intersection project becomes a reality & we begin the detailed design – I am hopeful that we will receive the go ahead from the state in mid-2009 to proceed to design – once we have this approval from Caltrans, we will be in a better position to give a time frame for construction to begin.”
Forestville Bypass
“– this is a Measure “M” project – the total cost is estimated to be approximately $13.7 million, including the Hwy 116/Mirabel intersection improvements – Measure “M” is shown to contribute $2 million – the project statement indicates that the balance will come from other sources – traffic mitigation funds will supplement the funding, but development donations are also anticipated - the staff has discussed w/ Caltrans the potential for the state to assume the operations & maintenance of the bypass once it is completed – there are some significant right-of-way requirements that will be imposed if this is the approach that is ultimately taken – the County’s capital budget indicates that the construction phase of the project is still several years away.

It is important to note that the turndown in the economy has a significant impact on the revenues for transportation – sales & gas taxes are down substantially – the state has withheld our funds from various sources & while they will ultimately release them to local jurisdictions, it is uncertain when & how this will occur – this uncertainty plus the declining tax revenues has adversely affected our work program schedule – we will continue w/the Hwy 116/Marbel planning w/Caltrans & hopefully, the revenue picture will change for the better at the time we are ready to bid the work…”

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BUSINESS PROFILE: Almost Home Doggie Day Care

Creating Their Dream Job,
Forestville's Sherrie Owens & Kim Crumb
Almost Home Doggie Day Care

Jake, a Mini-Pincher, visits in half-day increments to rid him of separation anxiety and a fear of large dogs. He no longer cries and barks at the gate of the indoor area. Instead, tail up and wagging, he’s traipsing along near Chubbaca, a large Malamute/Shepherd mix, and Peyton, a lovely Golden retriever, with a smiling Cavalier in tow.

Jake’s real life next door dog, Stella the Cavalier, recently lost her Golden Retriever companion. Jake and Stella have always barked and snarled at each other through the fence, but had never met nose to nose. Their people like each other, but the dog animosity is tiring. Today Jake is showing Stella around the yard and as an “old timer” seems to comfort her on her first day. Without leashes, fences, and turf to defend they are free to be friends.

When Kim and I met, I was breeding Golden Retrievers. Kim knew it was true love when I told him that I loved him as much as my dog Sam. We’ve been married almost thirty years, and have always had at least two dogs in the household. Kim is a Handyman/Carpenter Extraordinaire and has even engineered fire trucks for a living. I have been a Chief Financial Officer for a multitude of not-for-profit organizations. Over the years we have discussed various ideas about a business revolving around dogs.

Late last summer, just a 1½ miles south of downtown Forestville, we found a terrific location for lease on Highway 116. The building is 2,000+ square feet, with over ¼ acre of fenced yard at the back. The owners of the building, Jack and Pat Sissel, allowed us to transform the building and yard into a safe, fun place for dogs. We have set up separate areas inside for large and small dogs, and are able to introduce a new dog to the others without an overwhelming rush of wet dog noses. The yard is also partitioned, but is gated to allow the sections to be joined for maximum running and chasing.

When we have dogs for an overnight stay they go home with us. For our “sleep-overs” the dogs spend the evening by the fire, and then go to bed with our dogs in the kitchen. Because of limited space we only have about 4 dogs maximum that we take home. We had a couple of dogs stay two weeks with us during the Christmas vacation.

We have a fantastic raised bathtub with a ramp and warm water. You can bathe your dogs yourself, or we will bathe them for you. This is a wonderful way to keep your bathroom clean, and spare your back in the process.

Brown ears flopping like thick furry wings, Sophie, the Springer Spaniel rockets by me, pea gravel scattering as Sonoma the Beagle chases after her, intent on the tug she has managed to wrest from him. They dash through one of the gates and on up through the bushes at the rear fence. About the yard, singly, or in small groups several more assorted dogs rest, play, or sniff. From a dog’s perspective this must be perfection, and it is pretty darn great for us too.

Sherrie Owens and Ki crumb: 707-823-4663
http://www.almosthomedoggiedaycare.com/

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EFREN CARILLO: Budget, Water, and Health Care: Facing a Drought!

Budget, Water, and Health Care: Facing a Drought!

Budget:
My first month has been a whirlwind. Even before taking office, I attended briefings on our County’s dire budget position. Our General Fund deficit is projected at over $22 million in the coming year. Administrators began the process of analyzing our position and planning action earlier this year than ever before. As a result we’ve already begun the difficult budget process, balancing our dwindling resources with our ongoing commitment to vital public services.

While Sonoma County finds itself in better financial shape than many other County governments in California, we still face difficult decisions. Working with community members, we will ensure that we emerge from this process preserving needed services and with an honest budget that reflects our citizen’s priorities.

One bright light at this difficult time is Sonoma County’s ongoing leadership in advancing climate protection efforts. The Board has begun its process for launching the Sonoma County Energy Independence Project. Under legislation that passed last year (AB811), Sonoma County is poised to be first in California to establish an innovative and wide spread renewable energy generation and water and energy conservation program for residential and commercial buildings.

This effort, which will not cost tax payers one dime, will allow home and business owners new access to green technology that save energy, water, and generates green house gas free energy. This program will also provide green jobs employing our residents. I’ve just returned from meeting with Obama Transition Team members in Washington, DC about securing funds for this innovative program.

Sonoma County has a broader climate protection agenda which includes reducing green house gas levels by 25% of 1990 levels by 2015.

Water
Without a torrential downpour in the next month, we are heading into what has been dubbed the most severe drought in California history. A February 2nd news conference held by the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA) raised the red flag that reservoir storage levels in Lakes Sonoma and Mendocino are at or near historic lows.

Also announced was the lowering of Russian River water releases to Federally mandated minimum flows in order to protect Coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead trout, which are listed on the endangered species list. Agriculture, recreation, and tourism also depend on water releases and will be affected by drought conditions.

Preparing for worse case scenarios, SCWA will call for a minimum 30% rationing order by early March.

This drought will affect us all. If we do not heed a call for reducing water usage, Lake Mendocino levels are projected to reach a level so low that portions of the Russian River may run dry! Urban water users consume about half of the water taken from the Russian River, while agriculture consumes the rest…and in the West County, many of us depend on private wells for our water.
SCWA is working with grape growers in the Russian River watershed to develop irrigation best management practices which will help reduce water use, and is working to implement a volunteer monitoring program of water levels throughout the Sonoma Valley basin to evaluate how the drought is affecting groundwater.

Reduce the amount of water you use starting right now!

Health Care:
Health programs have been targeted for reductions due to the State of California’s projected $41.6 billion deficit this fiscal year. The Governor proposes many actions including eliminating the California Children and Families Commission and eliminating 50% of local funds paid to support children’s programs.

The Sonoma Children and Families Commission (Sonoma First 5), is a valuable and effective resource which has expanded local enrollment in quality early childhood education programs, increased children’s access to health insurance and pediatric dental care, and provided parent education and support.

Fortunately, President Obama signed the State Children’s Health Insurance Program reauthorization which will expand health coverage to approximately 12,000 children in Sonoma County. Making sure that every child in Sonoma County has access to affordable health care is critical to children, their families, and our community. For more information about the Healthy Families program, contact: Access to Health Care at 565-4471 or (Spanish speakers) 565-4476

I am truly enjoying my work for the Fifth District. If you have any concerns or questions, you’re welcome to contact my office at 565-2241-kindly, Efren

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ASK ECO GIRL: Pursuing Your Green Job Dreams

Pursuing Your Green Job Dreams

Dear EcoGirl: I want to get a green job, so that my work can help nurture the planet’s well-being. Where do I start? Signed, Job Seeker

Dear Job Seeker: Thank you for your question. Yes, greening our work activities is a vital way for us to be part of the solution. So, it’s wonderful to see eco-jobs being increasingly discussed in books, magazines, websites, courses, and conferences.

Even President Obama’s proposed economic stimulus plan includes provisions for creating green jobs, and encouraging a clean-energy economy, by investing in renewable energy, efficiency, public transit, and the like.

This combination of ecological, economic, and employment objectives has been championed for years by grassroots activists, such as the Apollo Alliance (www.apolloalliance.org) and Van Jones, president of Green for All and author of The Green Collar Economy.

Through this approach, we can address multiple problems at once — reducing fossil fuel use (thus trimming greenhouse gasses and health-harming pollutants); generating good jobs (hence lowering poverty rates and encouraging economic equity); and even saving money.

However, to achieve these outcomes, we need to pay attention to the details. For instance, with so many folks wanting to seem ecological, it’s vital that we ensure that truly earth-friendly approaches are prioritized and funded. To further explore the definitions, claims, and realities of green jobs, check out the articles at (www.alternet.org/environment/123819) and (www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2008/11/the-truth-about-green-jobs.html).

Steps to success
So how can a job-seeker skillfully align with this trend?

1) Make a realistic plan. Paid jobs in this arena are still just emerging, so this isn’t necessarily a quick way to make money. You’re more likely to succeed if you connect to your passion, plan for the long-term, and develop your ability to produce tangible results.

2) Refine your understanding of green, recognizing that it’s a spectrum not an absolute. Despite our common casual language, jobs aren’t really dividable into green and non-green ones, but rather come in varying shades.

My first criteria in assessing any activity’s green level is: How quickly and meaningfully does it help us shift from a negative to a positive relationship with the planet’s vital systems? With time so short and the tasks so large, it’s vital that we emphasize actions with the most impact.
Viewed from this perspective, earth-nurturing jobs can include not only those making essential new eco-products, but also those repairing old items, selling used ones, implementing energy efficiencies, and more. Especially look for activities that reduce fossil fuel use, resource extraction, habitat destruction, pollution, and waste.

3) Green the job you have. Explore ways to better align your company’s offerings and actions with the planet’s needs, thus reducing your organization’s eco-footprint and positioning it well for the future. Green’s current popularity can improve your proposal’s chances. Also, trim company expenses in ways that are eco-friendly (such as buying select quality products), not earth-harmful (such as purchasing cheap throwaway items). Encourage your field’s industry groups to support governmental ecological targets, recognizing that everyone’s survival depends on a functioning planet. Also, green your personal job activities, for instance by carpooling, biking, or taking public transit to work.

4) Look for green job options that fit you. If you’re seeking a new eco-job, don’t limit yourself to the “green collar” jobs being primarily suggested for blue collar workers. Not everyone would make a great solar installer. Instead, consider the skills you want to offer and the causes and organizations you’d like to serve. Even green companies need accountants and salespeople!

5) Continue developing yourself. Educate yourself about sustainability, to understand the remedies that will really make a difference. Cultivate the skills you’ll need for the roles you want to play. Connect with earth-friendly allies and organizations, to stay informed about this trend as it evolves. Consider volunteering, to gain both experience and credentials.

There are many resources to help you on your chosen path. Here are three to get you started.

• The Feb. 28 Santa Rosa gathering, “Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference Report Back Panel Presentation,” will feature representatives of the Youth Green Jobs Sonoma program (http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/1746008, 236-7335).

• Hopland’s Solar Living Institute (www.solarliving.org, 744-2017) offers classes on sustainable living.

• I’ve created a webpage with links to green jobs (www.healthyworld.org/jobs.html).
Email your questions about going green to for possible inclusion in future columns. View past columns at . “EcoGirl: Encouraging the eco-hero in everyone.”


© Copyright Patricia Dines, 2008. All rights reserved.

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CINEMA CHATTER: Defiance. Revolutionary Road, Revolutionary Road

Defiance, Revolutionary Road, The Rape of Europa

The best movies are the ones that make you feel like you are in the movie living it instead of sitting somewhere only watching. Director Edward Zwick has created a World War Two action adventure that pulls you right the forest of Belarus, A small country between Poland and Russia in Defiance.

The Nazi’s are moving east to Russia looting, killing and arresting Jews for deportation to the labor camps. You are introduced to the Bielski brothers who come home to find their parents and their sister slain by Reich followers and vow revenge. These Jewish freedom fighters Tuvia (Daniel Craig) and Zus (Liev Schrieber) didn’t seek their revenge in the usual way.

They started camping in the forest to be safe and slowly different refugees drifted into their camp. Every time they go foraging for food the scouts would return with 3 or 5 more displaced Jews. Eventually they realize they needed to build a community deep in the forest where they could be safe.

With over a thousand refugees these brothers take old men, women and children deep into the forest and set up a community putting everyone to work building, cooking sewing all the necessary skills to keep all these people housed and fed. This community forms its own militia and do their share of resistance fighting too; Cinematographer Eduardo Serra does his job so well you can feel the chill of the temperature and almost taste the snow.

Screen writers Edward Zwick and Clayton Frohman have taken this little known true story of resistance and survival in a time of massive death and destructions. Composer James Newton Howard’s Oscar nominated score is the perfect punctuation to this larger than life story of courage and leadership. Of all the Nazi stories available this season I think Defiance is the most cinematically exciting in all aspects.

If you prefer your wars in the home Revolutionary Road is for you. Director Sam Mendes often delves into complicated family issues. Previously in The Road to Perdition and American Beauty he cut through behavioral veneers and gets right to the issues of humanity.

Revolutionary Road is a bleak and startling look at midcentury life, warts and all. Kate Winslet and Leonardo Di Caprio portray Frank and April Wheeler who fall in love, marry and move to the suburbs of New York and have children. Once they are firmly ensconced into their comfortable lives these two people how trapped they are by their choices and how unfulfilled their lives are. The acting between these two is so intimate you feel like a voyeur watching some scenes.

Screen writer Justin Haythe Gives us a story teeming with passion while being both concise and austere. Kudos to the production designer, costume designer and art directors who nailed the era in all details large and small. It was easy on the eyes (Thank You Roger Deakins) while being emotionally gut wrenching. A hard movie to watch but a beautifully crafted film with amazing acting by the whole cast.

My documentary pick is The Rape of Europa. This remarkably informative documentary of how the Nazi war machine systematically fleeced European museums and citizens of great art. The sheer number of pieces stolen was staggering.

The documentary also tells what length the curators of the Louvre in Paris and The Hermitage in St. Petersburg went to so they could protect the art. They even moved the enormous statue Winged Victory from the Louvre. When the Russians arrived in Germany they took as much back to the homeland as they could.

This fantastic film continues by explaining how art historians and curators rescued what they could and tried to reunite the art with the families and museums that lost them. Ownership by some pieces is still being sorted out.

If you are interested in European art or prefer documentaries this one entertains and informs also. Congratulations to Directors Richard Berge and Bonni Cohen for producing such a comprehensive time line to the greatest art theft in history.

If you prefer home viewing to theatre going there a some Oscar nominated films available for home viewing. Right now The Visitor, The Duchess, Dark Knight Wall-E, Man on Wire, In Bruges, Iron Man, Tropic Thunder and Vicki Christina Barcelona are all available. On Feb 20th Frozen River with Melissa Leo’s nominated performance that is really special will be available and finally on Feb 17th The Changeling with Angela Jolie will be available for home viewing. Enjoy the plethora of fine movies available now it is quite a treasure chest of experiences.

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CHINESE MEDICINE: Food Allergies

FOOD ALLERGIES & CHINESE MEDICINE

Allergy describes a hypersensitivity reaction in which the body displays an excessively or abnormal sensitive response. Sources of allergens vary from person to person and may include various foods, dander, pollens, molds and yeasts. In foods, some reactions are immediate while others do not take place for several hours. Asthma, itchy eyes, rash, swelling, tiredness and acute gastrointestinal distress are common presentations of this type of immediate response. Delayed food reactions are thought to be more common than immediate food response. Poor diet, stress, infection, chemicals, drugs, environmental toxins and genetic predisposition are possible contributing factors to the development of allergies.

In Chinese Medicine, food allergies can be both an excess and a deficient syndrome. It is up to the Spleen and Stomach to provide transformation and transportation of all foods which enter the body. I remember seventeen years ago one of my Taoist teachers said “if you don’t know what to treat you can always treat the Spleen/Stomach and get good results.” Hippocrates said more than 2000 years ago, “All diseases begin in the gut.” We have to look at the digestive system when we try to treat any degenerative disease no matter how unrelated it may seem to the condition. I have seen in my practice that the patients who have long standing problems, such as headaches, allergies and excess phlegm, have all been allergic to some food, which they eat almost daily. Several of them recently went through a food allergy test and one patient suffered form a severe allergy to garlic while the other one suffered from an allergy to milk. Since having the food allergy test both have done incredible with the results and changes they have made.

The role of the enteric nervous system is to manage every aspect of digestion from the esophagus to the stomach, small intestine, and colon. The connection between the brain lies at the heart of many woes both physical and psychiatric. Ailments like anxiety, depression, irritable bowel, ulcers and constipation manifest as symptoms at the brain and gut level. The majority of patients with anxiety and depression will also have alterations of their GI tract. In Western diagnosis, gut flora protects your immune system. In Chinese Medicine, the Spleen/Stomach suffers and then the immune system is thrown off and is responsible for the allergic reaction. When this occurs due to a deficiency with the organs, the reactions become hyperactive and the person starts reacting to foods and the environment. The emotion for the Spleen is over-worry and over-thinking and these two help create a deficiency in the organ system. I believe in our society that this is a common response to stress and work. The Stomach during these times cannot perform its function properly due to this type of emotion. The Spleen/Stomach has three basic physiological functions: digestion of food, absorption of nutrients into the body and keeping toxins out of the body.

It is my experience that people who have never had allergies often become allergic after sustained damage to their Spleen/Stomach. If a patient is eating something everyday that they are allergic to than these systems are becoming depleted over time. In Western Medicine, when the immune system is not functioning properly the mucous membranes start over-producing mucus and there is an overabundance of phlegm that just hangs out in the body. Because the system is breaking down, the Spleen/Stomach can no longer transform and transport this phlegm and it gets lodged in the body. Our immune system can malfunction in at least three ways. First, it can be weakened so that it cannot mount up an adequate response to fight off usual stresses as seen in cancer. Second, it can overreact in a way where it is hypersensitive to normal stimuli, as occurs in asthma, migraine or food allergies. This result is not only using up the immune reserves of the body, but it may cause immune reactions that create tissue injury. Third, it can go on as mentioned to create auto immune reactions against our own tissues. In either way, a food allergy test along with acupuncture and herbs can help rebalance the system back into a healthy, vibrant individual. I am continuing to be amazed at the transformation that my patients are experiencing due to these types of changes.


Marcy Basel is currently in private practice in Sebastopol and has been using Acupuncture and Herbs for over seventeen years. She has an extensive pharmacy on location and does Nutrition and Cranial Sacral work. To make an appointment or to get information please call 707-824-8747. Marcy also offers a free fifteen-minute consultation on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

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GAIL'S GARDEN: Questions and Answers About Gardening

The first in a continuing series: Everything you wanted to know about gardening, but were afraid to ask

Do you have a gardening question you have always been afraid to ask?
Would you like to share a photo of your pet in the garden?
Send your questions and photos (jpg) to bluehilldesign9@aol.com.

What is the difference between a perennial and an annual?

An annual is a plant that only lives for one year: we are all familiar with annual vegetables like tomatoes, peas, and corn which must be replanted every year. In the flower garden pansies, California poppies, petunias, and sweet peas are all familiar annuals. These annual plants complete their life cycle of birth, flowering, seed production, and death within one year. They are almost always grown from seed: either by you, the home gardener, or by the nursery where you buy them in 4” pots or six-packs.

A perennial is a plant that normally lives for several years: in the vegetable garden we think of artichokes, rhubarb, and asparagus. Some perennials are evergreen, some lose their leaves, and some die back almost to the ground, but in all perennials at least the root structure persists throughout the year to produce new growth in the spring. In the flower garden there many common perennials that die almost to the ground in cold weather: Peruvian lily (alstroemeria), Shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum), gladiolus, and iris. Common evergreen perennials for our Mediterranean climate are lavender, rosemary, penstemon, and deer grass (Muhlenbergia rigens: a wonderful California native grass).

What is the difference between compost and mulch?

So many people are confused about this! Compost is the aerobically decomposed remnants of organic matter. When you put your garden clippings into the green bin, the waste company takes all those grass mowing, tree trimming, and rose pruning wastes to Sonoma Compost on Mecham Road in Petaluma. There they are chopped and mixed, aged and heated until they decay into a wonderful, weed-free soil amendment and fertilizer called compost.

See www.sonomacompost.com for all the details on some great products for your garden’s long term health, and a healthier planet! You can also make your own compost: check the back of your Sunset Western Garden Book for many different options.

Use compost to amend your soil by spreading it on the surface two to four inches deep, by rototilling it in, or by mixing it into each planting hole you dig (use 25% compost and 75% native soil in the hole). Because of the multitude of soil nutrients and organisms found in compost, it has the unique ability to improve both sandy and clay soils, provide natural time-release fertilizer to all your plants, and encourage the health of beneficial soil dwellers like earthworms.

Ok, so what is mulch? A mulch is anything you spread over the surface of the garden to control weeds, hold moisture, and prevent erosion. A mulch can be organic or inorganic. Inorganic mulches that we see commonly used around Sonoma County are gravel and landscape fabric: these add no nutrients to the soil. A commonly used organic mulch is wood chips: these break down very slowly and add minimal amounts of nutrition to your soil.

So why are some of the composts called mulches? Because compost makes a great mulch! Spread over the surface of exposed garden soil, it provides weed control, holds water, prevents erosion, and feeds the soil: all in one operation. That’s why I use only compost for my mulching needs: two to four inches every other year (with a layer of newspaper or cardboard over any really tough weeds) take care of weeding and feeding my garden: easy, economical, and green. Try it: you’ll be amazed at the results!

Edible and Ornamental!

Yes, the time has come to turn our thoughts to the vegetable garden. You can start planting vegetables outside now: starts and seeds are available at all our great local nurseries.

I know many of us think of the vegetable garden as a separate garden from our ornamental or flower garden, and we try to put it way back in an out of the way spot so that it is out of sight in down times. But I think we need to re-examine this frame of mind: why hide your edibles?

There are so many edible plants that are attractive to look at, why not let them share space with your shrubs and flowers?

There are many advantages to mixing edibles and ornamentals throughout the garden.
If your strawberries are planted near the back door, not only do they provide a nice groundcover around your roses or iris, but they are handy for picking every time you go out. Lettuce and other salad greens grown near the patio are much more likely to get the frequent picking and watering they need than those that languish in the far corner of the yard. When your herbs are grown in pots outside the kitchen door, harvesting and using them becomes a simple and healthful part of everyday meal preparation. I love to grow rosemary near the barbeque where it can be quickly picked and thrown on meats as they cook, or you can use those long stems to make shish kabob skewers.

Herbs like oregano, basil, lavender and sage are very attractive and deserve to be grown in the flower beds for enjoyment of their eye-appeal, as well as their taste.

Many plants which you may already grow as ornamentals produce edible parts which can contribute to your family’s healthy, homegrown eating. Did you know that bamboo sprouts are good eating? Harvest the shoots when they are less than 1 foot tall, remove the tough outer leaves and root section, slice thinly, and boil for 20 minutes (do not eat them raw, as them contain toxic substances!). They are crunchy and nutritious (high in potassium) additions to salads, stir-frys, and soups.

Of course, you will need to use organic growing methods with any plants which you intend to harvest for food. I hope that you have already banished all chemical products from your entire garden, but even organic/natural products can be harmful if eaten: always check labels for safety before using on food crops.

Last summer I visited a wonderful garden in the North of England, Hutton-in-the-Forest, where the flower borders were anchored by apple trees interplanted with roses: beautiful and edible! Rose hips, those large red or orange fruits produced on your roses if you forget to prune, as high in vitamin C, and make excellent jams or tea. Check out rose hip recipes at www.springvalleyroses.com. If you want to grow roses especially for big, juicy hips, varieties of Rosa rugosa are recommended.

Many other shrubs and trees that we commonly use as ornamentals produce edible fruits: oregon grape (Mahonia), quince (Chaenomeles), currant (Ribes), pineapple guava (Feijoa) and strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo). The bay tree (Larus nobilis) is a valuable evergreen ornamental whose leaves can be used in cooking.

Orchard trees and vines can be easily integrated into the garden setting: Meyer lemon, persimmon, apple, plum, and olive are all beautiful and productive in our climate. If you have a frost-protected area, you can try oranges and other citrus. I love an arbor smothered in grape vines: pluck the fruit, then sit and relax a while in the shade.

Don’t forget than there are many easy-to-grow edible flowers that add taste and color to salads, cakes, and even cheeses! Some of my favorites are pansies (Viola), nasturtiums, borage, roses, lavender, mint, and rosemary. For lots of great recipes and fun ideas check out http://whatscookingamerica.net/EdibleFlowers.

Start your beautiful edible garden today! If you need planning help, call Gail at 829-2455 for a in-home consultation. Happy home-grown eating!

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LISTENING 2 CHILDREN: The Art of Love

The ART of LOVE

February is the month of LOVE. Valentine’s Day offers a wonderful opportunity to stop and look more closely at this ageless subject. Sometimes, the re-examining of a word or topic can pierce the armor we may have placed around the subject and a new way of looking at the topic results. Or sometimes, when we encounter another and are shown great love and consideration, we stop and reshape our way of living life. With such newness, a rich vitality can be rekindled. And what can be more exciting than living life with vitality!

Webster’s Dictionary gave the following definition about LOVE.
“A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection.”

Affection used in the definition of love can be described as kindness, caring, fondness and goodwill.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us want our children and/or the children we know and love to be loving…to treat others with kindness, with care, with fondness and goodwill.

Can we have an active part in assuring that our children do grow up as LOVING individuals?
I believe that you… that all of us have a new opportunity everyday, in every moment and in every way to model either LOVE or non-LOVE! When you are involved with children, you have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate LOVE.

Every Day in Every Moment
You
Model
LOVE or non-LOVE!

Children are watching you ALL the time! Even when they do not appear to be. The old saying is that “teachers have eyes in the back of their head”. Well, children have extraordinary perception in their eyes and ears!

Everything you say and do is very much heard. And I’ve even had children pick up on the things I think! So, what amazing opportunities to model LOVE!

Many years ago I was working in a Child Developmental Day Care Center. It was near the end of the day and we only had 4 children remaining. My co-teacher and I were observing the children and talking as they worked on an art project and talking amongst themselves. All of a sudden one of the 4-year-old girls looked up at us and said, “Why do you talk so nicely to each other?” Yes, every moment of every day you are being watched!

Whether you are talking to your co-teacher, your partner, a friend or your child, all conversations and interactions are an opportunity to spread the LOVE!

7 Ways of Modeling LOVE
• Use respectful language & a gentle tone in conversations.
• Invite cooperation, do not demand obedience.
• Create an environment of peacefulness and harmlessness in your home or classroom.
• Offer choices allowing for children’s individual preferences.
• Allow children to see peaceful disagreements occur and peaceful solutions reached.
• Consider your child’s development level when making requests.
• Create an age-appropriate home environment, allowing for your child/rens’ play and work.
In most situations, the way a child is treated is the way a child will respond. And even when a child is being inappropriate, an adults response to him/her, needs to be
polite and harmless. Anger should not breed anger!

Pam Leo suggests if you question whether or not your language is appropriate, ask yourself: “Would I speak in this manner to my best friend?” If not, then perhaps you want to re-think your languaging.

You never know when your happy smile, or your kind words or your caring actions are just the LOVE that is deeply needed by an individual in that moment!

Your LOVE is like the pebble being dropped into the pond, creating ripple after ripple.

Your LOVE likewise spreads person to person to person to person!

Sharon Ann Wikoff holds two California teaching credentials and is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Practitioner. Sharon hosts the radio program, The VOICE of CHANGE. This month she hosts the teleclass: Creating Play Environments for Children. Details can be found on her website: www.AuthenticWays.com

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ASK THE LOAN MAN: Buying a House with No Money Down

Can I still buy a house with no money down?

I was kind of stuck on what to write for this month’s article and so I started to look back at what I had written over the years and I saw headlines like these:

Is now a good time to buy a house? – January 2008
Risky Income Documentation? – August 2007
We have hit rock bottom and we are clawing our way back up! – March 2008
Time Travel for better interest rates. – May 2008
Can I still buy a house with no money down? – February 2008

I realized that I could take any one of these topics and write about it today. Yes, I know I said that we had hit bottom in March 2008 and there is a chance I was wrong…… the funny thing is I believed it then and I think I believe it now. What can I say, I’m a positive guy.

A lot has changed in a few short years, I was writing about risky income documentation in August 2007. Stated Income, NO DOC loans and the like were available then and a few short months later they were gone. So what I decided to do was steal my own headline from a year ago and write the article today with the rules and programs of February 2009… so here goes.
Last year I wrote that there were 5 different loan programs that will allow you to get into a home with no money down. Several of those programs are now gone along with DPA’s or Down Payment Assistance Programs but we do have 2 true no money down programs available today and we have a couple low down payment programs available as well.

We have USDA home loans and VA home loans available with no money down. Both of these are government programs and both are available to a very specific group of people. The VA is for veterans or a veteran and their spouse. The USDA loan is available to people who make less than 115% of the median income for their area and want to live in smaller cities and towns (all of west county is OK, Windsor, Sonoma, Agua Caliente fit also). The other commonality of these loans is that they require funding fees but no monthly mortgage insurance (that’s good!).

We have a very special loan just for teachers that is backed by their retirement system. I am talking about a Cal STRS loan with just 3% down payment. Teachers, you will need to have 1% of your own funds and 2% can be a gift from a family member. This loan is unique in that you get a regular 80% 1st mortgage and then we get you a 17% 2nd mortgage from Cal STRS and there are no payments due on that 2nd mortgage for 5 years. I would love to help some teachers with this loan, I want teachers to be a part of the community and own a home here and I do believe now is the time to make that happen.

Lastly we have good old FHA loans which was a huge part of my business in 2008. FHA requires a 3.5% down payment and it can all be a gift from an appropriate source. With this loan, there are no income or geographic restrictions and you don’t have to be a teacher or a first time buyer. FHA is a little more lenient on credit scores and job histories as well. This has proven to be a wonderful tool for many people and it is a good market for FHA loans.

So….. yes Virginia! There are no and low down home loans available today.

I welcome questions about home loans and the real estate market in general. Please let me know what you want to hear about in future articles.

Hans Bruhner, CMPS is licensed in CA & HI. If you have a question, please contact Hans at (707) 887-1275 or hans@hansblog.com or stop by www.AskTheLoanMan.com. First Priority Financial, Inc. is licensed by the CA DRE #00654852.

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MITZVAH MOMENTS - Wonderful Ways with with Water

And you thought last year was dry! We may be entering the worst drought in California history. After two dry years, Santa Rosa’s rainfall since July is only 42% of normal. January’s rainfall was just 0.61 inches––10% of normal. The depth of the Sierra snow pack (61% of normal) and its water content (76% of normal) will be even less if the unseasonably warm weather we’re having continues.

Rationing’s on the way. Although February is expected to somewhat wetter, it won’t bring the 12 inches of rain needed to bring totals up to normal. On February 2nd, the Sonoma County Water Agency projected water storage to hit new historical low levels and warned that a minimum of 30 to 50% mandatory rationing was likely within weeks. The daily water use per person in a single-family home averages just over 69 gallons, so we may need to reduce that to about 35 to 49 gallons. Switching to more efficient fixtures and regularly stopping leaks can reduce daily use per person to 45 gallons––without significant lifestyle changes. However, simple lifestyle changes can reduce our usage further. We all need to go on “drought watch” right now!

Toilet flushing uses 25-30% of a household’s water––5.8 billion gal/day in the U.S.
• A leaking toilet can use up to 200 gal/day of water. Put 2-3 drops of food coloring in the tank to check. If the water in the bowl changes color within 30 seconds, there’s a leak.
• Replace pre-1992 toilets with low-flush toilets (1.6 gal/flush instead of 3.5 or even 7 gal/flush). Better yet, new high-efficiency toilets (HETs) use 20% less water than low-flush toilets. Several water companies are offering rebates of $150 to make the switch; get information at http://www.scwa.ca.gov/water_conservation/ or call your local water company.
• If you aren’t able to replace your toilet, put a ½ gallon plastic bottle filled with water in the tank and save ½ gallon per flush.
• Don’t flush the toilet unnecessarily and don’t use it as a wastebasket for facial tissue, hair, and etc.

Other water wasters––
• A garbage disposal uses 4 gal/minute of water; to keep it from smelling, the water needs to run for 30-60 seconds after the food scraps are shredded. Try composting instead; go to http://www.recyclenow.org/r_composting_bins.html or call 707-565-3375 for some easy options. • A faucet leaking one drop a minute can waste 2700 gal/year of water. For information on repairs and water saving, go to http://www.h2ouse.net/action/index.cfm.
• Running the tap while brushing your teeth can use 10 gallons of water vs. ½ gallon if you wet the brush and rinse briefly.
• Washing hands or shaving under running water uses 4-19 gallons more water than filling the basin.
• Showering for less than 5 minutes can save 1,000 gal/month. Every extra minute uses 3-7 gallons of water.
• Only watering outside between midnight and 6 AM can save 300 gal/month.
• Not watering when it’s windy can save another 300 gal/month.
• Go to http://www.watersavinghero.com/conservation-tips.html for more water saving tips.
When the economy slows down, so should your speed. In a North Carolina study, economists found that when government revenues dry up, police write more speeding tickets––for every 1% drop in government revenue, the number of traffic tickets per capita the next year increased by 30%. So save yourself money, use less fossil fuel, and reduce global warming by driving slower.

PG&E projects lower heating bills this month. The slowing economy has reduced natural gas use by industry and businesses, so more is available. However, fossil fuel use ties in with global warming, climate change, and water shortages. So it’s still critical to reduce our consumption. PG&E is offering discounts for using less gas. Go to http://www.wintergassavings.com/ to see clever talking “appliance-grams,” with tips on saving natural gas, which you can also send to family and friends.

Here’s a sweet mitzvah for you, your health, and the planet. Eat more chocolate––make that Fair Trade chocolate. Dagoba® Organic Chocolate seeks sustainably grown cacao from producers that reinvest in communities and the environment. Go to www.dagobachocolate.com for more information. Find Dagoba® chocolate at Whole Foods and Pacific Markets. Part of the proceeds from each bar helps to fund tree-planting projects in Costa Rica.

Tish Levee
ivrit@sonic.net
© Copyright Tish Levee, 2009. All rights reserved.

LETTERS from READERS in RESPONSE:

Hi Mitzvah,

I read your blog Wonderful ways with water and would love to part of the solution. I am the inventor so SelectAFlush (www.dualflushkit.com) which is a Dual Flush Conversion kit that fits most toilets. The kit can be purchased on our website for under $40.00 and saves thousands of gallons of water for families. I love the fact that they don't have to throw their toilet in the dump which adds to the green factor. I thought you might want to add use to your blog as another tool in the water savings tool box.

Thank you,
David Bauer
SelectAFlush LLC
"A Little Flush Goes A Long Way"
Dual Flush Conversion Kits
Website: http://www.dualflushkit.com/
Our Product:http://www.dualflushkit.com/ourproduct.php
Blog: http://dualflushkit.com/blog/
E-mail: david@selectaflush.com
772-480-1444

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Sonoma County Restaurant Review - Chef Patrick's in Guerneville

Chef Patrick's in Downtown Guerneville
in Pat's Restaurant is a Wonderful Surprise

Restaurant Review
By Carolyn Horan

CHEF PATRICK’s in Pat's Restaurant in Guerneville

In this job, I am always on the lookout for an interesting restaurant that has great food, friendly staff and reasonable prices. I was enjoying my weekly massage with Pam Hedinger, owner of Touch of Heaven in Guerneville, when she told me about Chef Patrick who serves dinner at Pat’s Restaurant in Guerneville on Main Street. Now Pat’s, for a long time, has been a favorite place of mine for breakfast and lunch because of their good food and good service. Pat’s is in a long narrow building with a counter on one side and booths on the other side. Next to the kitchen at the back is a rather dark room with tables which also connects to Pat’s bar. So I was a bit skeptical about this new gourmet chef. But one Saturday evening four friends and I went to check it out. Eureka! Like magic, about 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. a sign goes up outside the window of the diner that says “CHEF PATRICK”. We entered through the bar and a friendly gentleman greeted us. When we told him we came for dinner he escorted us through the door into the back room. A very friendly waitress then joined him and we were on our way to a unique culinary experience.

Our party ordered different entrees so we had a chance to taste them all. Two people had Fillet Mignon with blue cheese, I had sole stuffed with crab, one had lamb and the other savored the special Risotto dish. Every meal was cooked to perfection and the presentation was first class. We all shared a crème brulee and the signature dessert, “Bread Pudding” (which was the best I have had in a long time). The most expensive entree was the steak which ran about $23.00. The prices are very reasonable, including the wine. What a pleasant surprise since the cost of wine can often be the most expensive part of your bill.

When I interviewed Patrick Wong I found he lives in Petaluma with his wife, Sandra, and their two children, a boy 7 and a girl 6. He met Richard Hines, owner of Pat’s, who agreed to lease space to Patrick to operate his business. Pat’s is open for breakfast and lunch from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and Chef Patrick comes in about 3:30 to start cooking for the dinner service which starts at 5:00 p.m. This works well and gives Patrick a chance to pick up his kids from school before he goes off to Guerneville. Prior to coming to Guerneville, Patrick worked in San Francisco for a private catering firm that served wealthy clients and private parties. When he came to this country from Vietnam Patrick found that he could get work in the restaurant business. He ended up going to a cooking school and worked for a time for the Sheraton Hotel. When I asked him why he decided to become a Chef he said he now loves cooking and creating good food, he likes meeting his customers and making them smile. In general, he said everything about his career is “all joyful”.

Patrick said he can’t afford to advertise but he steered me to a web site called Trip Advisors where people send in tips from their travels. I found comments from people who had visited the Russian River area that rated Chef Patrick’s highly and comments were all positive. Here are three examples: “Amazing find – unlikely spot.” “What is he doing in this little town? We don’t know. We just feel lucky we found him.”

“Unbelievably good.” The day I did this interview the waitress said a couple having a drink in the bar had come for dinner because they had heard of Chef Patrick. She had their card which she showed me and the patron was an instructor at the Culinary Institute of America.

Here is what Chef Patrick’s says about his cooking. He specializes in French and Italian cuisine and emphasizes preparing basic “comfort” food at reasonable prices. Everything he makes is gourmet using seasonal food and local fresh produce because the prices are a good value when in season. He creates different flavors using a variety of spices and each recipe is unique.

I loved the food and the service was excellent. Chef Patrick does all the cooking and still finds time to check on your table and make sure you have everything you need. That might not last as the word gets out. The menu is varied and includes things like Pan Seared Salmon, Roasted Pork Loin, Chicken Marsala, Saut’eed Prawns Provencial, grilled New York Steak, Vegetarian Capellini and more. The prices are reasonable and I think you will have a good time and be glad you gave Chef Patrick a try. Dinner is served Thursday through Monday between the hours of 5:00 p.m. to 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. The address is 16236 Main Street, Guerneville, CA. The phone number is 869 9161.

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WINE BANTER - Value Wine - By John Haggard

Finding a Value Wine You Can Afford

As an owner of a wine store during a recession, I have noticed that we now sell twenty wines under $10 as opposed to just two four years ago. There is a huge demand for every day wines, no doubt because of the current economy.

First of all, what is value? To me, there are two key elements that make a value wine (one of them is often lacking): price, AND quality. It’s very easy to find inexpensive wines. The task, is to find inexpensive quality wines, and that makes a “value wine”.

How are some wineries able to produce a quality wine at, say, $9.99, and another, not less than $49.99. Well, there are the usual supply and demand factors involved, mixed with some regional factors. In Sonoma, for example, there are the costs of doing business in California, tied with real estate costs making the average bottle start out significantly higher than its counterpart in, say, France, Spain or Portugal, where many families may have owned the land for centuries (usually the mortgage is paid off by now…) and bottling costs and other costs associated with producing wine are significantly lower as there are rather less government restrictions on producing wine where it has been done for so long.

I am the first to always try and buy local, but it has been my experience that finding value wines from Sonoma is a task, but well worth the effort to find them. By definition, most of Sonoma’s wineries are small production and it takes large production to get lower costs. There are some you will find at supermarkets (Chateaux St. Jean chardonnay), and, of course, the Russian River’s own Korbel produces quality sparkling wines that are readily available just about anywhere. White wines are less expensive than reds on average. Bohemian Highway (actually bottling in Napa), produces some whites that are really exceptional for the price – from their Chardonnay which is lightly oaked to their Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, all retailing at about $8.99. They make a selection of reds too, but I have found their quality is consistently better on their white wines. Balletto produces a range of quality local wines that are relatively inexpensive. Their pinot gris, ($12+), has soft round fruit flavors and is a delicious sipping wine which can be paired with lighter fair such as Caesar salad, white fish and poultry. Their 2007 pinot noir, which is one of the best vintages I’ve tasted of their pinot noirs ($20-25), though youthful, will age well and can be opened now if decanted for a minimum of thirty minutes. The Balletto Zinfandel from 2006 ($19+ retail) has great structure, red and black fruit and isn’t your typical barbeque wine in this price point, and their Syrah from 2006 ($20-$25) stands up to many $40 syrahs.

Some local wineries are producing great blends. Sapphire Hill’s “The Harlot” is a blend of Russian River Zinfandel and Syrah, a big, robust, red-fruit filled dry red wine with ample new French Oak delivering a vanilla spice to the wine ($18+). Malm Cellars of Sonoma makes a “Cross-Blend” of Sonoma County Syrah and Cabernet which is broad but not tannic on the palate. Spicy red fruit, hints of vanilla, with a long finish, pairing well with foods such as a grilled rare flank steak ($18+).

Portugal and Spain produce some wonderful value wines and are easy to find locally in Sonoma. I find the tempranillo’s from Spain to be great food wines. Tempranillo is a red grape varietal and one of the top selling red table wines from Spain. The Douro and Dao regions of Northern Portugal produce excellent red value wines, many retailing under $10 here, great for sipping or pairing with food. These red wines are often soft-tannined wines with subtle mineral notes and low alcohol.

Bulk buying will bring the price down of your wine purchases. We offer mixed case discounts as do many retail stores. Wineries will offer you further discounts if you join their wine clubs. Shop local, shop around.

John Haggard is owner of Sophie’s Cellars, The Sonoma Wine & Cheese Market in Monte Rio, California. Sophie’s Cellars is open 11am – 7pm, closed only on Wednesdays. www.sophiescellars.com

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Keep Sonoma County Clean - Stop Illegal Dumping

Illegal Dumping Causes Serious Environmental Damage to Our Streams

KEEP SONOMA CLEAN

It’s a beautiful spring day—bright blue sky with just a few cotton candy clouds and lots of warm sunshine. You are out for a scenic “thank goodness winter is almost over” drive in the magnificent rural Sonoma County countryside, a slight breeze from the open windows gently blowing your hair.

Suddenly, your endorphins (and your car) screech to a horrifying halt. You blink your eyes repeatedly, not wanting to believe what you see. Your brain tries desperately to assimilate the disgusting sight which is in such sharp contrast to the glory of the countryside.
You have unfortunately encountered one of the all-too-familiar phenomena on our back roads—an ugly pile of illegally dumped trash—paper, plastic, cardboard, televisions, small and large appliances, even furniture.

Besides being an eyesore, dumped trash is also a potential health hazard. There can be leaking acid from old batteries, Freon from old refrigerators, and an alphabet soup of chemicals from electronics (brominated and chlorinated flame retardants, chlorinated plastic polyvinyl chloride, lead, chromium, cadmium and mercury, etc.).

In addition to polluting the soil or potentially emitting harmful volatile gases into the atmosphere, toxic chemicals from trash piles can travel down through soils to contaminate groundwater which is a source of drinking water for at least 42% of the county’s population on approximately 40,000 private wells. Rainwater can wash over and through the trash and carry contaminated water and trash into nearby ditches, streams and waterways. These trash piles also provide a potential breeding area for disease-carrying vectors, such as rats and mosquitoes. Besides the potential environmental and public health hazards associated with illegal dumping, the cost of removing this debris in Sonoma County is estimated at $250,000 per year.

KEEP SONOMA CLEAN is a new program designed to halt illegal dumping in our county and is funded through a grant from the California Integrated Waste Management Board. It is a multi-agency effort supported by the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division; Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works; Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department; Sonoma County Information Systems Department; and the California Integrated Waste Management Board.

Surveillance cameras placed at known dumping sites are being used to discourage illegal dumping. A series of high resolution pictures, clear enough to read a license plate, are taken when motion is detected at a targeted location. The Sonoma County District Attorney’s office has successfully prosecuted the first case captured on camera. Bicyclists with ABC Rides are also assisting the “Keep Sonoma Clean” effort by identifying illegal dump sites encountered on their rides.

Stop Illegal Dumping by Getting Involved:
• Report existing illegal dump sites: 877-565-DUMP (3867)
• Call the police if you see someone dumping illegally.
• Discard all items legally – including unwanted appliances, mattresses, Christmas trees and vehicles. See the Sonoma County Recycle Guide in the AT&T Yellow Pages® under “R” for Recycling.
• Learn more: www.KeepSonomaClean.org.

So when you are out on the road again next spring, hopefully you will be able to enjoy the treasure of Sonoma County’s scenery without the trash!

This article was authored by Laura Barnthouse, Environmental Risk/Community Outreach Specialist with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Environmental Health Division on behalf of RRWA. RRWA (www.rrwatershed.org) is an association of local public agencies in the Russian River Watershed that have come together to coordinate regional programs for clean water, fisheries restoration, and watershed enhancement.

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ASTROLOGY - Wheel of Light - March 2009

Rio Olesky has more than 30 years experience in the science of astrology.
This column pertains to March 2009

A planet is said to be retrograde when it appears to stop, turn around and go back in the direction it just came from. This is clearly an optical illusion caused by the difference in orbital rate and shape between that planet and the earth. All the planets, except the Sun and earth's Moon, take a turn in retrograde motion. The fundamental meaning of any planet when retrograde is twofold. First, we experience and express the energy associated with that planet in a more personal way. Thus one potential problem is that the expression of the energy is so subjective that it doesn‚t connect with other people. The second point is that when a planet is retrograde it is retracing its steps, traveling where it has just been. This implies that during the retrograde period we have the opportunity to review what we have been doing relative to the expression of that energy when the planet was direct, if we find something in the review process.

This month, Venus turns retrograde on the 6th. It will remain retrograde until April 17th. Venus pertains to three primary life experiences. One is relationship, since Venus is the energy of love and affection. It can provide clues about what we need in that relationship and can suggest beneficial behaviors that will enable us to meet those needs. Venus also pertains to money. As the ruling planet of Taurus, Venus relates to our needs for security. Finally, Venus represents beauty. Anything to do with the arts, therefore, falls under the dominion of Venus. When Venus is retrograde, it is time to review what our needs, inclinations and behaviors are in those areas. If we find anything that doesn't work, doesn't fulfill or feel right, this is time to change or at least to create a strategy that will alter our experience of Venusian qualities.

In terms of relationship, reflect on your degree of satisfaction. If you feel good about yourself and your partner, and enjoy the interaction between you, stay the course. But if you feel frustrated and unfulfilled, the question is: why? Start by redefining your needs in that relationship. Are they realistic in the context of that connection? Have you verbalized those needs? Has your partner heard you? When Venus is retrograde we may tend to blame the partner for our unhappiness. Although that may be partly true, the real work lies with the relationship to yourself. As you bring that up to date, you realize that by changing yourself you can change the relationship. If the work on self doesn't change the relationship dynamic, then it might be time to reconsider the viability of the whole thing. But, until then, hang in there. This is not a time when all issues get resolved. It is actually just the beginning. The time of review and redirection. The resolution comes over time after Venus turns direct.

In terms of money, review the ways in which you deal with it. What do you spend money on? With Venus we are talking primarily about necessities, not toys or luxuries.
Especially in the current economy changing our budgeting and spending patterns is the necessary thing to do. It's interesting that the FED, the private bank that is beyond our government's control and yet which has ultimate dominion over our banking and financial system, often changes interest rates when Venus is retrograde. It could go up or down, sometimes in both directions during the five weeks of the retrograde.

This could be a good time to decide on a new course of earning money. Again, this isn't necessarily the time to actually get a new job or quit the old one. Strategize and contemplate your options. This is more a time of making plans for changing in the future rather than acting on them now.

If your job and money are acceptable, you may want to simply cut back on spending and decide to save more. A wise decision at this time.

Our values about beauty and aesthetics are also under review at this time. This makes it a dicey time to spend money, especially either on big ticket items like houses and cars, or on items that are appreciated for their beauty, like jewelry, art work or even expensive clothing. We may find things desirable and attractive at this time that will appear quite different once Venus turns direct. Similarly this isn't a good time for an early spring cleaning. You might find that the ugly, useless object you discarded was something that has great appeal and value, which you failed to note during the retrograde period.

When a planet is retrograde it is time to reflect, realign and when appropriate, reboot our lives. Especially in these times of change, taking time out of our normal routines to note where we are, how we got here and where we intend to direct our energy from this point has great value. This is a time to resist the temptation to keep doing the same things. Taking a break enables us to reassess things which in turn provides new clarity, new motivation and ultimately greater growth and fulfillment.


Aries: This could be an awkward time for you. Your ruling planet Mars enters Pisces on the 14th and is in aspect to Neptune the first half of March. This calls for you to be more reflective and internal. Focus on emotional or psychological issues that need attention. Expressing yourself artistically is a good way to channel this energy. Be open to different kinds of inspiration and even different kinds of outlets.

Taurus: Since Venus is your ruling planet you may find that many of the most significant parts of your life are up for review. Venus is in Aries, one of the most independent of the signs. Developing a greater sense of autonomy, in your relationship or in making decisions about money or the arts, is something to contemplate. Early month could bring support for this process from friends or colleagues.

Gemini: A lot going on for you this month. You may feel your intuition and spiritual energy greatly stimulated, especially in early March. You may also feel intellectually inspired in ways that lead to innovations in what you do or how you do it. Growth for you this month comes from remaining grounded in the face of all this input. That way you can make practical use of the information instead of feeling confused or overloaded.

Cancer: The full Moon in Virgo on the 10th could bring some challenges in the work place. You may want to go forward with something only to find that a superior is blocking you in some way. Or, if you are boss, your sense of creativity or desire for new beginnings is thwarted. Being patient in either scenario enables you to plan for a more effective outcome.

Leo: From early to mid month you may feel as if you are the rope in a game of tug-of-war. You may want to change or do something exciting and adventurous only to find that circumstances or people are blocking you. The way out, and growth for you this month, comes from spending time in due diligence. The more research, the better and swifter the outcome.

Virgo: The full Moon in Virgo on the 10th will bring emotional clarity. Growth for you comes from tuning into those feelings. Greater emotional self-awareness can lead to greater fulfillment in your social life, especially in close, personal relationships. Taking responsibility to express those feelings can enable you to feel more empowered and liberated.

Libra: Venus is your ruling planet, so its retrogradation may be more noticeable and challenging for you than for other signs. The biggest challenge could be to your sense of harmony. Usually you like to go along and get along. You want others to like you. During this period, harmony may be a rare commodity and you may find it more difficult to read or relate to others. Venus is in Aries, an independent sign. Therefore, spend some time developing the relationship to yourself. Feel good about being who you are.

Scorpio: Emotionality and intuitive awareness are highlights of the month for you. Much of that focus could be on family, especially children. Or, if you are unmarried or have no children, tune inward to discover some creative inspiration. You could also focus family energy on extended family or simply in your own community or neighborhood.

Sagittarius: You may be one of the few signs that actually enjoys this Venus retrograde period. That's because in general this is a year to expand your social circle and this month there may some interesting developments on that front. Not all will be enjoyable, but they will challenge your ability to be flexible and open to new social experiences.

Capricorn: Family relationships could be a point of focus for you this month. If it's with your immediate family, reflect on your expectations and behaviors in that arena. You may find that changing your behavior leads to greater happiness. It could also be with your extended family and that could actually continue a pattern that has been going on for several months. In that context, dialogue and compromise offer ways out.

Aquarius: Four planets will be traveling through Aquarius at different times this month. The good news is obvious: energy is flowing in ways that are inherently comfortable to you. The bad news also could exist. That is, there could also be tendencies to relate to others in ways that are impractical, haughty or superficial. Growth for you comes from using this time to be more inclusive and accepting of others even as you take time to ground your insights and inspirations.

Pisces: This could be a forward looking period for you. You might find supportive and enjoyable social interaction. Or, the same energy could promote artistic inspiration. You could also be more self-aware to the point of being more direct, assertive and communicative in your relationships.


Rio Olesky has been studying astrology since 1967 and been a practicing professional since 1976. The author of Astrology and Consciousness, Rio offers classes in beginning astrology through SRJC and ongoing classes through Crystal Channels in Santa Rosa. To make an appointment, call Rio at 707-887-1820. Check out his website at www.starwatcher.com

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Jonathon Lipsin goes to Washington D.C. for the Inaurguration

Jonathon Lipson, of Incredible Records in Sebastopol, goes to Washington D.C. for Barrack Obama's Presidential Inauguration and Lives to Tell the Tale.

JONATHON LIPSIN GOES TO WASHINGTON !
By Jonathon Lipsin

As I got ready to go to the inauguration, I dropped off to say goodbye to Rico, the donkey who lives across the street from our house in Sebastopol. I always favored Rico as a democratic animal and wondered if the symbolism was lost on him. Anyway, Rico gave me a nuzzle, and I climbed in the car to drive to the airport for the flight to Washington D.C.

You may think that I’m drinking the Kool-Aid, but this past week at the inaugural has been one of the greatest moments in my life and there have been many. I have always gone for a peak experience and I was not disappointed.

America had arrived by plane, train, car, and bus, some two and a half million people from Bayou Teche in Louisiana, London, England, Minnesota, Alabama and California. We had come to take America back, it seemed to me, and we were proud, hopeful and resolute as we sensed the veil of exclusiveness was finally drifting away into a sea of irrelevancy. Change was in the air and it was exhilarating! An American revolution was taking place and we were the foot soldiers come to witness its becoming and its grace.

Love, pride and kindness were the passwords this weekend as we stood in freezing cold weather daring to watch a dream come to fruition. Black America was merging with white and reaching out and embracing like never before. The chasm was closing in one Kumbaya moment and my family was poised to revel in it as we dug into our marrow to emanate a hearty yea!

I thought back to when I was 16 and had experienced a portion of black life in America, albeit a very small and quaint slice. That late summer I had decided to receive the baptism of life on the road and set out to see North America by dint of my thumb, my wits and my unabashed earnestness. I hitched from Montreal, Canada, my hometown, across to Vancouver, then down to Berkeley and across the U.S.A. It was in a small town in Utah, a place I have since forgotten, that I chanced upon a black kid, a bit older than me, sorrowful and hanging by the highway with a sense of futility. His name was Monroe and he hailed from New York State, near Buffalo and he was heading across the country in a bid to visit his relatives in Alabama. I allowed how I had never been down south and I was eager to hook up with him if he agreed. He gave me a derisive look and flatly told me my chances of even getting out of this state were slim hitching with a black guy.

Let me describe how I looked during this period of my life. My hair was the stuff of legend. It was probably the world’s largest ‘fro, sticking out from my head in any which direction culminating in an arc down to my shoulders. My jeans were earmarked with colorful patches, one of which was the American flag hung ceremoniously on my buttocks. I carried a small backpack whose contents revealed a mess kit with baggies of rolled oats, peanuts and raisins. My reading library consisted of Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums”, Allen Ginsburg’s “Howl”, and a Woody Guthrie songbook aptly named “Hard Hitting Songs For Hard Hitting People.” Also included in afore-mentioned pack was a genuine Marine Band blues harp in the key of A. Yeah, I deadpanned, “wait ‘til the rednecks find out I’m Jewish!”

At that moment we became fast friends of the road. He had been there all day waiting for a ride. The monotony was broken only by racial epithets hurled at him from pickup truck windows. He was alone with his color in a world not of his choosing.

A sheriff stopped his shiny car with the flashing light and sternly warned that if we set foot into town we would be arrested. That night we hunkered down to a can of beans we heated up by a makeshift hobo fire. We sat up all night talking about our different lives and a hope that racism would abate in our lifetime. The next morning a ferocious dust storm hit and it was all we could do to huddle down in a gully covered by our blankets. I felt exhilarated! Wow a real dust storm like the kind Woody Guthrie would sing about.

We finally got a ride out of there and Monroe and I traveled all the way to Alabama. We were met with hostile stares and ugly looks. This was just two years after Martin Luther King was shot. There we were, a sight to be seen, a Jewish kid with a huge ‘fro and a black kid with a peace sign necklace. I took in the tarpaper shacks, the abject poverty, the southern mansions on the right side of town, and I felt the land reeked with a putrid evil.

Monroe had a fever to hop a freight train, and we parted ways, hugging and saying farewell. Monroe and I never saw each other again but I would like him to know that I think we’re making it, from those long ago hobo kids in 1970 in the Deep South to a new American beginning. I ducked into the Birmingham bus station and slicked down my hair in the bathroom, emerging a slightly more benign sight, and promptly bought a bus ticket back to Canada.

Two days before the inauguration, Susy and I were on the National Mall to watch the concert with Springsteen, John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Beyonce and Pete Seeger. The first time I had seen Pete, I was probably three or four years old at a Montreal concert my father had produced. The next time was at my left wing summer camp when I was 6. It was perfect that Pete would close out this inaugural performance and I confidently intimated to the people around me, “I bet he’ll sing ‘This Land Is Your Land.’” He did and as I closed my eyes and sang with the crowd, I surely felt Woody and Leadbelly singing along with us. Their time had come. I couldn’t help but feel how great this country is!

The next day we waited once again for seven long hours in freezing temperatures, to see Aretha Franklin perform for free at the Kennedy Center. If we were crazy, then we were all crazy driven to the nth degree by our zeal. The more we waited, the stronger we bonded as we shared stories and food with people from different parts of America but all with the same conviction. I stood entranced as I listened to Elvira, a spry elder from South Carolina, matter of factly recite her whole family legend beginning with her great great grandfather, a runaway slave who escaped the plantation to join the Union Navy.

Ironically also in line was a pastor from the same town, but white, who told of his great great grandfather who was a colonel in the Confederate Army along with his five sons. These two from the same small town in South Carolina had never met until now, and I marveled at the vagaries of history that brought us altogether standing in line waiting for Aretha on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Later in line a man jumped on a box to spout rhetorical hatred about Whitey and revolution. The crowd, some thousands of people mostly black, were unfazed but I wondered how this would turn out. Just then a voice behind me started to sing in a wavering but determined voice, “We Shall Overcome.” It was Elvira! A shiver went through me, and a lump swelled in my throat. Pretty soon others picked it up and we all started singing the song that Dr. King taught us and by then the preacher of hate was drowned out and he scurried off as we all came together in a truly righteous way.

These events I describe to you I will never forget. They are etched in my memory forever as we came away from Washington with a great many friends. Just yesterday, Larufus, a woman we met in a line with her mother, left a message wondering if we made it home ok.

Those of us who were there changed that week. We were awash in human kindness and camaraderie as we realized we were all in the same boat and we had to watch out for each other. Susy said a wonderful thing when she enthused “I wish every day could be like this day!”

One thing that struck me was how many young people were there. In fact they were the majority, the under thirties who had eschewed their lattes to come out and vote and take charge. Yes it’s a new generation rising and that gives me hope.

An African-American woman told me recently that her heart felt like a thousand hands were clapping inside. For 400 years we have waited for this and I never thought I would see it in my lifetime, she confided to me.

Thank you Barack!

When I returned back home to the sleepy town of Sebastopol I was so tired I immediately curled up in our warm bed. The next morning I awoke to the gentle bray of Rico the donkey and I smiled as I sensed everything will be ok.


Joanathon Lipsin owns Incredible Records in downtown Sebastopol. He's currently working on a book about his incredible life experiences.

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Manifest RAIN for Sonoma County' Drought!

Once I figured out that it helps to have the umbrella up and open - not just tucked under my arm - people took notice of what I was doing - some laugh - some go get umbrellas and join in. So far we're taking personal credit for the rain we have up until now. Why Not! All the critters and plants are grateful! And we need MORE! Please become part of this mission. Who cares if you look weird! Really! It's not about you!

Manifesting Rain
By Vesta Copestakes
We need rain NOW! Let’s see if we can make it rain!

Yes, it’s quite wonderful - all this sunshine in the middle of winter. Makes me want to jump on my motorcycle and go for a ride to the coast. But seeing starving cattle in Argentina, wilting crops in the Central Valley of California, etc. It’s not a pretty picture. Trees dying for lack of water creates HUGE fire hazards. It goes on.

I contacted local Native Indian tribes to see if we can put on a rain dance and what I learned is that Rain Dancing is more a Plains Indian tradition. Here, we celebrate the forces of nature and thank them for their gifts to our lives.

Then I contacted Pagan faiths (thank you Sylvia for the suggestions and contacts) and they, too celebrate the forces of nature, turning of the seasons, appreciation for all the gifts our planet and universe bestow upon us. And I have to say, in both cases, they spoke to me of accepting our responsibility for this current state and hoping that nature crying for help will wake people up to the destruction we are committing to the very planet we live on. I get that as well! No water - use less. Bad air, clean up your act, etc.

In the mean time, innocents are dying. Innocents are paying the price for our transgression while we take showers, wash our hair and water our lawns. It’s much like war where it’s not the soldiers alone who die - it’s the innocent civilians who go out with them.

So my mission is to manifest rain for the innocents.

I propose that we all start carrying umbrellas, wear rain boots, bring rain coats and slickers with us and use them as coats to keep us warm until it starts to rain - then keep it up so that we stay dry! Hey - what’s the harm!? I got a cool bright yellow umbrella at ElMo Store in downtown Forestville. After carrying it around under my arm, I realized that it needs to be up and visible to attract other umbrellas. OK, up it is.

I’d like to have an event, but that’s an awful lot of work and could take too long to put together. We need rain NOW! So how about we just start wearing the gear - spreading the word for others to wear the gear and if we care to - gather together with drums and musical instruments and sing and dance for rain. Any where - any time. If we want to set a date, time and place to make it even more fun - let’s do it. Singing rain songs has to help as well!

The little bit of ran we’ve had since this mission began via the internet is certainly good for plants and critters. If all we get is enough to sustain their lives, then so be it. We have many ways we can change the way we live and use water. Regulators are looking to have us cut use to 100 gallons a day per person – how about 50.

It’s actually quite easy, many are already doing it. Yes, you’ll have to watch your precious plants die this summer if they have shallow roots. Such is life and death in nature. I regret every plant that is still sitting in a pot instead of in the ground where it can spread roots.

We can follow some basic rules about collecting water that would otherwise go down the drain and use it to water plants. We can be conscious of every drop we use. And whatever we do – don’t wash your car to bring rain in the traditional fashion! It uses too much water. There are waterless car washers, collected bath water works well, and then there’s the dirty car badge of honor.

Spread the word and let’s see if we can manifest what we want – water to nourish our earth and the lives of every water-dependent being.

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Manifesting Money: Our Local Economy will Benefit!

Now here's an interesting topic - starting with Cash or Credit? Find out how much money we can keep in our local economy by making this one, important, choice!...and more!

Cash or Credit?
By Alan Joseph
That’s what the man behind the counter asked, “Would you like to pay with cash or credit?” I was buying $200 worth of parts for Vesta’s car; it would cost the same either way, what difference does it make how I pay? Well, now that I think about it, quite a bit. Pay with cash and $200 goes into the store’s register, pay with credit and the merchant gets $196 and $4 goes to the credit card company….a little flock of dollar bills flying out of Sonoma County. When I handed over $200 in cash, the guy acted like I was out of a science fiction film. Indeed, we have all become accustomed to paying with credit cards, but I think we should look closer at this financial system.

Your Money Leaving Home
When a merchant accepts a credit card, they typically pay a fee of 2 to 3 percent of the purchase amount. That doesn’t sound like a lot of money, but let’s do a little math. I would venture most of you spend at least $20 a week for gas, about $1,000 a year…….times 2% means $20 dollars in transaction fees a year. Just for fun, let’s say there are 100,000 drivers in Sonoma County sending $20 each in credit card fees every year. Folks, that is a flock of $2,000,000. And that is just the transaction fees…..no interest charges. Add groceries, clothes, utilities and all the other purchases that are paid with credit cards and you have darkened the sky with a constant migration of millions of dollars flying away to the financial institutions.

How Much Money?
How many dollars are we talking about? Well, it is estimated that the 4 major US credit companies processed 1.7 TRILLION DOLLARS in credit card charges in 2008. That is 17 followed by 11 zeroes…….$1,700,000,000,000 of charges times the typical 2% fee = $34 BILLION DOLLARS in credit card fees paid by businesses across the country and sent to Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express. $34,000,000,000 is an average of over $100 from every citizen of these here United States; every man, woman and child. I would wager that Sonoma County’s contribution to this financial exodus is well over $50,000,000 a year. And remember, that is only the merchant fee, the interest charges are another topic entirely.

From Cash to Plastic
It wasn’t always this way. 100 years ago the only credit available was from your local store, your local bank or your family and friends. The first credit card was introduced by Diner’s Club in 1950, followed by American Express and Bank of America. 60 years later and the credit card industry has inserted itself into the daily purchases of each and every one of us. Food, gas, clothes, travel, you can even pay your property taxes with a credit card. It is to the point that people think nothing of using a credit card to pay for their decaf soy latte, sending money flying every time they do.

Granted, the banking institutions have made credit cards convenient, even essential to modern living. Ever try to rent a car or make travel plans without a credit card? But we are supporting a system that has crept its way into every aspect of America’s spending habits adding billions of dollars in expenses for everything we buy. I have to admit, banks have done a marvelous job of getting us to go along with this ever increasing profit center. But taken as a whole, those financial and banking institutions have not been earning my trust as of late.

Your Money Staying Home
I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking this has gone in the wrong direction and we should be questioning our support of this system. So what are we to do? Well, here’s a suggestion: there are lots of purchases that can be made with cash. You remember cash don’t you? No, I am not talking about your debit card, I mean CASH. So here’s the deal: where ever possible buy from a local business, and drum roll please: PAY WITH CASH. Your merchant will thank you and those dollars will stay right here in our community. The next time you go to pay with plastic, ask yourself about that 2% of your purchase. Come on guys and gals, pay with cash and keep that money right here at home.

What could Sonoma County do with YOUR $50,000,000?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
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The start-up opportunity in the
Great Recession

By Richard Koman
These days the economy is all that’s on anyone’s mind. I stopped at Starbuck’s this morning (I usually go to independent coffee shops like Flying Goat, and that less and less) and dropped into a conversation about how Starbucks is in the midst of closing several hundred stores and laying off 7,000 people.

I bought a copy of the New York Times to articles about the stimulus package debate, lessons from Japan’s attempt to build itself out of its long recession and a study that shows that men are disproportionately suffering layoffs. When I got to work, I called up Google News and saw the January unemployment numbers – 7.6 percent unemployment and a loss of 598,000 jobs – the biggest loss since the mega-recession of 1974.

I had barely settled in with my coffee, when one of the lawyers in the law suite I share stopped by to say, “Maybe between the four of us, there’s enough work for one lawyer.”

Make no mistake – hard times are here and they’re likely to get harder. “We are in the middle of a very severe, a violent, collapse in activity and it could go on for months,” one economist said. And one gets the feeling that we’ve been living beyond our means for quite some time – living on paper-money home equity and credit cards.

Meanwhile, banks are expecting eight million foreclosures and collection and bankruptcy lawyers couldn’t be busier. So what to make of this situation? I have a couple of ideas.

I think the most important result of the Great Recession will be an unprecedented number of new small business startups. As it becomes obvious that big businesses are scaling back for the long term, and people get sick of being at the mercy of someone else’s management skill, lots of people will simply start cottage industries, software startups and personal services businesses.

Many will fail, but your odds of succeeding and of being able to exit gracefully go up exponentially if you have your legal bases covered. You should think through proper formation, limited liability, making sure you understand whether workers are employees or independent contractors, and having legal counsel of any contracts and leases you sign. For example, I just met with a couple who are being sued for well over $100,000 because they signed a five-year commercial lease with no escape clause and no binding requirements on the landlord to ensure certain levels of traffic. Another client who did work as a third party with no written contract or clear understanding of the parties’ roles was never paid for about $10,000 worth of work. Yet another client loaned a house seller money to keep the home out of foreclosure with no written agreement and no security.

A modest legal bill now will forestall much bigger ones in the future -- with no guarantee of recovery. It’s the old line: Pay me now or pay me later.

For those with an entrepreneurial spirit and the stomach to keep going through the recession, a loss of a job could mean the opportunity for personal satisfaction and business success when the turnaround kicks in later this year or early 2010 (I hope). But investing in your future also means getting your house in order and avoiding nasty surprises down the road.

Richard Koman is an attorney providing transactional and litigation services for small businesses and consumers. A Forestville resident, his office is 1400 N. Dutton Ave., Suite 21, Santa Rosa. Call him at 707-544-5354 or email rk@richardkoman.com. He also blogs on legal issues at richardkoman.com

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“Even as household budgets shrink, many people are choosing to direct more of their spending to local businesses. This could be a key factor in getting the economy back on track. Study after study has concluded that locally owned businesses deliver more jobs and significantly greater economic benefits to their communities.” - Stacy Mitchell, senior researcher with Institute for Local Self-Reliance “Ninety-five percent of the retailers said that the fact that their business is locally owned matters to their customers. This invaluable data is proving the case that communities are rallying behind independent businesses — and a strong reminder that these entrepreneurs are the bedrock of a local living economy,” said Doug Hammond, executive director of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

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$49 million
Community First CU Pumps Money INTO our County Economy

What credit freeze? Community First Credit Union, a Sonoma County-based financial cooperative with 11,163 local Members, reported an increase in lending activity for 2008. It also paid $2.93 million in dividends to depositors for the year.

Real estate lending (first mortgages, seconds and home equity lines of credit) totaled $20.79 million in 2008, barely edging out vehicle loans, which totaled $19.09 million. Small business loans, a much smaller portion of the credit union’s lending mix, rose a whopping 101% in 2008, from $2.59 million to $5.21 million. Despite an 11.79% drop in vehicle loans, Community First Credit Union made more money available to Sonoma County residents in 2008 than in the prior year – $46,068,093 vs. $45,637,551, an increase of about 1% in a severely contracting economy.
Community First has a community charter, which means it can take deposits and make loans only in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. It ended the year with a record loan portfolio of $103.8 million, a 7.78% increase from 2007.

“We keep hearing that credit markets are frozen, but we think it still makes sense to reinvest in the local community where our Members have jobs, homes and businesses, and where their children attend schools,” said Todd Sheffield, CEO of Community First Credit Union.
In addition to loan production and portfolio, Community First posted gains in other areas in ‘08. Among them:
• checking accounts: +2.09%
• Membership: +1.55%
• online users: +10.47%
• eStatement users: +27.38%
• internet traffic: +46.9%

About Community First Credit Union
Community First, founded in 1961 as the Sonoma County School Employees Credit Union, has four offices in Sonoma County: Through its cooperative arrangement with other credit unions, Community First provides surcharge-free access to 25,500 ATMs and 3,260 branches nationally. Any resident, student or business in Sonoma County can be a Member. For more information about Community First Credit Union, go to: www.comfirstcu.org

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Balance the Budget with POT

By Vesta Copestakes
Taxing Marijuana sales is not a new idea, but it finally has a chance. Budget deficits are so severe that government entities are desperately looking for ways to bring in money. Think of how much money taxes on cigarettes and alcohol bring into the economy. Both of these substances are highly addictive, and cost billions of dollars a year to society. What they bring in taxes is offset by the cost of law enforcement and medical expenses.

Law enforcement would rather bust a pot smoker than a drunk. Most pot smokers are too lethargic to do much damage. Just like alcohol, a little bit gives a person a pleasant buzz, loosens the strings on their personalities and conversation, and everyone is happy. Add more of the substance and alcohol will make a person belligerent and even violent, where a pot smoker will tend to take a nap.

Beyond use as a pain–killer in Western movies, I’m not sure there’s a legitimate medical use for alcohol, although red wine has been touted for it’s blood cleansing. Beer has B vitamins – right? But marijuana – well, it lessens pain, makes people on cancer drugs feel comfortable enough to eat and tends to lighten depression for many. In CA, it’s a prescribed drug.

So now that our top down government has changed, we see the first light of reason. “It’s no longer federal policy to beat up on hippies,” is how one former Justice Department official stated. And it’s no longer just hippies and musicians who smoke pot.

With that in mind, we could start with “The Governator” and convince him to have a pleasant chat with the new Feds about this valuable money resource. Another side-benefit is that if it is no longer illegal, we won’t be spending law enforcement dollars on it, so that’s one savings. Another is that all those nasty illegal cartels, etc. won’t have this one substance as a money tree. The have plenty of other destructive drugs to make money on – and cost our society and lives in the process. Take one away from them!

So there it is – one solution that is right here waiting for us. What are WE waiting for? A little more time for government and society to shift to this reasonable path and we’re there.

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The Cost of Meth
Societal Cost of Meth Use Is Measured

By Erik Eckholm
In the first effort to calculate the national price of methamphetamine abuse, a new study said the addictive stimulant imposed costs of $23.4 billion in 2005. While the authors, from the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif., caution that many impacts were difficult to quantify, their study suggests that methamphetamine takes an economic toll nearly as great as heroin and possibly more.

Methamphetamine was named the primary cause of some 900 deaths in 2005, and the report estimates that premature mortality alone cost $4 billion. Its abuse has spread from Hawaii and rural areas of the West and South since the 1990s, slowly expanding to the Midwest and the East. In the process, it has wreaked havoc on addicts’ physical and mental health and on their families.

Federal surveys suggest that the share of Americans using the drug in a given year has stabilized, at about 1 percent of the population over age 12, which is far higher than the rate for heroin but half the rate for cocaine. About 400,000 Americans are believed to be addicted to methamphetamine, but a rising number are smoking it rather than taking it orally or snorting it. Smoking brings a faster, jolting high, quicker addiction and more ill effects.

The study is part of a project at RAND to evaluate the costs of drug addiction, financed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and directed by Rosalie L. Pacula, co-director of the Drug Policy Research Center at RAND.

Extra financing for the report was provided by the Meth Project Foundation, a private group that seeks to prevent young people from using methamphetamine.

Dr. Wilson Compton, a division director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the study’s major innovation was its effort to quantify the effects of addiction on the quality of life — how factors like poor health, anxiety and paranoia shrink the addict’s horizons and pleasure over time. Such estimates have been made for heart diseases and other major ones but not for illegal drugs, Dr. Compton said.

These intangibles proved to be the largest costs, with an estimated price of $12.6 billion. Other major costs included $4.2 billion in crime and criminal justice, $904 million for endangered children put into foster care as a result of parents’ use, $687 million in lost productivity, $545 million for drug treatment, $351 million for health care and $61 million for injuries and deaths at exploding meth labs and for cleaning up the toxic wastes they produce.

Because of the difficulty in pinpointing the role of methamphetamine in crime, medical care and other factors, the RAND researchers gave a range of estimates, saying the overall toll may be as low as $16.2 billion or as high as $48.3 billion.

Several potentially major costs were not factored in because they could not be measured. These include, for example, the burdens imposed on the families and friends of addicts, and the burdens of children who are not taken into the foster system.

The study is available on the Web at methproject.org.

“It’s destroying families; it’s destroying our schools; it’s destroying our budgets for corrections, social services, health care. We’re losing a generation of productive people. My God, at the rate we’re going, we’re going to have more people in jail than out of jail in 20 years.“ - Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer

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Manifesting Love - So Many Kinds of Love!

It's Valentine month - February, so why not talk about Love - and while we're at it, Manifest the best feeling in the Universe! Who knows - with enough love to go around - we might just manifest peace! Three essays and a poem on love...

Is it REAL Love?
Only time will tell
By Vesta Copestakes
It’s Valentine time, so we look for trinkets that become little reminders of our love, take our sweeties out to dinner, etc. Why? Because it feels good and that’s what love is all about. As a friend once said to me – you like to be in love because of the way it takes you feel. Yeah – well – me and Paul McCartney. As my guy Alan says, “Vesta – you’re in love with love!” Too true!

So what is love anyway? Well, I’ve certainly had my roller coaster rides and formed opinions through the years. A bunch of years ago I came up with what I call …

“The Rule of Two and 1/2 years.”
Early love is all illusions and it’s a wonderful time to just immerse yourself in the thrill of it all. As we age and experience broken hearts, over and over, we tend to get skittish about this phase. We’re reluctant to surrender to it – distrustful, etc. We have reasons! BUT, if we hold back, we’re missing out on an opportunity that happens ONLY when love is fresh and new. How about just surrender to it. Hold off on sex as long as you can stand it and feel the intense electricity of desire that lasts only until you indulge! Once over that line – it all changes rapidly.

The first stage lasts about six months and everyone is on good behavior. They feel so good you can’t blame anyone for acting nice, nice all the time. Lovers are happy and behave well.

Basically, at this stage, you don’t have a clue who you are falling in love with – and vice versus.
By the time a year has passed you learned a lot. Not the whole story, but enough to decide if you want to keep walking down this path hand-in-hand. If the answer is yes, then carry on, but know that you still don’t have the whole story. This is NOT the time to get married! You might want to test-drive the deal by living together, but it will put guaranteed pressure on the situation, so hold off if you can. Living together is mighty different from spending the night at each other’s homes. Shared responsibilities can take their toll on love.

Over the next year or so you will have conflicts. How you resolve those conflicts will tell you everything you need to know about the strength of your love, your compatibility and your mutual respect. People who yell nasty things in the heat of anger don’t have what it takes. Those nasty remarks leave scars on hearts. The words rattle around in a lover’s head and ring true enough that they will form self-doubt and all kinds of emotions that don’t blend well with love. They are confidence killers as well as relationship killers. Good love is all about respect.

By the time 2 ½ years rolls around people are very real. You just can’t maintain illusions beyond this. The next year makes or breaks the tie that binds. I’ve certainly had the inklings that I should leave at 2 ½ years, but I’m persistent and dragged it on another year only to come to the same conclusion – this doesn’t work. Another year didn’t make it better, it only diminished the love until that love was gone. Once the love is lost, there’s nothing holding strings to your heart. It’s time to leave and let each partner seek someone more compatible. The important thing to do at this point is to part with respect. Fights and insults, cheating, all that nasty stuff is not necessary to say goodbye. Just agree to disagree and move on.

But – if the love is growing, the compatibility increasing, the mutual respect feeding each other, then this is where what I call “Deep Heat” takes over. If you thought new love was exciting, wait until you experience real love. I know some couples who have been together decades and they talk about the thrill of seeing their lover walk through the door. That tingle in your heart? It runs clear through your body. The love literally settles into a physically deeper space in your heart.

Sexual desire is a full body experience that is even satisfied by cuddling around each other and falling asleep. It’s intimacy in a safe environment and there is nothing more thrilling than feeling emotionally, mentally and physically safe with someone you love, and most important, loves you in return. “Safe Haven” is what Alan and I call it. Wow! THIS is worth waiting for, striving for and seeking. Ask any couple who has fared well over time will tell you there’s nothing like long-term, enduring love.

I wish every lover a wonderful month of love, and if you can pull it off, decades until death do you part. And quite honestly, it never leaves your heart. Ask anyone who lost a lover to death. It doesn’t end there!


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The Courage to Encourgage Love
By Bethany Argisle

The legend of the many Saints named Valentine, are actually believed to be Saint Galantine, the gallant one, and when the French peasants pronounced it, it became Valentine. It began the mission of the Saint to marry young lovers and soldiers when it was outlawed by the Roman Emperor Claudes II Gothicus who believed soldiers weren’t focused on war if focused on love (let’s just hope that’s true!)...

Of course, we do not send Valentine wishes with a picture of the beheading of
Galantine/Valentine and that is exactly the price he paid for continuing to support the bonds of those who wished to unite in their love plight - so it seems to take great courage to really believe that Love (of course is a four-letter word) overcomes that which aims to destroy not only our ability to love, but us as well.

In thinking/feeling this yearly celebration, there are important issues for us, not just the birds who are thought to choose their nesting mates on this very date. How do we let war happen? I have a theory and it includes the vast difference between the two:

COMPROMISE vs. COOPERATION
One night on top of an empty pizza box (from Andornos, of course - I just love their west coast pizza)...I drew a circle and drew a line down the center-one one side, the word - Compromise - I hear it so often, “you just have to compromise” - so let’s look up the etamology of the word itself and see if it applies to our new now -

Compromise which each side gives us some demands and makes some concessions
And adjustment of opposing principles - to weaken or give up one’s principles for the sake of expediency.

Cooperation indicates the act of joint effort - to act or work together for a common purpose, to combine for mutual benefit for all concerned.

In order to exercise that four letter word LOVE and WORK, that the real work is to notice that on this very day that whenever we hear the words “kill two birds with one stone” that we can now chose a new way of being that applies to now and to replace kill two birds with one stone with “light two candles with one flame” is more appropriate to conserve and not compromise the birds and therefore Saint Valentine sacrifice for Love...which in the end is more of a joy than a job...

When we feel the passion and fulfillment of love, it takes many forms, the personal romantic lover, the love that exists all around us, even if we are alone, yet not lonely as we take in this vast offering of the One who has this garden we are all cooperating with by breathing in and out during...

I believe in my true heart that love is fuel and that touch is ignition and the flame of the heart must be tended with respect and intention to make the most out of now...I know there are many who believe this way - that we are blessed and isn’t it amazing that the word bless has the word less in it...During these times of challenge, we may be finally focusing on that which is the simple, the free, that which is the honey of the bee, also ruled by Saint Valentine, the bees...and what is sweeter and a greater promise of love than it’s nectar...

“When the Power of Love Overcomes the Love of Power, the World Will Know Peace” - Jimi Hendrix


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Wrathful Devotion
by Jennifer Welwood

You gave me a heart that ignites
In the passionate knowing of you,
And having burned in that heat
Is not drawn to lesser fires.

You gave me a mind that expands
To encounter your vastness,
And finds in those fathomless depths
Its own luminous nature.

You gave me a soul that won’t rest
With any barrier to you,
Be it heavy and dense
Or gossamer as a veil.

You gave me an old structure
Made up of my history;
It is heavy and dense,
It is gossamer as a veil.

I meet it, allow it, explore it
And still it grinds on,
A machine that relentlessly churns out
Old patterns and tendencies.

I embrace it, dissolve it, release it --
Still it keeps reincarnating,
Rising up from some ancient template
Held deep in my bones.

I don’t begrudge you your sense of humor,
Beloved trickster,
But I do wonder, now and then,
What you have in mind.

Did you make me to realize a freedom
I can’t fully embody?
Do my heart and soul burn for a truth
That I can’t fully live?

I commune with you in the heavens --
It’s not hard to find you there;
But I need you down here,
In the marrow of my bones.

You can’t turn away now -- stay here;
I will have this out with you.
You started something with me,
And now I want it finished.
Yes -- I will wrestle with you on this one,
Beloved torturer;
I will wrestle you all the way down
To the very ground

And not rest till I stand
With the soles of my feet upon you,
And not rest till I feel you infuse
My every cell.


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The ART of LOVE
By Sharon Ann Wikoff

This is the month of LOVE. Valentine’s Day offers a wonderful opportunity to stop and look more closely at this ageless subject. Sometimes, the re-examining of a word or topic can pierce the armor we may have placed around the subject and a new way of looking at the topic results. Or sometimes, when we encounter another and are shown great love and consideration, we stop and reshape our way of living life. With such newness, a rich vitality can be rekindled. And what can be more exciting than living life with vitality!

Webster’s Dictionary gave the following definition about LOVE.
“A feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection.”

Affection used in the definition of love can be described as kindness, caring, fondness and goodwill.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us want our children and/or the children we know and love to be loving…to treat others with kindness, with care, with fondness and goodwill.
Can we have an active part in assuring that our children do grow up as LOVING individuals?

I believe that you… that all of us have a new opportunity everyday, in every moment and in every way to model either LOVE or non-LOVE! When you are involved with children, you have a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate LOVE.

Every Day in Every Moment
You
Model
LOVE or non-LOVE!

Children are watching you ALL the time! Even when they do not appear to be. The old saying is that “teachers have eyes in the back of their head”. Well, children have extraordinary perception in their eyes and ears!

Everything you say and do is very much heard. And I’ve even had children pick up on the things I think! So, what amazing opportunities to model LOVE!

Many years ago I was working in a Child Developmental Day Care Center. It was near the end of the day and we only had 4 children remaining. My co-teacher and I were observing the children and talking as they worked on an art project and talking amongst themselves. All of a sudden one of the 4-year-old girls looked up at us and said, “Why do you talk so nicely to each other?” Yes, every moment of every day you are being watched!

Whether you are talking to your co-teacher, your partner, a friend or your child, all conversations and interactions are an opportunity to spread the LOVE!

7 Ways of Modeling LOVE

• Use respectful language & a gentle tone in conversations.
• Invite cooperation, do not demand obedience.
• Create an environment of peacefulness and harmlessness in your home or classroom.
• Offer choices allowing for children’s individual preferences.
• Allow children to see peaceful disagreements occur and peaceful solutions reached.
• Consider your child’s development level when making requests.
• Create an age-appropriate home environment, allowing for your child/rens’ play and work.

In most situations, the way a child is treated is the way a child will respond. And even when a child is being inappropriate, an adults response to him/her, needs to be polite and harmless. Anger should not breed anger!

Pam Leo suggests if you question whether or not your language is appropriate, ask yourself: “Would I speak in this manner to my best friend?” If not, then perhaps you want to re-think your languaging.

You never know when your happy smile, or your kind words or your caring actions are just the LOVE that is deeply needed by an individual in that moment! Your LOVE is like the pebble being dropped into the pond, creating ripple after ripple. Your LOVE likewise spreads person to person to person to person!

Sharon Ann Wikoff holds two California teaching credentials and is an EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) Practitioner. Sharon hosts the radio program, The VOICE of CHANGE. This month she hosts the teleclass: Creating Play Environments for Children. Details can be found on her website: www.AuthenticWays.com

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Manifesting Peace on Earth - Good Will to ALL!

I'm not alone in wanting PEACE for our planet - Remember “Imagine” by John Lennon?
Jan Hearthstone of Sebastopol is looking for your input -
what kind of a world would you like to live in?

Designing a Lasting PEACE

By Jan Hearthstone
Since time immemorial people have wished for a lasting Peace. The reason that no lasting world Peace has, as yet, manifested on Earth is that we all wish for a different kind of a Peace. Naturally enough--we all go to a war again and again in order to resolve our differences on a battlefield, because the differences in our visions of what a state of Peace on Earth should be differ; sometimes our visions are even very contrary to each other.

It is first necessary to unify, to harmonize all the individual notions of what a world Peace should be into one coherent vision by using what-so-ever non-violent means available, and then (and only then) it would be possible to start realizing this unified vision. If this unification, this harmonizing of all the various individual visions doesn’t occur first, then we will continue to reconcile our differences in real life, causing real damage.

If you understand and agree with the foregoing, and are interested in co-operating on developing the means by which this unified, harmonized vision of what a real world Peace could be achieved, or if there is any other way you could help, please visit www.modelearth.org/peace.html to read more about the idea.

If, however, you think that there are any flaws in the idea, any mistakes that I am making, I would very much appreciate that you would let me know, please!

May all differences, all controversies, and all conflicts resolve harmlessly, peacefully by using what-so-ever wholesome and expedient means into a benefit to all beings in this world! May there be no one that would not benefit optimally!

My email is modelearth@gmail.com

My postal address is Mr. Jan Hearthstone
ModelEarth.Org
P.O.B. 2182
Sebastopol, CA 95473 .

Also--if you would know of anyone who would like to take a part in a survey, here it'd be:

What is Your Ideal World?
(online at www.ModelEarth.Org as Survey)

Dear people,

I will greatly appreciate if you give me a bit of your time and answer a few questions.

I would like to find out about what kind of a world would you like to live in.

Why would I like to find out that?

I posit that although, assumedly, most people would like to live in a different (assuredly a better) world than the one they live in now, no changes that would allow us to live in a better world are happening because of the differences in our ideas of what a better world to live in should be like, and that unless those differences would be reconciled, no substantial changes could ever happen.

Once there are enough many responses, it will possible to see on what points in their ideas about living in a better world people agree, and on what points they don't. Then, knowing the differences in the ideas about what their ideal world should look like people have, it would be
possible to see what possible ways of reconciling those differences into a one comprehensive, coherent picture there might be.

I will post the results (and anything that might ensue as a consequence) of this survey at http://www.ModelEarth.Org

The Survey:

Please try to answer in as a great detail as possible; please (and this is important!) do not say what in the ideal world that you would like to live in should NOT be! Only what there should be. This is because knowing what there should not be would not in any way help in seeing what the better world should look like. An absence of a feature is no substitute for something that should be there!

In a world that you would like to live in -

● how would be food obtained?

● how would the materials necessary for construction of buildings be obtained?, for tools?, for utensils?

● what would health care be like?

● what would the social structure be like? the government?

● what anything else would you like to see in your ideal world?

Would you have any ideas how this survey could be improved?

Thank you sincerely - Mr. Jan Hearthstone
www.ModelEarth.Org
E-mail: modelearth@gmail.com .

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ADVICE - on Love, Romance...Good Stuff!!!

Whoah!... February!! In the midst of mass-media panic over our economy, real homes and jobs losses, global warming, mounting public health issues - AND and our post-holidays gray-skied “blues”.. we’re consistently reminded this month to “stop and smell the roses”… to think of love, romance and good stuff!

Writing this column, I’ve received TONS of letters about all kinds of relationship challenges – Neighbors; Family Members; Partnerships; Marriages; Kids; Bosses; Co-Workers; Cashiers… You name it!! …All while technology tweaks interpersonal connection and intimacy…

Is it just me? Or, does it feel like we’re becoming ever more isolated - and lacking trust to acknowledge or even interact with others?

Where’s Our Sense of HUMOR?!

Here’s one: “You become upset when a person calls you on the phone to sell you something, but you think it's okay for a computer to call and demand that you start pushing buttons on your telephone to receive more information about the product it is selling!” Source: www.basicjokes.com

Now, you don’t need another scolding about what you “should” be doing!... Maybe we could all use a little perspective tune-up, however!..

• Walking into the Men’s Locker Room @ Cal Fit the other day, something happened which I don’t recall experiencing since, oh, the 1970’s… My “excuse me” and look at the face of another guy I was passing was actually returned in kind!!! My God!! Someone looked me in the eye, and said, “Excuse me” in a way which communicated:

Ø Respect

Ø Courtesy

Ø “I’m not irritated that you’re momentarily in my world”

I was stunned! Then, as I reached my locker it happened again! Both times, by gentlemen who looked to be at least 60 years of age… Reminding me of “a different age” – the way I was taught to be a man – respectful, honest, willing to be wrong or not know something – all in the name of supporting others and of gaining knowledge and connection….

“Nowadays”, most of our “run-ins with strangers” interactions have become focused on:

# 1: “Maintain my space…” – Don’t let anyone in!

# 2: “Don’t do anything that could cause further interaction!” - Get past the other person ASAP!

# 3: “Be socially - and politically-correct!” - Can’t say anything that someone can construe as sexual, derogatory, or any other of a million litigation-liable transgressions!

# 4: “Gosh, I hope to hell I didn’t know that person! Pray I didn’t come over as ‘rude’.. That wasn’t my child’s teacher was it?”... I don’t want to look “wrong”!

• It’s a lot easier to eMail, text… anything in techno-space than to deal with all of the “kooks”… even in our own homes!

• “There are No Coincidences” – Spirit/Physics/God puts people in our lives for a reason!

• Our shrinking planet (see MySpace, global ecological realities, regional wars involving global axes’ soldiers…) has dramatically increased the demands for socially-complex “awareness”..

So, If you lived in a group of 99 people, and one more is added, you’d then see 99 new relationships! Seems like SO MANY people are overwhelmed, stressed and/or depressed by the dramatic social complexity of today’s life! Hey!.. I hate the fact that 99% of the people who drive down my street are people I don’t know, and I never will!

“Community”… where’d that go?

Here’s another one: My nephew recently headed off for his first semester away at college on a music scholarship. Off to Los Angeles and big-city campus life! I called him about a month after he’d settled in, to see how he was doing…

"This is awesome, Uncle Mitch!," he exclaimed, "but the students in my dorm are kinda freaky! Dude in the dorm next to me bangs his head against the wall ‘til like midnight every night! And the guy in the room above me stomps around ‘til midnight! And I gotta listen to floor below’s stereo blasting ‘til the middle of the night!"

I asked, "Why don't you complain to your Dorm Supervisors?"

"Ah, it’s not really that big a deal," my nephew says... "I'm usually up quietly practicing my trombone until that time anyway."

• Sometimes, the very interactions/frustrations we rue the most are foundations to a relationship we’d sorely miss otherwise (see Jim Carrey’s character in “CLICK”)!

As there are no “coincidences”, Even current phenomenon can be looked at for positive potential!... For example:

• “Political Correctness” = Opportunity to really look at other humans as our equals, versus as someone to be categorized.

• This shrinking planet = Opportunity to get past divisive trends (like “racial differences”, “religious wars”, tyranny, slavery…) and unite to combat this threat to our very existence.

• Loss of courtesy/respect/empathy = Opportunity to ROLE MODEL the best a human can be for others!!

As a means of communication – keeping it “light”, not personalizing every moment, and allowing everyone to feel “OK”… humor/jokes are time-tested means getting along with people and of adding just a bit of light in this world we share! If not meant to create distance – instead to create a brief sense of affiliation – humor rocks!

And, during spiritual and/or seasonal “WINTER”, this is a time to lovingly look within… To find the good starting in our hearts, in those we love… and in our fellow humans!

Stay tied to the positive (like what you see in reading “Health & Fitness” magazine; checking out www.TwinSoup.com, and in connecting with community @ www.westcountygazette.com )!

KNOW THIS: There’s lots of good in this world; humans can thrive and get past our contemporary struggles, and that there’s always a good laugh in there somewhere!

George Carlin once said:

“If love is blind… why is lingerie so popular?”


…February: Love It!

Namasté ~ Mitch

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Willaiam-Lewelln Foundation Honors Brenda Adelman

Brenda Adelman Honored for her Selfless Committment

It would difficult to find a person more worthy of this honor than Brenda Adelman. She is a HERO to all of us who love the Russian River Watershed and our river communities - thank you Brenda - you deserve this recognition!

The Willaiam-Lewelln Foundation believes that the true genius of the world lies in the talents of individuals who do its best work. The Foundation believes it has an obligation to share its wealth and enrich the lives of people who make a sustainable, just, compassionate, and creative future possible. We believe that the best ideas do not always come out of mainstream thinking, and that the Foundation has the responsibility to expand the boundaries of courageous, creative thinking. We provide support to talented individuals whose lives have demonstrated tenacious dedication over time, and consistent creativity in their work, yet who have been under-recognized for the gifts they have given their pursuits, to their communities, and to society.

With all of the above in mind, we examine the track record of achievement in a nominee’s field. Some will be well-known, others will not. We do not accept applications, so individuals cannot solicit our support. For all of the above reasons, we have selected Brenda Adelman of the Russian River watershed Protection Committee for her selfless commitment to reserve the Russian River, our watershed and our environment.

Beginning with Guerneville sewer issues in the late 1970s and with the illegal dumping of 800 million gallons of sewage, by the City of Santa Rosa in 1985, Brenda Adelman has been a hawk-like guardian of the Russian River for decades. Having brought her considerable expertise in environmental issues to countless meetings and presentations, she has helped to preserves the fragile eco-system of our river. At great personal and economic cost, Brenda has benefited both the Russian River and the people who live in its environs.

Thank You Brenda. This is a small gift compared with what you have given every one in our community.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Brenda usually has an article in virtually every issue of WCG, but right now she’s exhausted from her latest efforts on our behalf: she studied the thousands of pages on the Basin Plan for Sonoma County, then wrote dozens of pages of comments to submit on our behalf. That’s enough writing for one month. We depend upon Brenda – I know I do – to be the eyes, the voice, and the intelligence of information on issues about which the rest of us are ignorant. Please consider becoming a member of the Russian River Watershed Protection Committee to be part of Brenda’s and her volunteers’ efforts to preserve our home. www.rrwpc.org

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Money for Water Conservation in Sonoma County

WATER $ - Help Pay for Water Conservation

By Brad Sherwood
Acknowledging the increasing likelihood of a serious drought, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, also the Sonoma County Water Agency Board of Directors, reviewed today a program to finance water and energy efficiency measures on private properties. Sonoma County would be the first county in California to create such a program.

The Sonoma County Energy Independence Program will allow Sonoma County property owners to take loans from the County to install water conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements, such as tankless water heaters, ultra low-flush toilets and solar panels.

The program is expected to be up and running in early spring and would provide loans to property owners to perform energy efficiency upgrades to their business or residential properties. The loans are paid back along with the participants’ property taxes over a period of twenty years. Loans would be tied to the properties, not the owners, and could therefore be passed from one owner to the next. Because the loans are paid back, with interest, the program is cost-neutral to the County.

“This program is part of the solution to our call for conservation this year,” said Paul Kelley, Chairman, SCWA Board of Directors and Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “Homeowners and businesses can use this program to permanently reduce their water use by replacing older appliances with new, water efficient appliances. In today’s economy, any financial incentive to help homeowners and businesses meet our water challenges is welcome. We also anticipate that this program will economically stimulate our economy and create new, green jobs.”

On February 2, 2009, officials from the Sonoma County Water Agency announced a likely 30 percent cutback in water deliveries with the potential to reach a 50 percent reduction. SCWA’s retail customers -- including the cities of Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Sonoma, Cotati, Windsor and the Valley of the Moon and North Marin water districts - will likely implement strict conservation measures to meet the challenge of less water.

Residents and businesses looking for new ways to conserve water will soon be able to take advantage of the Sonoma County Energy Independence Program to help finance new technologies, including ultra-low flush toilets, waterless urinals, recirculating hot water pumps, smart irrigation controllers and many other low water use fixtures now being available. These improvements can dramatically reduce their water use with little impact to quality of life.

Sonoma County Water Agency provides water supply, flood protection and sanitation services for portions of Sonoma and Marin counties. Visit us on the Web at www.sonomacountywater.org

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Financing for Water & Energy Improvements in Sonoma County

Renewable Energy & Water Improvement Financing Program

By Jim Toomey
Public Information Officer, County of Sonoma

Using authority granted to cities and counties under Assembly Bill (AB) 811, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors will consider creating a program to help property owners finance renewable energy and water efficiency improvements to their properties. If approved, Sonoma County would be the first county in California to create such a program. The Board will review a feasibility study conducted by the County Administrator’s Office at its meeting on February 3rd, and may provide direction to create the program at that time.

Sonoma County has a stated goal of reducing community-wide Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions to 25% below 1990 levels by 2015. Because decreases in energy use are directly related to reductions in GHG emission, the creation of an AB 811 program would have a direct impact on achieving the 2015 goal. Such a program would also benefit property owners by providing readily available financing, with fewer credit restrictions than traditional loan products. They would also likely benefit from the long-term energy cost savings on any improvements that are made, as well as potential increases in property values. In addition, the program would increase “green” job opportunities in Sonoma County. Given the County’s severe water situation, AB 811 water efficiency improvements would provide “win/win” advantages in both energy and water conservation.

As envisioned, the program would provide loans to property owners to perform energy efficiency upgrades to their business or residential properties. The loans are paid back along with the participants’ property taxes over a period of twenty years. Loans would be tied to the properties, not the owners, and could therefore be passed from one owner to the next. Because the loans are paid back, with interest, the program is cost-neutral to the County.

“This is a key action program to implement cost saving energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation projects,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Paul Kelley. “This will help the County reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions as a component of reducing the impacts of climate change.”

“AB 811 is a powerful tool for residential and commercial property owners to access for energy efficient improvements that provide conservation and potential savings,” added Supervisor Valerie Brown. “Sonoma County will be a model for other counties in California and across the nation.”

A copy of the feasibility study may be obtained at the Offices of the Board of Supervisors and County Administrator, located at 575 Administration Drive, Room 104A, in Santa Rosa. Phone (707) 565-2431
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The County of Sonoma is comprised of 26 departments and agencies that provide a full range of services to the community. It encompasses over 1600 square miles and is home to more than 475,000 residents. Sonoma County government has a history of providing excellent and responsive public service while operating under sound fiscal principles.

Located less than one hour north of San Francisco, Sonoma County combines in one location, the beautiful Pacific coastline, award-winning wineries, majestic redwoods, historic towns, fine dining, and a wide variety of entertainment and cultural activities.

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Meth Abuse Cost to Society - Billions of Dollars

Societal Cost of Meth Use Is Gauged in New Study

"It's destroying families; it's destroying our schools; it's destroying our budgets for corrections, social services, health care. We're losing a generation of productive people. My God, at the rate we're going, we're going to have more people in jail than out of jail in 20 years.“ - Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer

By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: February 4, 2009 in the New York Times

In the first effort to calculate the national price of methamphetamine abuse, a new study said the addictive stimulant imposed costs of $23.4 billion in 2005. While the authors, from the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Calif., caution that many impacts were difficult to quantify, their study suggests that methamphetamine takes an economic toll nearly as great as heroin and possibly more.

Methamphetamine was named the primary cause of some 900 deaths in 2005, and the report estimates that premature mortality alone cost $4 billion. Its abuse has spread from Hawaii and rural areas of the West and South since the 1990s, slowly expanding to the Midwest and the East. In the process, it has wreaked havoc on addicts’ physical and mental health and on their families.

Federal surveys suggest that the share of Americans using the drug in a given year has stabilized, at about 1 percent of the population over age 12, which is far higher than the rate for heroin but half the rate for cocaine. About 400,000 Americans are believed to be addicted to methamphetamine, but a rising number are smoking it rather than taking it orally or snorting it. Smoking brings a faster, jolting high, quicker addiction and more ill effects.

The study is part of a project at RAND to evaluate the costs of drug addiction, financed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and directed by Rosalie L. Pacula, co-director of the Drug Policy Research Center at RAND.

Extra financing for the report was provided by the Meth Project Foundation, a private group that seeks to prevent young people from using methamphetamine.

Dr. Wilson Compton, a division director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said the study’s major innovation was its effort to quantify the effects of addiction on the quality of life — how factors like poor health, anxiety and paranoia shrink the addict’s horizons and pleasure over time. Such estimates have been made for heart diseases and other major ones but not for illegal drugs, Dr. Compton said.

These intangibles proved to be the largest costs, with an estimated price of $12.6 billion. Other major costs included $4.2 billion in crime and criminal justice, $904 million for endangered children put into foster care as a result of parents’ use, $687 million in lost productivity, $545 million for drug treatment, $351 million for health care and $61 million for injuries and deaths at exploding meth labs and for cleaning up the toxic wastes they produce.

Because of the difficulty in pinpointing the role of methamphetamine in crime, medical care and other factors, the RAND researchers gave a range of estimates, saying the overall toll may be as low as $16.2 billion or as high as $48.3 billion.

Several potentially major costs were not factored in because they could not be measured. These include, for example, the burdens imposed on the families and friends of addicts, and the burdens of children who are not taken into the foster system.

The study is available on the Web at methproject.org.

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Empowering Yourself into 2009

The New Year
Transforming Last Years Disappointments
Into Wisdom and Renewal

By Susan Kistin, MFT

As we enter the new year, we are presented us with an opportunity to reflect on the past year and set new intentions for the year ahead. But the prospect of making goals and vowing to uphold resolutions can be daunting. Why? Because trying to stick to goals and resolutions can give us the message that we are not good enough as we are, or that all the hard work we’ve already been doing to direct our lives isn’t good enough. Instead, how about a year-end review that can help us to find meaning in all we’ve been through and renewed purpose as we move ahead into a new year…something that is food for the soul instead of resolution drudgery?

The winter season is the perfect time to settle in and take stock of what we may have begun that needs more nurturing to blossom and grow. Looking out on the stark branches and grey sky reminds us that nothing lasts forever. Yet, we also know that the seeds that were planted in the fall are waiting in the deep stillness of the earth to be born again in the spring. So are the seeds that we planted within ourselves last year, the seeds of our longings, the ways we want to become more of who we are.

All the disappointments, the times we perhaps went in a direction we hadn’t meant to and ended up feeling off track and lost to ourselves...these are the valuable, rich lessons of the past, and they can inform our new direction. Calling in what we want in our lives is most empowering if we acknowledge & honor what we are leaving behind. Saying goodbye to that which is no longer serving us and claiming the lessons learned from our experiences of confusion and doubt can help us to create a new, updated version of our lives.


A Fun and Empowering Reflection for a New Year

PREPARATION

➢ Create a special time & place for your reflection: cozy & warm in your home or outside in the clear, cold beauty of winter.
➢ Set aside the amount of time that feels right for you so you are not rushed.
➢ What time of day do you feel most inspired? Do it then!
➢ Create your atmosphere: a candle or flowers, perhaps your favorite food.
➢ Surround yourself with things that represent both what you want to leave behind and what you are calling forth.
➢ Decide if you want to be alone or with friends or family. How would you feel best supported to reflect with freedom & authenticity?
➢ Wear comfortable clothing or perhaps something special if you like dressing up.

REFLECTION

➢ Reflect on the past year, by writing in a special journal or using any other medium that appeals to you, like drawing, or sharing verbally with a friend. You can now refer to the items you chose that symbolize what you are leaving behind or calling forth.
➢ Celebrate the powerful and inspiring experiences of this past year. Delight in your accomplishments!
➢ Celebrate and give great honor to the deep lessons learned through your disappointing, challenging experiences.

INTEGRATION

➢ Now, look into the coming New Year with open heart, bringing to bear the wisdom of your reflections. Create a plan for some concrete actions you can take to make your lessons come alive in your daily life!


With a good measure of sincere reflection, self-forgiveness and heart-felt intention, we can transform what we thought were our failures into an enlightened and successful continuation of life in 2009. This simple process is something you can do every year as your own personal New Year ceremony.

Susan Kistin, MFT helps people with a variety of concerns make conscious, life-affirming intentions so they can move forward with freedom and joy! She is a psychotherapist in private practice, a ceremonialist and co-founder of EarthWays, an organization that offers vision quests and workshops. Susan works with individuals and groups, and will be starting a women’s group in early 2009.
She can be reached at 707-823-1319 or skistin@comcast.net. EarthWays web site: www.earthways.info

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