From bright_crow at mindspring.com Thu Jan 5 13:56:04 2006 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 12:56:04 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] FWD: Deliver Us from Kony - Why the children of Uganda are killing one another Message-ID: <22729423.1136483764932.JavaMail.root@mswamui-andean.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, Please take a look at this article from Christianity Today Magazine: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/001/18.30.html Deliver Us from Kony Why the children of Uganda are killing one another in the name of the Lord by J. Carter Johnson in Kitgum, Uganda | posted 12/30/2005 10:00 a.m. "Sixty years after Allied soldiers liberated the Nazi death camps, the world stands silent in the face of another holocaust—one so horrifying that U.N. officials call it "one of the worst human-rights crises of the past century." "The perpetrators commit atrocities with such malevolence that even the most irreligious people familiar with their acts describe them as "unrestrained evil." The targets of the butchery are children. They rape, mutilate, and kill them with a rapaciousness that staggers the imagination. Worse, they compel children to kill one another and their own families, fighting as "soldiers" in an armed force deliberately composed of children. "Perhaps the greatest atrocity is teaching these children that they spread this carnage by the power of the Holy Spirit to purify the "unrepentant," twisting Christianity into a religion of horror to their victims. It is spiritual warfare at its very worst, and it could not be more satanic...." I have also linked the article at http://seympeace.org/#NEW Blessed Be, Michael From bertskellie at mindspring.com Fri Jan 6 16:27:22 2006 From: bertskellie at mindspring.com (Bert Skellie) Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:27:22 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Availability to Lead Workshops on Ending Racism Among Friends Message-ID: <016c01c612ff$99a49b60$0b02a8c0@bert> Dear Friends, In November I led a weekend workshop on Ending Racism Among Friends at the invitation of the Birmingham Friends Meeting. I want to let other SAYMA Friends know that I am open to leading similar workshops in the future. For more information see below (description of workshop, traveling minute from Atlanta Meeting, response from Birmingham). In Peace & Friendship, Bert 2303 Dancing Fox Road Decatur, GA 30032 (404) 378-5883 Experiential Workshop on Ending Racism Among Friends Led by Bert Skellie & Sponsored by Birmingham Friends Meeting Friday 11/4 5:30-8:30 PM; Saturday, 11/5, 8:30 AM - 5 PM at the Meetinghouse Would you like to know more about the kinds of racist behavior found among Friends? Do you want to improve your ability to recognize your own and others' racist behavior and act effectively against it? If these questions speak to your condition, please join us on Friday 11/4 and Saturday 11/5 at the Meetinghouse. Our focus will be on how white people can work with other whites. On Friday, after introductions and a brief overview, we will review examples of Friends ' racist behaviors and why the behaviors are racist. On Saturday, we will start by learning and practicing worshipful accountability for our own personal racism. We will spend most of the rest of the day role-playing how to intervene in racist incidents, and how to avoid racist behaviors in typical situations among Friends. We will open and close each session with worship. Our focus will be on examples from the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), but not because Quakers act in more racist ways than do other majority-white groups. As an active Friend, I am led to work to end racism within myself and in my religious home. For the past several years, with the help of my Atlanta Friends anti-racism support group, I have developed a list of examples of racist behaviors to help us be clear on what we mean by racism. I welcome others who are not Friends to participate if they feel the workshop will be helpful to them. We will not spend time debating the existence of racism among Friends or attempting to all agree on a definition of racism. Here is part of what I mean by "racism": "Racism is a combination of prejudice and power, a set of attitudes and institutional arrangements that maintain the status quo of inequality. In the United States, racism has its roots in slavery and a history in all institutions and social patterns. Racism persists because it maintains advantage and privilege for whites, who benefit daily from their inaction and avoidance of the topic. Racism causes physical and emotional death for people of color when white people undermine self-esteem, ignore ability and achievement, stereotype, and participate in economic oppression. Racism attacks people of color at many levels, from the interactions of everyday life to institutional patterns of power and privilege. The elimination of racism is key to the spiritual growth and development of everyone. Racism is a deeply destructive, immoral system." (from statement of the Atlanta Friends Meeting group, Our Roles as Individuals in America's Racial History (ORAIIARH), 5/11/02). By the end of the workshop, I hope participants will be more confident in describing what kinds of behaviors are racist, and how to work effectively to change these behaviors in themselves and in others. Text of Bert's AFM traveling minute & response from Birmingham Meeting: Atlanta Friends Meeting 701 West Howard Avenue Decatur, Georgia 30030 (404)-377-2474 Tenth month, 19, 2005 To Whom It May Concern: Please welcome Bert Skellie, of Atlanta Friends Meeting, as he travels under the weight of a concern to lead an experiential workshop on ending racism among Friends. Bert is a long time member of Atlanta Friends Meeting and has offered similar workshops at Atlanta Friends Meeting, and the yearly meeting of the Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association, and at Friends General Conference in 2004 and 2005. We commend him to your care. Sincerely, Karen Morris Clerk, Atlanta Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends To Atlanta Friends Meeting, We are grateful for Bert's presence among us this weekend. His gentle and yet persistent leadership guided us into - and through - experiences and feelings of awkwardness and discomfort. Individually and as a meeting, we are energized to pursue the topic of white racism further. Each heart was moved; we are changed. In appreciation, Connie LaMonte, Clerk 11-6-05 From elizakeiser at aol.com Wed Jan 4 23:59:30 2006 From: elizakeiser at aol.com (elizakeiser at aol.com) Date: Wed, 04 Jan 2006 22:59:30 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Common Light Events 2006 Message-ID: <8C7DFC390770DB3-50C-199E7@MBLK-R08.sysops.aol.com> December 31, 2005 Dear Friends of Common Light, Here is an update of Events of 2006, the second half of our second year at Common Light. Some of you will have received an earlier version at the beginning of December before we lost our AOL connectivity. Now we have cable access to it with the same addresses. As Anais Nin has eloquently stated, "Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Autumn brought an expansive beginning to Common Light Meetingplace's second year, "Dialogues on Courage." Now we want to alert you to a cornucopia of future offerings for January through May. We hope that you will be drawn to join us at one or more of these events--all intended to deepen our reservoirs of courage and therefore expand our lives. To all of you, we send warm greetings at the year's turning, hoping that 2006 will find our species renewed in the courage needed to act in accord with the dignity and compassion which define our humanity. The New Year begins with a reading/discussion group on Albert Camus' novel THE PLAGUE and its relevance to an ethic of nonviolence. This will be facilitated by MEL KEISER and TONY BING. Tony's thinking about Camus' philosophy in the context of teaching Peace Studies issued in three Charles Lectures on THE PLAGUE which are available at www.earlham.edu/~tonyb/bing_charles1.html . It is suggested that participants have read at least the first third of the novel by the initial meeting on JANUARY 8, and the remainder by JANUARY 15. These two meetings are on successive SUNDAY afternoons from 3:30 to 5:30 pm, following tea and coffee. The final meeting will follow a potluck supper on FRIDAY evening, JANUARY 20, 5:30 to 8. (No fee; donations appreciated). In case of uncertainty of meeting because of snow and ice, phone 828-669-3616. On FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 7 to 8:30 pm, "APPOINTMENT WITH A WISE OLD DOG: DREAM IMAGES IN A TIME OF CRISIS" will be shown. In this film, (introduced by Yo-Yo Mah) conductor/cellist DAVID BLUM recorded his medical and spiritual journey and how he found ways to bring his dreams into his life through music and pastel drawings. Following the viewing, Gaetana Friedman, artist and retired therapist, will lead a discussion on "active imagination," C. G. Jung's term for the process of extending dream images into one's conscious life, illustrated so poignantly and powerfully in this film. Snow date: SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 5 - 6:30 pm. (No fee; donations appreciated.) FEBRUARY 3 & 4, FRIDAY 6:45-8:45 pm and SATURDAY 9:00-4:00 pm, a basic workshop on THE ENNEAGRAM AND SPIRITUALITY will be facilitated by Sandra Smith, Director of Holy Ground and a certified Enneagram teacher in the oral tradition trained by Helen Palmer and David Daniels. Before the workshop, it is suggested that participants know their Enneagram type; to sign up for a one-hour interview with Sandra Smith to reflect on and sort out your type, call 286-0222. ($100 for workshop; $40 for interview). In FEBRUARY, several EVENTS ON CIVIL RIGHTS co-led by Veterans of Hope, Rev. Nelson Johnson, Pastor of Faith Community Church, Greensboro, NC and Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons, Asst. Prof., Department of Religion, U of FL. Public Presentation at Warren Wilson College REFLECTIONS ON THE LESSONS OF TWO LIVES ON THE STRUGGLE AND THE RELEVANCE FOR TODAY, Nelson Johnson and Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons in dialogue, FEBRUARY 23, THURSDAY 7:30 pm in Cannon Lounge (opposite dining room). CIVIL RIGHTS VETERANS OF HOPE: COURAGE TO WORK FOR JUSTICE, conversation led by Nelson Johnson and Zoharah Simmons FEBRUARY 25, SATURDAY, from 9:00 am to noon, continental breakfast (Mel's homemade oat bran muffins and coffee/tea/juice). Donations appreciated. DVDs from the Veterans of Hope Project including Bernice Johnson Reagon and Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons are available on loan and will be shown FEBRUARY 19, SUNDAY, 3:00-5:00 pm at Common Light. For a five-minute video biography and introduction to Dr. Simmons, see www.trinitywallstreet.org/institute/?2006. MEDITATIVE CIRCLE DANCES, led by Barbara Nerenz Kelley, will brighten two more winter evenings-- THURSDAY, JANUARY 26th and THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, from 6 to 8 pm. All are welcome. ($10 each). On MARCH 10-11, FRIDAY 6 to 9 pm and SATURDAY 10 am to 5 pm, she will offer a different experience, "COURAGE TO BE AT HOME IN THE BODY." This weekend of awareness and mindfulness combines movement and dance, drawing, writing, and a lot of sharing ($60, $l0 reduction for early registration until January 28). Refreshments provided; bring bag lunch for Saturday. MEDITATIVE DANCES FOR SPRING will meet MARCH 16 through APRIL 20, THURSDAYS 11 am to 1 pm. No previous experience is needed. ($10 each session, with one class free for those who attend all six). COMPASSIONATE COMMUNICATION: TWO-DAY INTENSIVE WORKSHOP ON SKILLS TO RESOLVE CONFLICTS WITH SELF AND OTHERS led by Catherine Clement, Organizational Consultant from Boulder, CO using Marshall Rosenberg's methods of non-violent communication to teach conflict resolution in personal, institutional, and political life MARCH 24-25, FRIDAY 9:00 am-5:00pm and SATURDAY 9:00am-5:00pm. $90 (two catered lunches included). Series on NON-VIOLENCE, PRAYER, & PEACEMAKING: DEEPENING THE JOURNEY led by Dr. Daniel O. Snyder, Psychologist & Peace Studies Teacher from Springe, Germany and Black Mountain, NC. Co-sponsored by Pendle Hill, Dan led three illuminating and deepening weekends on Prayer and Peacemaking during Common Light's first year. This spring he offers a series of eight Wednesday evenings APRIL 12-MAY 31 6:00-8:00pm to catch us up and carry us further into the thought and spirituality of peacemaking. $75. COURAGE TO BE AT WORK: THE POWER OF SELF led by Dr. Martha Summerville, Executive Consultant in Leadership and Organization Development from New Haven, CT on how to be yourself in the workplace APRIL 21-22, FRIDAY 5:00-9:00pm and SATURDAY 9:00am-5:00pm. $75 (dinner and lunch included). INTUITIVE PAINTING: EXPLORING THE ARTIST WITHIN, a class offered for the first time at Common Light this past fall, will be taught again by GAETANA FRIEDMAN in the spring, this time in a two-day format with sessions from 9 am to 5 pm on FRIDAY (studio open until 8 pm for optional use) and SATURDAY, APRIL 28-29 ($130, including all materials and refreshments; bring lunch for Saturday). POETRY ENGENDERING COURAGE led by Drs. Beth & Mel Keiser and Guilford Alumni. Last May Guilford alumni and others gathered around a philosopher, Merleau-Ponty; this time we gather around poetry. More later about the shape of this as it emerges in discussion with alumni. MAY 19-20, FRIDAY 5:00-9:00pm and SATURDAY 9:00am-5:00pm. No registration fee; dinner and lunch $18; Saturday night dinner optional, $10; donations appreciated. PRESENT MOMENT MASSAGE THERAPY is available by appointment. Call 828-664-9574, Margaret Jones, RN, LMBT. POEM AND STORY SHARING is facilitated by Margaret Jones, writer, artist, and massage therapist, MONTHLY on FINAL FRIDAYS, 7-8:30 pm. All are welcome, no fee, donations accepted. PAST EVENTS Fall 2005: The fourteen people who shared the first weekend, "Women Claiming Courage," led by MariJo Moore and Laura Donaldson, found new meanings and energy for their own courageous living. This workshop became a transformative event as we interacted wholeheartedly with stories, poems, history, and each other's improvisational creative writing. For pictures, see our website at www.commonlight.org.Eighteen people gathered for a Day of Mindfulness in the Buddhist tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh led by Larry Ward and Peggy Rowe from the Lotus Institute in Asheville. Their reflections, focusing on the meanings of courage on the spiritual path, were gratefully received. The video documenting the problems in global merchandising epitomized by WALMART was shown to 25 people and a lively discussion followed led by Michael Galovic from Swannanoa Valley Friends Meeting. Gaetana Friedman's class "Intuitive Painting: Exploring the Artist Within" concluded with nine inspired persons sharing the exciting results of their five sessions and asking for more opportunities to paint from the source in this supportive context. Barbara Nerenz-Kelley's Meditative Circle Dance series for Fall was a deepening experience for the ten people who formed the core of the group, and for the nineteen who gathered to dance for the Winter Solstice, there was a special magic in moving from dark and cold into the warmth and light of the sun's rebirth. We are exceedingly grateful to the outstanding leaders who are gracing our events and to the participants who are sharing their creative energies in many ways. We don't know what wider effects Common Light has, if any, but we experience in ourselves and with participants a working together to cultivate personal wholeness and to mend the world through our various undertakings which makes us deeply appreciative and a bit awe-filled. Yours in the common light, Beth and Mel Keiser -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From hwalters at yancey.main.nc.us Fri Jan 6 13:45:10 2006 From: hwalters at yancey.main.nc.us (Herb Walters, RSVP / Listening Project) Date: Fri, 6 Jan 2006 12:45:10 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] RSVP and Gulf Coast Listening Project Message-ID: <005b01c612e8$f22ee4f0$4b66ec48@hp7855> RSVP and the Gulf Coast Listening Project Rural Southern Voice for Peace is a service organization supported by SAYMA. We serve as the International Listening Project Training and Resource Center. RSVP with the help of Friends throughout the region, is currently conducting the Gulf Coast Listening Project (GCLP) which will address issues of poverty and race that were raised in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. GCLP will conduct in-depth interviews with survivors of Hurricane Katrina, enabling them to share their thoughts and feelings about:: 1. Their Katrina experience 2. Their immediate and unheeded needs; 3. Issues of race and poverty 4. Solutions and ideas for creating a more just and compassionate nation. The Gulf Coast Listening Project (GCLP) is currently being organized by grassroots coalitions in four cities. For example, in Columbia S.C. the project is sponsored by Columbia Friends Meeting (thanks to Harry and Rebecca Rogers), the Consumer Education Council and the Christian Action Council. Friends are also involved in the GCLP projects in Atlanta (thanks to Bert Skellie ), New Orleans (thanks to Brad Ott) and Birmingham (Peter Furst). AFSC Southeast Regional Office will be working with GCLP and Rural Southern Voice for Peace, will coordinate GCLP nationally. RSVP is supported by Celo Friends Meeting and SAYMA. GCLP will apply what is learned from our interviews to a national education and action campaign that will become a strong voice on issues of poverty, race and national priorities in our nation. National organizations including Church World Service and Southern Poverty Law Center"s Teaching Tolerance Program, are interested in helping with this phase of the project. Rural Southern Voice for Peace was founded in 1982. RSVP has worked on a wide range of peace, justice and environmental issues since then. We have conducted Listening and Diversity projects with North Carolina and Illinois Yearly Meetings and with Asheville and Atlanta monthly meetings. RSVP's Listening Project has gained international recognition resulting from our work in the U.S. and projects in Serbia, Croatia, Nicaragua/Honduras and Palau. However, we remain a grassroots organization and our continued contact with Friends is very important to us. The Gulf Coast Listening Project is an excellent example of how Friends can play an important role in our work. We invite you to get on our mailing list so you can receive our annual newsletter and check out our web site for general info. and updates on trainings and projects. E-mail: info at listeningproject.info. Web: www.listeningproject.info. Tel: 828-675-5933 We send you love and blessings, Herb Walters, director; Kathlene Stith, office manager; Merelyn McKnight, board chair. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bright_crow at mindspring.com Tue Jan 10 12:49:53 2006 From: bright_crow at mindspring.com (Mike Shell) Date: Tue, 10 Jan 2006 11:49:53 -0500 (GMT-05:00) Subject: [saymaListserv] "What's NEW?" at SEYMpeace.org Message-ID: <22335133.1136911793800.JavaMail.root@mswamui-chipeau.atl.sa.earthlink.net> Friends, Please take a look at the latest additions to http://seympeace.org/#NEW Thanks, Michael From kuenning-licia at voicenet.com Thu Jan 12 09:36:00 2006 From: kuenning-licia at voicenet.com (Licia Kuenning) Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2006 8:36 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Murfreesboro Worship Group--snailmail address Message-ID: <20060112133234.18392.qmail@mail28.voicenet.com> Hi Friends, I sent a mailing to Murfreesboro Worship Group, using the address in the FWCC Directory and also on various websites: 411 Millhouse Rd., Bell Buckel, TN 37020 - but it apparently could not be delivered and came back to me marked "Refused." Is there a current snailmail address for this worship group? Thanks, Licia From bertskellie at mindspring.com Fri Jan 13 10:13:28 2006 From: bertskellie at mindspring.com (Bert Skellie) Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:13:28 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Workshop for Friends of Color 2/17-19 in NYC Message-ID: <001101c6184b$87112760$0b02a8c0@bert> From: Helen Garay Toppins [mailto:hgfreedom at earthlink.net] Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 10:01 AM To: Jeff Hitchcock Subject: pls send to lists - POC Workshop Healing Ourselves Workshop for Friends of Color February 17-19, 2006 This experiential weekend is, sponsored by the NYYM Black Concerns Committee for Friends of Color who want to begin healing our wounds from racism. Personal healing work will occur through worship sharing, large group discussion and listening to each other in small groups. We will also spend time identifying ways we can support each other as People of Color in the Religious Society of Friends. Workshop facilitated by Vanessa Julye. Vanessa Julye www.quaker.org/vanessajulye quakervjulye at earthlink.net The workshop will begin Friday February 17 at 7:00 pm at 15 Rutherford Place in Manhattan. We will spend the evening getting to know each other. We will meet Saturday morning at 9:30 pm and then visit, The Slavery in New York exhibit at The New-York Historical Society. This exhibit explores the vital role that slave trading, the labor of enslaved people, and important commerce with slave societies in the 19th century played in making New York the wealthiest city in the world. Further details of this important exhibition can be found at: www.slaveryinnewyork.org Admission for the museum is: Adults: $10, Seniors, Students and Teachers: $5 After the exhibit we will eat lunch at SylviaM-^Rs restaurant in Harlem. http://sylviasrestaurant.com/# Entrees range from $8.95 - $18.95. After lunch we will have an afternoon session at Brooklyn Meeting sharing our feelings about the exhibit and our experiences within the Religious Society of Friends. After a Caribbean dinner we may see the South African musical, Drumstruck. The show begins at 8:00 PM and tickets are $66.00 per person. We are also looking at other Saturday night options. Sunday morning we will return to 15 Rutherford Place in Manhattan to worship with Manhattan or 15th Street meetings at 9:30 am. After worship our final session will be facilitated by Vanessa. The workshop is free but Friends will have to pay for the cost of their meals, accommodations, museum admission and theater tickets. To register please contact Helen Garay Toppins at hgfreedom at earthlink.net Below is a listing of more affordable places to stay in Manhattan. Seafarers & International House, 123 East 15th Street, at Irving place, 212-677-4800 Double rooms - $90.00; Single With Shared Bath: $75; Single with Private Bath: $105 http://www.hinewyork.org/rooms.htm Vanderbilt YMCA, 224 East 47th St., New York, NY 10017 Phone :(212) 756-9600, Fax: (212) 752-0210 http://www.ymcanyc.org/sub.php?p=about&sp=vanderbilt/vanderbiltabout Hostel International -New York, 891 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, USA 10025-4403; Phone: 212-932-2300, Fax: 212-932-2574 Beds start at $29.00. http://www.hinewyork.org/rooms.htm From errol at kitenet.net Sat Jan 14 11:11:31 2006 From: errol at kitenet.net (Errol Hess) Date: Sat, 14 Jan 2006 10:11:31 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Workshop for teachers of peace at William Penn House Message-ID: <1137251491.4087.11.camel@localhost.localdomain> Multi-track Diplomacy: Peacemaking as a Living Social System For middle junior or senior high school teachers, first day school teachers, leaders of youth programs. Continuing education credit offered. Thursday, 3/2/06 thru Sunday noon, 3/5/06 Cost is $400, including lodging, meals and materials. (Pay what you can afford if your school is unable to pay the full amount.) Participants will receive a $50 gift certificate from FGC bookstore. Call Janaki, Bernadette or Patricia at 202-543-5560 for an application or go to: www.WmPennHouse.org/teachersofpeace.htm From moriah at preferred.com Sun Jan 15 10:36:53 2006 From: moriah at preferred.com (Mary Calhoun) Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 09:36:53 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] viaYMaa>> FWCC updates! Youth Pilgrimage & Annual Mtg Message-ID: <004201c619e8$474ec710$bd627642@SAYMA> January News from FWCCImportant updates below in bold blue... ----- Original Message ----- From: Friends World Committee for Consultation Sent: Friday, January 13, 2006 4:06 PM Subject: January News from FWCC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friends World Committee for Consultation Newsletter Section of the Americas January 13, 2006 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ in this issue -- Pilgrimage: new deadline and great price -- March Annual Meeting update -- No news on Quaker hostage in Iraq -- From the FWCC staff -- Contact people needed for Friends meetings and churches Pilgrimage: new deadline and great price ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "...I had a real sense of belonging to Quakerism, a Society larger than any monthly or yearly meeting. The pilgrimage gave me an opportunity to reflect and then affirm that I am glad to be a Quaker." Anna Margaret Birkel, a former pilgrim. The deadline for both pilgrims and potential leaders to apply for this summer's Quaker Youth Pilgrimage to the midwestern United States has been extended to February 20th. If you know of young people in your meeting or church, invite them to consider taking part in this life-changing pilgrimage. We have been able to hold the price down to $1,000. Please also encourage potential adult leaders to apply. Application form and information March Annual Meeting update ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The main hotel we are using for the annual meeting in Chiquimula, Guatemala is now full. We've made arrangements at a nearby hotel for a few last minute registrants. Please call the office if you have any questions, or visit the FWCC website for information and to register. Anyone who has registered to attend and whose plans include spending a night in Guatemala City should remember to make reservations in one of the nearby airport hotels. (see registration materials for recommended hotels) If you have not yet provided your arrival and departure flight information to the Conference Managers, please do so no later than January 23rd. We're looking forward to seeing you soon! Register for Guatemala meeting No news on Quaker hostage in Iraq ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Various news sources report that there is still no news of Quaker hostage Tom Fox of Langley Hill Meeting in Virginia, or his fellow Christian Peacemaker Team members, who were abducted on November 26th. FWCC joins the many Friends and others who continue to pray for the safe resolution of their situation. Tom's home meeting today begins a series of Friday gatherings to nurture those trying to be peacemakers at home and around the world. From the FWCC staff ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The staff of FWCC Section of the Americas sends loving greetings to you all in this New Year and prayers for more peace in the world. We have enjoyed our visits with many of you, both in the Philadelphia office and throughout the Section, this past year. We are grateful to all of you for your interest in and support of the work of FWCC both here in the Section of the Americas and in the wider world of Friends. Contact people needed for Friends meetings and churches ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We are looking for Friends to serve as a contact person between FWCC and your meeting or church. All we ask is that you share news of FWCC with other members and attenders by posting this newsletter at the meeting/church and in conversation.. If you are willing please let us know by replying to this e-news. Thank you, in advance, for helping to share what we do. Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ email: newsletter at fwccamericas.org web: http://fwccamericas.org/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jhminshall at comcast.net Sun Jan 15 20:36:26 2006 From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall) Date: Sun, 15 Jan 2006 19:36:26 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: Fw: Social Security Message-ID: Dear Atlanta Meeting and SAYMA Friends, I haven't sent on whole messages very frequently, but this one speaks for itself. I have a special interest in it because I have lived on Social Security Disability for the last twelve years, and my middle son, Matthew, suffering from schizophrenia, has lived on SS Disability for 20 of his 38 years. That may sound like a lot, but the two of us TOGETHER do not receive enough money to disqualify us from government benefits. In other words, we, and many others like us, live on HALF the amount that the government considers to be the upper limit of the poverty level. I worked as a professional for 35 years before I had to apply for disability. My son had two adoptive parents who paid into the Social Security system for a total of 80 working years to qualify him for disability benefits. Matthew and I depend heavily on the loving kindness and care of our family. Were it not so, we would be out on the street -- an old bag lady and a young paranoid and frequently nonfunctional nut case. Surely we, as a nation, can do better than this. Janet Minshall (Dr. Ilana Mor, who forwarded this on to me, is one of a group of crones living in West Georgia who get together periodically to celebrate our survival and reinforce one another in the effort it takes.) IF ANYONE IS NOT AWARE OF THIS ISSUE, YOU SHOULD BE!!! RESPOND BY FORWARDING IT TO ALL YOU KNOW!!! Subject: FW: Social Security WHY WAIT UNTIL 2008? THERE IS AN ELECTION IN 2006. I HEREWITH FIRMLY STATE THAT I WILL NOT VOTE FOR ANY POLITICIAN, REGARDLESS OF THE OTHER ISSUES, IF HE DOES NOT SPONSOR AND SUPPORT THE FOLLOWING LEGISLATION. THAT INCLUDES EVERYONE STANDING FOR ELECTION IN 2006. LET US SHOW OUR LEADERS IN WASHINGTON "PEOPLE POWER" AND THE POWER OF THE INTERNET. LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE WITH ME ON THIS BY FORWARDING TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT! KEEP IT GOING!!!! 2008 Election Issue!! GET A BILL STARTED TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOC. SEC. This must be an issue in "2008" Please! Keep it going. ---------------------------------- SOCIAL SECURITY: (This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.) Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it. You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan. For all practical purposes their plan works like this: When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until! they die. Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments.. For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries. Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives. Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA....ZILCH.... This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds; "OUR TAX DOLLA RS AT WORK"! From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into,-every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer)-we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement. Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator! Bill Bradley's benefits! Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. That change! would be to: Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us then sit back..... and see how fast they would fix it If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve. How many people CAN you send this to? Better yet..... How many people WILL you send this to ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From moriah at preferred.com Tue Jan 17 13:46:51 2006 From: moriah at preferred.com (Mary Calhoun) Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:46:51 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] viaYMaa>> QUNO Geneva Summer School 2006 Message-ID: <000201c61c5a$c90cee20$fc647642@SAYMA> QUNO Geneva Summer School 2006Received in the SAYMA office from Helen Bradford (QUNSS), Friends House, London a.. for f/Friends age 20 - 26 b.. due date for applications March 17, 2006 ************************************* ----- Original Message ----- From: Helen Bradford Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 6:51 AM Subject: QUNO Geneva Summer School 2006 Dear Friends I am sending you the advert for the QUNO Geneva Summer School in July 2006. I am also sending it as an attachment and a leaflet giving information about the Summer School.** Please could you pass it on to any young Friends in your Meetings who may be interested in applying. Some financial assistance can be given towards costs of attending the Summer School. Thanks Helen Bradford LEARN ABOUT THE UN AT THE UN Quaker United Nations Summer School 9th - 21st JULY 2006, GENEVA Do you have an active interest in international affairs? Would you like to study the UN at first hand? Do you want to meet people from all over the world? Are you aged 20-26? Application packs available from www.quaker.org.uk or from Helen Bradford (QUNSS), Friends House, Euston Rd, London, NW1 2BJ, UK. Email: helenb at quaker.org.uk Deadline for applications Friday 17th March 2006 **************************************** **Available on request from the SAYMA office, printable Word files -- 2006 gss advert.doc and 2006 applic leaflet.doc contact: Mary Calhoun, AdminAsst at sayma.org 276-628-5852 (machine), "in-person" phone hours Tue & Thu 5-7:30 PO Box 2191, Abingdon, VA 24212-2191 __________________________________________________ mc\aa -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: ole0.bmp Type: image/bmp Size: 88690 bytes Desc: not available URL: From losborne at cn.edu Wed Jan 18 16:00:37 2006 From: losborne at cn.edu (Larry Osborne) Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 15:00:37 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Vision Quest opportunity References: <20050213120005.3B3EC181A8@kitenet.net> Message-ID: Vision Quest... a guided experience for persons seeking clarity about life directions centered around three days and nights of solitary fasting in a mountain wilderness setting. Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center in rural Grainger County, Tennessee, is offering two Vision Quest (VQ) opportunities during 2006. The first Vision Quest is scheduled for Saturday June 3 - Sunday June 11. Dates for the second VQ are tentatively set for Oct. 7 - 15. Participants will experience several days of preparation and training, a time of fasting alone on Log Mountain near Narrow Ridge Center, and several days of processing including a sweat lodge ceremony. Past participants have reported significant increases in clarity about life directions, decisions, and purpose, in addition to finding the experience profoundly restorative in terms of feelings of health and well-being. Vision Quests have been part of the rites of passage of many different cultures since time immemorial. Pictures of last year's VQ group are available at the Narrow Ridge website, www.narrowridge.org . Principle leader for the June VQ will be Bill Nickle, founder of Narrow Ridge who has led VQs annually for seven years. Bill will be assisted by a team of persons who have experienced at least one VQ and who are active in programs sponsored by Narrow Ridge. During and after the VQ, participants will stay at Strawbale Lodge on the grounds of Narrow Ridge, an eco-friendly facility constructed of sustainable building materials and utilizing solar power, composting toilets, and an on-demand water heater. Vegetarian and organic food is provided in a supportive group living and learning environment. Individuals and couples are invited to apply. Cost is $400 per person or $720 per couple. Need-based scholarship assistance may be available. Previous camping experience is not required. Participants must submit a statement of personal intent explaining her/his interest in experiencing a VQ. Persons accepted must file a medical statement certifying they are in sufficiently good health given the physical demands of mountain hiking with a heavy pack, camping, and fasting; and be willing to sign a liability waiver accepting the inherent safety risks of a VQ including spending time alone in a wilderness setting. Participants should prepare for the VQ over the weeks preceding the experience by following a suggested regime of reading, journaling, short-term fasting, spending time alone in reflection, and walking. To begin your application and registration, send your name, address, phone and email along with a $50 deposit to Narrow Ridge Center, 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn, TN 37888. Application deadline for the summer VQ is February 15, 2006. For more information, contact Larry Osborne at 865-475-3195 or 865-414-5711 or by email at losborne at cn.edu. Narrow Ridge is a nonprofit educational organization committed to land conservation, sustainable living, building community, and fostering spiritual growth. Narrow Ridge is non-sectarian and welcomes seekers from diverse faith traditions. We invite inquiries about our other educational, retreat, and service learning programs. -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: winmail.dat Type: application/ms-tnef Size: 8421 bytes Desc: not available URL: From jhminshall at comcast.net Wed Jan 18 16:29:37 2006 From: jhminshall at comcast.net (Janet Minshall) Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 15:29:37 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Re: Fw: Social Security In-Reply-To: <43CE5C95.7090204@urisp.net> References: <43CC0189.4040602@urisp.net> <43CE5C95.7090204@urisp.net> Message-ID: Dear Friends, Daryl Bergquist and one of my sons have written to say that Snopes.com (urban legends) indicates that this e-mail is not factual. I know from previous research that the basic issues are correct, so it may be that the numbers and /or the details are off. In any case, I have looked at Snopes.com (urban legends) and a couple of other resources and found most of the info needed to correct this message: The reality is that members of Congress do,indeed, pay into Social Security, but it is also true that they have both a separate federal worker's pension system and an annuity trust as retirement benefits in addition to the Social Security benefits for which they are eligible. The Amount of Social Security they receive reduces by the same amount their government pension amount, but it does not in any way affect their annuity trust payouts. The total payout can easily amount to more than a million dollars if they serve in Congress as young persons and have a normal life span. As Dilbert author/artist Scott Adams indicates in a quote shown below, the average salary /pension collected by members of Congress in 1996 (ten years ago) was a "modest" $40,000, and the average annuity paid out was $47 to $50,000 a year plus cost of living adjustments and additions related to length of service per year. Adams says that this is "about two to three times the amount of pension collected by the average worker". The average Social Security Disability/ Retirement payment is $800 a month ($9,600 a year). It is also increased by annual cost of living adjustments, but it is then REDUCED by the constantly rising cost of Medicare coverage which is automatically deducted. For example my Social Security payment amounts to $907.50 AFTER being raised to reflect the COLA of 4.1% It is then REDUCED by $88.50 PER MONTH to pay for my Medicare benefits so I end up with $819 a month to live on. My disabled son receives the same amount. I invite you all to find a place to live, pay for heat and light, buy enough food to eat and have the necessary towels, blankets, household and toiletry items AND live close enough to the doctors and hospitals you depend on for healthcare, AND pay the amount required to fill your prescriptions each month. (I just had a $200 bill for prescription medications this month) It is just not possible to live on that amount unless you are partially supported by family. Many disabled and retired people no longer have any family. THEY are the majority of the people who are homeless and out on the streets of Atlanta and every other major city and town in the US. The real point of that e-mailed message I sent out was that if the members of Congress had to live on what Social Security retirees live on they would fix the Social Security system. That premise still holds and is actually strengthened by the queries of people who just don't want to believe it is so. Janet Minshall from Snopes.com/politics/taxes/pensions.asp: It is not true that Congressmen do not pay into the Social Security fund. Since 1984 they have paid into the fund just as most everyone else does. (A few odd exceptions to the Social Security program still exist, both inside and outside of government, but not for members of Congress.) * It was true prior to 1984 that Congressmen did not pay into the Social Security fund because they participated in a separate program for civil servants (the Civil Service Retirement System, or CSRS), but that program was closed to government employees hired after 1983: In 1983, Public Law 98-21 required Social Security coverage for federal civilian employees first hired after 1983 and closed the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to new federal employees and Members of Congress. All incumbent Members of Congress were required to be covered by Social Security, regardless of when they entered Congress. Members who had participated in CSRS before 1984 could elect to stay in that plan in addition to being covered by Social Security or elect coverage under an 'offset plan' that integrates CSRS and Social Security. Under the CSRS Offset Plan, an individual's contributions to CSRS and their pension benefits from that plan are reduced ('offset') by the amount of their contributions to, and benefits from, Social Security. * It is not true that Congressmen "continue to draw their same pay, until they die." The size of their pensions is determined by a number of factors (primarily length of service, but also factors such as when they joined Congress, their age at retirement, their salary, and the pension options they chose when they enrolled in the retirement system) and by law cannot exceed 80% of their salary at the time of their retirement. * It is not true that Congressmen "paid nothing in on any kind of retirement," and that their pension money "comes right out of the General Fund." Whether members of Congress participate in the older Civil Service Retirement System or the newer Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), their pensions are funded through a combination of general tax provisions and contributions from the participants. Right now, members of Congress in the FERS plan must pay 1.3% of their salary to FERS and 6.2% in Social Security taxes. It Shinola Suggests... Blink: The Power of Thinking Without ... Malcolm Gladwell Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, the author shows how the difference between good decision-making and bad has nothing to do with how much information that ... Dilbert: I Love My Coworkers until They ... Scott Adams Scott Adams is a native of New York State and a veteran of Corporate America's banking and technology sectors. He created Dilbert as a doodle while working for Pacific Bell and began ... is true that, if current pension levels and cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for Congress members continue to apply in the future, some former members of Congress could conceivably collect millions of dollars in annuities over the course of their lifetimes. However, the huge dollar amounts bandied about in e-mails like the ones quoted above are based upon extreme cases: those of politicians who entered Congress at a relatively early age, served for several decades, and retired while still young enough to potentially live for another several decades. These cases are the rare exceptions, based upon the hypothetical assumption that a few long-serving members of Congress who retired while in their mid-50s will live well past the age of 80. (Even the person who collects a modest salary/pension of $40,000 per year stands to take in a million dollars over the course of 25 years.) As of 1998, the average annuity for retired members of Congress was $50,616 for those who retired under CSRS and $46,908 for those who retired under FERS. Those figures are quite good (about 2-3 times better than the pension collected by the average worker), but not quite the highway robbery these e-mails make them out to be. Additional information: Congressional Pensions (C-SPAN) Retirement Benefits for Members of Congress (United States Senate) Do Members of Congress Pay Social Security Taxes? (National Taxpayers' Union)Last updated: 21 February 2005 The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/pensions.asp Urban Legends Reference Pages © 1995-2006 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson Hi Daryl, I'll be happy to correct it. In fact, I'm going to do some research to make any corrections necessary. It will take a few days but I plan to do it as quickly as I can. Janet According to snopes (urban legends) website this article is not factual. Daryl http://www.snopes.com/politics/taxes/pensions.asp Janet Minshall wrote: Fwd: Re: Fw: Social Security -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From pennywright at earthlink.net Wed Jan 18 14:42:50 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 12:42:50 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Hibbard Thatcher Message-ID: <00a401c61c5e$ff8ef3e0$bb421342@user2ih5nie4yp> Friends might like to know that beloved Friend Hibbard Thatcher has been hospitalized at St. Thomas Hospital since Thursday the 19th with pneumonia that seems to be a symptom of a more systemic infection. Nashville Friends and his family are providing support to him and Ruby. His prognosis for recovery is uncertain at this time. We ask that Friends hold him and his family in prayer and the Light. Penelope Wright pennywright at earthlink.net -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From bertskellie at mindspring.com Thu Jan 19 15:58:42 2006 From: bertskellie at mindspring.com (Bert Skellie) Date: Thu, 19 Jan 2006 14:58:42 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Conference for Racial Justice Among Friends 3/31 - Register by 2/28 Message-ID: <000501c61d32$c014d980$0b02a8c0@bert> Conference for Racial Justice Among Friends Philadelphia Yearly Meeting's Ministry for Racial Justice and Equality within the Religious Society of Friends, along with Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM), New England Yearly Meeting (NEYM), and New York Yearly Meeting (NYYM), will host the First Annual North American Conference for Racial Justice and Equality within the Religious Society of Friends on the weekend of March 31 to April 2, 2006. The Conference will be held at the Burlington Meeting House Conference Center in Burlington, New Jersey. from the November/December 2005 issue publication made possible by your contributions to the PYM Annual Fund Guided by the question "Are We Being Faithful To Our Testimony?" the conference format includes shared worship, caucuses, experience sharing and yes, fun. Because of the importance and impact of this issue, high school Friends will be participants in the program. A special program is also being developed for children under the age of fourteen. Deadline for registration is February 28, 2006. The registration fee is $130.00 per person, which includes accommodations and meals (except for Saturday night). Children 13 and under are charged $65.00. The maximum fee for families is $300.00. This is the first opportunity for Friends who share commitment and concerns in the area of racial justice and equality from Canada to Mexico to come together in community to worship, learn from each other and develop closer allies and a supportive network. Friends from Yearly Meetings, Monthly Meetings and organizations that are working on, or are concerned about, issues of racial justice and equality are invited to participate. The desired outcomes for the conference are to establish mutual support, increased awareness, issues raised from the depths that confront Quakers and Friends of Color in doing this work, common ground as we do work, closer allies, and resources identification. To receive a registration form, send your e-mail address to mlopes at snet.net or write to Maureen Lopes, 25 Old Farms Road, Madison CT 06443. From Quakerkristi at aol.com Wed Jan 25 11:35:48 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 10:35:48 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: QUIT- Please distribute widely Message-ID: <129.6cd37314.3108f4d4@aol.com> -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: John Calvi Subject: QUIT- Please distribute widely Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 09:46:00 -0500 Size: 3650 URL: From mcgahey at yancey.main.nc.us Wed Jan 25 13:12:36 2006 From: mcgahey at yancey.main.nc.us (Geeta Jyothi Mcgahey) Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 12:12:36 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] sayma Digest, Vol 35, Issue 14 In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.0.20060125121212.00ab7540@yancey.main.nc.us> There was no Message, Geeta Jyothi At 05:00 PM 1/25/2006 +0000, you wrote: >Send sayma mailing list submissions to > sayma at kitenet.net > >To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma >or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > sayma-request at kitenet.net > >You can reach the person managing the list at > sayma-owner at kitenet.net > >When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific >than "Re: Contents of sayma digest..." > > >Today's Topics: > > 1. Fwd: QUIT- Please distribute widely (Quakerkristi at aol.com) > > >---------------------------------------------------------------------- > >Message: 1 >Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 10:35:48 EST >From: Quakerkristi at aol.com >Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: QUIT- Please distribute widely >To: friends at memphisfriends.org, sayma at kitenet.net >Message-ID: <129.6cd37314.3108f4d4 at aol.com> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > >-------------- next part -------------- >An HTML attachment was scrubbed... >URL: >http://kitenet.net/pipermail/sayma/attachments/20060125/b048cfa7/attachment.html >-------------- next part -------------- >An embedded message was scrubbed... >From: John Calvi >Subject: QUIT- Please distribute widely >Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 09:46:00 -0500 >Size: 3650 >Url: >http://kitenet.net/pipermail/sayma/attachments/20060125/b048cfa7/attachment-0001.eml > >------------------------------ > >_______________________________________________ >Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association list-server: >-- address to subscribe (get on the list-server) or unsubscribe (get off): >http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma >-- address to send message to everyone on list: sayma at kitenet.net > >End of sayma Digest, Vol 35, Issue 14 >************************************* "If you really want to do something for freedom and justice, then it is best if we do this without rage or hostility. With inner tranquility and an honest readiness, we can work hard for thirty, forty years" - The Dalai Lama XV Geeta Jyothi McGahey 300 Dharma Way Burnsville, NC 28714 828-675-5535 mcgahey at yancey.main.nc.us From Quakerkristi at aol.com Wed Jan 25 15:45:17 2006 From: Quakerkristi at aol.com (Quakerkristi at aol.com) Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 14:45:17 EST Subject: [saymaListserv] QUIT again Message-ID: <2e7.435f5f.31092f4d@aol.com> Seems the previous message didn't forward well, so I pasted it here....Kristi Dear Friends, The Quaker Initiative to End Torture invites you to register for its first conference June 2-4 2006 at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC via our website www.quit-torture-now.org . We are proud to announce our Friday night keynote speaker Jennifer Harbury, author of ?Truth, Torture, and the American Way- The History and Consequences of U.S. Involvement in Torture?. Please visit our website for news of events and share this notice with others. John Calvi, convener QUIT Chuck Fager, Joe Franko, Liz Keeney, John Meyer, Scilla Wahrhaftig, planning committee January 17, 2006 Dear Friends, With FWCC¹s support, a Quaker conference on Torture is being planned for June 2-4, 2006 at Guilford College in North Carolina. We invite your meeting to post the enclosed flyer, and to send one or more members/attenders to the conference, so they can report back on how Friends can bear a constructive, broad-based witness on this crucial issue. The conference arose from a deep concern of our Friend John Calvi, who has long worked with many torture victims as a massage therapist and healer. More recently, he became convinced that more needed to be done. As he put it: ?Increasingly, there are corners without Light in American culture and places of American domination where there is no longer simply the threat of abduction, imprisonment or death, but also the likelihood that this includes torture. . . . What was once small and secret is now widespread, public, and stated policy. Opposition to torture would be the essence of Friends¹ Peace Testimony, practice, and faith and would add to our history.? Because there is indication that torture will continue and increase, I believe it is time for Friends to study this with a conference. Let us become informed, spread information, and choose action in education, investigation, prevention, and treatment. FWCC's Peace Issues Working Group has endorsed this concern, as have the following Friends groups (thus far): Baltimore Yearly Meeting, South Central Yearly Meeting, Iowa Yearly Meeting (Conservative), Canadian Yearly Meeting, Frederick MD Meeting, Medford NJ Meeting, Birmingham AL Meeting, Matinecock NY Meeting Concern over torture has been growing among religious and other peace workers. Friends can play an important role in this gathering work. We believe this conference will be an important place to start, and hope your meeting will be represented there. In Friendship, Peace Issues Working Group, FWCC, Section of the Americas -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From nmwhitt at samford.edu Thu Jan 26 09:15:13 2006 From: nmwhitt at samford.edu (Nancy Whitt) Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:15:13 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Dates Message-ID: <43D87701020000F5000118D7@gw3.samford.edu> A Baltimore Friend wants to know the dates for SAYMA this year. n. From pennywright at earthlink.net Thu Jan 26 14:26:24 2006 From: pennywright at earthlink.net (Penelope Wright) Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 12:26:24 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fw: Update on Hibbard Thatcher's condition Message-ID: <007001c622a6$04d4faa0$6c7dd942@user2ih5nie4yp> Prayer does work! especially when combined with appropriate antibiotic therapy and skilled medical/ nursing care. Penelope Wright ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruby and Hibbard Thatcher" To: "Hibbard & Ruby Thatcher" Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 11:05 PM Subject: Update on Hibbard Thatcher's condition > Hello again, > > This is a group emailing to many people who are close to Hibbard and > Ruby Thatcher through family or activities. Many of you belong to > groups like the Friends Meeting, Nashville Country Dancers, or Sacred > Harp singing with Hibbard, and if you wish to edit this appropriately > and send it out to other members of those groups we would appreciate > it. (And we strongly recommend 'bcc' copying for group emails like this > one to avoid spreading addresses around. Email us if you're not sure > how to set this up--it can help prevent computer viruses spreading.) > > ***Jan 25, 2006*** > > This was a good day for Hibbard! The amount of sedative he'd been on > was decreased during the night and this morning he gradually woke up. > When Jonathan went to visit this morning > he was clearly awake, aware, and trying to communicate. He realized he > could not talk, but > vigorously shook or nodded his head in response to questions, and > gestured that he wanted to write, but his hand strength did not allow > this. He listened to Jonathan and clearly understood where he is and > what is going on. He was pretty worn out after a while and > bothered by the chest tubes and ventilator, so by the time I arrived > around noon, > he was dozing again. > > He is gradually being 'weaned' off the ventilator, and that process may > be complete on the weekend. The two leaks in his lungs are not yet > healed, it would seem, but the ventilator's positive pressure may be > slowing that process down. > > Though he had another mild fever spike, his bloodwork continues to show > no sign of the staph bacteria. > > A student nurse was with Hibbard much of the day. She was extremely > sweet and marvelled at what good shape he is in. She noted that his > forehead has few wrinkles (true) and that his circulation is excellent, > as it's easy to find a pulse at his feet, which apparently it seldom is > on older folks. He was able to push with his feet against her hands and > he did very > well on range-of-movement exercises, squeezing her hands when asked (I > just bet he did) and so on. > > Hibbard is likely to stay in the 'special care' ward for at least > another week. As he comes off the ventilator I think it will be a > better time for visitors, but he's going to be very weak, so maybe only > one visit a morning and one in the evening. We'll let you know when > it's time and perhaps people can let us know when they'd like to come. > As Hibbard improves obviously he'll be able to 'entertain' more, and by > the time he's in rehab he will probably > be wanting to call dances. At least we can hope so. I am sure he will > be glad to see you then. > > Until then, Ruby would welcome visitors, and we are taking cards to the > hospital as well. > > Hibbard and Ruby Thatcher > 1012 Battery Lane > Nashville, TN 37220 > > Thanks again for your thoughts, prayers, and support. Please continue > to hold Hibbard in the light. > > For the family, > > Alan Thatcher > > From nmwhitt at samford.edu Thu Jan 26 09:05:48 2006 From: nmwhitt at samford.edu (Nancy Whitt) Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 07:05:48 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: New Anti-Racism Resource from WTC Message-ID: <1101182768266.1101046765711.473.5.181616@scheduler> A downloadable book on deconstructing racism from The Women's Theological Center in Boston. N. -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: Marian Groot Subject: New Anti-Racism Resource from WTC Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2006 16:03:38 -0500 (EST) Size: 22671 URL: From nmwhitt at samford.edu Fri Jan 27 13:45:16 2006 From: nmwhitt at samford.edu (Nancy Whitt) Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 11:45:16 -0600 Subject: [saymaListserv] WTC Books on White Privilege Message-ID: <43DA07CC020000F500011EB1@gw3.samford.edu> To get a downloadable copy of the Women's Theological Center's 156-page monograph: Flipping the Script: White Privilege and Community Building e-mail Meck Groot at: meck at thewtc.org The WTC has been doing anti-racism work among all races for more than twenty years. N. From freepolazzo at comcast.net Mon Jan 30 20:51:02 2006 From: freepolazzo at comcast.net (free polazzo) Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 19:51:02 -0500 Subject: [saymaListserv] Fwd: Media Update: While They're at War Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20060130195047.034d29b8@mail.comcast.net> Hi Friends, Friend Kristin Henderson of Virginia, has a new book published and can be heard on the radio, TV and in person in the coming weeks. Kristin came to FGC Gathering in 2004 and spoke about her book: "Driving by Moonlight" which I recommend to you as well. She also spoke at Charis Books and More in Atlanta, GA that year. Blessings, Free >Hello all -- > >Now that my book, "While They're at War: The True Story of American Families >on the Homefront" is out, I'm happy to report that the media are giving me >plenty of opportunities to talk about the challenges facing military >families. Starting this weekend, I'll be making a number of appearances: > > Saturday Feb. 4, MSNBC > **MSNBC's Weekend Today Show > (sometime between 7 and 9am -- this time will soon be narrowed down, > and when it is, I'll post it on my website) > > Monday Feb. 6, MSNBC & NPR > **MSNBC's morning show > (sometime between 10:30 and 11:00am) > **NPR's "All Things Considered" afternoon news program > (for times check local listings at www.npr.org) > > Wednesday Feb. 8, NPR > **NPR's "Fresh Air" talk show > (for times check local listings at www.npr.org) > >The cities and military bases that I'll be visiting during the book tour are >listed below. More media updates and details on the book tour events are at >http://www.kristinhenderson.com/calendar.htm > >Onward! >kh > >--Kristin Henderson >--kh at kristinhenderson.com >--http://www.kristinhenderson.com > provides info on Kristin's books and > articles, and links to support for > combat vets and their families > >BOOK TOUR DATES & LOCATIONS > >Feb. 6, New York NY > >Feb. 10, Quantico VA > >Feb. 11, Fort Belvoir VA > >Feb. 15, Baltimore MD > >Feb. 17, Arlington VA > >Feb. 18, Washington DC > >Feb. 19-20, Norfolk VA > >Feb. 21, Richmond VA > >Feb. 22, Raleigh NC > >Feb. 23, Charlotte NC > >Feb. 24-25, Fayetteville NC & Fort Bragg > >Feb. 26, Columbia SC > >Feb. 28, Los Angeles CA > >Mar. 1, Long Beach CA > >Mar. 2, Camp Pendleton & San Diego CA > >Mar. 3, Spokane WA > >Mar. 4, Fort Lewis & Seattle WA > >Mar. 5, Travis Air Force Base CA > >Mar. 7, San Francisco CA > >Mar. 8, Austin TX > >Mar. 11, Fort Hood TX > >Mar. 18, Fort Jackson SC > >Mar. 25, Charlottesville VA > ># # #