IAT NEWSLETTER
March 2001
".
. . IT'S ABOUT TIME WE START TO LIVE IT,
THE FAMILY OF MAN,
IT'S ABOUT TIME
AND IT'S ABOUT CHANGES . . .
AND IT'S ABOUT
TIME."
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"IT'S ABOUT TIME WE BEGIN IT,
TO TURN THE WORLD AROUND . . . "
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ORGANIZATION INFORMATION:
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Co-Founder/Former President - Marcelle Orswell
Co-Founder and Secretary -- Theresa Shea (Tree1A@aol.com)
Co-Founder and Webpage Designer -- Sandy Clark (tybrenn@mediaone.net)
Co-Presidents -- Ann Schnitz (aerie01@sprynet.com)
and
Mary Ledford (eagleshorses@yahoo.com)
Newsletter Editor -- Marcia C. Porter (mport@netnitco.net)
Web Site -- http://people.ne.mediaone.net/tybrenn/iat/
or our new shortcut at http://up.to/iathome
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Dear Friends,
Before I go any further, let me take this opportunity to thank my friend Emily Parris
for writing about us in her awesome "Rocky Mountain High" newsletter.
For those of you who have come to us as a result of Emily's recommendation (or you
happened upon us in your travels on the World Wide Web) - Welcome to IAT! -- and
a special thanks goes out to those of you who have supported us over the long haul.
I hope that your membership in "It's About Time" has been as fulfilling
an experience for you as it has been for me to be a co-president of our organization.
Wow - we're almost four-hundred people strong now. That is surely a force to be
reckoned with. And it occurs to me that with that many people working for peace,
we could make a great impact in the world, particularly in a world that appears to
be so desperate for it.
It's hard to believe that after the horror of Columbine High, we turn on the evening
news to hear time and time again of similar incidents -- children bringing guns to
school to even a score with a bully or as a response to years of unreleased rage
or simply to protect their property from those who would look to steal it. Can it
be? Is it possible that our children regard the value of their new sneakers or their
jacket as being greater than that of a fellow human being? Have we worked this hard
to give them a better life, only to have ended up teaching them that the material
rewards are more important than anything else? And do some of them feel so lost
that they see no other choice than violence?
|
Well, my response is that despite how it may appear from the screaming headlines,
this isn't the reality of most children. In many schools around the country, enlightened
teachers give their students the tools for understanding the world and bettering
it. Go to www.celebratekids.org to see
one program in action.
But you know, just the other day, right after I finished writing this, in fact, I
walked out of my house to find a discarded toy laying on the ground near my front
door. It was a little light-blue plastic hand gun that surely was owned by a very
young child, judging from the size of it. Folks, if we teach kids that guns are
toys, even by inadvertent means such as this, how can we expect anything but disaster
in return?
So this is where all of us come in. Many of us are the parents of young children.
Take an active interest in what's going on in your child's school, and suggest ways
in which "peace-building" can take place. Don't allow them to have toy
guns to play with either. If you're an educator, think of how you can use John's
music and message to reach your students. For instance, invite the PeaceCloth to
your school and make a contribution to it with them, all the while telling them of
John's deeds and of the way he showed that there IS, in fact, another way. It seems
to me that none of us can afford not to do this.
Most of all, let us know what you've done, so that others may be inspired by your
success. It's in every one of us.
My heart to yours,
Ann |
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
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Hi, friends of our planet,
This month I am reminded of so many things as winter's grip on our world is loosened
by the peeping of crocuses through the snow, the chatter of two robins chasing one
another across our lawn, and awakenings of our own spiritual growth as we shared
a two-day intensive workshop on Spiritual Eldering with folks from New Jersey, Wisconsin,
Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and of course, Indiana.
Before we get to real "Sticky Summer Weather" can you "open up your
eyes and see the brand new day, a clear blue sky and brightly shining sun. . . |
Rejoicing in the diff'rences, there's no one just like me,
yet as different as we are we're still the same.
And oh, I love the life within me -
I feel a part of everything I see,
oh, I love the life around me,
A part of everything is here in me...."
Thanks to one of our sweet earth's best friends, the gentle troubadour who left us
all too soon. His gifts live on within us, each and every one.
Happy Spring!
Rainbows and hugs, Marcia |
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
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|
March 20 -- April 22, 2001
Celebration Earth, Springfield, OH
March 24, 2001
Mark Cormican in Concert, Clark State Community
College - Rhodes Hall
Leffel Lane Campus - Springfield, Ohio
April 7, 2001
Jim Currey In Concert at Claremont, CA
April 21, 2001
In Celebration of the Earth, Annapolis, MD
April 21, 2001
Phil Christie In Concert at Coffee Gallery Backstage,
Altadena, CA
|
April 30
WOW Vision Award Scholarship Deadline
May 18-20, 2001
John Denver Retreat with the Pennsylvania Friends of John Denver
Mt. Gretna/Lebanon, PA.
May 19, 2001
Getting-To-Know-Each-Other-Day in Oberhausen, Germany
John Denver Fan Club
Other German Get Togethers -- see below
|
AND HEADS UP FOR:
|
June 1, 2001
Windstar Scholarship Applications due
June 18-22, 2001
KIDSWeek at Windstar in Colorado
June 24-24, 2001
Educator's Week at Windstar in Colorado
July 15, 2001
A Tribute to John Denver: The Man and His Music
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA
|
July 21, 2001
Country Roads Folk Festival, Almost Heaven Ranch,
West Virginia
July 28-29, 2001
Windstar One World Bringing Global Issues Home
Symposium
Camp Mary Orton, Columbus, Ohio
|
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SEE DETAILS ON CALENDAR EVENTS IN NEWSLETTER
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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Every morning is a fresh beginning.
Every day is the world made new.
Today is a new day.
Today is my world made new.
I have lived all my life up to this moment, to come to this day.
This moment - this day - is as good as any moment in all eternity.
I shall make of this day - each moment of this day - a heaven on
earth.
This is my day of opportunity."
Dan Custer
(Carpe Diem!)
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FUNDRAISERS
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CYBER IDEA COOKBOOK
They're here! Thanks to the terrific work of our friend Richard Holmes, the 2001
Cyber IdeaCookbook is now available. Each book is $5 and will be sent in the form
of an attached PDF file. A printable form is available at our website -- just click
on the tab at the left marked "Fundraisers". And as a special treat, our
two previous cyber cookbooks are also available again for those who never got one
the first time or would like another one. These are also $5 each. All proceeds
go to The Hunger Project.
Send a check for $5 per book, made out to Ann Schnitz, to:
It's About Time c/o Ann Schnitz
P.O. Box 483
Lionville, PA 19353
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DONATIONS SOUGHT FOR MEMORIAL TREE IN HONOR OF PATTY PEAVEY AND CAROL SMITH
Grace (Tigger) Sylvan (tigger@sylvan.com )
writes:
At the little memorial service we did for Patty in Aspen, 2000, several of us all
had this same idea, to plant the tree... and I volunteered to handle the details...
So, the tree for Patty and Carol will be planted. I am collecting money for this,
and the tree will be planted, even if the rest empties my bank account.... which
it would at this point. Currently the funds stand at $401 of $1500 needed. This will
plant a mature tree (which will be replaced if needed) in the expanded memorial grove,
and will also put an engraving on a stone.
If you've been thinking of contributing, the amount need not empty your bank account,
if everyone pitches in a little. Just find your 'round tuits' and drop me a note...
Checks can be made out to:
Snowmass Chapel Community Center
and mailed to:
Grace (Tigger) Sylvan
1702-H Meridian Ave, #171
San Jose, CA 95125
The web page (which I will update as contributions come in) is at:
http://members.theglobe.com/tiggerypum/snowmasstree.html
If someone has a picture or story to share about Patty or Carol, I'll gladly add
it to (or even add a whole page to) thememorial tree page... Just email it directly
to tigger@sylvan.com
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MILE-HI REPORT
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I thought maybe it worthwhile to share just a bit of a report from Windstar's first
OFFICIAL outing!
To refresh your memories, Windstar was invited to attend the kickoff for the "Season
Of Non-violence" sponsored by the Gandhi Institute and thus we were brought
into a few events through the weekend of February two-four. Here's a little synopsis:
The PeaceQuest event with the teens was good although the attendance was not as high
as organizers had hoped. The press paid little attention to it although the coverage
had been promised. The good news is that Ron Deutschendorf did exceptionally well
with his speech Friday evening as he lent his inimitable spirit to the topics of
peace, the cloth and Windstar! Not only that, but, he got laughs in all the right
places in his speech! An added bonus was getting to hear the other speakers. Arun
Gandhi positively Lives the message of peace. I think it would be wonderful to continue
our association with an event like this. Only good things can come from spending
time with youth is this manner. We should be getting a video of the evening's program
from both the Rocky Mountain Alliance and from one of the Connection members. Ron
was approached by one of Arun's people about having Arun do a workshop on non-violence
and hosting teens from across the globe for a week at Windstar. Sounds like it could
be a very worthwhile endeavor and worth checking into.
Mile-Hi, on the other hand, was very well attended. Ron, again, was perfect as our
spokesperson, you could feel the support for him and the love for his brother, John
, from the audience. I wish I had a count of how many people we spoke to after each
of the services. It wasn't just the number of people who spoke with us all but also
the excitement of those hearing that we are 'back'! Spoke to so many who were happy
that the opportunity to join us exists once again, many were eager to know how they
could help. The Peace Cloth was on display right next to our table of info and it
was inspiring, to say the least, to see the emotion on people's faces as they experienced
it. Many of the Bible School kids took in the display and some of us had an opportunity
to speak with the classes about the Peace Cloth . . . and Windstar as well! There
were Colorado Connection folks on hand to help spread the word.
Ron took a few minutes to speak to the group at their meeting shortly after the services.
He had a lot of folks nodding and smiling . . . and hoping for more news from the
Board! All in all, I would say it was well worth everyone's efforts. It was chosen
for us as our reintroduction to the bigger world but in my opinion, we couldn't have
been in better company than we were this weekend.
Windstar, The Season of Nonviolence, Gandhi Institute, John Denver Memorial Peace
Cloth and Mile-Hi . . .
a nice way to say "hello" to the world.
Debbie Murphy
DMurphy570@aol.com
(BTW, Debbie is the webmaster of Windstar's site and does a terrific
job -- check it out -- www.wstar.org. AS)
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INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION
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From Kiwi Hearts in New Zealand
Three years ago at the time of John's tragic accident, very few radio stations would
play John's music, the record company was attempting to say his music would not sell,
and a major television station was trying to say that people would change the channel
if they put on any John Denver programmes.
So with my friends, and those I had met at a John Denver memorial service, we had
put on at a central city church, formed "Song of the Wind" - John Denver
Supporters Club, to keep the legacy of John Denver alive in this country, and to
prove to the local media that they were wrong in their opinion of John.
We set up an internet site, four months later - http://www.earthbubble.com
which has brought us international readership, and in August 1998, we placed a memorial
plaque in honour of John in the city's biggest park, called the Domain. At the same
time we planted a native Kauri tree(which John had expressed was his favourite) next
to the plaque. We had a very moving gathering that day, to the point that the anniversary
of it is now on the club's annual programme.
In November 1999 we formed the International Memorial Foundation to focus on the
conservation arm of John's legacy. We have a prior commitment to support the Windstar
Foundation. We have received a large focus from the public and media of New Zealand,
and internationally. On October 12, 2000 we gave three financial grants to local
conservation projects and to one in Germany. Our first branch was birthed there 31
December 2000. We, also have members in Australia, Thailand, and the United States.
The Foundation has brought the complete legacy of John Denver to many people who
had never considered him before - and they are going to the stores to purchase his
CD's !
This year I have received more local enquiries than the previous two, I think largely
influenced by one of the television stations screening "Take Me Home - The John
Denver Story" and E-Hollywood - "The John Denver story." Folks are
saying "We never forgot him. Tell me about his later music."
I think our crowning achievement came several weeks ago. A local representative
of John's music company emailed us asking what songs "we would advise"
should be on a New Zealand John Denver Collection Album".It's wonderful to make
this connection with you. Till our next heart to heart.
We love to hear from our American friends.
Susan Leaver (susanleaver@yahoo.com )
Song of the Wind -
John Denver Supporters club of New Zealand.
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AND OUR FRIENDS AT HOME!
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Beth Swanton (bethswanton@aol.com) writes:
Please excuse me for bragging on my husband here, but I'm so proud I just had to
do it!
Paul played to a packed house last night! He had a two-hour performance at the Hardware
Cafe in Marion, MA. The owner said that people had been calling him ALL DAY asking
if Paul Swanton would be playing that night. The place was packed and remained packed
until his performance was over. There were people there who had seen JD live in concert
and thanked Paul after the performance for bringing back great memories (for those
of you who may not know, Paul plays 100% John Denver music when he performs). They
also wanted to know when he'd be performing there again (in two weeks). A love for
John's music is alive and well in eastern Massachusetts!
Here is a link to the Boston Globe calendar of events. The Hardware
Cafe and Paul are down the page under "Marion".
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/070/south/South_Weekly_Calendar+.sht
ml
--
Beth
http://members.tripod.com/poemsprayerspromises
--My John Denver Club
http://members.tripod.com/paul-swanton
--Paul's page
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PEACE CLOTH NEWS
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Some very exciting recent developments to report. First, The Peace Cloth Board of
Directors is proud to announce that the name "The John Denver Memorial Peace
Cloth" has been officially sanctioned by the Deutschendorf Family. Special
thanks to Ron and Anna Kate for their support.
Secondly, the Peace Cloth has been invited to appear at the Buckingham Elementary
School on April 20, 2001 in Bucks County, PA to celebrate a day of peace in remembrance
of Columbine. Each class will be making a special contribution to add to the Cloth
(which is now close to 850 feet!) and our friend Mack Bailey will be performing John's
music for the entire school. Extensive local media coverage is expected, as is the
presence of political figures, possibly even including the Governor of Pennsylvania,
Tom Ridge. We'll be sure to post a report of this eventful day in next month's newsletter.
On the World Wide Web, we're at http://home.sprynet.com/~aerie01
-- come visit and contribute to the Cloth!
...if peace is our vision, let us begin....
The Peace Cloth Board of Directors
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COMING EVENTS
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CELEBRATION EARTH in OHIO
A month-long event kicks off on March 20 in Springfield, Ohio. The John Denver Memorial
Peace Cloth will be on display at various times -- be sure to email Dara Lehner at
sciencelady@voyager.net for more information.
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MARK CORMICAN IN CONCERT
Saturday, March 24, 2001
7-9:30 p.m.
Clark State Community College - Rhodes Hall
Leffel Lane Campus - Springfield, Ohio
For more information: http://www.howc.org/activity.html
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JIM CURRY IN CONCERT
April 7, 2001
May 5, 2001
Jim Curry will be giving a JD Memorial Concert in Claremont, CA (Southern Cal.) on
April 7th, and a John Denver Song Swap in May - The Concert will be held at Avery
Aud. Pitzer College in Claremont. The 5/5 concert is at the Claremont Spring Folk
Festival. It is held at Larkin Park in Claremont.
For more information, Pixiedmyr@aol.com
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PHIL CHRISTIE IN CONCERT
Saturday, April 21st, 800
The Coffee Gallery Backstage
2029 N. Lake Avenue
Altadena, CA
Reservations only (626) 398-7917
Admission $ 8.00
For more information: www.philchristie.com
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IN CELEBRATION OF THE EARTH
Ram's Head Tavern, Annapolis MD
April 21, 2001, 11-4 PM
Tickets $35
Tickets are still available for this day of friends and wonderful
music at the Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD. Performing for us
will be Mack Bailey, Side By Side and Joe Devlin. A special
appearance of the John Denver Memorial Peace Cloth is also slated.
For more information, write to Ann Schnitz at aerie01@sprynet.com
or
Mary Ledford at eagleshorses@yahoo.com.
Deadline for reservations is
April 6, 2001.
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JOHN DENVER RETREAT
May 18-20, 2001
with the Pennsylvania Friends of John Denver, Gretna Glen Camp in Mt. Gretna/Lebanon,
PA.
Duetschess@aol.com for more information
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GERMAN JOHN DENVER CLUB EVENTS
May 19th -- Interested people can write to Inge Kaminski at
inge@johndenverclub.de
June 15, Kastelruth in the mountains, info can be obtained from Klara
at klara@johndenverclub.de
June 16 or 23, near Goerlitz, info is available from Rena at
rena.s@t-online.de
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TIPIS FOR KIDSWeek - DONATIONS SOUGHT
The Windstar Foundation has been granted access to the Windstar Land Conservancy
for the purpose of erecting two tipis to be used as part of the KIDSWeek 2001 educational
program, June 18-22, 2001. The kids, their parents and program staff will erect the
tipis on the first day of camp, as part of a lesson on Native American traditions.
The oldest campers will be given the opportunity to stay overnight on the land in
the tipis with their parents.
History:
The Windstar Land Conservancy property is traditionally Ute land, the historic lodging
design would have been brush shelters. Over the course of time, however, the Ute
tribes supplemented their housing with the use of small tipis. As a point of interest,
Kannah Creek located in Grand Mesa, Colorado, was named for the Ute word for tipi
poles. Several years ago, the Windstar Foundation maintained tipis on the land, which
provided housing for young people working on the land.
Funding Campaign:
Heart of Ohio Windstar Connection has volunteered to drive a funding campaign for
one of the tipis, which has a cost of approximately $2000. We ask for your generous
consideration in supporting KIDSWeek by giving a donation during this worthwhile
campaign. Any additional funds received will be used for other KIDSWeek program expenses.
Time is short before KIDSWeek, so in order to get the tipis in time for KIDSWeek,
it is necessary to receive donations immediately.
Donations:
Please make your check or money order payable to The Windstar Foundation and note
on the memo line the word "tipis". Donations are tax deductible to the
extent provided by law. Please send your donations to:
The Windstar Foundation
Tipis P. O. Box 656 Snowmass, CO 81654
Heartfelt thanks for your support of Windstar's KIDSWeek!
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EDUCATOR'S WEEK AT WINDSTAR IN COLORADO
An Educator's Week is planned for June 24 - 29 at the site of the Windstar Land Conservancy.
Please spread the word to educators who might have interest in participating. Further
information will be posted. Emphasis at the Educator's Week is on integrating environment-related
concepts into elementary and middle school curricula- - with a strong mix of students
spending time outdoors - and indoors - in the process.
Warm regards,
Cheryl Charles
Windstar Foundation
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A TRIBUTE TO JOHN DENVER: THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC
July 15, 2001
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Kempton, PA
Mack Bailey, Charlie Zahm with fiddler Tad Marks, and Frank DeLaMarre will be performing
John's music as well as some of their own. Max Langstaff (Executive Producer of the
Wildlife Concert) will again be speaking. The Peace cloth will be on display, videos
shown, a hike up the hill to see John's bench, a tour of the plant garden (and John'ssecond
bench) and a raptor demonstration (hopefully with an eagle this year!).
Bring a blanket or a chair if you are more comfortable with that and your own lunch.
This concert is rain or shine. We will start outside and if it rains we will head
indoors. This is a pack in, pack out facility so you are in charge of your trash.
The bookstore has drinks, bottled water, cookies and snack items as well as a plethora
of books, tapes, sweat and t-shirts on wildlife themes, field glasses and many other
items.
A donation of 15.00 is being asked in support of the concert. All proceeds except
for travel expenses for the performers will go to three charities; one wildlife (wants
to remain unmentioned), The Windstar Foundation and The Hunger Project.
*****Make your checks out to "JD TRIBUTE CONCERT DONATION" and send it
to:
Judith Gabriel
2271 Hampden Blvd.
G5, Reading, PA 19604
A bulletin will list the names of people who donated last year towards the benches
in memory of John Denver as well as those who donate this year, with pictures of
the bench and of John also included. In addition, a drawing will be held for two
items; one having to do with John and one relating to Hawk Mountain, from the names
of those whodonate in support of this year's concert. I will send a bulletin to everyone
who donated for both years. Please see that your check reaches me by June 1st so
that your name can be included in the bulletin.
Let's keep John's memory alive by supporting both his glorious music and the causes
that were dear to him.
Thank you.
Peace,
Judith (judithgabriel@msn.com)
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WINDSTAR SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE -- DEADLINE JUNE 1, 2001
The Windstar Foundation is awarding two $500 scholarships to qualified college students
and one $500 scholarship to a qualified high school student in 2001.
For additional information about the Environmental Studies Scholarship Program, visit
the Windstar Foundation web site at http://www.wstar.org.
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2ND ANNUAL COUNTRY ROADS FOLK FESTIVAL:
This wonderful folk festival will again take place at the Almost Heaven Ranch in
West Virginia on July 21, 2001. Performers confirmed: Mack Bailey, Bill Danoff, Side
by Side and Tom Paxton ... there will be a special tribute to John Denver. Go to
the following website: www.mofolk.com for additional
information. I went last year and it was wonderful ... don't miss it!!!! Peace-Mary
(eagleshorses@yahoo.com)
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WINDSTAR ONE WORLD Bringing Global Issues Home
July 28-29, Camp Mary Orton, Columbus, OH
Sponsored by the Heart of Ohio Windstar Connection. Speakers will
include Ron Deutschendorf, representatives of the Audubon Society, The
Sierra Club and Lana Zinkon, tour coordinator for the John Denver
Memorial Peace Cloth. Write to Lana at zinkon@tusco.net
for more
information.
http://www.howc.org/invitation.html
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FOR SALE
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UPDATE ON SING AUSTRALIA
It appears that the release of this CD has been delayed once again, so anyone who
has ordered online from CD Universe has had their orders cancelled. As soon as I
hear that it has been released, I will be sure to spread the good news. What IS
available right now is the "new" CD release of the complete "An Evening
With John Denver", including four bonus tracks taped at Red Rocks Amphitheater
in 1973.
AS
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WILDLIFE CREATIONS BENEFIT CHARITIES
Wolf and I wanted to tell you about a new item we are selling through our Wildlife
Creations business. As some of you may know, we started this business as a way to
help a couple of charities that we support. The National Wildlife Federation (in
John's name) for wolf education and also to the Child's Rescue Fund, to help children
get things in life like school supplies, Christmas and birthday presents who's parents
can't afford to give them. We have two children right now we help one is in another
country and one is in the US.
We currently are selling Wolf's ceramic items, Virginia Allen's "Prayer Pose"
poster and our newest additions - John Denver Snowglobes! Portions of the proceeds
from the sale of these items are donated to the above charities.
To find out more, visit our website at the following url:
http://www.geocities.com/yswolf/WildlifeCreations.html
Wolfpup
[Great work, you guys!!! AS]
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ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS
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WHAT ONE MAN CAN DO!
Pierre Chastan crossed the Atlantic single-handedly, on an idealistic and courageous
mission inspired by Captain Jacques Cousteau. Traveling in a 34-foot boat, built
of trees from his family's woodland, he carried aboard
a barrel of petitions for the Bill of Rights for Future Generations,
symbolic of the Cousteau campaign to have the United Nations incorporate the document
in its charter. A long-time volunteer in the Paris office of the Society, Pierre
undertook this quest as a personal commitment to Captain Cousteau's vision. Over
the course of a month,he sailed from France to the Canary Islands to Guadeloupe to
Florida; continuing up the east coast of theUS, he docked in Virginia, where The
Cousteau Society's staff and volunteers welcomed Pierre warmly andvisited his ship
Message to wish him Godspeed. In June, he departed on his final leg to New York and
the United Nations headquarters
To read more about Pierre's journey and see the Bill of Rights for Future Generations,
go to:
http://www.cousteausociety.org/news/news_chastan_mission.htm#A
BILL OF
RIGHTS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS
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MARDY'S LAST DANCE
As Congress decides fate of the Arctic Refuge, filmmakers use Murie film to lobby.
by Whitney Royster
It is a land of free-roaming caribou herds and still unnamed rivers. Untouched by
technology and the intrusions of man, the Arctic Refuge remains one of the last wild
places on earth.
By early April, a federal decision that would forever change that pristine environment
could come from Washington.
"Now, the Arctic Refuge is in worse danger than it has ever been," Bonnie
Kreps, Jackson filmmaker said. "This is it."
As early as next month, Congress could decide whether the land will be drilled to
extract oil from the fragile Arctic ecosystem.
Faced with that threat, Kreps, along with Kelly's Charlie Craighead, are mobilizing
to distribute tapes of their 10 year project, "ARCTIC DANCE: The Mardy Murie
Story."
The film, which was screened in Jackson last year, chronicles the life of Moose's
Mardy Murie through her youth in the wilds of Alaska and the Arctic. "The goal
of the film is to create a visual image of the refuge for people,"
Cindy Shogan, Executive Director of the Alaska Wilderness League said. The Alaska
Wilderness League will be distributing nearly one thousand copies of the film to
Congress and their staffs in early April. "Once people see this film, [the Arctic]
will strike them as a place worth preserving," she said.
With a backdrop of Murie's love affair with both biologist Olaus Murie and the wild
lands of the north, the film elicits a stirring emotional response to the remote
places most people never see. "Mardy agreed to let us do the filmbecause she
thought it would do some good in the world. " Kreps said. "She feels committed
to this project."
Murie, called "The Mother of the American Conservation Movement" was in
her 90's when the film was made. Narrated by Harrison Ford, the film's images alternate
between a young woman at peace in the wilderness and an older woman still fighting
to save those lands.
In addition to distributing the film to members of Congress, the Mardy Murie Film
Project is prepared to get the film out to "anyone who can help save the Arctic."
Kreps said. This includes conservation, school and political groups.
"We are now trying to raise $40,000 to help use the Mardy film for the reason
we made it: To save the refuge," Kreps said.
Many of the groups able to screen the film for the public don't have the money to
distribute the film, Kreps added. Often it is through these groups that word-of-mouth
about the fragile beauty of the Arctic Refuge begins, she said.
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NEWSLETTER INFORMATION
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If you would like to submit articles, news items, stories, poetry, or any other pertinent
information to IT'S ABOUT TIME, please e-mail any of the IAT staff. The submission
deadline for the April edition is April 19, 2001. Please be sure to include any contact
information so that members can e-mail or snail-mail for further details.
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The content of this newsletter is entirely at the discretion of the "It's About
Time" staff. Contributions, as always, are welcomed, although inclusion is not
guaranteed.
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". . . IT'S ABOUT TIME WE START TO LIVE IT,
THE FAMILY OF MAN,
IT'S ABOUT TIME
AND IT'S ABOUT CHANGES . . .
AND IT'S ABOUT TIME."
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