Cynthia & Co - Have a safe journey, and a wonderful time in lovely Greece ( the word alone just gives me a scent-memory of aromatic herbs in the hot sun, macchia …) Loved your first article on this site (6/04), and gave you a grateful little welcome shot-out then … What a word: paraskavedekatriaphobia … love Wikipedia, for explaining all there is to know … and maybe with explaining and knowledge there comes a little less ‘superstition’ … Nevertheless: knocked on wood, fingers are crossed … and I’ll take myself and an 8-yr old little buddy to the bookstore today, which should be a safe place on a Friday 13th …

Yes, Carol L., “there’s nothing like Broadway” … had fun this season so far with “Spring Awakening”, “Sunday in the Park with George” etc. … hoping to be able to afford some more … dear Liz Smith, … always. always love your take on theatre in your column … the Best of the Best, for me it would be Audrey Hepburn … and of course we count Whoopi Goldberg into that group

Dear Frannie … thanks so much … good to find you here … I had posted to you (and ML) on another thread (which one … oy vey, my memory these days…) - but: now you can actually click on my ‘avatar’ and see my posts, that is such a great feature … also, by reviewing one’s own posts one gets a bit of a look at one’s ‘ramblings’(healthy for me…) re. active post/ joining a conversation … yeah, I know what you mean … I think the web-site has changed not only in design … it’s more ‘magazine-style’, as someone remarked on the ‘new design’ thread … so there are less conversations going on … everyone is just dropping their comments here and there … re. your question, re. my ‘avatar’ (thought that term was only used in games … oh what do iI know about the web world …) - anyway, yes, it’s a bit of my own digital-art play; a cell phone picture of a shadow (of a very artistic fence) on the sidewalk and then colorized and blown-up a bit … I am trying to be a writer but also dabble a bit in art …

Hi Maggi D … thanks … ‘thoughtful hesitation’, that’s very kind of you, and describes me well… I never like ‘right-or-wrong’ discussions … and yet, just like with you, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have strong opinions/emotions over some topics … that’s why I think you said it best: “the best we can do is let women know that they have options and try to stand behind them when they decide what options to follow”

Hi Maggi D … thanks … ‘thoughtful hesitation’, that’s very kind of you, and describes me well… I never like ‘right-or-wrong’ discussions … and yet, just like with you, it doesn’t mean that I don’t have strong opinions/emotions over some topics … that’s why I think you said it best: “the best we can do is let women know that they have options and try to stand behind them when they decide what options to follow”

… :) “War, politics, religious conflicts, corporate takeovers — it all boils down to this, doesn’t it?” …

Dear Jackie Blue:
 Yes: “Fight the demons that destroy…….. and pray. I think the frustration and anger we all feel stems from the fact that we are all one and all connected. ” I had just pondered on that on another thread, when I found your comment here… - ‘… this is all a reminder that we are becoming part of a ‘world culture’ … welcoming cultures to live side-by-side, non-judgemental, but also watching out and defining human rights (in our own and other societies) … not an easy task! … - this is one world, and in our precious human incarnation we are totally responsible for each other and infinitely interconnected within this world …’ Frannie Em, Jackie Blue, ML Staats, Dona H, G T … just that your are here, on this thread, reading, agonizing, wondering … that is part of the change, that is your prayer. We all already know how to help in many ways … we can sympathize, pray and hold compassion for the miseries of the world in our hearts, we “can donate”, we can put on pressure if we “think the world leaders can do what needs to be done”, and we “should come home and spend our money at home and fix the illness eating away at our own people” … whichever the choice, wherever we see our personal focus - just taking a step is part of the change, don’t wait for ‘the leaders’ … Sending aid is the compassionate step to do (even into a political nightmare void), sending ‘intervention/war’ is never compassionate (and I am sorry, intervening in Iraq was not done out of compassion for the people there, - no better image than the one Jackie B. painted here regarding the level of compassion this administration is capable of…, turning young men into soldiers/killers is never the compassionate thing to do … ) Here is something from Ashley Judd’s Speech to the UN, (and how I tried to thank her for it): “The art of compassionate witnessing is at the core of global change and peace building. / … prevention, protection and prosecution … the three “Ps” must become the norm in national legislations and policies worldwide … / ” (paraphrased) ” Dear Ashley Judd, Thank you for not being speechless and not being helpless, … thank you for finding the words, and using the power of your words to report with such intelligence and emotion, … thank you for turning the power of words into the power of action, … thank you for showing the possibility of solutions, and the responsibility and ability of each individual to contribute to those solutions. “Active wisdom, i.e. a clear analysis of reality, and active compassion, i.e. individual responsibility towards ending human suffering, those are the two wings of a powerful bird flying on the path of liberation.” (from my notes, from the teachings of HH the 14th Dalai Lama, NYC 1o/2007)” Please, dear ladies, never ever feel hopeless or powerless! Namaste.

Dear Adelle Lutz … thank you for keeping us informed here! “All should use “Aung San Suu Kyi” as a mantra in every conversation, at every level. The Burmese people will hear and take heart.” … it is an excellent mantra … not only in this specific situation, but also as a reminder that there are always individuals holding out hope! (PS. a little quibble with editorial … the headline is not too well chosen, misleading, taken out of context, from something Ms. Lutz quoted and so on … these articles deserve editoral care, please)

“At a time when women in America are debating whether the failure of Hillary Clinton is based on some lingering glass ceiling, it is amazing to hear how complex the issues of love and sex are in cultures so different from ours.” … that is a valid endeavor … the headline, not so much … I am glad you provided the link to the NYTimes article, where it was more soberly called “In Europe, Debate Over Islam and Virginity” But, I do love this website for being able to follow a discussion such as this (while simultaneously getting giggle-advice on ‘bubble-wrap/on the web’ …) “Men use religion and culture as an excuse to brutalize women and children …” “… the best we can do is let women know that they have options and try to stand behind them when they decide what options to follow” “I couldn’t criticize these women; at least they found a way to beat their culture” Reflecting on the above statements and the entire discussion (excepting of course Dr.K., nothing new there… ) - there is much I can greatly relate to. And this is all a reminder that we are becoming part of a ‘world culture’ and have still a very long way to go in becoming culturally sensitive and inclusive. Welcoming cultures to live side-by-side, non-judgemental, but also watching out and defining human rights (in our own and other societies) … not an easy task! But with discussions such as this, we may be getting there, and finally get to no longer ‘ours’ and ‘theirs’ … - this is one world, and in our precious human incarnation we are totally responsible for each other and infinitely interconnected within this world.

… that link is insanely funny … can’t believe the kind of info one acquires on this site, you ladies rock

Hi J, … really liked your observations about the site … great suggestion about reversing the order of comments from new to old, I second that! …(have also previously suggested to number the comments for easier referral in a response) As to the site no longer being ‘blog-style’ but a ‘magazine’ … you are totally right, but I am not so sure that’s a good thing … there are so many magazines (and all on the web too) … and I was interested in seeing something different … more interactive, a starker design. Launching a website, instead of a magazine, is of course what’s reasonable now (economically, environmentally, contemporary) … but in magazines (as in film and literature and …) there are many different genres … and I think the editors haven’t quite found their way , yet … hence the mish-mash of topics, the sometimes clumsy headlines, the choice of editorial features, the allocation of space etc. etc. As you said: “it’s interesting to see how people react to change” … I am amused at observing my own reaction to change, of something I didn’t know existed a few weeks ago … and now I’ll grab a cup of coffee and a magazine and revert to the ‘good ol’ ways’ .. for a bit …

totally agree … great topic and discussions! and: ;);) no one let it be hi-jacked by off-topic posts, ie ignoring the bait - staying on topic … Yeah! … and Mugsy found the perfect way to do it …

oops, sorry … this got too long … note to self: preview, preview, preview …

Hi again ML … a Tibetan terrier, had no idea there is such a being … great story! Yep, I keep checking back into conversation threads… that’s a good new feature ! Thanks for your e-mail address, I’ll send you a note then you have my address too … after too much time on this site, I just saw I have about 40 mails to deal with … ouch … I better get a grip. Hi also, Frannie, good to hear from you, another 56er … cool . I don’t know so much about your story (very sorry about the big “c”), have only been on the site a few weeks and not on too many threads .. but I seem to remember that you are the lady with the ‘hot-flash garden’ (all pink and red flowers.) … I loved that! I know it is hard to read topics like Ashley’s (death, death of women and children, war) … but it’s so great that she is able to convey it in such a passionate way …I also just read a magazine article about the importance of telling stories, life stories, our stories, real world stories … (they mentioned blogging in there too … I still laugh about that word, sounds so silly …) Be well. ladies .. got to get going here. “Active wisdom, i.e. a clear analysis of reality, and active compassion, i.e. individual responsibility towards ending human suffering, those are the two wings of a powerful bird flying on the path of liberation.” (from my notes, from the teachings of HH the 14th Dalai Lama, NYC 1o/2007)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - and I really second Lily’s addition of a 4th R: ” ‘Refuse’ the refuse.” Many great ways of reducing trash and conserving resources have been pointed out here - in what ever small or large way we take responsibility for the 3 R’s, every bit helps. And all the research and new technology to either turn trash into energy, and/or possibilities of recycling need to be funded and supported! Some of the ways I try to ‘streamline’ the trash my small household produces: - energy saving bulbs - only one or two non-toxic cleaning products (there’s really no need for a different product bottle for every task) - using re-fills when ever possible - no paper towels (lots of ‘rags’ and also nice old tea towels, can be washed and reused) - laundry powder in cartons (no plastic containers) - no fabric softener sheets (dryer balls are great!) - wish we could line dry (but, alas, in NYC the laundry would have to go right back into the washer…) and: no no no bottled water (reusable water bottle, filled from tap or filter) Btw. I own a jacket that’s supposedly made from recycled soda bottles … can’t imagine how it’s done, but am thrilled by the possibilities! I take cloth bags on all shopping trips (have one or two rolled up in every hand bag ) and my goal for this year is to use no more plastic bags … not easy … it helps to shop as much as possible at the farmer’s market! So agree on all the unnecessary packaging (CDs DVDs, yikes) … I saw something cool in Germany: people discard excessive packing right there in the store or supermarket, into big bins at the cashiers - so the responsibility to recycle is with the store …. and stores there have been charging for plastic shopping bags for years, which makes people think twice about forgetting their own bags … The small coop where I live, has been good at implementing the NYC recycling rules - encouraging the use of energy (and trash) saving bulbs in all common (and private) spaces, using biodegradable trash bags, water saving advice, and many other initiatives … Some of us have a bit of a reputation for being the ‘recycling police’ - but we don’t mind - it’s all in good fun … and we keep up the encouraging board notices … and reward everyone with a summer pizza party in the scrappy back garden … Many community gardens here (thanks, Bette Midler!) have also started composting and one can bring household compost … We leave unwanted reusable items in a designated place in the hallway (books, household items, clothing) and most of it gets reused … otherwise everything is donated to Housing Works. Yet still, every collection day it is mind-boggling to see all the bins, how much trash we all produce…. First I thought, it would be difficult to have a ‘green’ lifestyle in New York, but it is not (mostly…) … it is really more about developing, and sticking with, the personal habits of low-impact living. I’m grateful for those hippie years of working my way thru university in a health food store / coop - it just became second nature (!) to think about healthy food, healthy products and the environment … and hey, we were no crunchy-granola hippies either, even if that’s what we sold most, we were cool artists … oh, there is a whole story in that store … :)