Practice What You Peace

Lisa Allender Writes' posts

2011-06-08T20:49:00.000-07:00

Been awhile, since I posted here. I'll be copy-n-pasting some "Peace Moments", as we call them at my Pax Christi group at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, in the form of my recent posts from "Lisa Allender Writes".For now, I'm exhausted, and headed to bed. You may access these posts immediately, at:
Lisa Allender Writes is at:
http//:www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com

Pax Christi St.Jude, and What I Posted Earlier Today, at my other personal blog, Lisa Allender Writes...

2011-05-05T11:38:00.000-07:00

About to finish an archive of our Pax Christi St.Jude chapter for its' past six (glorious, fulfilling) years, and will post a few highlights, soon.In the meantimne, here's what I posted, re-produced here, at my other personal blog,
"Lisa Allender Writes", earlier today.

Mother's Day is coming up, and instead of images of childhood and innocence, and joyous wonder, here on the heels of the announcement on May 1st(the death of Osama bin Laden), it is only death, destruction, and shame and fear, which threaten to consume my thoughts.
Mother's Day celebrates not only Mothers, but us who sprang from them.It is we who lift up our Mothers as those who nurtured us in the most crucial of ways, offering support and love--if we are so blessed--unconditionally, and forever, to us.Mothers are those who see the best we have to offer; we are never the worst act we've committed; we are first, and always, that Mother's child....
Just days after the announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden, I pondered on my Facebook Wall, whether we (USA) should be "celebrating"(in private or public), the death of anyone, even (or maybe especially) an avowed enemy, like Osama bin Laden.The responses on Facebook, had the negative ones been in red ink, would have made my Facebook Wall appear as if it was bleeding. I was expecting a few "attaboys" from my more conservative(read:right-wing) Facebook Friends, but did not expect the kind of non-apology, and blind acceptance/following by my more Liberal and Progressive Friends, of our (USA) committing violence in the name of (ironically) putting an end to violence."
I think it surprised me, because I have "reasonable" friends...all of them were hurt by September 11th, some of them very directly so, and none of them supported our invasion of Iraq, though several supported bombing Afghanistan.Most of my friends, poets, actors, novelists, playwrights, spoke of understanding and compassion; they spoke of moving forward, not holding onto "blind hate." They SPOKE of it, they WROTE about it, but I am not sure that I ever saw or felt true forgiveness exhibited, in any of these (otherwise fine) folk.
One person in particular may surprise you, my readers, with his views on Forgiveness, as he was working approximately 800 feet from the Twin Towers that fateful September 11th morning...
I'm considering asking dear ol' pal, Dan Kinch from NYC, to guest-edit my blog, "Lisa Alender Writes" and perhaps "Practice What You Peace" for a day or two, as his own personal narrative is so compelling, that for me to tell it, would I'm afraid, never do it the thing we all wish for, and seem to keep speaking about.....justice.
Stay tuned.
For more on how to feel about Osama bin Laden's death, or perhaps how to re-frame it, please go to:
www.paxchristiusa.org
to read a statement by them, about this matter.
And Peace, kids, Peace.

Planting Seeds

2011-04-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

I wonder why it is that some articles, we may read them, and then, forget them, while others are so haunting, we become obssessed with them? Case in point:
I read an article moments ago, regarding the radiation in the soil, which Japan has measured, which indicates they cannot plant rice...rice!....the main-stay of their entire way of life, unable to be planted....The article detailed the reactions to yesterday's (3rd in three weeks) earthquake, too.
In another bit of news, I discovered the Oak Ridge Nuclear facility in Tennessee, is not a "peaceful use" of nuclear power for energy, but rather, a NUCLEAR WEAPONS facility--the first in the USA, in nearly four decades.That's right--we are again manufacturing incredibly lethal nuclear weapons. At a time when people are starving, both in Japan, and here at home, we are committing over 7 Billion Dollars to even more Nuclear Weapons.
Below, I've posted the observations from that first article, which I just posted on the "News Feed" on Facebook:
"Matsuko Ito said she screamed when the violent shaking woke her up around 11:30 p.m. She's not sure she can take much more.
"It's enough," said the 64-year-old while smoking a cigarette outside the shelter where she has been living in the small northeastern city of Natori. "Something has changed. The world feels strange now. Even the way the clouds move isn't right."
Even the way the clouds move isn't right. And images of all the clouds we've ever seen, rising over Japan, immediately flash into my mind.
And I think: is this Earthquake(s)/Tsunami/Nuclear disaster, this generation's Hiroshima/Nagasaki?Is it possible that a "Natural Disaster" could trump--in terms of enormity--the man-made(USA-made) atrocity committed on Japan, so many, many years ago?
I remember watching, just a few years ago,with my dear friends and fellow-Pax Christi members, Joe and Mary Jean Goode, a well-known HBO documentary, "White Light/Black Rain" about Japan, and the interviews conducted with educated, professional young people in major cities, Tokyo among them.They were told a month and day and year: August 6th, 1945, and asked what happened on that day.
Not a single young person(all under 25) could say for what that date, was famous. Most guessed it was a celebrity's birthday, or other such nonsense. I remember crying when I realized no one in their younger generation remembers Hiroshima, or Nagasaki(August 9th, 1945), anymore.
I realized no one recalls the bad, the horrific, the shameful.
And it occurred to me just now, that we are, generationally, like the lover who remembers only the good, and none of the bad.We rewrite our histories with the loves of our lives, just as we rewrite our country's histories,our government's moments of rage, hate, racism, and revenge.
It was rage, hate, racism, and notably, revenge, when the government of the United States of America, dropped those bombs on the civilian people of Japan.Innocuously named "Little Boy" (the bomb we dropped on Hiroshima), and "Fat Boy", (the bomb we tossed onto Nagasaki), did we simply decide we had the "right" to murder hundreds of thousands of innocent people instantly, while guaranteeing the deaths of millions, later? The argument is always "we saved more lives, by dropping the bombs."
Really?
In what universe does killing to avenge killing, and killing to prevent death, make any kind of sense?
In a recent letter from Mary Jean Goode, when addressing our (USA) involvement in yet more war(this time, Libya)she posited:
"...I recalled Luke’s version of Jesus’ arrival on the outskirts of Jerusalem. According to Luke, Jesus broke down weeping over the world’s refusal to learn “the things that make for peace.” It’s one of the most touching scenes in the Gospels. He has walked over a hundred miles on a campaign of nonviolence from Galilee to Jerusalem, only to arrive at the Mount of Olives, see the famous city, and burst into tears because of its collaboration with the Roman empire in the demonic spirit of war. He could see that its destruction was inevitable."
As he drew near, he saw the city and wept over it saying, “If this day you only knew the things that make for peace -- but they are hidden from your eyes.”
(Luke 19:41-42)
Think about this, kids. Really think about it....Jesus spoke of "the things that make for Peace".That he longed for nations at war, to see that they "do not know the things that make for Peace."
I am thinking of Japan, long after the rain of nuclear fall-out which came, day after gray day, in Hiroshima, and Nagasaki.
I think of the pain and suffering a long-ago generation of proud Japanese, suffered.
And I think now of this woman, Matsuko Ito, reviewing the clouds, as they silently float by, and I wonder, when those people of Hiroshima, looked heavenward, hearing a whir, or seeing the flash,just before annihilation, was there any sense of The world feels strange now. Even the way the clouds move isn't right.....
We have the power to change the way we respond to violence, and while we cannot prevent natural disasters, or make the soil in which the Japanese long to plant their grain, safe again, we can all try to nurture the "soil" in our minds.Plant the first seeds of a sweet rice of Peace, now.
Before it's too late.
Peace, kids.

Finding Peace in the midst of violence.

2010-12-16T07:38:00.001-08:00

"Unspoken Words" will be completed soon.
We must shoot a few more scenes of the feature-length-film(which will be released in theatres, next year) I was (in my last post here, months ago), not at liberty to name. I would describe the character I portray--Benetha--as a hard-drinking, hard-smoking woman who is quite cruel to the 13+ foster-children for whom she "cares". I have a large supporting-role in a film that will feature several well-known actors and is directed by award-winning film-maker, Henderson Maddox.
The violence committed throughout the film is all on my part.If you know me personally, then you know this is pretty challenging for me: swearing, committing gun violence, and beating and abusing others (even while playing someone else).
The film manages to end with resilience being seen in the characters affected by Benetha.... and a sequel is already being planned!
How does "Unspoken Words" affect my committment to my Pacifism, as a way of life?
It means committing to the depiction of extreme violence, with my prayer and hope being that, for all who see Benetha and are repulsed by her, especially if they wrestle with any of the issues she faces, they will say "I don't ever want to be her." and then they may choose to make different choices in their own lives.
My hope & prayer for anyone who reads my blogs--this one, or "Lisa Allender Writes", is that you have a safe, healthy, happy, and prosperous Holiday & New Year!
Peace, kids.

Piece of her mind. Peace in my heart.

2010-09-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Guess what? About two weeks ago, at the callbacks, I got the role I discussed in my last entry here at "Practice What You Peace".
I'm currently eating, sleeping, and drinking "Benetha", the name of the human being I hope to morph into(in the Feature-Length Film I cannot yet name), very soon.
She is quite different from me, and for that, I am grateful.
It will be challenging--a true journey--to become someone so filled with hate.
In discovering her hate-filled spirit, my hope and prayer is that my own spirit will be even more filled with the love that Benetha cannot seem to find, or feel.
Here's to stepping into another person's shoes.
May we all do so, and step lightly, and with hope.
Peace,kids.

Cruel Characters

2010-09-01T15:02:00.001-07:00

A new Feature-Length-film being cast in Atlanta, which I auditioned for, has me:
Preparing for a callback which entails creating a Foster-"Mother"(I use the term "mother" quite loosely, here)who is a mouthy, cruel, selfish bigot who earns her dollars by "fostering" poor African-American children.
What causes someone to behave in a cruel fashion? Sociopathy? Spite? Previous abuse?
In terms of outcome: it. just. doesn't. matter.
Hurt children, lost children, children who are left without self-esteem, who hear only barks from a headache-y, drunk mother, and who endure beatings, are damaged because someone damaged them, and the "reason" or explanation" behind it, matters not at all.
God--the Peace that lives within us-- cannot abide anger and hate.
Try to be angry or hateful in your thoughts, and try to commit a gentle gesture, like a hug.It's very hard to do.
And try the reverse: Think peaceful thoughts while trying to be violent.
Impossible!
So, let's stay in "Peace" mode, kids.
The world has enough cruelty, already.
Peace,kids.

Acting as a Spiritual Endeavor

2010-08-16T19:08:00.001-07:00

Verrry tired. Soo tired, in fact, that I posted my entry for my "Lisa Allender Writes", in my "Practice What You Peace", (see entry, below).
But when I realized I'd posted here(I subsequently posted it where it belongs, at
Lisa Allender Writes, my main blog), I figured I'd share a mysterious moment, about this preparation in acting...I am:
Discovering that preparing to play a heroin-addicted mother of three girls(for a
short film, entitled "Just Us") is a spiritual endeavor.
Discovering the Mother's spiritual burdens, and my own.
I have had to release my preconceived ideas about both addiction, and what it is, to mother...in doing my research, I came across an essay written by a woman who lost her very young sister, to heroin. She commented how she'd "mothered" her sister, and how their own mother, had abandoned them. Given that my character in this film, does EXACTLY that--abandons her daughters, (because of her own descent into heroin addiction), I felt it was "destiny" for me to read her essay.
I think of it as the Universe "answering" me as I searched for words to fill my head,as my heart swells with the anger and harshness, and the incredible sense of loss I know she--the Mother I must create-- must feel.The loss of her family, her daughters, her sanity, her health--and eventually--her own life.
I posted a note--a "tribute" of sorts, at that site,to this young woman's essay and to her sister.
RIP, Ms. Kyndall Znidarsic. Much Peace to her sister, Nicole DelBuono.
Peace,kids.

Poetry At Callanwolde, last Wednesday, August 11th

2010-08-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

Meant to post about last Wednesday's lover-ly evening at Poetry of Callanwolde.Kodac Harrison, in my opinion, the South's greatest songwriter-as-storyteller and poet man and guitarist, never fails to please.I was delighted to see Rupert Fike in attendance, as well as old pal, the very energetic and readying-herself-to-graduate GSU, Ms. T.J. Annunziata, and Professor Bob Wood from nearby Georgia Tech, too.
Fellow writer(she specializes in "flash-fiction")Ellen Lindquist joined ol' pal, Dan-Dan and me, and we listened intently to Kodac.After his Feature, Kodac sat down near me, and Ellen and he and I enjoyed hearing newbie poets read, at the late-night Open-Mic.Really, realy cool stuff, on a verrry hot evening.Ruth Windham always does a great job with the hospitality(cold drinks, and sweet and salty snacks)and the encouraging introductions.
Earlier on Wednesday, I stopped in at Outwrite, picked up a naughty card for a friend's birthday, and when I didn't find him at home,left him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY card, and some jasmine-tea, at his door.
I then met up with Atlanta director, Reggie Price, of the short film we are shooting soon, "Just Us". Reggie also wrote the screenplay. The actor who'll play my "baby-daddy", fellow-SAG-member, Louis C. Robins joined us, and the young actress who'll play my oldest daughter, beautiful Ms. Vitelle Webb, stopped in, too.
We took photos, and looked over location, etc.(The film will be shot in Forest Park, Georgia, soon).
So Wednesday was a great day, and this past weekend was great(see my earlier post, below!), too.
Peace,kids.

God in Different Places

2010-08-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

Lately, I find God in different places. In the scent of fresh-baked bread at the Alpharetta Farmer's Market, I thanked Him. In the patting of soft fur (a Bull Mastiff curled up near a doggie-biscuit booth at this same open-air market), I thanked Him. I thanked Him for the Southern Rice Salad from Chef Frank, and the shiny green bell peppers, fresh from the farm.
Later today, in the swirl of an ambulance's siren as I waited, reviewing lines at an audition, I paused to thank Him.I paused to breathe, to thank God for my own, healthy father, who remarked after his first(he's suffered and survived four) heart attack, "I heard the ambulance, Lisa, and thought: it's coming for me...")
I thanked God when I emerged from the audition, feeling it went well, feeling I had lived a great day, and looked forward to a great evening. An evening of pizza, with dear friend Susan H., and hubby Hansoo, at Antica Posta in Midtown, near Georgia Tech/Atlantic Station area, here in Atlanta.
And I'm home, readying myself for bed, thanking God for a gift of another day, well-lived.
Peace, kids.

Meditation and The Rosary

2010-07-25T00:33:00.000-07:00

It's early Sunday morning, and a great time to pray.
The Rosary can be a useful tool for prayer.
Many folks do not realize it is a way of providing a focal point for meditation(much like Greek Orthodox "worry-beads", and Muslim "prayer beads"), which aids in concentration.
I personally love saying the Rosary just before dawn. It feels like the world is beginning all over again(even if only in my small part of this world)and saying it feels like hope.
Here's one of the prayers said, in a Rosary:
The Hail Mary

Hail Mary, Full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death,
Amen.
Try meditating on "...the hour of our death..."
and see if you don't have a greater appreciation for life. :)

Saying My Peace.

2010-06-10T17:27:00.000-07:00

It's not easy to post about Peace, in such a non-peaceful world.
Even as an Idealist, a Pacifist, I have my days and weeks of wondering,
"Will any of what I'm doing, ever make a real difference?" or "Will my legacy only be that I tried, but ultimately, I, and everyone like me, will fail----the world's peoples will continue to rail, to fight, to war with each other?"
There's no "clean" way to Peace, I am discovering. Sometimes, it means shouting back, but more often, it means whispering--even while others yell. It means holding one's hands up--not in surrender--but with a defensive stance, ever-ready with words of reason, and as clean and clear a heart, as one can summon.
This is where I am, right now, kids.
It's why I've not posted an entry at my beloved "Practice What You Peace", in so very, very long.
I'm troubled by the recent news that civilians are still being gunned down in the wars in Afghanistan, and Iraq. I'm troubled that it does not seem to matter WHO is President, these atrocities still occur.I'm troubled that loved ones in my life, still yell at me.For no reason, except that they are angry, and show little respect towards me.I'm troubled that it seems no matter how much I try to "still" the critic in my head, I still feel "inadequate", and not enough.That the humility I often feel, is simply insecurity, not the nod to the humility of Jesus Christ or Dr. MLK Jr., or Gandhi or other leaders of Peace that I desperately wish it were.
That maybe my life won't matter, in the end, for much at all.
That maybe none of this matters.
And then, as if on a cue from the cosmos....I think of my niece's smile, or the warm breath of my doggies, or when I'm in an audience, scanning the room, and seeing the eyes that focus in laser-like intensity on a poet reading their own words, and I think that while life is often hard--harder than as children we'd ever imagine it could be---it also has innumerable sweet moments.
And that's the reason, I guess, to keep on advocating for Peace.
For human, and civil rights, and justice, for ALL peoples--no matter their color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc...so that the good moments, may always be (one day) much more plentiful, than the bad.
Here's to Peace.
And to no yelling.
Peace, kids.

FR. JOHN DEAR PEACE RETREAT AT PAX CHRISTI, ST.JUDE.

2010-03-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

Two Saturdays ago,I was involved in a weekend retreat that was inspiring, uplifting, and filled with the hope that one day, we will all actually not only get along, but be engaged with each other, and engaging...
Fr. John ("A Persistent Peace") Dear is the controversial, peaceful priest who's been arrested dozens of times in his quest for accountability from our government and others, and in his vow to be active for Peace. His call is to "Follow the God of Non-Violence, and Peace, Jesus."
I was delighted by the eclectic mix of people attending. Most were members of the Roman Catholic faith, though several noted they no longer "practice [their] faith", even though they find much to love and celebrate in Pax Christi("Peace Christ", a Catholic-based Peace & Social Justice group). Many others were attending a peace retreat for the first time, including a dear friend of mine, Diane, who I invited along to experience what I have felt myself, the past five years through Pax Christi, and the dedicated disciples of Peace this group has created.
Fr. John spoke at length about his own path--his arrests at military bases(it's important to note he supports "the warrior, not the war"), his anxiety over what he sees as a reigniting of our military-prowess(military spending, specifically on nuclear weaponry, is up, currently, under President Obama--even more so than with the former President, George W.)and his sadness over the deaths of so many innocents(all victims of war--both "us" and "them").
He quoted from poet, Edna St.Vincent Millay:
"I shall die..." and from Auden, "Death with a capital D..."
Fr. John has been greatly influenced by Thomas Merton:
"Don't place your hope in results."
And greatly influenced by his dear friend, and former roomie in jail, Fr. Daniel Berrigan:
"You are not attached to the outcome, you are attached to God." and
"Be human, be non-violent."
Fr. John reminded us:
"Be detached from the result. We commit to non-violence, and peace, because it is the right thing to do."
In other words, even if we do not see peace immediately (or even in our lifetime), searching for, and working towards peace, is the way. It's the way of Christ.
It's the way of Gandhi, the famed, peaceful Hindu who said he read Jesus'
"The Sermon on the Mount" everyday, for the last 45 years of his life.Gandhi said it was "The greatest spiritual story."
Gandhi also said "Jesus is the most active example of non-violence in the history of the world. The only people who don't know Jesus is non-violent, are Christians."

Fr. John invoked Dr. Martin Luther King, too, saying that Dr. King realized "on the night before his murder by the U.S. government", this:
"The choice is no longer violence or non-violence, it is non-violence, or non-existence."
Prescient of Dr.King, indeed, yes?

Fr. Dear asked us to begin in our own hearts.
Isn't that where all truth begins, kids?In our conscience, in our own hearts?
In Catholicism, it states "Your conscience first, then your church."
I believe Fr. John is conscience, personified.
I gained tremendous insight into what I can do, every day, to make a difference, in Peace, in my own, (tiny) life.
I will be more loyal, more attuned to those around me.
I will continue to offer help to those in true need.(we all believe we are "in need", but look around--there are always others much needier than us).
I will hear, and respond.

I will "Cultivate an interior of non-violence", as Fr.John asked.

Fr. John reminded us to watch out for the "Three D's":
*Despair
*Doubt
*Domination

Those "Three D's " have, I believe, held us Americans, and maybe others in the "West", too, in a kind of thrall:
*It's "cool" to despair--to be "dark, and edge-y".
*It's considered intellectually "superior" to doubt everything(especially God). I know, because I was what I called a "Cheerful A-theist/Non-theist for nearly 18 years, and I was, frankly, rather smug about it.
*It's still a "might-makes-right"--a domination-- mentality for many, especially here in the "West".
Our good ol' USA has flexed muscles and grasped for power in brutal ways(Central America, Africa, the Middle East, I could go on and on),but we do have the power to change not merely the perception--but the reality.
I urge you to read Fr.John Dear. Whether you are a "believer" of God or not--your belief in a peaceful, kinder, more connected world will soar, as you realize it can become a reality. We have only to ask for--and reach for--it.

Special thanks to: Joe & Mary Jean Goode, and Sr.Sally White, co-founders of PCSJ, and all the Pax Christi St. Jude members who contributed time, talent, and treasure to this outstanding event. Big hugs to Fr. Bob Cushing, who was with us that weekend, visiting from southern Georgia's St. Theresa of Lisieux.

Peace, kids.

GO DIRECTLY TO PAX CHRISTI ST.JUDE FOR INFO ON FR. JOHN DEAR RETREAT!

2010-01-27T17:15:00.001-08:00

Follow the directions in the title here...for more info, kindly read "Lisa Allender Writes", my other blog, at:
http://www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com

Peace, kids.

From the blog, "Selma In The City"....

2009-09-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

I saw this only a few days ago, at the Australian wonder known as Selma, of the blog, "Selma in the City".
Had to share it with you!

Today is The International Day Of Peace.

When my boy was three or four years old he asked me what peace was. I remember the day distinctly because it was one of those questions like why do we have to die? or why do some people have to suffer? that leaves you feeling uncomfortable, leaves you feeling that there is no one answer that can adequately sum up the reasons those things happen.

I remember looking up at the sky for inspiration. I often look to the sky at such moments. It usually doesn’t let me down but on that day it regarded me with its still, smiling blueness like freshly laundered spring curtains and I could see no answers in its vast expanse.

No answers but the blue of the sky. And it came to me that maybe that was the answer – the unwavering blue. So I tried it out to see how he would take it.

Peace is when people can stand and look at the sky and marvel at the beautiful blue without worrying that someone is going to come and tell them to stop or make them go to a place where they can’t see the sky anymore. Peace is being able to look at the sky and not be afraid.

Simplistic, I know. Inadequate. Totally missing the point. Yet my explanation has remained part of the way my son regards peace. He has put his own spin on it as he has grown older. When he catches news bulletins in war torn areas he often speaks of the people who live there not being able to enjoy a sunny day, or to notice wildflowers growing by the side of the road or to hear the joy of birdsong.

It’s not their fault, he says. They’re too worried to enjoy those things because there is no peace.

So what is peace?

Is it the absence of war or conflict or an army occupying your country?

Is is a mental state or a physical one?

Should it be visible?

Should we feel a ripple of apprehension as we bandy the term about because we know in our hearts that the peace we actually think of when we say the word – the still blue sky kind of peace – is unattainable in this imperfect world we find ourselves in?

There has to be a chance of it. There has to be a chance for people the world over to feel it at least once in their lifetime.

We speak so often of peace in our countries steeped in democracy. We go on and on about liberty and freedom and our rights. But do we really understand what it would mean to not experience those things? To perhaps never experience them.

Maybe the answer does lie in the unstinting blue. Maybe we are meant to look up at one of the most amazing sights we will ever see and breathe in the wonder of it. And feel at peace. And want others to feel the same. Maybe that thought is where we start.

Maybe that thought leads to another and another. And yet another.

Maybe that thought is all we need to say – enough. It’s not right people should live without peace.

Maybe that thought will lead to enough action so that one day we can say to anyone in the world – go in peace – and know with confidence that such a state is possible.

Maybe I’m a dreamer.

But maybe, just maybe, the tenacious, glittering, enduring blue really is the place to start.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Be sure to go to Selma in the City for more musings from this lovely woman.
www.selmainthecity.wordpress.com
Peace, kids.

WHY I BELONG TO PAX CHRISTI.

2009-06-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

WHY I BELONG TO PAX CHRISTI.
Last night, I was thrilled to be surrounded by fellow-Catholic-Christians who do what I call "practicing what they peace." The aura of inclusiveness is astounding, from the opening prayer(We use prayers based on saints, we have done prayers from Jewish texts, etc.) to the song we ended the evening with(last night, a favorite song of mine:"And They'll Know We Are Christans By Our Love").
What occured in-between the prayer, and the song? First, we share "peace moments"--moments where we feel a renewal of spirit, of harmony, of peace--in our lives. Sr. Sally White, the most progressive, authentic person you'll ever meet, and our sponsor/moderator, spoke(nearly in tears) of how excited she is, seeing President Obama elected, and hearing him speak. She recalled the days(daze) of riding on buses as a child(she is a white person), when she cried while witnessing "the way the bus drivers treated our brothers and sisters"(she was referring, of course, to the mid-1950's-1960's, when it was so common to see Black Americans forced to the "back of the bus", being degraded, called names, etc.). We were all moved by her memories.
We discussed some upcoming events(check back in a few weeks; I'll have interesting news on a famous peace activist who may be visiting us, in March of next year(2010)!!).
Then lovely Stephanie, one of our newer members, gave a book report(each month, we select a book which will support our spiritual growth).
Fr. Ken, who has been with our group less than a year, is genuine and kind, and he possesses an acerbic wit. He often speaks of priests he's known who are, in his words, "brilliant"--many are well-known authors of philosophical works and spiritual doctrines-- and he recommends their books. Many of these same men have left the Roman Catholic Church "to marry, and have a family", which Fr. Ken seemed to understand(something many Catholics might want to work on--the concept of being "understanding").He also strongly urges inclusiveness for all gay people, and he advocates, always, for peace . I'm in awe of this man.
We also welcomed a brand-new member to our group, Patrick D., who came from very faraway to meet with us. Given the traffic in Atlanta, that's really saying something. Welcome, Patrick, to a spiritual home known as Pax Christi, St. Jude. Pax Christi is the organization; St. Jude's(the Patron Saint of Hopeless Causes) is the chapter.
It's easy to find fault with "organized religion", and maybe especially the Roman Catholic Church(with its' obvious misogyny(no women(yet!) officially allowed to be priests), "official" non-recognition of LGBTQ people, and the rule created about 820 years ago(long after the Church was established) that dictated priests no longer had a choice to marry(!), but instead had to remain single.
But Pax Christi is in service to what I feel in my heart is the true meaning of being what Christ asked us to be:
followers of Him.
Many of us are fearful of the word "Christian", because unfortunately, there are an awful lot of scary folks throwing the word around, and they seem to have missed the most important message Jesus--the "Christ", carried: Love.
Pax Christi ignites love in my heart. I feel tears in my eyes, and my breath catches, even as I type this.
Why, you say?
Because I have seen Love--the Love that Christ spoke of--when I am around these people. These people who support me: Lisa Allender, the writer/actress, the out bisexual, the happily married woman, the dog-owner, the A-theist for some 17 years.Late last year(in 2008)when I was terribly ill, and headed for the hospital, I received not only a beautiful card--filled with kind thoughts, and a reminder that they were all praying for me, and had a special Mass said for me--but also a check(no one is terribly "wealthy" in our group), to help out with my expenses. I had never asked for any help, and felt awkward accepting any(but I did). It's risky to even mention this, as all these people are too humble to want "credit" for helping. But they deserve credit.
They support me, they love me, and I see that love radiate from each and every one of them.
I'm very grateful to have them.
If you're reading this, and you're touched by any thing I've said here, and you think, well, I don't want to be "labeled" a Catholic, or even a Christian, I say to you:
Click on the links, below, to Pax Christi, anyway. In five minutes, you might have your heart opened to Peace & Social Justice in a huge way.
You don't have to "be" anything, or anyone, except yourself.
At Pax Christi, we have room for everyone who wants to be of service. Because when you spend Love, you never have a deficit, only a surplus.
Invest your time in Pax Christi--unlike the current world economic situation, you'll reap huge returns on this!
http://www.paxchristiusa.org/
http://www.paxchristi.net/

Peace, kids. Peace.

I lost April, but I'm in love with May!

2009-05-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

The month of April got away from me. It was National Poetry Month, and that meant I wrote my li'l heart out! I had great inspiration--find out what it was, by hitting:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com
and scrolling to Right On, Delaware.
For the month of May, I'm practicing more gratefulness: for friends-who-blog(Collin Kelley, Cleo Creech, Selma of the blog, Selma in the City, Billie of the blog, Betmo's Corner, Melissa of the blog, Poet With A Day Job) family(shout-out to sis Tina; Mom-HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!) and Dad--John, and niece--Breaz), and faith(love and peace to all my Pax Christi peeps!!
What are YOU grateful for?
Details, please!
Peace, kids.
www.paxchristiusa.org

2009-03-25T05:15:00.000-07:00

LENT IN FULL SWING!
I like to think of Lent not as a Season of Denial, but a Season of Intention--if we focus our intention on that which matters most to us--our families, our cherished friends, gratefulness for our health, and thankfulness for our talents(which are surely given us, from God) we will feel the love and power of Holiness, manifest in us.
Locate the talents you possess, and use them to illustrate the truths in your life. Be an instrument of change, renewal, hope.
HOW to accomplish this? Volunteer. Even if it's only an hour per week, it matters. Reach out to the neighbor who seems cut off, or shut-in. Drop off food at the Food Banks, or Community Centers(currently, most are suffering from a shortage of food to give out, and a surge in folks who need food, and help!). Offer to walk a neighbor's pet.
And pray each night, for understanding. Not just for YOU to be understood, but for understanding, so you may "minister" to your neighbors.
For more ideas on volunteering, particularly with eldery folks, check out:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com
and scroll to my entry on the elderly(posted just days ago).
Peace, kids.

LENT, EASTER, and PEACE.

2009-03-14T20:33:00.000-07:00

LENT, EASTER, and PEACE.
It's easy to feel bad about so much in the world, right now.
But I will ask you, dear readers, to take a moment, every day until Easter Sunday (April 12th) to find at least one thing for which you are grateful. I know I'm grateful every day for my (improving) health. Meditate, pray while cleaning out a drawer or closet(My mother once told me "Anything can be done as a prayer" ), and give something up you don't need.
Recycle.
And think about how tremendous this Season of Joy, of Hope, of Renewal, truly is.
In this country(USA) we have a new leader who embodies HOPE.May we all support our new President Obama, and may we work towards common goals, and find common ground with those who would disparage us.
May we feel the Spirit of Christ within us. The God of Non-Violence will surely manifest in this world, soon. And we will all be blessed!
Peace, kids.

HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY!!

2009-02-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY!
It's Feast of St. Valentine's, and it's an excuse to spread love, joy, and peace throughout your home, neighborhood, community, your city, state, country......the world. It begins with a smile, a hug, a kiss. C'mon, celebrate Valentines'Day!
Checkout my other blog, Lisa Allender Writes, for an article on kissing!
Peace, kids.

PEACE VIA PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

2009-02-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!!!!!!!I still love saying that, though I never doubted he would win, and win big!
The Inauguration is still on the TiVo--I cannot bear to remove it.
I was still ill, stuck in bed, but this time when I cried, it was not from pain resulting from my recovery from abdominal surgery, it was crying for sheer release. For release from the straitjacket of tension we've all been in, the past eight years of George W.'s Administration.
Even the folks I know who voted for George W., and claimed to love him, have confided to me they "wish he'd never been elected....we were wrong..."
This is no time to be looking backward, however. It's time to LIVE IN THIS AMAZING MOMENT--to Carpe' Diem'(Seize The Day!) and make the choice most of us made back on November 4th, YOUR choice, too. Even if you were unsure, or fearful, even if you could not bear to HOPE, you can, now.
You can, because "Yes, We Can", won.
That's not arrogance, it's bright confidence, infused with the humbleness of a man who asks, wants, and IS, your public servant as President.
If you have not yet visited the streamlined new link to your Federal Government, where The White House is actively recruiting YOU and YOUR SUGGESTIONS, please go to:
www.whitehouse.gov
God Bless President Barack Obama, and God Bless Us All!
Peace, kids.

"A Persistent Peace"

2009-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

I am currently reading Fr. John Dear's "A Persistent Peace", a book which speaks about the life of a deeply humble, engaged and engaging, peace-filled, peaceful man. I received the book from one Michelle Halm, who ran across this blog, and when she read I could not attend(on account of my extreme illness) Fr. John Dear's appearance/book-signing at The Carter Center(a few months ago), she kindly and generously offered to send an autographed copy to me!
I'm learning the healing process from my surgery is much like the healing process we must all go through, where war, and our learned behaviors are concerned.I reframe pain as a challenge, not a difficulty, and we must re-frame, I think, what it is to be peaceful, to want peace, to create peace. We can begin to do that, by using the word Peace as a verb, anytime the opportunity arises.
We are fortunate to live in a world where literally, anything is possible. Let's reflect that reality--literally, in a literal way--by incorporating peace as a much-used verb.
Here's to 2009, and each of us stating we'll "Peace with one another, often and wisely."
Peace, kids.

2008-11-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

ASKING AND RECEIVING.
Lately, it seems like as soon as I ask for something, it mystically appears. It's mystical, but not a "mystery", because I know this moment, like many others, are what I call "God moments". Moments where in one second, the very thing I wished for, appears.
For example, I knew Fr. John Dear was coming to feature here in Atlanta at The Carter Center, and I could not go because I had to go see my family before returning to Atlanta to prepare for my trip to, and surgery in, Cleveland Ohio.The ache and throbbing in my left side continued to worsen, but I meditated on the concept of "A Persistent Peace", Fr. John Dear's latest book, a memoir of his life as Peacemaker. I began to feel the persistent pain, lessen. I told no one about these moments, and have never revealed them, until now...
I prayed deeply for there to be some way for me to have a contact of some kind with Fr. John Dear--and viola'-- only a few hours after I asked, with much humility, I received an e-mail(and I can now feel tears forming in my eyes.let me take a breath)from a Michelle Halm, and I nearly deleted her e-mail(because I did not recognize the url), but the subject mentioned Fr. Dear, so I clicked it on.....
It seems she'd run across my blog, "Practice What You Peace", and she WORKS FOR THE COMPANY WHICH PUBLISHED HIS BOOK--AND SHE WORKS ALONGSIDE HIM, and she noticed I'd said I was unable to attend his book-signing appearance at The Carter Center, and she wondered, "Could I send you a copy--an autographed copy to you?" My goodness. Goodness. Goodness. Goodness.
Of course I said yes. And I sent her several Thank You's....
I'll be receiving the autographed book, "A Persistent Peace" sometime after my surgery, around Christmas-time.

Thank you, Fr. John Dear, for your lifetime of hard work for Peace, and Ms. Michelle Halm, for your assistance in that endeavor, and for your extreme kindness.
And God, for listening....

Peace, kids.

Fr. John Dear Coming To Atlanta!!

2008-11-17T05:52:00.000-08:00

THE CARTER CENTER.
Fr. John Dear, one of the strongest, if not THE strongest proponets of PEACE we have, and a Jesuit priest, will be Featuring at The Carter Center, this Wednesday night, kids.
I'll be unable to go(sigh), but please, if you are able, attend this event!
He'll be speaking, and reading from, and signing--his newest book, "A Persistent Peace". Fr. John Dear has written/edited 25 books, and been nominated(By Archbishop Desmond Tutu) for a Nobel Peace Prize.
Visit his website, at:
www.fatherjohndear.org

Peace, kids!

GRATEFUL FOR THESE DAYS!

2008-11-06T19:55:00.000-08:00

PRESIDENT-ELECT OBAMA!!!!!
I have been remiss in posting for nearly a month here. I think we're on a clear, joyous path to peace--or at least--more peace than we've had lately, and I will endeavor to post more regularly here, both on the days when peace looks likely, and as I have in the past, when it seems difficult.
For now, let us pray and thank God for the gift of a truly compassionate, kind leader, and one who is committed to working WITH, not against our friends and allies, and working TOWARDS a future with our "enemies". President-Elect(How I love saying that!!)Barack Obama is going to help us turn this around, so we can look to the future, and go forward into this world. We truly have much for which to be grateful!
Peace, kids.

2008-10-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

NOBEL PEACE PRIZE GOES TO.....
_____________________________
__________________
Finland's Martti Ahtisaari wins Nobel Peace Prize
By DOUG MELLGREN and MATTI HUUHTANEN, Associated Press Writers
Finland's ex-president Martti Ahtisaari won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for his efforts to build a lasting peace from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Middle East.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Ahtisaari for important efforts over more than three decades to resolve international conflicts.
"These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to 'fraternity between nations' in Alfred Nobel's spirit," the committee said in announcing the prize.
By selecting Ahtisaari, 71, for the prize, the Nobel committee returned its focus to traditional peace work after tapping climate campaigner Al Gore and the U.N. panel on climate change last year.
"He is a world champion when it comes to peace and he never gives up," said Ole Danbolt Mjoes, the chairman of the Norwegian Nobel awards committee.
The award, he said, was in line with recent Nobels to other peace mediators, notably Jimmy Carter in 2002 and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001.
Ahtisaari told AP Television News that while winning the prize would help his future mediation work, he is looking to other challenges, too, particularly youth unemployment worldwide.
But he also conceded that the decades of work have taken a toll.
"I have to start realizing that I am 71" and maybe it's time to stop "traveling 200 days a year outside Finland."
The secretive five-member committee said Ahtisaari's work across the world — Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East — proved that such efforts can have a profound effect on peace processes.
"Through his untiring efforts and good results, he has shown what role mediation of various kinds can play in the resolution of international conflicts," the committee said in announcing the 10 million kronor (US$1.4 million) prize.
"For the past 20 years, he has figured prominently in endeavors to resolve several serious and long-lasting conflicts," the citation said, mentioning his work in conflicts from Namibia to Aceh, Indonesia, Kosovo and Iraq.
Ahtisaari had been mentioned in speculation as a possible Nobel Peace Prize candidate since 2005, just after he negotiated an end to a conflict in Indonesia that began more than 140 years ago, bringing together the Indonesian government and the leaders of the separatist guerrilla movement in Aceh. He initiated and mediated peace talks in Finland, and a peace agreement was signed in Helsinki.
"He has also made constructive contributions to the resolution of conflicts in Northern Ireland, in Central Asia, and on the Horn of Africa," the citation said.
Speaking to NRK Norwegian TV, Ahtisaari said he "was very pleased and grateful" to receive the prize.
Asked what work he considered the most important, Ahtisaari, the first Finn to win the prize, said that "of course Namibia is absolutely the most important because it took such a long time." He also singled out his work in Kosovo and Aceh.
Ahtisaari was a senior Finnish diplomat when in 1977 he was named the U.N. envoy for Namibia, where guerrillas were battling South African apartheid rule. He later rose to undersecretary-general, and in 1988 was dispatched to Namibia to lead 8,000 U.N. peacekeepers during its transition to independence.
Ahtisaari said he hoped the prize would make it easier to attract financing for his peace work.
"There are always many possibilities. I really hope now that I receive the prize that it makes it easier to finance the organizations that I chair," he said. "It's very important to be able to act properly, you need financing and you never have enough."
Ahtisaari has had a broad career in politics and peacemaking.
A primary school teacher who joined Finland's Foreign Ministry in 1965, he spent 20 years abroad, first as ambassador to Tanzania and then to the United Nations in New York.
In 1994, Ahtisaari accepted the presidential candidacy of Finland's Social Democratic Party and won the election. He did not seek re-election in 2000 and has since worked on international peace efforts.
In 2007, Ahtisaari's office — Crisis Management Initiative — started secret meetings in Finland between Iraqi Sunni and Shiite groups to agree on a road map to peace. Those talks, based on the format of peacemaking efforts in South Africa and Northern Ireland, included 16 delegates from the feuding groups. They "agreed to consult further" and begin reconciliation talks.
"He managed to get 36 senior Iraqis to Helsinki in April 2008, and is now working on a next meeting in Baghdad," Mjoes said of the efforts.
Damien Kingsbury, an Australian academic who was part of the Acehnese delegation during the Indonesia peace talks said Ahtisaari started off "from a very naive position. He was, by definition, pro-Indonesia, supporting the integrity of the state and dismissing Aceh's insistence on independence."
The Acehnese vehemently criticized Ahtisaari's position. But Kingsbury, in a telephone interview from Australia, said he "helped broker an agreement between the two parties that has proven to be sustainable."
Ahtisaari was chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina working group in the international peace conference on former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1993, and was special adviser to the U.N. secretary-general on former Yugoslavia in 1993.
Serbia bitterly rejected his attempts to forge a compromise settlement on Kosovo, which declared independence in February, but his blueprint forms the essence of Kosovo's constitution.
Vojislav Kostunica — who led Serbia's government as prime minister during the Kosovo talks — saw the award as political and a sign of further pressure on Serbia to give up Kosovo.
"Serbia must fight for Kosovo even more firmly and strongly," he said.
Ahtisaari's plan also laid down the guidelines for the deployment of a European Union police force in Kosovo and other key aspects of the way today's Kosovo is run day to day.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci hailed the Nobel selection as "the right decision for the right man."
"We proclaimed independence of Kosovo in accordance with the document of President Ahtisaari and Kosovo appreciates very much" that he won, Thaci told the AP.
The peace prize is presented in Oslo. Nobel prizes for medicine, chemistry, physics and economics are handed out in Stockholm, Sweden. The ceremonies are always on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.
___
Associated Press writer Matti Huuhtanen reported from Helsinki, Finland. Associated Press reporters Slobodan Lekic in Brussels, William J. Kole in Vienna and Louise Nordstrom in Stockholm also contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
http://www.nobelpeaceprize.org
http://www.prio.no
___________________________________________________
________________________
My own connection with Peace continues to be Pax Christi.
Read more about Pax Christi, at:
www.paxchristiusa.org
www.paxchristiinternational.org
Peace, kids.

2008-10-07T22:07:00.000-07:00

FROM THE BLOG ENTITLED WRITERQUAKE, AND LYDIA, THE BLOGGER WHO CREATED IT, IN THE NAME OF PEACE, KIDS, I GIVE YOU THE FOLLOWING:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into
fragments
by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward
perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its
way into
the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-
widening thought and action—
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my
country
awake.

- Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Indian poet,
playwright and essayist;
Won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913

Peace, kids.

2008-10-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

A LETTER OF THANKS FROM CONDEMNED PRISONER, TROY DAVIS.
I was made aware of this letter by my wonderful Pax Christi group(Pax Christi, St. Jude's, here in the Atlanta area). This was first published online at:
www.bodyontheline.wordpress.com
I am posting it here, and also at:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com/
because it should be seen by as many people as possible.
Thank you for reading this, and for acting on it, too.
____________________________________________
Marcy Newman October 1, 2008
a letter from troy davis
from amnesty international’s urgent action center
read the letter. click the link above. take a moment to work to save this man’s life. make some time to eradicate the barbaric death penalty.
the words below are his. the bold below is mine:
To all,
I want to thank all of you for your efforts and dedication to Human Rights and Human Kindness, in the past year I have experienced such emotion, joy, sadness and never ending faith.

It is because of all of you that I am alive today, as I look at my sister Martina I am marveled by the love she has for me and of course I worry about her and her health, but as she tells me she is the eldest and she will not back down from this fight to save my life and prove to the world that I am innocent of this terrible crime.

As I look at my mail from across the globe, from places I have never ever dreamed I would know about and people speaking languages and expressing cultures and religions I could only hope to one day see first hand. I am humbled by the emotion that fills my heart with overwhelming, overflowing Joy.

I can’t even explain the insurgence of emotion I feel when I try to express the strength I draw from you all, it compounds my faith and it shows me yet again that this is not a case about the death penalty, this is not a case about Troy Davis, this is a case about Justice and the Human Spirit to see Justice prevail.

I cannot answer all of your letters but I do read them all, I cannot see you all but I can imagine your faces, I cannot hear you speak but your letters take me to the far reaches of the world, I cannot touch you physically but I feel your warmth everyday I exist.

So Thank you and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you I have been spiritually free for some time and no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated.

There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe. We need to dismantle this Unjust system city by city, state by state and country by country.

I can’t wait to Stand with you, no matter if that is in physical or spiritual form, I will one day be announcing, “I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!”

Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We will Win!

– Troy Davis

PEACE TO ALL HILARY SUPPORTERS. EXCEPT MAYBE ELIZABETH JOYCE.

2008-08-27T06:51:00.000-07:00

PEACE TO ALL HILARY SUPPORTERS!
Did anyone catch Larry King Live last night? A large portion of the show was the response of several members of the GOP to Tuesday night's DNC. There was also the tirade of a really, really weird gal named Elizabeth Joyce, who is a member of Just Say No Deal, who repeatedly stated her long term support of Hilary Clinton, while railing about Barack Obama needing "to court [her]vote. I'm a good Catholic girl, I want to be courted; he hasn't done that." She said this at least five times.
When host Larry King responded that since she, the woman in question likes Hilary Clinton, that it made sense she'd support "Hilary Clinton's candidate, Barack Obama.", her voice became tremulous, and filled with emotion. Her eyes sullen, in a dead-stare. Once again, she denied any support for Senator Obama, saying he'd have to "earn" her vote.
In my opinion, this woman was less Hilary-supporter, more infatuated, bat-shit-crazy-stalker-fan.
If ever there was a person on whom Saturday Night Live could base a character, it's this woman. I daresay she's funnier than the female character currently played by Kristen Wiig who constantly one-ups everyone in the room.
But I say, PEACE TO ALL HILARY-SUPPORTERS. It's time to declare a truce, ladies. Please get behind this fellow with whom Hilary agrees, nearly 95% of the time! Because I have supported Senator Barack Obama for a long time now, I certainly understand the Clinton supporters' loyalty. I have loyalty to my candidate, too. But let's not turn loyalty into a caricature of what the political process should be. Let's raise our hands in the air-not with fists clenched, and grim determination-but with palms open, and with a deep breath, a smile on our faces.
Peace, kids.

FINDING PEACE

2008-08-17T11:06:00.000-07:00

TURNING THEIR PAIN, INTO ACTS OF BEAUTY. AND FINDING PEACE.Here's a bit of news that begins in horror, and becomes uplifting:
___________________________________________________
Pakistan burn victims turn beauticians
By NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Writer
Saira Liaqat squints through her one good eye as she brushes a woman's hair. Her face, most of which the acid melted years ago, occasionally lights up with a smile. Her hands, largely undamaged, deftly handle the dark brown locks.
A few steps away in this popular beauty salon, Urooj Akbar diligently trims, cleans and paints clients' fingernails. Her face, severely scarred from the blaze that burned some 70 percent of her body, is somber. It's hard to tell if she's sad or if it's just the way she now looks.
Liaqat and Akbar are among Pakistan's many female victims of arson and acid attacks. Such tales tend to involve a spurned or crazy lover and end in a life of despair and seclusion for the woman.
The two instead became beauticians.
The women can't escape the mirrors or pictures of glamorous models that surround them, but they consider the salon a second home and a good way to make a living. The two also serve as reminders of that age-old lesson on beauty — a lesson that, needed or not, they learned the hard way.
"Every person wishes that he or she is beautiful," says Liaqat, 21. "But in my view, your face is not everything. Real beauty lies inside a person, not outside."
"They do it because the world demands it," Akbar, 28, says of clients. "For them, it's a necessity. For me, it isn't."
Liaqat and Akbar got into the beauty business in the eastern city of Lahore thanks to the Depilex Smileagain Foundation, an organization devoted to aiding women who have been burned in acid or other attacks.
About five years ago, Masarrat Misbah, head of Pakistan's well-known Depilex salon chain, was leaving work when a veiled woman approached and asked for her help. She was insistent, and soon, a flustered Misbah saw why.
When she removed her veil, Misbah felt faint. "I saw a girl who had no face."
The woman said her husband had thrown acid on her.
Misbah decided to place a small newspaper ad to see if others needed similar assistance.
Forty-two women and girls responded.
Misbah got in touch with Smileagain, an Italian nonprofit that has provided medical services to burn victims in other countries. She sought the help of Pakistani doctors. Perhaps the biggest challenge has been raising money for the cause, in particular to build a special hospital and refuge for burn victims in Pakistan.
Her organization has some 240 registered victims on its help list, 83 of whom are at various stages of treatment.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan found that in 2007, at least 33 women were burned in acid attacks, and 45 were set on fire. But the statistics are likely an undercount, as many cases go unreported for various reasons including out of fear of their attackers, or because the victims can't afford the legal bills.
The victims Misbah has helped need, on average, 25 to 30 surgical procedures over several years, but she soon realized that wasn't enough. Some, especially those who were outcasts in their families, had to be able to support themselves.
To her surprise, several told her they wanted to be beauticians.
"And I felt so sad," Misbah says. "Because beauty is all about faces and beautiful girls and skin."
She helped arrange for 10 women to train in a beauty course in Italy last year. Some have difficulty because their vision is weak or their hands too burned for intricate work. But several, including Liaqat and Akbar, are making their way in the field.
The salon in Lahore is not the usual beauty parlor. There are pictures of beautiful women on the walls — all made up, with perfect, gleaming hair. But then there's a giant poster of a girl with half her face destroyed.
"HELP US bring back a smile to the face of these survivors," it says.
Working for the salon is a dream come true for Liaqat, whose mischievous smile is still intact and frequently on display. As a child she was obsessed with beauty. Once she burned some of her sister's hair off with a makeshift curling iron. She still wears lipstick.
Akbar, the more reserved one, also carries out many administrative and other tasks for the foundation. One of her duties is collecting newspaper clippings about acid and burn attacks on women.
Both say they are treated well by clients and colleagues, but Misbah says some clients have complained.
"They say that when we come to a beauty salon, we come with the expectation that we're going to be relaxed, in a different frame of mind," Misbah says. "If we come here and we see someone who has gone through so much pain and misery, so automatically that gives us that low feeling also. They have a point.
"At the same time, there are clients who take pride in asking these girls to give them a blow-dry, or getting a manicure or pedicure taken from them."
Sometimes they ask what happened.
According to Liaqat and a lawyer for her case, she was married in her teens, on paper, to a relative, but the families had agreed she wouldn't live with him until she finished school. Within months, though, the man started demanding she join him.
One day at the end of July 2003, he showed up at their house with a package. He asked her to get him some water. He followed her to the kitchen, and as she turned around with the water, she says, he doused her with the acid. It seared much of her face, blinded her right eye, and seriously weakened her left one.
Liaqat shakes her head when recalling how a few days before the incident she found a small pimple on her face and threw a fit. After she was burned, her parents at first wouldn't let their daughter look at a mirror. But eventually she saw herself, and she's proud to say she didn't cry.
"Once we had a wedding in the family. I went there and all the girls were getting dressed and putting on makeup. So that time, I felt a pain in my heart," she says. "But I don't want to weaken myself with these thoughts."
Her husband is in prison as the attempted murder case against him proceeds. The two are still legally married.
Akbar says she found herself in an arranged marriage by age 22. Her husband grew increasingly possessive and abusive, she says. The two had a child.
About three years ago, Akbar says, he sprinkled kerosene oil on her as she slept and lit it. A picture taken shortly afterward shows how her face melted onto her shoulders, leaving her with no visible neck.
Akbar has not filed a case against her now ex-husband. She says she'll one day turn to the law, at least to get her daughter back.
Both women were reluctant for The Associated Press to contact their alleged attackers.
Liaqat and Akbar have undergone several surgeries and expect to face more. They say Misbah's foundation was critical to their present well-being.
"Mentally, I am at peace with myself," Akbar says. "The peace of mind I have now, I never had before. I suffered much more mental anguish in my married life."
Bushra Tareen, a regular client of Liaqat's, praises her work.
"I feel that her hands call me again and again," Tareen says. She adds that Liaqat and Akbar remind her of the injustices women face, and their ability to rise above them.
"When I see them, I want to be like them — strong girls," she says.
Liaqat is grateful for having achieved her goal of being a beautician. She worries about her eyesight but is determined to succeed.
"I want to make a name for myself in this profession," she says.
Akbar plans to use her income one day to support her little girl, whom she has barely seen since the attack.
"I'm independent now, I stand on my own two feet," she says. "I have a job, I work, I earn. In fact, I'm living on my own ... which isn't an easy thing to do for a woman in Pakistan, for a lone woman to survive."
___
Associated Press Writer Manal Ahmad contributed to this report.
___
On the Net:
http://www.depilexsmileagain.com/
http://www.smileagain.it (Italian only; English version under construction)
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Peace, kids.

WORDSMITHS' BOOKS DESERVES YOUR ATTENTION--AND YOUR HELP!

2008-08-12T07:24:00.000-07:00

WORDSMITHS' BOOKS.
This fine little bookstore with the great big heart needs a bit of help. You can make a huge difference, by dropping in to donate a few dollars. The owner, Zachary Steele, has put out a public appeal for monetary donations to keep this bookstore from closing!
I think Wordsmiths' Books is a treasure. The Pride Events held there over Fourth of July weekend were lovely, and I felt right at "home", wandering through the well-placed shelves of books, listening to local musicians, and perusing the great selection of cards and local poets' and author's collections.
This weekend, you can make a difference--indeed, make history, by helping a local businessperson with their business. Not just any business, but a business that brings internationally acclaimed authors, poets, musicians, and chefs/cookbook authors to you, while supporting up-and-coming poets and authors, too!
We NEED Wordsmiths' Books!
Commit to an act of Peace, and come out this weekend, to Wordsmiths' Books, in Decatur. To read more about Wordsmiths', check out my most recent entry at my main blog, complete with letter from the owner, and all the information on donating, at:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com/
Peace, kids.

Peace via Poetry

2008-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

PEACEMAKING AS AN ART FORM, AND POETRY CAN HELP!
"Peace goes into the making of a Poet, as Flour goes into the making of Bread."-Pablo Neruda
The quote above reflects the kind of sensibility I hope we all can become more familiar with. That we can make important to us.

Earlier today, I called in to read on The Radio Open Mic for Poetry at
BlogRadio. The host is Rick Lupert, the man behind "The Poetry Super Highway" and its' Poet of the Week feature.
I read "For Aunt Carolyn", and I also spoke about how important poetry is, how we need "communion" with one another. I mentioned the day of Peace I attended(months ago) at a Catholic church, where I listened to members of The Parents' Circle-Families Forum discuss the loss of their family members' to the war in the Middle East. And I shared the name of this blog, as well as my website:
www.lisaallender.com
where you can find my blog:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com/
Here's the poem I read:

For Aunt Carolyn

She’s had to photograph bodies
some raped, and
left for dead
others died a quick death in their sleep,
or at the request of some pills,
or on the order
of a stranger’s knife.

I wonder if there have been torsos
bodies with no heads
like the Playboys
she used to collect.
She beheaded those perfect girls
took their heads to the beauty parlors (it was 1965)
and said
Make me look like this
and they did.

I remember the big yard sale
where I peered at perfect torsos
and wondered why it meant so much
to run my hands over their too-full breasts
tanned legs
slim sleek necks
why it felt natural to stare at girls,
who, faceless,
still stare back at me.

Peace, kids.

2008-08-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

PEACEMAKING AS AN ART FORM!
Please post here, or at:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com/
if you're interested in a workshop on poetry and/or heroes/myth/peace-making at your school, private school, arts center, or house of worship.
Amazingly talented John Stephens(of Theatre Gael, and WorldSong fame, and current Artistic Director of Decatur's Academy Theatre) has a program to best benefit your children!
Peace, kids.

WORKSHOPS FOR PEACE!

2008-07-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

Workshops For Peace!
Check in here in just a couple of days for info on how your school, your child's school and/or your local arts center can benefit from a special workshop exploring heroes, myth, and PEACE!
Hint: Atlanta's own Theatre Gael's WorldSong has a role in this!
Peace, kids.

2008-07-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

IN THE I-KNOW-SOMEONE-WHOSE-BOOK-DANIEL-BERRIGAN-LIKES-CATEGORY:
Famous priest/peace activist Danel Berrigan
praises new book!
Louise Runyon! You go, woman!
Check out Louise Runyon's effots towards blending poetry AND motion(her dance)from her Home-Page.He entries from the past several months, may be accessed, below:
_________________________________________________

Sunday, June 29, 2008

New Praise for Poetry Book!
LANDSCAPE / Fear & Love - what a treasure!-- Daniel Berrigan--Poet, Activist, and Priest

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Brilliant Photographer
_______________________________________________
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Peace, kids!

2008-07-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

PEACE UPDATE. A list of things to do, before November's historic election, to advance Peace.
1) Watch CNN's new series "Black in America" (check your local listings)
Next Wednesday and Thursday, it will detail how some executives have stated they will hire a white man who is a convicted felon, with no high-school diploma, OVER a black man with NO criminal record, who has a four-degree. Sound unbelieveable? Tune in to see how this kind of bigotry, still goes on. Awareness creates power which can then create Peace.
2) Aim to meet different people, people outside your "comfort zone". I am a very left-leaning young woman, but I can honestly say I have several cherished friends who happen to be far to the right. Though we don't discuss politics, we hold many values in common: a love of family and friends, a love for our home, a sense of faith, a celebration of the arts, a strong work ethic.
Learn to be open to others who may disagree with you. You can find common ground. And that is what Peace is all about!
3) Extend a hand through volunteerism. There must be something you feel strongly about. So, go out & support it!

Backrubs offer Peace.

2008-07-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

Backrubs.If you have a partner, offer to give one.This is a small courtesy to extend, but one that is greatly appreciated. I love Young Living Essential Oils, in Lavender.
To learn more about essential oils, and to order:
http://www.youngliving.us/
I do NOT accept money or any swag for endorsing products; if I mention a product or service, it's because I know it's good quality, and a good deal!So, put a few drops in your palm, and whisper softly to your beloved. Heat the oil in your hands for a moment, then apply. Smoothly. Softly. I promise things will only stay quiet, if you want them to. Sometimes, just after making love, there is a special kind of Peace.

2008-07-14T00:39:00.000-07:00

ADOPTION.
Adoption and Peace? How are they connected? Well, adopting a doggie, a kitten--or child--who does not have a home, provides Peace for that individual, and for you.
How do I know? "Louie", our Golden-Retriever-Mix whom we adopted many years ago has and continues to, bring love and Peace into our hearts. Won't you consider adopting or fostering a pet, or if possible, a child?
The Golden Retrivere Rescue, Austrailian Shepherd Rescue, German Shepherd Rescue, Good Mews, The Humane Society, are all good resources for animals as companions. The Christian Children's Fund is a responsible agency which sponsors children(of ALL countries, cultures, and faiths!) through your donations.
Consider a gift of time at your local animal shelter, too. Even though many are "no-kill", the animals often languish, withlittle or no attention....So drop in and walk a dog, or cuddle a kitty. You won't change the world, but for a lonesome animal, you'll change their world, and increase your own level of kindness. I call it raising my "kindness quotient"!!

2008-07-08T21:30:00.000-07:00

Yikes! As I've been remiss in not posting for several days here is a"Phrase of the Day" for several days:
Peace(as a verb, here) by not engaging in retaliation, even when provoked, or frightened.
See article below, and then scroll on down, for more on "Phrase of the Day".
__________________________________________________
Woman overpowers thief with tea and sympathy
Tue Jul 8, 10:26 AM ET
A Japanese woman and her six-month-old baby escaped unhurt from a knife-wielding thief this week after the mother calmed him down with a cup of tea and a chat.
The 30-year-old Tokyo woman was walking along a corridor in her apartment building with her daughter Monday when a man brandishing a knife demanded money, the Asahi newspaper said.
When the housewife told him she had none, the man barged into her apartment. Hoping to calm him, the woman made the thief a cup of tea, whereupon he put his knife away and began a 20-minute monologue about his life.
The woman then gave the man 10,000 yen ($93.34) and ran outside to call the police from a pay phone, the report said.
Police rushed to the scene, but the thief had fled and is still being sought.
(Reporting by Mari Saito)
_______________________________________________
More "Phrase of the Day":
Read poetry, everyday.
Poetry forces you to slow down, absorb the imagery, the emotion, whatever has been conjured. And usually--in the best poetry--it reveals a truth. At least one truth. And often, a big, universal one, which leads to a "communion" with others. Which leads to--you guessed it--a kind of Peace.
Take five minutes to smile at someone, and say something kind. This is not difficult. Here's an example: Each time I'm in an airport, I usually see several young men and women in uniform(military) headed overseas. I could shudder(and often do, imagining what they may face, what they may have to do), but I make a point of saying "Thank you for your service." Why thank those enrolled in the military when I am a pacifist? Because they risk their lives. Because they often don't have much choice in careers, and/or they want an education. Because politics don't matter when it comes to service. Because no one says Thank You. And because guess what? THEY want all the war in this world to end soon, too!
Reach out to someone you have not spoken to in, in many months(or years). Call that Great-Aunt. Write a letter to that long-lost friend. People often regret what they did NOT do, but I've never heard someone say they were sorry that they were able to reach someone they care about!
Pray. Even if you DON'T pray, pray, meditate, ask for goodness from God. Or the Universe. The Universe is listening. So pray with it. For it.
Inhale lavendar oil, or add lavendar-water to your laundry-detergent. It is immediately calming, soothing.Peaceful.
Eat avocadoes. Proven to be calming because of their effect on the brain, and filed with "good fat", too. Enjoy some guacamole'.
Organize your phone numbers/addresses in one neat place. This is one I need to work on, as I know how UN-peaceful it is to have disarray in this. The result when you are organized? Peaceful moments, peaceful life!
Enjoy your Wednesday.
Peace, kids.

WORKERS' RIGHTS

2008-07-02T01:13:00.000-07:00

And another thing, for Peace sakes...
from http://www.peta.org/

Worker Rights
The Most Dangerous Job in America
Slaughterhouses and animal-processing plants are among the most dangerous places to work in America today. According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly one in three slaughterhouse workers suffers from illness or injury, compared to one in 10 workers in other manufacturing jobs.11 Slaughterhouse workers are also 35 times more likely to suffer from repetitive stress injuries than their counterparts in other manufacturing jobs.12 The rate of injury to slaughterhouse workers is most likely even higher than the official numbers because many workers have trouble communicating with human resources staff, plant management is often dismissive of worker claims (making it difficult to file an official injury complaint), and workers are pressured to refrain from reporting work-related injuries to keep the plant’s insurance costs low. The Human Rights Watch report “Blood, Sweat, and Fear: Workers’ Rights in U.S. Meat and Poultry Plants” states, “Almost every worker interviewed by Human Rights Watch for this report began with the story of a serious injury he or she suffered in a meat or poultry plant, injuries reflected in their scars, swellings, rashes, amputations, blindness, or other afflictions.”13
The workers who kill animals are at constant risk of being hurt as the animals fight for their lives. Chickens and turkeys peck and struggle to escape: One researcher in a slaughterhouse reports that as chickens are being hung by their legs to be killed, “The birds, weighing approximately five pounds each, fight back by pecking, biting, and scratching the hangers …. Then, as workers finally hoist the birds onto the hooks, the chickens urinate and defecate out of desperation, often hitting the workers below.” Many cows and pigs are still completely conscious when they are hung up by their hind legs and their throats are slit, and they kick, thrash, defecate, and vomit as they die. Killing animals who do not want to die is inherently dangerous work, but the ever-increasing line speeds, repetitive motions, filthy working conditions, and other hazards mean that employees are putting their lives on the line every time they clock into work. 14
Struggling to Keep Up
One of the most serious hazards for slaughterhouse workers is the high line speed. Roughly 10 billion animals are killed in our nation’s slaughterhouses each year, and slaughterhouses are constantly increasing their line speed to meet this demand. Workers are handling frightened animals—many of whom weigh hundreds of pounds—along with knives, hooks, and heavy machinery, and all the while, they’re under constant pressure to kill more animals in less time. Slaughterhouse employees must hoist, kill, or cut several animals each minute, usually with few breaks and no time to stop to sharpen their knives. Sometimes workers aren’t even given time to relieve themselves during their shift: One Teamster investigator reports that during meetings with slaughterhouse workers, “People were crying, talking about being covered in diarrhea the entire shift because the supervisor wouldn’t let them go to the bathroom.”15
This frantic and fast-paced environment does not provide workers with any opportunity to slow the line to make sure that they are following proper safety precautions—in fact, the line moves so quickly that animals aren’t even allowed enough time to die, so workers are often forced to hack them apart as they are still struggling to escape. One worker says, “The chain goes so fast that it doesn’t give the animals enough time to die. People don’t have enough time to wash their knife if it falls on the floor.”16 Martin Fuentes, a slaughterhouse worker in Oregon, has been injured three times by cattle who were struggling against death, including a kick to his arm by a struggling steer that plunged a knife into his wrist. “The live cows cause a lot of injuries in there,” he says.17
A worker told Gail Eisnitz, author of the widely acclaimed book Slaughterhouse, that employees are routinely forced to cut animals up while the animals are still conscious, saying “[Our legger] gets beef that’s still conscious all the time. Sometimes almost every one … I’ve seen beef still alive at the flankers, more often at the ‘ears and horns.’ That’s a long way.”18 In The Washington Post article about slaughterhouses—entitled “They Die Piece by Piece”—former animal-processing plant employee Tim Walker says that he was fired after complaining to the Humane Society that animals were cut apart while they were still alive. “I complained to everyone—I said, ‘Lookit, they’re skinning live cows in there.’ Always it was the same answer: ‘We know it’s true. But there’s nothing we can do about it.’”19
Amid the commotion and the struggle to keep up with the speed of the line, workers’ knives inevitably slip, and people are injured or even killed. A former slaughterhouse nurse says, “I could always tell the line speed by the number of people with lacerations coming into my office.”20 A poultry plant worker from Arkansas told Human Rights Watch, “Everybody is on top of each other, so a lot of people get cut, especially their hands. Blood and flesh fall into the meat. The birds just keep going.”21 Another worker says, “The line is so fast, there is no time to sharpen the knife. The knife gets dull and you have to cut harder. That’s when it really starts to hurt, and that’s when you cut yourself.”22 Despite the fact that workers are getting hurt because they’re struggling to keep up, the farmed-animal industry continues to put profits over people by continuing to demand faster line speeds.
The fast line speeds also make it difficult for the workers to take the time to remove contaminated animal carcasses from the line. David Carney, chair of the National Joint Council of Food Inspection Locals, has seen meat go down the line that is “contaminated with feces, abscesses, tapeworms, hair, hid buckshot, chewing tobacco, and even cactus thorns … cattle heads so disgusting that contamination oozes out of their skulls.”23 According to Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, “The same things that contribute to the contamination of the meat are what make it more likely that people are going to get hurt. The only reason it’s been allowed to continue is that people don’t know. Even if you have no compassion for the poor and the illegal in this country, if you eat meat, or the people you love eat meat, you should care.”24
Read more about the hazards of working for the animal industry.

11 Schlosser 172.12 Schlosser 173.13 Human Rights Watch 29.14 Russell Cobb, “The Chicken Hangers,” In the Fray 2 Feb. 2004.15 Karen Olsson, “The Shame of Meatpacking,” The Nation 16 Sep. 2002.16 Olsson.17 Jim Lynch, “Workers’ Safety Also an Issue at Meat Plant,” The Oregonian 25 Feb. 2001.18 Gail Eisnitz, Slaughterhouse (Amherst, New York: Prometheus Books 1997) 215.19 Joby Warrick, “They Die Piece by Piece,” The Washington Post 10 Apr. 2001: A01.20 Gardner.21 Human Rights Watch 38-9.22 Human Rights Watch 24.23 The Center for Public Integrity, Safety Last: The Politics of E. Coli and Other Food-Borne Killers, Center for Public Integrity, Washington, D.C., 1998, 17-8.24 Olsson.

2008-07-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

No, I don't want to watch any video highlighting pain and suffering. But it's important--in the interest of creating a possibility for Peace for animals--maybe especially those used by many for food--to inform you of what they suffer, on a daily basis... You'll notice I put pork recipes and bacon recipes in the technorati tags for this post at Practice What You Peace. Why? Because if someone clicks on this, hoping for a pork recipe, I'm hoping they'll see (and understand!) that pork comes from a sentient, smart, cute, feeling creature called a pig. Read about why charges are being filed against workers and a supervisor at a factory "farm" which houses pigs.
Scroll down the PETA.org page I copy-n-pasted for your knowledge, below.
Learn even more at:
www.peta.org

Cruelty to Animals
Amazing Animals
Health Concerns
The Environment
World Hunger
Worker Rights
Poisoning Communities
Government Regulation
Meet the Animals
Chickens
Cows
Fish
Pigs
Turkeys
Ducks and Geese
More »
Resources
Get Active
Recipes
'Meet Your Meat'
Pledge to Be Veg for 30 Days
Famous Vegetarians
Books and Web Sites
Literature and Merchandise
In the News
Investigations
Photo Gallery
Charges Filed After Investigation Reveals Torture of Pigs
Mother Pigs and Piglets Tortured in a North Carolina Factory Farm
Other viewing options
Update: North Carolina officials have filed six cruelty-to-animals charges against one of the individuals documented dragging and beating pigs and abusing them in other ways in a 2007 PETA undercover investigation of a sow farm. Charges are pending against a second man who has apparently fled the state.
Video footage obtained in the investigation revealed horrific cruelty to mother pigs and their piglets on a farm owned by Murphy Family Ventures, LLC, which supplies the largest pig-killing company in the world, Smithfield Foods.
In addition to the confinement of mother pigs to cruel "gestation crates" so small that the animals can't even turn around or lie down comfortably, the following cruelty was documented at Smithfield supplier Murphy Family Ventures, LLC:
Workers dragged injured pigs out of the facility by their snouts, ears, and legs before killing them with a captive-bolt gun. Some of the pigs had "KILL" spray-painted on their backs.
A farm supervisor admitted that he violently beat pigs, saying of one that he "cut the sh** out of his God damn nose with a f***ing gate rod."
Workers cut off piglets' tails and pulled out piglets' testicles—without using any pain relief—as the baby animals screamed in pain in front of mother pigs.
Two workers and a supervisor hit and jabbed pigs—sometimes in their faces and near their ears—with 2-foot-long metal gate rods on 31 of the 41 days that PETA's investigator worked.
A worker gouged the eyes of four pigs with his fingers. Pigs suffered from ailments including cysts, sores, and a uterine prolapse for which they were denied treatment.
View the video footage taken by PETA's undercover investigator for more examples of the horrific cruelty to animals at Smithfield's supplier.
Every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from abuse by the meat industry. To learn more about going vegetarian, order PETA's free "Vegetarian Starter Kit" today.
Smithfield claims that it has fired workers as a result of the investigation, but the company has not yet provided any details.
Take action: Complete the form below to urge Smithfield Foods to demand that Murphy Family Ventures fire all the workers responsible for this cruelty and work with PETA to enact meaningful animal welfare reforms. Also, tell Smithfield that while it's good that it has promised to phase out the use of gestation crates at its own farms, the company needs to make the transition faster and require independent suppliers to phase out these cruel devices too.
Take Action on This Issue
Subject:
Dear [ Decision Maker ],
(Edit Letter Below)I was horrified by the shocking undercover video footage shot by PETA at your supplier Murphy Family Ventures, LLC. I urge you to cut all ties with this supplier until it fires all the workers responsible and works with PETA to create and enforce meaningful animal welfare reforms.
In addition, please phase out gestation crates in a shorter time frame than 10 years and require your independent suppliers to get rid of these cruel devices too.
Sincerely,[Your name]
By signing up here and giving us your details, we're taking that as acknowledgment that you've read and agreed to our privacy policy.

Register To Vote

2008-07-01T22:58:00.000-07:00

PHRASE FOR THE DAY: REGISTER TO VOTE!
How is getting registered to vote, practicing what you Peace?
Because it is you choosing to become active in the voting process, where you may choose to vote for Peace.
And don't let the article I found, which I have reprinted below, scare you off. Although genetics plays a huge role in whether you will vote, you can choose to become involved...My own conclusion from the study cited is that those same elements of sociability which determine if you are likely to exercise your right to vote, are the same factors which make you more likely to be outgoing, be more positive, less prone to depression. Indeed, I suspect if they do a follow-up study, they'll discover folks who suffer from depression are less likely to register to vote. After all, when one is mentally ill, depression is likely to say "why bother?". The healthier folks are likely to vote, and more likely to be healthy in other ways, too!
Evolutionarily speaking, it makes perfect sense.
My personal bit of advice is: even if you suffer from a "why bother?" mentality, register anyway. And read, learn. About the issues, this country, the world, the candidates. And then, vote! The act of choosing positive behavior will, I believe, influence future personal positive behavior(and outcome!).
Here's that article:
Genes Get Out the Vote
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) --
Heading to the polls on Nov. 4? If so, your genes may be driving you there, a new study suggests.
In fact, as much as 50 percent of whether you vote or not may be genetically determined, says a team at the University of California, San Diego. Genes may even be more important to your tendency to cast a ballot than family political history.
"Both nature and nurture play a role in voting," said lead author James H. Fowler, an associate professor of political science. "We expected genes would play a little bit of a role, but we were surprised how strong [a] role they played."
Previously, experts primarily focused on the environmental factors that pushed people to vote. "For a long time, they thought that parents and children have pretty much the same behavior when it comes to voting," Fowler said. "If they voted, it's likely you will go to the polls as well."
But, rather than transmitting ideas, "parents are transmitting genes," Fowler now believes.
He co-authored a report on the issue, published in July's The Journal of Politics.
In the study, Fowler and Ph.D. candidate Christopher T. Dawes drew on voter-turnout data in Los Angeles. They matched that data to a registry of identical and non-identical twins.
According to that analysis, 53 percent of the variation in voter turnout is due to differences in genes.
In fact, family upbringing appears to have little effect on how regularly offspring participate in elections. "The other half of the voting behavior was mostly attributable to the unshared environment between the two twins," Fowler said.
To try to replicate the findings more broadly across the country, Fowler and Dawes looked at nationwide voting patterns using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which ran from 1994 to 2002.
Using the genetic data in this study, Fowler and Dawes found that 72 percent of differences in voter turnout among identical twins can be accounted for by genes.
Genes also play a significant role in political participation, including giving money to a campaign, contacting a government official, running for office and attending political rallies, the two researchers found.
Fowler and Dawes also looked for specific genes involved in the decision to vote. They found that two genes that influence the brain's serotonin system, called MAOA and 5HTT, were also associated with a person's inclination to cast a ballot. The serotonin system helps regulates trust and social interaction, the experts noted.
In fact, they found that people with more efficient versions of those genes were about 10 percent more likely to vote.
"It's not just the gene that makes you vote, but it has an impact on how susceptible you are to different kinds of environments," Fowler said. "Depending upon what kind of environment you are in, it is going to activate those tendencies you might have to cause you to participate in politics or not."
To thoroughly understand politics, one has to include genetics, Fowler now believes.
"To study politics without genes is to miss half the story," he said. "To really get an understanding of what people are doing and why they are doing it, we need to integrate both nature and nurture into the study of politics," he said.
According to John T. Jost, a professor of psychology at New York University in New York City, this article is another in a growing list of studies suggesting that political orientation is partly heritable.
"In some ways, this conclusion is not so surprising, given that we have known for over 50 years that there are basic cognitive, motivational, and behavioral differences between leftists and rightists," Jost said.
"Unless one believes that basic psychological characteristics have no genetic antecedents whatsoever, one would have anticipated these results on the basis of the psychological literature," Jost said. "Still, it's quite important that these researchers appear to have identified specific gene combinations that are linked to political orientation," he said.
More information
There's more on how the brain works at Harvard's Whole Brain Atlas.
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Peace, kids.

PRACTICE PATIENCE.

2008-06-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

PHRASE FOR THE DAY: PRACTICE PATIENCE.
I have been unable to post here, or at Lisa Allender Writes for a few days now(sigh), and am still unable to send or receive e-mails. Feeling very un-connected, disconnected. But this, too, shall pass.
Patience.
Peace, kids.

MULTIPLE IDEAS FOR PEACE

2008-06-25T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today I'll outline a few different ways you can personally increase Peace within, and outside of, yourself.
First, Meditate. If you are not comfortable with the idea of "prayer", start with meditation. All you need do is breathe. Which most folks do, believe it or not--incorrectly!
Sloooowwwwly. In, deep breath, (inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. Your tummy should expand when you inhale, and collapse when you exhale)hold. Release. Do this three times, and keep your eyes lightly closed, your palms up and open. Breathe. Listen to sounds within the room you are in, then the sounds outside the room. I like to listen to my body, too. If you are really still, you can even hear your own heartbeat, which is pretty amazing...It helps to repeat a word, something simple, like Peace, or Love, or Jesus, or even the name of your beloved. Do this, several times. With each breath, you'll feel your body become more centered, focused. Human beings are actually "hard-wired" to do this. In studies of our brains, it has been discovered that we function at a "higher"(please forgive the somewhat awful pun, here!) level when we meditate, or pray. That's because we calm, and can concentrate more fully. On our blessings. On our goals. On Peace.
Next exercise:
Try Walking. This may sound like it has nothing to do with Peace, but it does. In our cars, segregated from one another, we do not "interact", we "react". I've given this a great deal of thought, and I fully believe that a tremendous amount of rage in society is not merely "road rage", it's rage that builds up, over time, from a variety of sources. "Road Rage" is the symptom, not the cause. (Although I'm sure there are folks out there driving--I'd be one of them--who probably go so slowly, that it could enrage someone!) One way to reduce that rage, is not merely to lessen time driving(where we may likely feel able to take it out on someone), but to increase interaction with others. When walking, we look up, we say hello, smile, meet others' eyes. It's impossible to both look into someone's eyes, see them as a fellow human being, and say Hello, and still be angry, rage-filled. What may follow, is Peace. Or, we may simply become preoccupied with our errands, etc. But Peace is the possibility, and the eventual PROBABILITY, of walking. It's also a "greener" thing to do, which aids in the causes of Peace & Social Justice. So go outside. And WALK!
Finally, Smile. Did you know that the mere act of forming a smile, causes endorphins(the so-called "feel good" chemical) to be released by your brain? It's true. And it's impossible to feel anger, while smiling(unless you're a sociopath/psychopath)...Actors often will commit to an action, in order to create the inner emotional state. For instance, if I pound loudly on a door, screaming, eventually, my face will redden, my hands will hurt, I will become angry--my voice will get louder, blood pressure will rise, etc. I will have CREATED anger and rage. Conversely, if I smile, and greet others with respect, not only will I create an environment likely to respond positively towards me, but I create those same feelings of love, inclusion--and yes, Peace--within me--that I look for in the world.
I'm telling you, kids, this all works. Even if you're a skeptic. Heck, especially if you're a skeptic, try it. You'll be pleasantly surprised!
Peace, kids.

BIG NEWS!!!

2008-06-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Now, for some exciting news:I had posted in April at my Lisa Allender Writes Blog about the wonderful encounter at St. Jude The Apostle Church where Rami Elhanan and Mazen Faraj spoke on Peace & Reconciliation...My entry is entitled:"Reconciliation", he said.
I discovered that The Parents Circle-Families Forum has ADDED MY BLOG POST FROM THAT DAY, TO THEIR "What's new?" Page!!! I am so honored, and deeply humbled by this. I am included alongside great authors, and many beautiful, inspiring stories of courage, and peacemaking! Here's the link, below, which you may click on here, or copy-n-paste to your browser, and/or send to all your Peace-loving pals!http://www.theparentscircle.com/News.asp
Go out and make it a great Tuesday!
Peace, kids.

Peace Poets

2008-06-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

PHRASE FOR THE DAY: Poets For Peace...
Remember their website, and visit it often:
http://apjpoetsforpeace.blogspot.com/
Hope your Sunday was a sacred one.
Peace, kids.

2008-06-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

SLOOOOOOW DOOOOOOWN.
Odd coming from me, Ms.-I-can't-fathom-moving-or-speaking-slowly-woman.
But slowing down is important. The next time every fiber and cell in you wants to rush, don't.Take a breath, and feel what's there. That nervousness? It's anxiety, and it's part of life.
What does this have to do with Peace?
In slowing down, your heart rate returns to optimal, your breathing is less labored, and more on-target, and you will calm. Now, that's Peace!

Be Blind

2008-06-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Phrase For The Day: Be Blind.
This day is nearly over, and I'm just getting around to posting.
I want you to pretend for a moment that you cannot see. At all.
Why? Because the sudden darkness, new dependency on others, and intuitive senses that would sharpen as a result of blindness, would also cause you to be blind to many negative things. Like judging someone, based on gender, sexual orientation, faith background, race, looks, etc., etc.
So pretend you are blind. Do this for one day. Everytime you "see" someone, instead I want you to only LISTEN to them. You might be surprised what you'll hear.
Peace, kids.

2008-06-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

PHRASE FOR THE DAY:
Include others. I really cannot tolerate the use of the word, "tolerance". It sounds like something one can barely do, without heaving in illness(as in, "I can't tolerate this medicine." etc, etc...)
So the next time you want to learn to "tolerate" someone different from you, say to yourself instead that you will INCLUDE this other person(s), not merelty tolerate them. Actions are a result of thoughts--and spoken thoughts are our words. Let's choose them carefully, in service to PEACE.
Peace, kids.

2008-06-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

PHRASE FOR THE DAY:
Lavendar Oil can bring you Peace....This essential oil calms and soothes. Try a bit on your pillow, for a relaxing bedtime. Drop some in your tub, for a sweet-smelling bath.And try deep-breathing the oil at bedtime, for ten minutes, and five minutes each morning, to relieve anxiety, and/or depression. Add peppermint oil in the morning, for a "lift". If you pray--or meditate--do it at these times. Even saying Thank You for a beautiful day, is enough. Every day, I'll post a simple way to bring Peace into YOUR life, and someone else's... Coming soon: Links to various Peace sites...
Peace, kids.
Posted by Lisa Allender at 7:25 AM 0 comments
Labels: Anxiety, Deep-Breathing, Defeating Depression, Essential Oils, Meditation, Peace, Relaxation

Peace As A Verb!

2008-06-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

So I am trying to get a few words and phrases into the accepted vernacular....For example, we may use "war" as both a noun("This war is called the Iraq War.") and a verb("Do not war with your neighbor."), but we never do this with the word Peace. My theory is that unless we make Peace a viable "action-word", or verb--we won't be moved to act on it!
Hence, I must practice what I Peace.
Another word I want put into our everyday vocabulary is a word to substitute for self-less: I suggest it be "self-free". Self-less sounds as though one is made "less than" by being unselfish, when the opposite is true. It is only when one is generous, and giving, that one is able to be set free, and be truly "self-free"--free of ego and superficial measures; free to be open to others, and to be in touch with one's own spirit.
Come to think of it, "child-less" needs to go, too. "Child-less" implies that without children one is "less" because of it. I think "child-free", while possibly controversial(currently, we only say we're "free" of something which is considered bad, as in "fat-free", "cancer-free", etc.) makes the point that some of us choose to focus on other concerns and issues, and are not defined by our ability or propensity to create offspring.

How about you? Can you thinkof a way to use PEACE, AS A VERB? Let me know!
Read more about Lisa Allender, and "Practice What You Peace", and "Lisa Allender Writes".
Check out:
www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com/
and
www.lisaallender.com
Peace, kids.