November 2012 - OE - lists.wedgeblade.net

Fwd: OpEd Friday
by Jaime R Vergara 08 Nov '12

08 Nov '12

j'aime la vie Yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today, participate. In all, Celebrate! -----Original Message----- From: Jaime R Vergara <jrvergarajr2031(a)aol.com> To: jayvee_vallejera <jayvee_vallejera(a)saipantribune.com>; mark_rabago <mark_rabago(a)saipantribune.com>; editor <editor(a)saipantribune.com> Sent: Thu, Nov 8, 2012 9:36 am Subject: OpEd Friday BELIEVE IN AMERICA Our title was the slogan of Romney's attempted tripto the White House. He did not make itout of Boston, but the slogan turned out to be the theme we picked up fromObama's victory speech in Chicago. One of my English classes is off campus in a Collegeconnected to our University, scheduled on a Wednesday, but the Englishdepartment had in the last month two occasions when they asked me to perform anextra task so we ended moving the class to Thursday. The last time we met last week, we asked theclass to make the change permanent. So this Wednesday, we had a day off in time to watchSingapore's NewsAsia and China's CCTV, State-owned media stations, broadcastthe returns of the US Presidential election. Since China time at midday is EST's 11 p.m., we were wide awake to whatwas billed as a long night of a close and expected drawn-out contest, perhaps,to the last ballot tally in Ohio, Florida, and Virginia. By midnight EST, Obama secured his secondterm in office. Wednesday morning, I had laid out the corn chowder that was going to be my lunch if Romney somehow managed to squeakthrough, while I had a quarter of a chicken breaded ala Chicago Southside for Obama and the city's stockyards. Of course, I had gone along with NYTimes NateSilver early on in the week to project an Obama landslide inspite of thenail-biting projections of the Atlantic seaboard pundits, so I already had ataste for the chicken. Mitt Romney's concession speech was pleasantly subduedand conciliatory. We decided to have thesoap and the chicken together while we waited for the man of the hour to takethe podium in Chicago. He bounded intothe stage with the confidence Obama exhibited during his first campaign, andessentially doing a reprise of the "this is your victory" theme heflung to supporters at Grant Park, though this time, he picked up on the GOPtheme, affirmed his belief in America, and gave the message the twist it needed. A context from my side. "Belief" as an operational word had long been dropped from myvocabulary since we discarded the medieval theological metaphors ofmetaphysics. "Belief" becamewhat one obstinately hangs on to when contrary evidence is presented to refutea closely held truth. Thus, if and whenI say, "I still believe so-and-so," I do so against the wind. We tend to use the word "faith" tosay what is felt deeply in the guts with conviction. Our Hawaii-born Chicago Southside community organizer turned the Tuesday midnight event into aMidwest revival meeting. He was, ofcourse, preaching to the choir. Theaudience highly energized, already singing the hallelujah chorus, they riproared to the rafters to hear the gospel of their familiar. Obama did not disappoint. He told his 'congregation' that in this election, they reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over warand depression, the spirit that has lifted the country from the depths ofdespair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each will pursue theirown individual dreams, we are an American family, and we rise or fall togetheras one nation and as one people. (Editor's note: The full text ofObama's speech is on page _____.) Heady stuff. I reflexively opened my desk drawer andstarted thumbing through my blue book out of its passport holder. I remember the day in '84, after twelve yearsof green carding it through INS, I took on US citizenship, making our family'sinternational diversity (2 US, 1 Canada, 1 Pea Eye) into an American familyaffair. It was from a black ghetto on theWestside of Chicago 1967 where I first heard from a Methodist brother theNo-Messiah-Messiah articulation. I hadnever been comfortable with the traditional Christian piety's mythology of asecond coming and the millennial reign of the Christos. So the storyresonated in its emancipating force. The story was plucked out of John inthe Christian New Testament. Jesus waspassing through one of Jerusalem's pool when he came upon a 38-year oldparaplegic lying on his bed. He askedthe man, the story tells, "Do you want to get well?" The man gives his lifelong excuse of not beingable to get to the hocus-pocus whenthe angel of the Lord comes to stir the waters. The man from Galilee tells him, "Well, why don't you pick up yourbed, and walk?" He did, and hewalked. We did, too, and we walked! Some characterized Obama as aMiss-yeah, or a Mess-ayah, havingmade promises that he reportedly did not deliver. I included his Grant Park acceptance speechin my Oral English class expanded notebook for practice reading, so I know themessage is different and unmistakable. Yes, WE can! Many Americanswanted the "We" to be an Obama "I". This second term, Obama was not goingto make the same mistake. As thecrescendo of his preaching intensified, he boomed: "... America's never beenabout what can be done for us; it's about what can be done by us together,through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government... What makes America exceptional are the bondsthat hold together the most diverse nation on Earth, the belief that our destinyis shared...” By then, misty eyes visited this crustyold coot. We straightened our back,dipped the spoon into the corn chowder, and relished our chicken for theday. Yes, WE can! j'aime la vie Yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today, participate. In all, Celebrate!

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Status report
by Lee Early 08 Nov '12

08 Nov '12

Dan is still in the hospital. Since back surgery he has been battling blood clots as a result of eliminating blood thinner prior to surgery. The medial staff installed a mechanical filter just below his heart and he is back on blood thinner. Regulating his blood thickness is a constant challenge. He is also wearing a "turtle shell" that is very unpleasant. The pain, however, is subsiding as are the pain meds. He should be moving to a PT assisted facility on the 14th for several weeks. He should be able to walk again in a couple of months. I am sure he would appreciate hearing from you. I'm sure Pat would as well. Lee Lee Early 19230 Forest Park Dr. NE, A102 Lake Forest Park, WA 98155 Home: (206) 922-3182 Lee's mobile: (425) 212-7997

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Change of e-mail address
by sandra rafos 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

Hi All, Please change my e-mail from rafos(a)interlog.com to sandyrafos(a)gmail.com. Thanks---we still want to stay in touch with everyone:) take care, Sandy

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Re: [Oe List ...] Bob Stewart died Nov. 5, 2012
by LAURELCG＠aol.com 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

Bob was a true prophet, as I recall JWM saying. He was wise, calm, humble, kind. He and Pat fostered three of our children while we attended Academy in fall, 1970. They were priors, along with the Wainwrights and Jenkins in the SF House at that time. How fortunate I feel to have known them. I think Ann meant to say he was sent to close 1st St.John's UMC. it was a wonderful congregation, where we held our courses. The building was creaky to sleep in, but we managed. My heartfelt condolences to Ann and the rest of the family. Grace and peace, Jann McGuire In a message dated 11/7/2012 7:29:54 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, asgoodasitgets(a)hughes.net writes: Dear Ones: Another colleague has joined the great chorus that enfolds us. Bob and Pat Stewart participated in the local church experiment. They were on the west side during the summer fires of 1967. Bob and Pat used imaginal education and other methods. The Methodist church sent Bob to 1st St. John’ s in San Francisco. Instead, he brought new life to the congregation and the church thrived for ten more years. Bob was 91. Pat died in 2006. Bob had remarried another Patricia and she survives. When I learn about services I will post. Or perhaps Dixie and Rob are on this list and can post? I am in the Canary Islands and am not reliable at this time. Emails can be sent to _candidelgardo621(a)gmail.com_ (mailto:candidelgardo621@gmail.com) , Bob’s daughter. In grace, Ann Shafer

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Bob Stewart died Nov. 5, 2012
by Ann Shafer 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

Dear Ones: Another colleague has joined the great chorus that enfolds us. Bob and Pat Stewart participated in the local church experiment. They were on the west side during the summer fires of 1967. Bob and Pat used imaginal education and other methods. The Methodist church sent Bob to 1st St. John's in San Francisco. Instead, he brought new life to the congregation and the church thrived for ten more years. Bob was 91. Pat died in 2006. Bob had remarried another Patricia and she survives. When I learn about services I will post. Or perhaps Dixie and Rob are on this list and can post? I am in the Canary Islands and am not reliable at this time. Emails can be sent to candidelgardo621(a)gmail.com, Bob's daughter. In grace, Ann Shafer From: oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of McCabe, Diann A Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 3:14 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] YEH!!!! I've shown this clip to a class before. It's moving in a surprising way. And it did what I hoped: woke them up to thinking about the world.--Diann From: Shelley Hahn <shelley.l.hahn(a)gmail.com> Reply-To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2012 8:40 AM To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe(a)lists.wedgeblade.net> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] YEH!!!! Thank you for this gift, Paul! It made me smile and laugh and brought joy at a time when the world is fraught with divisiveness, fear and unrest. I think I'll keep the link on hand for those moments when I need to see a brighter side of life! Fond regards, Shelley On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 12:00 AM, <PSchrijnen(a)aol.com> wrote: Here is a little victory dance.... http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap120710.html Paul Schrijnen 13 Bloemfontein Avenue London W12 7BJ +44 7973 206 766 skype: paulus.schrijnen In a message dated 07/11/2012 04:59:32 GMT Standard Time, hfgreene(a)mindspring.com writes: _____________________________________________ Herman Greene 2516 Winningham Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919-929-4116 (h) 919-624-0579 (c) 919-942-4358 (f) Skype: hgreene-nc hfgreene(a)mindspring.com _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net _______________________________________________ OE mailing list OE(a)lists.wedgeblade.net http://lists.wedgeblade.net/listinfo.cgi/oe-wedgeblade.net

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YEH!!!!
by Herman Greene 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

_____________________________________________ Herman Greene 2516 Winningham Drive Chapel Hill, NC 27516 919-929-4116 (h) 919-624-0579 (c) 919-942-4358 (f) Skype: hgreene-nc hfgreene(a)mindspring.com

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Re: [Oe List ...] YEH!!!!
by David Walters 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

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Video of Carol Pierce's Memorial Service—Saturday, October 20, 2012
by David M Dunn 07 Nov '12

07 Nov '12

Colleagues. Carol Pierce's Memorial Service on Saturday, October 20, 2012, was videoed by Jim Wiegel and edited by Tom Wray, ICA Communications office. Here’s the link for the video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/97yDkmnCln4 Mary Laura Jones mljones2022(a)gmail.com [forwarded for Mary Laura] David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 -- dmdunn1(a)gmail.com 720-314-5991

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Re: [Oe List ...] Colleen Smith
by Del Morril 06 Nov '12

06 Nov '12

How do we know her, Justin? Del _____ From: oe-bounces(a)lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of Clare Whitney Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 5:52 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community Subject: [Oe List ...] Colleen Smith November 5, 2012 I am writing to let the community know that Colleen Smith, Order colleague, has entered hospice care at home in Moab, Utah. She is suffering from COPD and lung cancer and is experiencing a degree of pain that allows for this move. Ken and I went to see her last weekend and it was during this time that the decision was made to go into hospice mode. Colleen was with us in the South Pacific from 1982 - 1985, and had numerous assignments before that time. She lived near us in Denver for a number of years, but finally moved to be near her son in Moab. She lives in a senior housing complex that is very attractive, and has many friends in the town, including a wonderful church community. We asked Colleen if she would like the OE community to know and she agreed. She would appreciate notes, preferably by snail-mail as operating her computer keyboard is difficult due to neurapathy from the chemo she had been taking, but can no longer take. Her address is: Colleen Smith, 540 E 100 N #105, Moab, UT 84532. Phone: 435-259-7996 She says she is "free" in terms of this decision and is interested to see how this phase progresses. Ken and Clare Whitney, Denver

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Maps in my December scavenger hunt
by Jaime R Vergara 06 Nov '12

06 Nov '12

Am trying to gather National Geographic maps of China, the World, Continents, Areas and Regions. (Gave my collection to the Saipan library before heading up north to northeast China.) Might anyone who has a stash not being used care to donate what you've got? Stick them on an envelope and send them to Hawaii. I shall be visiting my 92-year old Mom in Honolulu in late January, first of February. If you can send them to Jaime Vergara 91-2059 Pahuhu Place Ewa Beach HI 96706 they will be used on the walls of my oral English class, and English corner (we sing English songs) at the Shenyang Aerospace University here in northeast China. Let me know if you want me to send you a picture later. Much obliged. j'aime la vie Yesterday, appreciate; tomorrow, anticipate; today, participate. In all, Celebrate!

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