Spider:

Bellydance Extravaganza!

Donna Mejia is coming to Memphis, and in addition to 2 bellydance workshops (daytime), there will be an evening performance! Be sure to catch Donna in action!

Saturday, August 13

7:00pm

Doors open 6:30

18+ only

Rumba Room - 303 S. Main Street

$15 prepaid, $20 door



Two performances by Donna, as well as performances by local dancers:

-Memphis Raqs (tribal bellydance)

-Chris Reeder (tribal bellydance)

-Pyramid Bellydance

-Bridging Souls Productions (modern)

-Dark Delices (dark fusion bellydance)


Donna Mejia is a choreographer, lecturer, teacher, administrator, and performer specializing in contemporary dance, traditions of the Arab/African Diaspora, and new fusion traditions in world electronica. Donna is amongst a handful of artists authorized to instruct the Brazilian Silvestre Modern Dance Technique (an esoteric, codified system of contemporary dance technique).

Donna teaches, choreographs and performs an emerging genre of dance that dialogues Arab, African and nomadic traditions with American hip hop and electronica. Presently based in Massachusetts, she lectures and teaches for colleges, private organizations and dance festivals internationally such as Jacob’s Pillow, and the Bates Dance Festival.

She taught at Colorado College for 10 years and was Director of the Colorado College International Summer Dance Festival for the last half of her term. For twelve years she served as managing director of the award-winning Harambee African Dance Ensemble of CU-Boulder. Donna was Guest Artist in Residence with the Smith College Dance Department for three years and continues to teach for the college.

Donna is the founder and director of The Sovereign Project: a nonprofit arts collective dedicated to a reverent connection to the body by addressing social repression, distortion, sedentary lifestyle and acts of violence.

1.5 cups skim milk (may sub water)
2 tsp dry yeast
2.5 Tbs brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
0.25 cup oil (I used Smart Balance oil blend)

0.5 cups rolled oats (not quickcook)
2.75 cups flour (I did half unbleached bread flour and half whole wheat)
1tsp salt

0.5 cups chopped dates
0.5 cups chopped dried apples
1tsp cinnamon
healthy dash of pumpkin pie spice (ginger nutmeg allspice cinnamon)
0.5 tsp salt

If you use a bread machine, set it to regular bread with a light crust setting and add the fruit mix when it beeps. By itself though, I'd suggest mixing the wet and dry ingredients, letting it sit 5-10 to allow gluten to form, then adding in the fruit mix. Let it rise to double, punch it down, form a loaf, put it in a greased pan and let it rise again. When it looks ready (i.e., the size of a breaf loaf), bake it at 350 for 30-35 minutes.

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As a result of this post, emmala and I got to emailing and hashed out a few ideas for a Stitch-N-Bitch group.

Right now, we're thinking that Sunday afternoons & rotating hosts' houses seem the best, but it's certainly open for negotiation by those who'd like to join. If there are enough people that want to give it a go, I can host the first one on the 26th.

[Poll #1282371]



Flames and troll posts will be deleted. Don't make trouble. Knitters have stabbity needles.

If, for some reason, you *think* you know my politics and how I am going to vote (and think that's any of your business), and that so offends you that you cannot be friends with me any more, then please, go ahead and take me off the list.

I'm tired of it all.

I do not care for everything that I am reading on my FList right now, but A) it doesn't make me want to drop people and B) it's not because it's presenting a side with which I may disagree (I may not. You don't know. Really, you don't).

It's because of the vituperative nature of the posts.

I believe a person will catch more flies with honey, which is to say, I believe in civil discourse. I also believe that Freedom of Speech and Civil Discourse are not mutually exclusive. It is your blog, and you can say whatever you want on it. I don't care about that, or rather, I have absolutely no inclination to comment or otherwise police that, because it's your blog.

That being said, I really wonder why it's so aggressive. Maybe you're sharing the passion of your beliefs, and ranting against the opposition (whoever that might be), and all you really want to do is let it out, perhaps get a "right on" from kindred spirits of your internet community. If so, that's cool. It's your blog! Political beliefs are deeply personal for many, and it makes complete sense that we get our blood pumping thinking about them, much less talking about them.

However, if, by some chance, you're wanting to enlighten a few minds, change a few hearts, sway a few votes, let me offer a suggestion. Stop talking like a bigot. Seriously.

Once you've gone to the level of saying "Supporters of Side X are stupid," (or variants on that theme) no matter who you are, you've lost me. To me, that's no different from saying Polacks are stupid, or any other group. As though that does anything but make those previously-undecided-but-statistically-inclined-to-lean-one-way do anything but dig their heels in and not budge!

Cite facts. Don't link to media articles/blogs of a vituperative nature as though they are proof, unless they have links for facts. And I mean, in the field of politics: links to public records, legislative bills, and other documents.

But that's if you're wanting to change people's minds. If you're just letting your passion show, rock on. It's your blog.





But let me leave you with this: I read a lot of complaints, here, in the news, etc., about mudslinging and muckraking. There's some which seems to be accepted as part and parcel of politics (through the history of man), but often the soundbite is about how much worse or ugly is it now, this time.

How can we expect it to get any better if we do not model better discussion/behavior for each other (inclusive of our entire community, meaning minors and adults alike)? if no one says, "even if you personally think side X is wrong, you need to use reasoning and logic to make your argument, because you are representing your side when you do. You are marketing it, and being its face in public settings because others will associate what they know of Side Y with those they know support it," then how will we ever have any future leaders who act accordingly?

Do not oversell the one side, thinking to balance an inequity towards the other, in the belief that it will result in a balance of both. It will not. It will merely result in the same situation with opposite polarity.



Links of Interest:
*Civil Discourse
*Freedom of Speech and Civil Discourse -- Are They Mutually Exclusive? (mostly refers to internet communities)
*Why cognitive misers love company, too.

Please consider for your own or perhaps think of someone else who might love this dog:

I mentioned a puppy in May- that would potentially be needing a new home. That day has come. Her owners are moving, and cannot take her with them. She's an approximately 6-7 month old black lab mix.

Molly's circumstances are a bit odd, in that she's spent her entire life chained to stumps of varying sizes. She's used to getting tangled in them, and us coming to rescue her, while her owners are working. We've even had to take her food and water over the past few months. She's never been to a vet either.

But don't let these circumstances fool you, she's just as sweet of a dog as anyone could ever ask for. I won't say she's perfect, she's had absolutely no training whatsoever. Apparently she's been chewing on the door frame of one of the apartments (she has nothing out there to chew on though).

With some love, and some obedience training, I think Molly would make a WONDERFUL dog for someone. In a perfect world, we'd get our settlement money today, buy a house with land- and take her with us. But reality is often much less than perfect.

If you know of anyone interested in adopting Molly, please e-mail me, or have them e-mail me at: revjim_holly@yahoo.com (Please put "Molly" in the subject line, so we'll see the e-mail immediately.)



Thanks to the donations of the people that found us via cmpriest and a previous donation, we were able to take Molly for a full physical examination today. While she wanted to wrestle with me in the back seat of the car, she was an absolute angel at the vet office. The vet and the vet techs fell in love with her immediately.

Molly did not yelp, squeal, or even put up a fuss as they gave her shots. We worked on "sitting" for treats. She was given a full round of shots, heart worm prevention medication, and was treated for hookworms. She was also treated with flea/tick topical medication. So, she's the picture of beauty and health. The vet gave us a free bag of Science Diet Puppy food, which is much better than the stuff she was getting from the previous owner.

If you just don't have room for a puppy in your life right now, but want to help, please consider sending Holly and Jim a few bucks via paypal towards getting Molly spayed. They have their own pets and other rescues they're looking after right now, and every little bit helps. I got my own kitty from them and know them well enough to vouch for them. They are good people!

Please check Holly's LJ (http://cerisehaze.livejournal.com/) for updates, and click here to donate!

10:45 pm showing of PotCIII at the Rave tomorrow (Friday) night. I've already purchased mine online; you may want to do the same.

Comment to let us know if you're coming along, so we can glom onto the right number of seats!