2010-1.WPJan-Feb

Volume 25, Number 1 • January & February 2010 • A publication of the Women’s Community Center of San Luis Obispo County • Cover: “Revelation” by Gini Griffin

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Women’s Press

Courtney’s Quill

Welcome to 2010 and a brand new Women’s Press. Well, really it’s not that new--the content is still the same, but the layout has changed.

This new design, as you can see, makes our paper larger, in all color, and easier to notice. I’m excited to see Women’s Press around town, in the hands of women (and men!), reading about Breast Thermography (by Gaea Powell, pg. 7), dealing with loss and grief (by Kathy Bond, pg. 3 & Ruth Maples, pg. 8), learning about the limitations of birthing women (by Jennifer Stover, pg. 11), and gaining another perspective on our local Sunny Acre’s debate (by Matt Lombardini, pg. 16). All of these article and more have helped me gain a new appreciation for what our community has-wisdom!

All around me I meet women who have such grace and wisdom to share, and this month, I received more articles from women around the county than ever before. And I love it. You’ll see beautifully written articles sharing advice and thoughts with new names never before published as writers of Women’s Press. Could one of these women be your neighbor, your sister, your mother-in-law? Could one of these women be you, sitting at home thinking of a way to share your knowledge? If so, send in your thoughts and articles. Look at this paper--every article written is a shared bit of knowledge, from a writer who gains little more than just knowing she enlightened someone’s day. I can’t think of a better way to live.

Women’s Press January & February 2010 And this has been the tradition of Women’s Press, and a tradition that has been occurring for 25 years! This issue marks the 25th anniversary of Women’s Press--we may be a small paper in a small county, especially compared to the world (or the New York Times!), but we are mighty! In economic downturn, an array of editors, different printing presses, interns, and computer crashes, we have persevered for longer than most publications on the Central Coast. So, thank you for your support and guidance. I cannot wait to see what this paper will look like in another 25 years!

So with this new year, comes new resolutions, and if you are so inclined to make one of your resolutions volunteering, we sure could use some help here at Women’s Press. We need: • a workshop coordinator (get to attend all our workshops for free!)

• a distribution manager (ever curious about all the women who distribute in our area?

Get to know them! Make some friends!)

• distributors in Arroyo Grande, North County, Cambria (you’ll get to know some wonderful local merchants.)

• advertising representatives (as one of our only paid positions, you can make a 20% commission off ad revenue) If you are at all interested, send me an email, and I’ll get right back to you. We appreciate all our volunteers and offer our undying love as payment--something that everyone needs a bit more of these days, I believe.

Have a wonderful start to your New Year. I look forward to hearing from you.

The staff of the Women’s Press would like to sincerely thank the Women’s Community Center, our volunteers, contributors, advertisers, supporters, and most importantly

you,

our readers, for 25 remarkable years.

Women’s Press

• Voices, views and visions of the women of San Luis Obispo County, California • 6000 free copies distributed in SLO County • Subscriptions are available

Staff

• Managing Editor / Courtney Brogno / womenspress.slo@gmail.com • Layout & Design / Benjamin Lawless / ben@penciledin.com • Advertising Team / Rene Sante & Benjamin Lawless / renesophia@yahoo.com

Contributors

• MaryAine Curtis • Inglis Carre-Dellard • Ruth Cherry • Jeanie Greensfelder • Laura Grace • Judythe Guarnera • Hilda Heifetz • Lisa Pimental Johnson • Lisa Jouet • Angie King • Heather Mendel • Jen Mowad • Berta Parrish • Adele Sommers • Jill Turnbow • Andrea Zeller

Volunteers

• Berta Parrish • Jane Hill • Judith Bernstein • June Beck • Kathleen Deragon • MaryAine Curtis • Monica Rosecrans • Shairee Collins • Shantel Beckers • Suzanne Delinger • Renee Sante

Submissions Welcome

Articles, essays, opinion pieces, letters, artwork, poetry wanted & appreciated. The Women’s Press reserves the right to edit all submissions for content, clarity & length. Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com or call 805-544-9313. Submissions will also be posted online at www.womenspress-slo.org.

The opinions expressed in the Women’s Press are those of the authors & do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Women’s Community Center. The Women’s Community Center does not necessarily endorse products or services advertised in the Women’s Press.

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Women’s Press January & February 2010

Angie On Board

By Kathy Bond

2009. Before our older daughter, Angie, died on April 27th, she expressed two regrets: she wouldn’t live to see her two children grow up, and she hadn’t traveled much. On our mid-October, two-week voyage from Fort Lauderdale, through the Panama Canal to San Diego, I found myself viewing the trip through her eyes.

She would’ve donned sandals, tee shirt, and shorts in a minute, or swam in the dolphin-decorated pool on the Lido Deck, or the salt water one on Deck Ten. Monica and the band would’ve captured her attention as we left port.

I can see her at English High Tea, in the wood and brass Rotterdam Dining Room, greeted at 3 p.m. by white-gloved servers, who escort her to her seat, place a napkin on her lap before proffering: scones, raisin or plain, dusted with confectioner’s sugar, clotted cream, orange marmalade or strawberry jam, tiny sandwiches, éclairs, pound or rum-soaked Opera cake, all served on royal and gold-trimmed white china. Some times string music played softly in the background.

Angie’s theater background would’ve enjoyed the flair and presentation of the last day’s Indonesian Tea, when tables and staff wore native fabrics and matching music played.

Her waitress and cooking experience would’ve appreciated the 6,000 meals the cruise line offers daily either at the Lido Buffet or two elegant restaurants. The wide variety of fruits, salads, soups, entrees, and desserts would’ve appealed to her palate, not

Walking A Labyrinth to mention Chocolate Trivia, or many cooking demos done by the Party Planner or the Cruise Director, who made Chocolate Lava Cake with Grand Marnier. Angie could’ve shopped on board or on shore for clothing, jewelry, artwork, or other souvenirs and really gone to town or painted it red, her favorite color.

A vocalist and flautist, she would’ve loved the variety of performers in the mosaic-tiled, green and blue “Starry Nights” walled Van Gogh Lounge. A diva sang Latin numbers: Carmen, Evita, and Guantanamera. Jason Chase’s comedy and 50’s songs, along with “Komika,” a British guitar, vocal and comedy team would’ve made her smile and laugh deeply. I could see her in step at line dance lessons. She would’ve loved to “Name That Tune” with “Piano Man Brian.”

Most of all, extroverted Angie would have greatly enjoyed meeting people from all over the world—Canadians, Australians, English, and Scots. She might have conversed with Germans,or understood some Dutch. She certainly would’ve talked with stewards, servers, and families with young children, given her teaching skills.

I recall her remark “Life’s short.” She loved it. She would’ve delighted in the cruise for all the joys of life it offered. I don’t know about her interest in the Panama Canal or a Costa Rican rain forest, but she would’ve loved the people, enjoyed a swim with a young couple and their baby in Huatulco, or the baptism at the wall-less church there, for to a Christian like Angie, life meant living fully.

The Genius and the Jerk

By Ruth Cherry, PhD

In my God-consciousness, I smile and say, “Thank you.” I know mine is not to evalJust like you, I am a genius and I am a jerk. uate or tinker or help. My place is to rememI can identify with whichever part of me I ber my oneness with God and to be. Just like choose. No matter what the situation is, I you. can be kind and loving and identified with my God-consciousness. Or I can be resent- Ruth Cherry, PhD, is a clinical psychologist ful, ego-centered, frustrated, and pissy. And I in private practice in San Luis Obispo, CA. Her specialty is midlife when psychological can rationalize perfectly either attitude!

When I focus on what is around me crit- and spiritual dynamics merge. Her five books ically, I choose to be in my Resentful Vic- and guided meditation CD are available tim. “Life’s not fair.” “It wasn’t supposed to at her web sites, midlifepsychology.com and turn out this way.” “Others don’t give me my God-Life-You.com. rightful due.” Wah wah wah.

Photo by Pawe Windys

By Dixie Kelly Cliff

My daughter and I stroll through a blooming meditation garden bordering San Luis Creek on a bright March morning, the morning after celebrating Ame’s forty-second birthday at the Gardens of Avila. The sun toasts our backs. Colorful birds warble in the bushes.

We skirt around a large labyrinth, to its entrance at the garden’s far side, backed by a blushing pink fruit orchard. A towering, tastefully painted sign stands close by, reading, “labyrinths have been used by many cultures for thousands of years. The most well-known labyrinth is located at Chartres Cathedral in France. Labyrinths are used as a way to calm the mind and relax the body.”

We silently take measure of the large, complex, circular construction. Multi-colored, multi-textured, cannon ball stones tracing intricately interlaced paths, within the sandy circle. An elongated, upended rock marks the center. Further examination reveals the circle is divided into quadrants. The paths separating the quadrants lead straight toward the middle, but the innermost stone circle blocks entry to the center. We note the path turns abruptly left, leads back to the outer border, and follows a tortuous route back and forth within the confines of the quadrant to the last ring of rock. Again, access to the center is blocked. The labyrinth looks deceptively simple.

Walking the labyrinth was my idea.

Unsure of this adventure, Ame asks me to lead off. I step between matched white rocks marking the entrance, close my eyes, inhale deeply, and concentrate on drawing my focus inward. I drop my head and stare at my feet, planted firmly on the barren ground. I feel balanced. I listen for my breath, but nearby traffic noise camouflages it.

I press my fingers in my ears to deaden the cacophony. Now I hear my breath, resonating in my chest. I step forward, putting one foot slowly in front of the other, consciously dropping distracting thoughts along the way. Gradually losing my sense of direction and time, I feel unusually calm, comforted.

I narrow my scope of vision to the small patch of dry ground between the rock borders on which my feet plod slowly forward.

Meandering back and forth, abruptly forced around corners, denied entrance to the center, forced back to the border, I realize that navigating this maze is a microcosm of life’s journey. Able to see only a speck of the cosmos, unable to anticipate the tortuous twists and turns ahead, moving closer to the center only to be flung to the precarious outer edge again, mimics life. At times I sense Ame nearby until she travels back out of my scope.

This adventure perfectly replicates life’s relationships, alternating between close and intimate, distant and reserved.

I grow weary, but as with life, I continue moving forward, putting one foot in front of the other. I hold dear a definition of courage I read long ago. The author’s name is lost to me, and I paraphrase: courage is the length of time you can drag your belly through the muck until you are able to stand again. This belief has served me well for years. It will work now.

Exiting the labyrinth, I saunter over to the creek bank and plop down on a wide green bench, exhausted, but content. The gurgling creek ripples glints of sunlight. I savor this moment of grace. Ame joins me.

We sit silently for a long time, watching and listening. I sense her peace and gratitude.

Compelled to break the silence, I whisper words of thanks for our love and our lives.

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Body & Soul

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Spirituality Matters Two Kinds of People

By Heather Mendel

When asked how she is, my friend and mentor, Barbara Marx Hubbard of Santa Barbara, responds: “Evolving, thank you and how are you?” I love this response and was delighted to find that Barbara was interviewed recently as part of a 14 week tele-seminar that has caught the attention of 30,000 women from all over the world—listening in on the computer or telephone. A gathering of this size, by women all over the globe, is simply astounding—women from all walks of life responding to the call of the process of conscious evolution. We’re responding to something we may not be able to articulate but whose validity we intuitively recognize.

At a recent Peace Conference, the Dalai Lama stated that “the world will be saved by the Western woman.” Inspired by this sentiment and following their intuitive wisdom, in balance with their technological knowledge, Katherine Woodward Thomas and Claire Zamitt (www.femininepower. com) devised and are presenting “Women on the Edge of Evolution”—an invitation to “awaken to the power to co-create our lives and shape the collective future.” The question they pose for us to consider is what our role as women will be, in the creature of our future on this planet—something profound to consider as 2010 opens for us.

In the New Year, I plan to start a new conversation for women in the San Luis Obispo area based on this series and will welcome the participation of those who would like to be a part of this exploration. Please feel free to contact me at heathermendel@ me.com should you wish to participate, and I know we will gather together and watch our combined energy move us forward.

Come to Heather’s official local book launch at Coalesce Bookstore on Sunday afternoon, Jan 24, at 3 and then at Congregation Beth David on Tuesday evening Feb 4.

• http://www.dancinginthefootstepsofeve.com • http://www.wordartist.com • http://sacredfemininematters.blogspot.com/ • twitter: celebratingeve

By Ruth Cherry, PhD

There are two kinds of people in the world: those we love and those we don’t understand.

When we see ourselves in others, we like them. They are like me, we think (rightly or wrongly), and I don’t need to fear them. We presume that we know how they think and what we can expect from them. We think we know them because we think we know ourselves. Usually, that’s true only superf icially.

The second group, those we don’t understand, may actually be more similar to us.

Especially if we have a strong negative reaction, we probably unconsciously sense something in them we don’t like in ourselves. We project onto them what we haven’t owned in ourselves. If you haven’t integrated your own vulnerability, you will feel disdain for the needy. If you haven’t come to terms with your anger, you may perceive hostility all around you. If you practice deceit, you won’t trust anyone.

What we regard as strange and keep at a distance inside us, we will push away around us. We may even label it disparagingly: “That’s just like a (fill in the blank: woman, man, neo-con, bleeding heart liberal, psychologist, lawyer, welfare recipient, rich bitch).” The list goes on.

Until we accept every part of ourselves, we will criticize others. When we do acknowledge and own our quirks and vulnerability and ugliness, we can appreciate the universal challenge of being human. We need to delve pretty deeply inside and that’s not fun. We don’t do it to feel superior or even good about ourselves. We do it when we can’t survive without knowing what is buried way way down at our very core. And that only comes from desperation.

When we have known ourselves in our least favorable aspects, we can understand what it is to hurt and still try to go on. We

now that life isn’t pretty or neat or manicured. We know our own Inner Jerk so that when we see another’s, we just smile and think, “I’ve been there, too.”

If anyone else had lived your life, she would understand the decisions you’ve made.

Your choices would seem reasonable. She could empathize with your struggle. And so it is with others you meet. If you had lived their experience, you probably would make the same decisions they did. Perhaps your challenges haven’t been as daunting as theirs or perhaps your supports have been stronger.

Judging anyone else reflects our own lack of self knowledge. And judging ourselves reflects our own lack of empathy and acceptance for ourselves. We are not here to judge anyone. Life is to be experienced. Lessons are to be learned and integrated. We are challenged to be our own best friend. And when we do that, we see what it is to be human.

Ready to begin the year 2010 with a new Spiritual Direction?

The Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment is an interfaith community dedicated to celebrating diversity and honoring the spirit that connects all things.

Spiritual Leader: Laura V. Grace Sunday Services 10:00am

Please join us for meditation at 9:30am each Sunday before the service Bring the whole family! Kids love the “Children’s Circle.”

Educational and fun for children of all ages 1500 Lizzie St., Room J-2, Adult School, San Luis Obispo

For more info: 805.541.1963 Website: www.spiritualcircle.org E-Mail: spiritualcircle@spiritualcircle.org

Join us for a celebration of expanding consciousness and love.

Women’s Press January & February 2010

A New Year

By MaryAine Curtis

for this year? What do you want to accomplish this year?

• Write it at the top of the paper.

• See yourself completing this in your imagination. How will it look and feel when complete?

Now break it down into 12 easier steps so it doesn’t seem too big. On a sheet of paper make 12 sections, one for each month. In each section write the month and a goal for that month. Break it down to 4 smaller goals that can be accomplished in a day or week.

Make sure each goal is part of the big picture and is attainable.

• Write one thing to accomplish in each week and each month. Seems easier already, right?

• Add up how much you’ve accomplished as you go. Give yourself plenty of “atta girls”.

Now make the paper pretty and exciting before placing it in a conspicuous place. This is the blueprint for your personal success in 2010. Review it, make changes, and improve it as you go. If you want help or a class, come to my Design this stage of your Life class at Avila Community Center starting Jan. 11th.

Make sure you have a great year and love your life and yourself.

Mind boggling news: it’s a new year! And 2010! I remember when 1984 seemed a long way off. Now 2010 here and we’re looking at 2012 as the next big mystery and date to be aware of.

How have you been preparing yourself?

Are you ready to be the change you wish to see, or are you still concerning yourself with what everyone else will think? The most important question that I can think of is this: Are you living a life that you love? Have you discovered how to be true to your passion?

There are many things I meant to accomplish in the past few years and life happened and took some twist and turns that were unexpected. I accomplished some and went along with others. I did make some big changes that I didn’t anticipate, though.

I like them and I feel better and that’s good.

Let’s look together at the year ahead and review the last one a bit.

• What changes did you make in school, job, home, relationships?

• How did you handle the changes?

• Do you feel good about yourself and your inner growth from the experience(s)?

• What did you want to change and MaryAine Curtis is an Intuitive Spiritual Counselor and Emissary of Change. Visit her didn’t?

Are you ready to regroup and make a plan website at www.return2joy.com

Nurturing Goodness in 2010

By Jeannie Greensfelder

On Halloween evening at Avila, a group gathered by the shore: a crying baby otter had been illegally brought ashore by a swimmer.

A man from Harbor Patrol stood on his truck searching the surf for the parent. Three women from the Marine Mammal Center focused on the rag mop baby and dispersed the crowd. One of them carried the otter, held high, into the waves, hoping the mother would see and hear. She did and came close twice.

When they realized proximity to the beach kept the mother away, Harbor Patrol took the pup and left. They returned in a boat. A man in a yellow slicker stood, held the bawling baby high, and waited. From the

pier the women pointed to a possible sighting. At dusk, with a full moon, the boat headed in that direction. They placed the baby on the water--a small dark strip--and backed the boat away.

Sadly, the mother didn’t come. The otter pup, taken to the Monterrey Aquarium, is responding well. This story is about goodness: concerned people doing their best, wanting to help. We don’t face life and death situations on a daily basis, but the opportunity to show caring attention exists at the checkout stand, driving a car, with family, friends, and with ourselves.

2010 is a good time to nurture goodness and compassion with one another. Listening is a simple and generous way to be kind. A smile is a gift. Think about your typical day, how and when you might express goodness

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Body & Soul

Women’s Press January & February 2010

The Golden Thread

By Inglis Carre-Delard

As we sit at the kitchen table or in our studios and review the past year, many of us despair over time wasted, projects not done, opportunities that have passed us by. Our thoughts of the New Year are tarnished by our dismal condition in the present. We feel that we are being drawn deeper into a dark place that we don’t want to visit. We get up and wander out the back door and behold a glorious rose or a fuzzy bumblebee or some scampering clouds. Perhaps we get up and answer the phone call of a dear friend who says kind words to us or our mate comes by and drops a kiss on our head.

A small change occurs that allows us to envision a brighter new year and a possibility that we can finish at least some of those projects. What has just happened is that we have picked up a thread of hope, and with it we have begun to stitch together the gash that has separated our present situation from a possible better situation in the future.

Photo by shho

Believing is Seeing

By Ruth Cherry, PhD

What’s important is not what happens to you as much as how you interpret it. The underlying belief that lends meaning to your life influences your experience more than the actions of others. For example, a friend is rude. What’s your reaction? Take a moment now and note your first impression.

You can focus on having a friend, your history, the value of that person in your life, and how she must be having a hard time.

Or you can (again) realize that (predictably) no one is there for you, disappointment is imminent, and life is just one hurt after another. It’s really your choice but the first and essential ingredient is to realize that you have a choice.

So much of the “filter” through which we see our life is unconscious. From infancy we’ve developed beliefs without knowing it.

We’re comfortable and we decide the world is safe and welcoming. We’re frustrated and we expect life always to be difficult. We chan-

nel our feelings (our inner world experience) into thoughts about the outer world. Then we focus on what’s outside of us and become the victim or grateful recipient. (What’s your underlying belief about the world?)

No matter what happens we can fit it to our belief. If we distrust the world and someone is kind, we know not to take him at face value. If we believe we’re not good enough and someone appreciates us, we tell ourselves she doesn’t really understand. If we expect life to be welcoming, we chalk up the occasional unpleasantness to happenstance. It seems our beliefs are irrefutable. We’ll organize our experience as we must to support the beliefs that have long existed and may be mostly unconscious! Even if it leads us to misery, we remain loyal to those old beliefs.

We do so as long as we don’t examine the beliefs. When we stop and turn around and switch on the light; when we’re truly ready to see our filter instead of blindly accepting our assumptions, we notice different elements inside our heads. We all have a Critic.

The Critic tells us we’re not good enough, we never have been good enough, and we never will be good enough. The Critic assures us no one could ever love us because we are so

unworthy. The Critic doesn’t like the way we dress or walk or look. Many days the Critic doesn’t say a decent word to us.

We probably don’t “hear” the Critic’s voice as much as we feel a heaviness. The invisible wet blanket that smothers our vibrancy comes from the Critic. The Critic leads us to be less of ourselves because who we are naturally is unacceptable. The Critic blunts our awareness of joy, hope, creativity.

The Controller is another aspect of us.

When the vulnerability is too painful to bear and we don’t want to remain stuck in suffocating muck, we resolve to avoid our feelings.

We develop an intellectual façade. Or we become aggressive. Or we take care of others and hope they will appreciate us. The Controller wants to make life turn our “right” and will act to avoid feeling. The Controller wants to assuage the Critic.

Always the Critic and the Controller push on us. Very subtly but unceasingly.

When someone in the world acts in a manner similar to the Critic or the Controller, we react with a minor atomic explosion. When we hear outside us what we’ve heard forever inside us, it’s too much. We can’t see the other person objectively, we lose our adult

Hope comes in all sorts of packages. Our relationships with others can be an ocean of hope. Hope arrives in the guise of a puppy, or a butterfly, a work of art, or a moving piece of music. It is available to all of us, whether we have an optimistic or even a pessimistic personality. Whether or not we believe that there will always be a happy ending, we can still have faith that we can handle whatever comes our way and grow toward a better future. Hope is that faith.

When a thread of hope comes our way, we must pick it up in order for it to work its magic. If I fail to pick up a thread of hope, I change from a visionary who can heal myself and the world, to another wishful thinker with lint on my jacket.

When we pick up a thread of hope, we give birth to our creativity and stitch it into a beautiful healing tapestry that stretches into the future while casting its shimmering folds over our life and those who share it. In this special season, may your life and the earth shine with golden threads of hope blanketing it and all of creation.

status, and we take the other fellow’s words personally.

Until we remember we have a choice.

And then we choose to give thanks for our upset and to look behind the words instead of being carried away by the emotion. And we see the Critic and the Controller which exist inside our own head. When we look at them, we don’t identify with them. We stay in the Observer, and we see the immaturity and the fear and the belief that we are powerless. And then we recognize that these attitudes are from an earlier time in our life. A time when we didn’t have a choice. Unconsciously, we got stuck there but now that the light is on we make the unconscious conscious. We see the forces driving us and we step aside. We watch but we don’t react or identify or lose our anchor. We just notice.

And at this point we have developed another belief. Now we trust that who we are is fine and we are firmly rooted in that awareness of our OK-ness. Nothing can shake us. We feel the gusts from our Critic and our Controller, but we are rooted in our Observer and in our Adult. And when we interpret life from that standpoint, we have an entirely different experience!

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Women’s Press January & February 2010

Breast Thermography For the Prevention and Earliest Detection of Breast Cancer.

Photo by Eduardo Siqueira Filho

By Gaea Powell, CTT Founder, Central Coast Thermography

A

s the mammography industry house of cards finally fell at the end of 2009, many women have become frustrated and confused about their breast health screening options. There is no need to be.

Breast Thermography or Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging is the latest, most effective state-of-the-art alternative to mammograms.

This highly sensitive FDA approved technology can detect physiological abnormalities in breast tissue 8 to 10 years before a mammogram can detect a mass. It empowers women of all ages (beginning in their 20’s) by helping create a risk assessment and management program for the prevention and earliest detection of breast cancer.

In 1991, my mother and best friend, Johnnie Jo lost her battle to breast cancer at age 49. My doctor informed me that I was in a high risk group but that I would have to wait until I was 40 to start having mammograms.

I discovered Breast Thermography in 1995 and I have been utilizing my thermal profile over the years for better breast health. My thermograms have alerted me to any changes in my breasts giving me the opportunity to take action with diet, exercise, stress management, and hormone balancing when needed.

Breast Thermography is non-invasive, painless, and easy. It is affordable and does not involve radiation or compression. Thermography is a harmless “green” technology and is effective for women with dense breasts, implants, reductions, for monitoring the chest wall after surgery, and for pregnant or nursing women.

There are over 800 peer-reviewed studies including over 300,000 women. According to the American Journal of Radiology, Breast Thermography has 99% sensitivity 90% specificity, and 90% accuracy.

Now that more and more MDs are now supporting the use of thermograms, knowing their patients are not radiation tolerant (no one is), some insurance companies are beginning to cover thermograms with a doctor’s recommendation and a pre-approval.

The radiation and compression involved in mammography is harmful. Mammograms can cause breast cancer through repeated irradiation of the breasts and spread cancer by the fracturing of the fibrous capsule surrounding the tumor through compression of the breasts.

In 2005, the Nuclear Information Resource Service concluded that all levels of radiation are confirmed to cause cancer, but 2009 was an extraordinary year in revealing the dangers of mammography.

In early 2009, John Hopkins released a study warning that radiation from annual mammograms could trigger breast malignancies in high risk patients. Last October, the New York Times reported the American Cancer Society now admits the benefits of mammography may have been over-exaggerated. Then the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (an independent group of scientists) issued its report regarding new mammography recommendations and questioning the risks vs. the benefits.

The Radiological Society of North America also released a study concluding that radiation from annual mammography screening significantly increased breast cancer risk in women who are pushed into starting mammograms at a young age. More radiation is needed for younger women with dense breast tissue.

These new reports have definitely drawn valid attention to this flawed technology, especially when the mortality rate from breast cancer has not changed much in over 40 years.

The fact is doubts about mammography have been mounting for decades. Many, on both sides of the argument, agree that the value of mammograms may have been over-exaggerated while some of the draw-

backs, dangers, and risks of subjecting many women to unnecessary treatment have been minimized or ignored.

We must be our own health advocates.

Women have the most influential impact on the new generation. We are the educators and nurturers; we must lead by example. We owe it to ourselves, our sisters, our daughters, and our mothers to stand together and demand better screening methods be made available, along with preventative therapies.

If we want different results, we must do things differently. Do your own research, know your body, and don’t let the mainstream medical and/or the spin doctors frighten you with misinformation and negativity about your breasts. Our breasts are not the enemy or time-bombs waiting to go off.

Though most women have breast abnormalities, the majority of us do not get breast cancer.

Thermography is easily accessible in Europe, Canada and larger cities in the U.S. I am thrilled to offer Breast Thermography services to the women of the Central Coast at my location in Atascadero and at Rees Family Medical in San Luis Obispo. For more information please visit my website at www.centralcoastthermography.com.

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Body & Soul

Women’s Press January & February 2010

A Gentle Breeze

By Ruth Maples

Grief is a journey that has a beginning, middle, and after three years I realize, no end. I have no choice; I must travel down its road.

As I navigate its twist and turns, I am making discoveries about the world around me, accepting truths about myself, and I have been forced to face the realities of the hand life has dealt me.

Words cannot completely describe the emotions of loss and grief. This is what I wrote three years ago in a small book. Much of the book was based on a journal I kept during Larry’s illness and what I call my beginning and end year: the year following the loss of my husband. I know I will never be able to find the words to describe how I felt when I lost him. Maybe it is because there are truly none that have the range and depth to describe feelings that are beyond description. Those nameless emotions have not disappeared, but they are not happening as often. I now know that they will never completely leave me. I wonder if that really is so bad. I do not wallow in them, and they are not my friend, but they have become my silent companion. Like a gentle breeze, I feel their presence. They have become a reminder that I have loved, been loved, and have lost a special person.

When I lost that special person, everything stopped but time. Minutes, hours, days, and now more than three years have passed. I believe, no I know, each of the years had a pre-ordained purpose. The first year reminded me that no matter how much I wanted my old life back, it was never going to happen. How could it? I was without my husband. In the second year, reality hit me in the face. As I looked around, and saw couples walking, talking, or holding hands, I felt life’s cruel slap. In this world of two, I stood alone; I was now one. During the third year, I felt the irresistible pull of isolation. How easy it would have been to never leave my house. It was the memory of my husband’s courage during his last year that pulled me out of myself and gave me the strength to not fade away.

To do was not easy. Most conversations I had during the past three years started with a question. How are you? Early on, proba-

bly starting on the first day of my grief journey, I knew no matter how I felt, my answer was going to be: I am fine. Was l fine? Of course not, so I lied. Often before answering the question, I thought of a line from a Jack Nicholson movie. I remembered it so clearly, “you couldn’t handle the truth.” I know this was an unfair assumption that I made about people, but that’s how I felt. I am fine is the answer that I thought loving and caring family and friends wanted and needed to hear.

Now I realize that I was saying words that I also needed. I repeated I’m fine so often that it became my breath prayer and yoga chant.

The words gave me encouragement, a sense of calmness, and finally the ability to be honest with myself and others. I am not fine, nor will I ever be, but I will be ok.

On my journey to ok, I am discovering what I call my grief truths. First truth, there is no grief timetable. Books, experts, and friends seem to suggest there is a schedule that we, those who are facing grief, should follow. But sadness and sorrow do not follow a set time, nor do they have a straight path.

Yes there are common threads and stages of grief. However, I am finding that, with all due respect to the experts, I must chart my own course. Second, faith is a life boat. I could not have made it through the first year without my beliefs. It was always by my side and in my heart. Faith kept me afloat when I thought I was going to drown in the dark sea of heart break and loneliness. Third, grief is an oxymoron; it is personal, but it is also something that is shared by so many others.

Finally, grief is exhausting. The loss, sadness, guilt, loneliness, unknown, and the rebuilding of life takes its toll on every fiber of your body. Periodically, I have to stop and take a breather from life. I go away, even if it’s just inside myself, to rest and re-energize my body, mind, and soul.

I have come to marvel at the human race’s ability to re-energize and face life’s pain, but maybe I have also come to understand it. As I watch the sunrise in the morning, hear the laughter of my grandchildren, or see the faces of my children, I know life’s pull is stronger than its sorrow. I live in the past and the present. Grief is part of my world, but as the gentle breeze softly brushes my cheek, I know it is not my life.

The Breath of Life and Love Graphic by Kymberly Vohsen

By Laura Grace

How long can you live without food? Maybe 40 days. How long can you live without water? Maybe 5 days. How long can you live without breathing? How many seconds?

Breath is a perfect expression of how we live our lives. When we think everything depends on us and we must keep everything under control, our breath is shallow, controlled, and contracted.

When we trust in God, the Universe and Life itself, our breath becomes full and open, moving gracefully through a relaxed chest.

It sounds like a deep sigh of relief for that is exactly what it is: a belief and relief that we are being taken care of. That’s when we stop running interference on the Universe and allow life to flow through us.

The in breath allows you to absorb precious life force energy, while the out breath allows your mind and body to let go and deeply relax. Most people are more comfortable breathing in then breathing out. And yet, it is with through a deep exhale that we relax into our deeper self and release stress, worry, doubt, and fear.

When you breathe in deeply and release the exhale effortlessly, old thought patterns, beliefs, and painful experiences are able to move through you. Healing occurs when we feel safe and are relaxed. Consciously breathe in and out and notice how the energy of life flows through you.

Jack Shield, MD, a Lymphologist from Santa Barbara, CA, conducted a study on the effects of breathing on the lymphatic system.

Using cameras inside the body, he found that

deep diaphragmatic breathing stimulated the cleansing of the lymph system by creating a vacuum effect which sucked the lymph through the bloodstream.

This increased the rate of toxic elimination by as much as 15 times the normal pace.

Right now, take a moment to breathe in the beauty around you… breathe out appreciation for the love in your life… breathe in how much the Universe supports you… breathe out with a feeling of faith and belief… breathe in the gratitude you have for your relationships… breathe out with a sense of wonderment for being alive.

Remember, each emotion has an associating breathing pattern and vice versa. Take time to become aware of your breathing.

Practice deep breathing as many times as possible throughout the day. It is perhaps the most powerful way we can become grounded and centered in the present moment and in our true beingness. When you consciously breathe in and out, you reclaim your inner power and are more easily able to handle the stressors of daily life.

Allow your breath to support you.

Its love and wisdom are powerful allies.

Ahhhhh.

Laura V. Grace is the Spiritual Leader for the Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment in San Luis Obispo (www.spiritualcircle.org), an interfaith spiritual community. Laura is also a teacher and spiritual director, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. A syndicated columnist for more than twenty publications, Laura has penned 200 articles on spiritual growth and is the author of the books Gifts of the Soul and The Intimate Soul.

9

Women’s Community Center

Welcome to the New and Improved Women’s Press A publication of the Women’s Community Center

By Angie King, WCC Board

As you can see, holding this issue of Women’s Press, we have a new format. But who exactly is the “we”? Is it the Women’s Press staff, or the Women’s Community Center, or both, or something else? Is the Press the “mouthpiece” for the WCC? Is it supposed to reflect the views and opinions of the WCC? Does WCC have the any say over content? Or is it totally separate?

I am so involved with the WCC (especially since I retired from actively practicing law last year) that I forget there are many in the community, and even in the feminist Women’s-Press-reading community, who are not sure who puts out the paper, or whose views it expresses, or who has the final say, or even, who gets the blame when it all goes south. I thought I

would sort it all out as my way of welcoming you to the new format.

I was reminded that things are not always what they seem when reading the editor’s comments in the November 2009 Smithsonian magazine. She begins: “Our title is our greatest asset” and goes on to explain that everyone has heard of the Smithsonian Institution, the great museum in Washington DC, and assumes the magazine is put out by the museum.

After all, one joins the Institution as a member and gets the magazine as part of the membership. However, as she goes on to say, that is also their greatest misperception. The magazine is “of the Institution” not about it, as the Institution is the parent of the magazine, but the articles and editorials are chosen by a separate editorial board on their merits. It is “not a mouthpiece for the Institution.”

Neither is the Women’s Press a mouthpiece for the WCC, even though WCC is the parent of the WP. The Press is about the WCC, not of it. The news about WCC and the activities and events sponsored by WCC are indeed published in WP, but beyond what WCC board members submit, the rest of the paper is what the WP editors deem interesting and informative and enjoyable to our readers.

The Smithsonian magazine is also separate from the Institution in its financing. The Institution does not subsidize it.

Likewise WCC does not subsidize WP, which has its own advertising (thank you advertisers!!) and other income producing activities (like LunaFest and the series of workshops at the Temple). But, WCC is ultimately responsible to the public for WP, and we do subsidize the printing to the extent revenues do not meet the costs

of any one issue.

The Women’s Community Center is involved with the operations of the paper; we want it to be a success, and we nurture the same sensitivities. As the editor of the Smithsonian puts it: “Where we do reflect the Institution is in our shared interests.”

We hope you are reading the Press because you also share our interests. If you would like to help WCC carry out our mission to educate, enlighten, and empower women and their families in San Luis Obispo, give us a call or send an email. We’d love to have your energy! And I hope you will help us keep the WCC a vibrant, thriving organization in SLO that provides helpful and accurate services to our community.

Dealing With Divorce

By Robin Rinzler Owner of Core Mediation Services & WCC board of directors member

One of the many interesting and important things that the Women’s Community Center offers the community is the Divorce Class, presented on the third Wednesday of every month at 7pm. This is an opportunity for anyone, male or female, to come to the WCC and obtain information regarding divorce.

We offer tips and personal experience, talk about what to expect, and how to go about the process. We discuss the pros and cons of divorce vs. legal separation, and talk about mediation vs. litigation. We talk about when mediation is appropriate, and when it is not. All of this is done in a group setting.

If we feel that legal assistance is necessary, or if any of the participants ask for legal advice, we refer them to our Pro Per Clinic, offered the following week

on the fourth Tuesday of every month at The mission of the WCC is: Family Law Action Committee 5:30pm. This is where legal issues can be • TO maintain an accessible center to Dealing With Divorce addressed. collect and exchange information of Facing a divorce can be a very emo3rd Wednesday of each month – 7 PM interest and concern to women tional time. In addition to offering prac• TO organize and facilitate work- Jan 20, Feb 17 and Mar 17 tical advice, the Divorce Class also offers shops, clinics, seminars, classes, and $10 donation a supportive and accepting environment support groups on subjects of interest that is sensitive to the emotional needs of and need Self-Represented Litigants’ Clinic someone looking at divorce.

• TO engage in and facilitate interacThe Divorce Class is held at the Womtion among local, state, and national 4th Tuesday of each month – 5:30 PM en’s Community Center located at 4251 agencies and organizations working Upcoming: S. Higuera Street, Building 800, San Luis Jan 26, Feb 23 and Mar 23 to benefit women Obispo, where Los Osos Valley Road Reservations required. dead-ends onto South Higuera. Call (805) $40 donation 544-9313 to sign up.

10

What Is The WCC?

By Sonia Paz Baron-Vine

Many times, when I mention to friends that I belong to the Women’s Community Center of San Luis Obispo County, I get these questions...

What is the WCC? Women’s Community Center (WCC) is an all-volunteer organization originally founded in 1974 under the name of “Women’s Resource Center.”

So, what do you do? We enhance women’s opportunities in the private and public sectors by facilitating access to services. We dducate women to the possibilities in our society. We enlighten women by facilitating communication between local, state, and national organizations that serve women’s interests.

If you are a non-profit, how do you raise money? We have an annual fundraising day, we call it “Day with Creative Women.” It is an event that celebrates women’s art, music, poetry, and all forms of creative expression. Women from all over California meet at Mission Plaza to sell art, perform music, and network.

Women’s Community Center How can your group help me? We offer resources and assistance in different areas like: Family matters, counseling, employment, legal issues, education, healthcare, childcare, housing. Our referrals to community agencies and organizations, as well as our workshops and seminars on issues important to women, are a source of great joy to women searching for answers.

Do you offer legal guidance? We offer a monthly legal clinic for self represented litigants. Volunteer attorneys provide oneon-one legal advice to participants. This service is great for women who do not have access to money in their relationships, or are unemployed and need legal assistance. We also offer a monthly nonlegal divorce advice class. We maintain a court watch program, monitoring the Family Law Courts to ensure women’s voices are heard.

Are you related to the Women’s Press? Yes, we own the Women’s Press; we are very proud of its quality, and the impact it has on the community; our newspaper’s articles include WCC news, calendar of events, workshop and program information, and issues of special concern to women. It is also a forum for creative

writing, letters and poetry. The paper can always use new writers and reporters and persons willing to distribute the paper every two months or find more advertisers. We encourage women to submit articles for publication at womenspress.slo@ gmail.com Where do you do your work? We are located in San Luis Obispo, California, at 4251 South Higuera St. inside the SLO Business Center. Our phone number is 805-544-9313.

Where can I find your website?

Email wccslo@gmail.com, and check www.wccslo.org and wccslo.blogspot.com How can I participate? We are happy to welcome new volunteers, no experience necessary; we’ll train you!

Staff the phones: Can you spare a few daytime hours once a week to lend a listening ear? Training is provided to help you be a sympathetic, nonjudgmental resource for the many people who call requesting our help.

Court watch: Do you have time to go to court with our clients? You would sit in the courtrooms and observe family law cases for us. We provide training and the observation forms needed to help us tabulate instances of bias in how the courts

treat people handling cases without an attorney to assist them.

Organize: Do you like organizing? Help us plan and produce special events, such as seminars, Day With Creative Women, fundraising, and the like.

Manage the office: Are you willing to donate 2 hours of your day 5 days a week and accept only the “pay” of free coffee, a few pieces of chocolate, and the satisfaction of knowing you may have made a difference in a woman’s life? You would be offering a sympathetic ear to callers, checking the log for any unfinished business, making follow-up phone calls.

And most of all, donate!

If you want to help, please go to our web page, download the volunteerapp2009, complete it, and return to our office at: Women’s Community Center, PO Box 15639, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 I hope all this information has been useful to you; please help spread the word about the WCC. Thank you!

Winter’s Wind

By Sonia Paz Baron-Vine

Driving in the rain at night.. blurred colorful lights pass me by holiday leftover from diehard neighbors....

It is winter in Central California and I am cold, I also cry easily lately... because my son is sick...

It is hard to keep a cheerful face when inside of me I have this heavy heart...

You my oldest son, once bright, witty, strong now sad, sarcastic, weak

the cancer hurting you, the chemo poisoning you, And me... praying to all the goddesses in the middle of the park away from everyone crying under the rain screaming to the winter’s wind to ask mother earth to heal you...

My tears are salty they fall copiously from my tired eyes down to my neck as I search the stars for an answer...

Graphic by marchecco

Motherhood 11

Women’s Press January & February 2010

A Sign on a Door

Attached Parenting

Photo by Kathryn Lane Berkowitz

By Jennifer Stover

“Because the Physicians at Aspen Women’s Center care about the quality of their patient’s deliveries and are very concerned about the welfare and health of your unborn child, we will not participate in a “Birth Contract”, a Doula Assisted, or Bradley Method delivery. For those patients who are interested in such methods, please notify the nurse so we may arrange transfer of your care.”

A photo of this sign has been posted on the internet and has created a stir in the pronatural birth community. Wow! So here is a hospital being completely upfront with their beliefs: natural childbirth is less safe, laboring moms and dads do not have the right to make their own choices during the birth process regarding the safety of their babies, and they cannot bring into the process any outside professionals who do believe in the safety of natural birth. As a doula, I am both shocked and glad they are being this straight forward. Many hospitals and medical professionals share these same beliefs, but they are not so open about it. The women in Aspen who take a tour of this facility before they make a choice about where to birth their babies can decide for themselves if the philosophy of birth expressed here is a good match for them. Luckily, I was able to find one other hospital in the Provo Utah area where the Aspen Women’s Center is located, so women do have a choice.

At the root of this sign are two men, Dr. Robert Bradley and Dr. Fernand Lamaze, but to understand why a sign like this would end

up hanging on a door in a maternity ward, it is helpful to look at a little history. Perhaps one of the worst times for birthing women in this country occurred during the era when doctors stopped going to their patients and medicine became more centralized. Driven by the discovery of germs to be feared and a culture that turned away from individualization and toward efficiency, hospital protocols turned birth from a family event into the business of birth. Culturally women were trained to acquiesce to male authority figures and so they passively allowed the process of birthing babies to be taken over, fathers were excluded, rigid hospital routines were followed, and male doctors dominated the scene.

Then the Sixties arrived and with it the women’s movement, hippies, and the protest era. Into this powerful mix walked Dr. Bradley and Dr. Lamaze to spearhead the “natural” birth movement here and abroad.

Although their “methods” differed, they both believed two things: the sensations of birth can be handled without pain medication, and a husband’s help is vitally important to the process. Through their books and training of out of hospital birth educators, they changed maternity care in this country by creating consumers, moms and dads, who demanded changes.

Fathers went from being completely excluded and made to sit anxiously waiting in a separate room to being required to be an active participant at their child’s birth.

Women showed doctors it was possible to experience labor without being rescued by pain medication; birthing in up right posiContinued in SIGN, page 22

Principle 4: Use A Nurturing Touch

By Lisa Jouet

Attachment parenting is heartily demonstrated by the use of nurturing touch. This begins when a newborn baby is held close to her mother’s chest. An un-medicated newborn is generally very alert for at least an hour or so after birth. During this special time, “feel-good” emotions and hormones are stimulated by the warm touches between mother and baby. What many people may not realize is nurturing touch continues every day after birth into toddlerhood and even into adulthood.

My daughter was carried first in a sling, then a soft carrier, and today, at three and a half years old, still enjoys being on our backs in a soft carrier. Truthfully, she did not seem to like the sling as a newborn unless we were walking around. She soon grew accustomed to it and would usually fall asleep in it after breastfeeding. Later, in the front carrier, we started out with her facing us. She was able to turn away from external activities if she wanted to rest, or she would turn and see what was going on if she was wide awake and rested. Eventually, she only wanted to face the world in the front carrier but soon grew too heavy for both my husband’s and my shoulders and backs. We took our friend up on an offer to borrow her soft carrier, which

allowed us to carry our girl on the front, side, or back; we loved it and so did she. Having her on us enabled us to cook, go for walks, attend a festival or two, and even work a little. My husband and I felt so right about having our baby close to us, and she seemed so happy being held, too.

I have also given my daughter short massages with body lotion after her bath for a few years now. She doesn’t mind the minimassages, but she doesn’t love them either.

Perhaps she will enjoy it more later in life when she can differentiate between being on the go and winding down. She loves brief tickling sessions, and her father and I always listen to her verbal and non-verbal cues that tell us she wants more or she has had enough. I have heard wrestling is another positive form of touch between parents and their kids when they get older. Other forms of nurturing touch our daughter enjoys are sitting on our shoulders, piggy-back rides, bath-time, hand-washing, playing doctor, story-time, and dancing together, especially when we imitate ballet dancers.

I encourage everyone to practice nurturing touch with all of the special people in your life, especially your children and your partner. Making time for these special moments will create bonds and memories that will last a lifetime.

12 Motherhood

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Welcome (Home)

By Diane Halsted

I am always delighted when one of my children comes to visit and just as delighted when he or she leaves. Even when they were still in college and hadn’t lived away from home long, I felt like this. I miss my children tremendously and I welcome them, but togetherness calls for compromises from us both. Make no mistake about it: Once your child has moved away, once your child is your adult child, he or she is a visitor.

When my children lived at home, they had chores to do, helped with cooking, shared in creating our routines. Now when they visit, I shop, cook more than usual, wait around for them to come back from an outing, reschedule activities because I want to be with them, and change my eating habits.

I become the hostess. They don’t, of course, ask me to do any of this, but it is what one does when one has company. And let me say it again: This adult child, this fruit of your womb, is now your guest.

For parents who still live in the home where their children grew up as I do, homecoming presents challenges. My son’s bedroom is now my study and my daughter’s bedroom is a guest room. Except for my son, guests stay in the guest room. He doesn’t feel

Miscarriage

By Gina Carmen Turley

I wanted you to taste my life like I tasted yours.

The thought of your vibration sent music to my steps.

You and me and all of the family that waited for you-inside you were already mine.

Inside you were only a spirit.

Inside me- connection to spirit.

Baby Baby, where did you go?

Why did the blood spell out the failure of my body?

Was it my past?

Was it the hormones trapped in chemicals, torn with age, mixed up with emotions?

Who made this decision?

Was it DNA? Was it God? Was it my unconscious or was it his?

Do not leave me precious little...

Again, I try.

comfortable—or I should say, because he has never tried it, he doesn’t think he would feel comfortable—sleeping in his sister’s room.

He sleeps on the sofa bed in the sitting room which limits my access to television and sewing machine. I tolerate this inconvenience because I so want him to come, to feel welcome and comfortable.

If parents have moved, homecoming presents other challenges. Adult children come only to see their parents, not to “come home.” My parents left our family home after I finished college. In their new home, no space had been mine and I felt as the visitor, not the returning child. They had to give directions to the grocery store and tell me where to find pots in the kitchen.

When my children, now thirty-something, visit, we talk early on about our plans so we know what to expect. They ask if I have jobs I’d like done. Sometimes we must share my car. They considerately tell me how long they plan to be away when they go out and call if their return will be later: They know my mother’s ears kick in immediately, and I worry at every siren. In short, I treat them with the same considerations I give all my guests, and they show the same respect other guests do. Adults taking pleasure in each other’s company, we enjoy our visits.

Again Blood drips from my uterus spilling the naked truth.

Again, I try.

Again, Blood drips from my inside, ripping my heart-leftover garbage- strips broken heart left scarred.

Again, I try.

Death before the birth.

Again, I try.

It isn’t me.

I can heal.

My body may come with me and celebrate another birth or not.

Tears may come and tears may go. nature has a way of telling us.

We are okay. nature has a way of telling us.

Love heals. nature has a way of telling us.

We are special.

May I feel your spirit in mine little precious.

Dancing on Earth or dancing in Heaven.

Today or tomorrow. naturally.

By Lisa Pimentel Johnson

Normally I would not review the same author for three books, but he is really good!

It is a new year and we all could use a little “zen” in our lives. Zen is a Japanese word that means “meditation,” and all of these books abound with enlightenment and love.

The first book by Jon J Muth, called, Zen Shorts, has won the Caldecott Honor award and is a delightful, gentle story about a wise Panda bear named Stillwater.

Stillwater becomes friends with three c h i l d r e n — A d d y, Michael, and Karl— when he moves into their neighborhood.

Each curious child comes over to his house to discover and play with the giant friendly bear. Stillwater calmly eases into telling each of them a story about human nature. This book is an excellent teaching tool for parents and children to talk about our own lives and the reactions given the same situations in the book. It is an opportunity to share values and build character as we strive to understand ourselves. In the end, it is how all the children and Stillwater are connected in life and the living of it!

The second book, Zen Ties, also stars my new favorite Panda bear, Stillwater. This time his nephew, Koo, comes visiting and only speaks poetically...in Haiku style. Every time Koo said something, it was as a short poem of three lines, usually stressing five, then seven, then five syllables. The result is an engaging little bear who speaks succinctly! Once again,

human nature is explored and this time it involves an old, grumpy lady, Miss Whitaker, who lives on their street. Through Stillwater’s patience and example, all the children and Miss Whitaker have an attitude adjustment.

Being an environmentalist, I also enjoyed the tag line about the disposable cup. After reusing the same paper cup during his visit, as Koo is leaving to return home, he tells Stillwater, “Nearing my visit’s end / summer now tastes of apple tea / I will keep my cup,” all in perfect Haiku of course!

The third book, The Three Questions, is based on a story

by Leo Tolstoy. In Muth’s version, a young boy ponders three questions to his companions, the heron, monkey, and dog. The questions are: • When is the best time to do things?

• Who is the most important one?

• What is the right thing to do?

The answers he receives does not ease his angst, so he journeys onward, seeking the wise old turtle. Before he can get his answers, a huge storm blasts through the mountains and cries for help are heard by the boy. While rescuing a mother and child, he is led to the answers he has been searching for.

All the illustrations in these books are exquisite watercolors and elegant ink drawings. The simplicity of the images are beautiful, and he often used his own family as models.

My advice is to buy all three of these books and be reminded of the unexpected in the ordinary.

Voices 13

Women’s Press January & February 2010

presents

A Monthly Series of Spiritual Workshops

Save the World Temple Beth David, 10180 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo Third Thursday of Each Month • 7-9 pm • $20 suggested donation Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com or (805) 541-6874 for more information.

In the new year, what are you not going to give up?

Jill Turnbow Hope.

Gina Whitaker I am working hard to meet my goal of losing 70 pounds. I started May 4, 2009 with Weight Watchers, and am halfway there. I am NOT going to give up my journey to a healthier, lighter me in the New Year!!

Amy Aldinger Wine.

Katy Meter My faith in humankind. I will continue to focus on countless acts of kindness and goodwill counteracting all the negativity reported by the media. Many blessing to us all in the upcoming year.

Leslie St. John I will not give up red wine, dark chocolate, and at least one media guilty pleasure— currently, Mad Men. Anonymous I am not giving up chocolate or sex!

Photo by Sanja Gjenero

January Workshop

Kelly Swanson Cookie dough and full-fat lattes are stay- Would you like to step into the new year freer than ever before? Are there recurring themes ing in my life! and patterns that keep replaying in your life?

Do you feel that you would like to move forJen Kaplan I am not giving up working with women ward but don’t know how? Are you actively in the community to know their bodies when writing the script for your life?

Come and explore the concept of energy pregnant and to have faith in the natural prowork and of how things are storied in our cess of birth. Even though I have a family and bodies. Using her training as a healer and am really busy, I will not give up my advo- shaman, Terri will open a sacred space to cacy for what I know is right and helpful for explore and discuss the nature of healing at all women. the various levels of our being; physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and energetic.

Tasha Johnson When we embark on our personal jourNothing! I never give up anything for ney of healing we begin to shed the past and New Years, which is why I am, once again, become more present to this divine moment, not going to sacrifice anything in my life. I and can then story a new life for ourselves love who I am, what I do, and the decisions and those around us, even our world.

I make. Everything I do—whether good or bad—is part of my life story: unfolding with Terrie Miley is a local healer, teacher and musician on the central coast who has studied grace, determination, and acceptance. with Alberto Villoldo, PhD, author of Shaman, Healer & Sage and creator of Healing the Light Next issue question: Body School. She is trained in the traditions of the medicine of the Inca, South America and What book has the Shamans of Peru; she is a graduate from The changed your life?

Fourwinds Healing the Light Body Program.

E-mail responses to womenspress.slo@gmail.com

February Workshop An imaginative journey (aka guided meditation), expressive art, and group discussion that will explore how to move co-creatively into the New Way. We will attempt to attain the perspective of a blank canvas and newborn babe. Bring a paper map of the geographical area you live in that can be cut up and painted on, and wear comfortable casual clothing. All other art supplies provided.

Jennifer Star is a certified CJEA instructor through Dr. Lucia Capacchione’s Creative Journal Expressive Arts certification training program (2003), trained in the mid 1990’s with the late Tamara Slayton (1950 - 2003) in “Reclaiming the Menstrual Matrix” feminine mysteries, and with Dr. Connie Kaplan’s Dream Circle Leader Course in 2007 to become a dream circle leader that focuses on the collective dream. She is currently president of the Creativity Club at Cambria’s Joslyn Adult Recreation Center and director of the Peace Pie Mandala Project. She has also recently launched her latest endeavor via the world wide web - 13 New Moons: A journal of self-discovery within the lunar cycle.

For more information on all the various projects Jennifer is involved in please visit her main website at www.JenniferStar.net.

14 Local Perspectives

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Brain Candy

By Lisa Pimentel Johnson

While waiting to find a job, I pursued exploring the right side of my brain. Soon I had all three extension leaves permanently set in the dining table and canvases, brushes, and acrylic pots of kaleidoscope colors were like confetti covering the space. Sometimes the art flowed easily from my brain to my hand.

Other times, I grinded my teeth and tried to slow down my hand. But always there was something missing in this new colorful saturation of my life. It was an emptiness that charcoal, Monet, or a Rodin sculpture could not fill. I noticed my verbal repartee was disappearing in silence, and I was worrying that all the rubber cement glue fumes were burning up my brain cells.

As I was sharing a gluten free pizza with my daughter, in between bites of oozing mozzarella, we chatted about psychology. I was shocked that I could string a few words together, and I actually could feel my brain snap alive and hum with happy noises. I was dusting off words I hadn’t used in months and even stumbled over their pronunciation a few times. I felt like I could write a book about motherhood and psychology interwoven with humor, sadness, and hope.

I crave brain candy. I need to use my brain in challenging ways and feed it all the time. With this new insight, I am going back to school for a Masters in Psychology to attain licensure as a Marriage Family Therapist. My brain sugar rush will be learning and pushing beyond all my comfortable boundaries. Art will always be stylizing my life, but engaging my brain will be the sweetest gift to my life!

By Berta Parrish

If a bibliophile is a lover of books, then Pat Williams deserves a broader descriptor as a lover of libraries. Perhaps librairephile can be especially coined for her. From owning just two books as a child, Pat is now vitally interested in the countless books, periodicals, films, CDs, computers, and reference materials in SLO county and the people who use them. Her many and varied volunteer positions with the public library system fuels her enthusiasm to make information easily accessible for everyone. However, her passion goes beyond this intellectual commitment.

“For me, a library is a sacred place,” she explains. “I will swoop into a library in a rush, and I’m often caught off guard with how special the space feels. There’s history in these buildings. They hold our past, our future, and our present. Education, family, discovering your roots, becoming historically connected. All these and more are found in a library.”

After a 33-year career in biomedical research, Pat retired as a Health Policy Analyst at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland and moved to Creston in 2001.

Her experience with budgets, policies, technical writing, project management, and long-range planning are all being used in her current role as Vice-Chair of the System Advisory Board (SAB) of the Black Gold Cooperative Library System. If you have ever checked out a book, you know about this fantastic three-county system. SAB board members advise the Administrative Council about the needs and concerns of the people it serves by working with the Friends of the Library (FOL), groups of ten of the twelve county libraries.

With the unfortunate recent public library budget cuts, we are very fortunate that Pat is contributing her time and expertise to the increased need for volunteers and for more involved Friends of the Library organizations. In 2007, Pat conducted a SAB-sponsored workshop for the SLO, Santa Barbara, and Ventura County’s FOL organizations which focused on recruitment, effective volunteer/staff relations, and creative fundraising ideas. She also formed a “San Luis Obispo FOL Presidents group” so they can coordinate activities, share information, and learn from one another. Doing even more, she serves as a Director on the Foundation for SLO County Public Libraries,

which seeks to raise awareness and funds to strengthen the library system, and she chairs the FOL Liaison Committee with the Foundation.

Even with the strain of cutbacks on the staff, volunteers, and programs, Pat remains dedicated and optimistic. “In spite of all the sadness and concern about how to keep the libraries an integral part of the communities, I don’t lose my enthusiasm,” she states.

“It’s something that I love with all my heart.

And you don’t abandon something you love, like a marriage that’s going through a rough time. If you’re going to stay committed and involved, it has to be something you love.”

From raising money for two local libraries through craft fairs and bookstore sales, to serving on boards and foundations, Pat Williams is one of the nearly 600 volunteers who donate their time to an SLO library within a given week. Even though they are doing what they love, we, the recipients of their work, are grateful. So, the next time you see a volunteer shelving a book or contributing as a Friend of your library, spread the love by telling that librairephile how much you appreciate them.

Local Perspectives 15

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Local Green Solutions for Saving Energy (and Money) at Home Graphic by Kostya Kisleyko

By Kathleen Deragon

H

ow energy efficient is your home and how can you best find out?

Have a whole house performance specialist come in and do an energy audit.

Because a home auditor is an independent inspection agency and does not sell products or services beyond the home energy inspections, so they are not motivated to sell you anything. They are just providing information to help you make the wisest decisions for your particular situation. However, they can recommend products they have used and in which they have confidence.

Paul Menconi Energy Efficiency Solutions info@ees-slo.com 805-541-0367 • Not all compact fluorescent bulbs are created equal.

• A water catchments system can provide you with gray water or rainwater for watering your garden.

• You can contribute to the air quality in your home by replacing carpet with tile, bamboo, cork, or linoleum floors and using area rugs. If you want carpet, use natural fibers.

• Water quality is not an easy issue. We have hard water here, but is the use of water softeners and purifiers worth the financial and environmental cost? And are chlorine and fluoride safe?

• Green plants improve air quality in a home.

What might you find out?

• Air leakage is one of the most overlooked sources of energy inefficiency. According to the US Department of Energy, 40% of all your heating and cooling energy is lost through leaks, either in your ductwork or through the house itself.

• You’re losing more air from around your recessed lighting than you are from your windows and doors.

• While a tankless hot water heater can Passive solution strategies include: • “Clear storey” windows and solar tubes give you unlimited hot water, it may not that add light without adding heat save you money. There are other efficient • Overhangs and awnings that shade winwater heaters and recirculating pumps dows during the summer systems that may serve you better.

• Outside screens and inside curtains that • Cleaning your refrigerator coils and lowalso keep heat out of the house ering the temperature inside can save • Plants on west-facing walls that can you money. block the sun, reducing home tempera• Adding insulation before you adequately tures seal an attic or walls reduces the effi• In certain situations, adding tile to the ciency of the added insulation. floor or additional wallboard to walls • Air exchangers can enable you to control to stabilize temperatures, making the how and where your house breathes. house cooler during the day and warmer

at night • Using non-toxic cleaners and clearing out the ones that have accumulated under your sink or in a laundry room • Using lamps for task lighting • Opening windows to cool off your living spaces

Troy Spindler Green House troyspindler@sbcglobal.net 805-704-5771

Ed Warner Insight Builders EdWarner2U@yahoo.com There is no one solution that fits all: it 805-474-4139 always depends on a multitude of factors Kathleen Deragon is a member of the South unique to your home.

Building science is a relatively new field, County Initiating Group for Transition San so many of the assumptions that are the basis Luis Obispo County, part of a fast-growing for current building codes or practices are international network of communities that are each implementing their own plan for creoutdated.

The tenets of green building relate to ating sustainable projects such as utilization indoor air quality, energy conservation, and of local food, building energy efficient transthe sustainability of building materials and portation systems and buildings, finding and creating renewable energy sources, and other furnishings.

Relatively inexpensive and easy solutions projects. Community goals are to increase local for the most common problems may include self-reliance, moving away from dependence replacing incandescent lamps with compact on shrinking supplies of fossil fuels and lowerfluorescent bulbs; sealing air leaks; improv- ing our impact on the environment in response ing insulation; buying Energy Star appliances to climate change. Within these goals, memincluding a more efficient hot water heater; bers of the Transition movement seek to create buying low flow and/or double flush toilets; a purposeful, well-planned transition to a posiadding plants inside your home to improve tive future based on community collaboration. air quality; and having window coverings Go to www.transitionus.org and http://transitioncalifornia.ning.com/for more information that block heat and UV rays.

Three local businesses that offer about the Transition Town Movement. Or call energy efficiency information and green solu- Kathleen at 805-474-6444. tions are:

16 Local Perspectives

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Nothing Serious

A Volunteers Perspective

Just Say I Do

By Jill Turnbow

I took on a new role recently. Something I have prepared for all my life. I was recently asked to serve as “Wedding Coordinator” for a dear friend. She believed I would be perfect for the job, and at the time I felt she was absolutely correct. I knew that the previous 27 weddings I had been in (and no, I’m not lying, I have seriously been in 27 weddings) gave me the experience I would need to pull off the blessed event. And up to that point, I had done everything but sing (and I feel safe in knowing no one is going to ask me to do that), but I had never been a “coordinator“!

Then she said, “you’re perfect because you’re so bossy; you’ll keep my crazy family in line.”

So in one fell swoop, I went from Madame Director to Referee.

This lovely outdoor ceremony came with a very strict seating arrangement. “You can NOT let my mother and father get anywhere near each other!” the Bride commanded.

“And keep Grandma out of the champagne!”

But in all honesty, while she thought her family would misbehave, I found them all charming and agreeable. But I was only there for two hours. That’s the beauty of the job.

Women

By Jean Gerard

It takes a dream to stir the heart of woman’s love and longing.

It takes the night to wake her shades of dulling memory and regret.

Next come the words to shine a light on terms, mixed assignations: mother daughter sister crone goldilocks grandmother wolf before the beautiful parade files past, attenuated on life’s tilted runways, dropping lace perfume petals buttons snaps and ruffles twirling back on youth and games

I believed I had thought of everything, having made several lists, and gone over everything in my head. I even thought to bring a second pair of shoes. In the first hour I had rubbed a blister the size of the bouquet. I realized that if you’re not the bride, no one cares about your feet, so nobody noticed the slippers. But I also learned that you can’t control everything, especially if the wedding is outdoors. Who knew the neighbor’s dog could run that fast down the center aisle and almost lift his leg on the Bride’s father. Who knew a branch would fall from a tree and smack his girlfriend in the head?

Neither of those things were on my list. And neither required medical attention, so we soldiered on.

But you have to love a wedding. It’s a joyous occasion. A proclamation of undying love, a vow to live out your life together as a couple…a vow witnessed by two step-moms, a Mom, a Dad, a step-dad, Dad’s girlfriend, Mom’s third husband. Welcome to the families, you two. I wish you the best.

Sunny Acres

Jill would just like to say that if anyone in the By Matt Lombardini family is reading this…I kid. I love you Amber! Volunteer, Sunny Acres, Inc. Thank you for letting me be a part of your beautiful day!

Whether homeless people are better off in the creek or in what modern society deems to be sub-standard structure’s not built to code, is an ethical matter not a legal issue. Laws are often passed that are put forth for the benefit of the people by the people. However, there are times when extenuating circumstances exist which may override the law. I believe this to be the case regarding Sunny Acres and Dan De Vaul’s actions. Mr. De Vaul is a bit and dances and the wild rush of a renegade. It is precisely because of this of marriage in-laws births quality that he has been able to stand up to feeding bathing nurturing. the powers that be and do what he feels he is Then daughter’s teen-age bloom, “morally and spiritually obligated” to do in her eager risk and asking if and when order to help people less fortunate then himand how, and what am I? Are you? self and others. He presents a challenge to Mixed signals, click of stilted heels the status quo and this is what sets him apart lipstick smiles and painted nails from many others. This is a man who stands and stern denial of white hair by what he believes in and does not waver. and that sad insidious awareness The only thing Mr. De Vaul is guilty of is of a narrowing tenuous future acting from a place of decency and concern as many moons fill and lapse for his fellow man. He watched as the county and the woman gives up breath condemned the campers and trailers people and passes into the woods alone, were living in on his property. While the yet fit to burst with loving. county was unwilling to help with this process by simply allowing the required use and building permits to construct legal housing, he opted to build a converted barn for the formerly homeless residents to live in. Con-

Photo taken at Sunny Acres

sequently, when the county condemned the building, citing code violations, the residents were forced back into the campers and trailers, and many left—traumatize--returning to the creek sides where they formerly lived.

Unless the laws are relaxed and fees are reduced for required permits, the idea of ending homelessness in our county with the assistance of non-profit agencies may never be realized. In many ways Sunny Acres represents a time gone by when it was ok for one man to help another with what he had to work with. In light of this, I believe the current system warrants serious examination of the way we address issues such as homelessness in our county and throughout the Country.

“The poor who have neither property, friends, nor strength to labor are boarded in the houses of good farmers, to whom a stipulated sum is annually paid. To those who are able to help themselves a little or have friends from whom they derive some succor, inadequate however to their full maintenance, supplementary aids are given which enable them to live comfortably in their own houses or in the houses of their friends. Vagabonds without visible property or vocation, are placed in work houses, where they are well clothed, fed, lodged, and made to labor.”—Thomas Jefferson: Notes on Virginia Q.XIV, 1782. ME 2:184

Local Perspectives 17

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Don’t Let Information Gaps Sap Your Business Success

Photo by Zsuzsanna Kilian

By Adele Sommers

Many of us struggle daily with absent or incomplete facts and data within our own organizations or in relation to communications from vendors and service suppliers.

Sometimes we can feel as if we’re running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to locate even one piece of timely and accurate advice!

Is your organization experiencing situations in which people seem to be routinely misinformed about how things work -- and are thereby giving habitually incorrect guidance to colleagues, clients, and customers?

Information gaps can cause profound ripple effects in areas such as product and service quality, communication, safety, morale, and customer satisfaction, to name a few. So, with regard to your own organization, ask yourself: Are employees stymied by missing, disorganized, or inaccurate information? Does everyone constantly need to guess or improvise the data, standards, schedules, or procedures to do their jobs?

Are customers complaining about nonexistent or deficient product instructions or about misleading, delayed, or incomplete customer status updates?

If either answer is “yes,” look for ways to close these gaps before they sap your business!

Five Ways to Eliminate Information Gaps 1. Compile a complete set of current and accurate procedures, standards, schedules, facts, and data needed to do each type of job.

If your standards or regulations vary depending on the types of products you produce, publish clear instructions on when and how to apply them.

2. Be sure documentation libraries are accessible and updated regularly. Maintaining your libraries electronically -- either online or in a database -- can streamline the

process of modifying your documentation.

It also makes documents easy for employees, customers, or both to access with just a few keystrokes. By requiring your personnel to retrieve and use the latest official versions immediately, you’ll avoid problems with outdated procedures that can cause waste or confusion.

3. Overhaul any overly complex procedures by simplifying, automating, or even eliminating them. The simpler you can make your processes, the better. That alone can lead to higher quality and faster delivery, a shorter learning curve for mastering a job or using a product, and far greater employee and customer satisfaction.

4. Give personnel access to job support systems. Examples include printed job aids, quick reference guides, online assistance, or other reminders that people can refer to quickly and conveniently -- whether they work at a desk, workstation, lab, customer site, or in the field.

5. Troubleshoot any clogged communications that may be delaying or distorting critical employee broadcasts. If everyone doesn’t hear the same thing at the same time, a disorganized reaction and poor morale can result.

This includes documenting and distributing meeting summaries so that everyone knows what decisions were made and who has agreed to complete follow-up actions.

In conclusion, by systematically providing access to key information, you can avert potential disasters, bolster employee morale and customer satisfaction, and cement a solid foundation for business success.

Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is a business performance consultant who helps entrepreneurs align their life passions with their business purpose.

She also guides organizations through “tactical tune-ups” and “strategic makeovers” in individual or group sessions. Contact her today for a free initial consultation at Adele@LearnShareProsper.com, or 805-462-2199.

YOU CAN HELP CREATE THE BEST NEWSPAPER ON THE CENTRAL COAST! Earn extra $$$ as an Advertising Rep Join the Staff of the Women’s Press We could always use help in many different areas!

Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com for more details.

18 NOW News

Women’s Press January & February 2010 This Page Presented by the

National Organization for Women

The purpose of NOW is to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society NOW !

Coordinator’s Corner

By Angie King

Where is the outrage? Why aren’t we out in the streets! Haven’t things gotten bad enough yet? Think of the bought-and-sold big corporation money politics we now have: government by the highest bidder, plundering for their own greed without regard for the people they are supposed to represent. Think of the degradation of the planet being done in the name of consumerism and trade balances. Think of the wasted money in wars and war machinery, when there are people starving on the streets here at home, jobless, homeless and hopeless.

Where are the Thomas Paines, the Daniel Websters, Sojourner Truths, or Susan B. Anthonys? Have we become so immersed in iphones and Facebook accounts that no one cares if democracy sinks into plutocracy?

Speaking of the war, the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy (DADT) is still in place, making gays and lesbians hide in the closet if they want to serve in the military. Congress passed the law in 1993, and Obama says Congress has to repeal it, but, according to a think tank specializing in research on gender, sexuality, and the military, The Palm Center in Santa Barbara, the law can be repealed unilaterally by the President under an earlier law that permits the commander in chief to suspend any law relating to military promotion, retirement, and separation. The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law requires the military to separate any openly gay member from military service. It would seem to come within the authority to suspend laws relating to sep-

Goals • Support reproductive choice • Work to eliminate all violence against women • Fight against sexual harassment • Encourage tolerance and diversity • Promote feminist issues • Commemorate Roe v Wade (Jan 22) • Celebrate Women’s Equality Day (Aug 26) • Participate in Farmer’s Market • Support feminist politics

February 4: • Birthday of Betty Friedan, 1921, first president of NOW February 11: January 1: • Founding of first women’s college, Mt. • Birthday of Betsy Ross, 1752 Holyoke, 1836 January 11: February 12: • Birthday of Alice Paul, 1885, author of • Founding NAACP, 1909 ERA February 15: January 13: • Birthday of Susan B. Anthony, 1820 • Birthday of Charlotte Ray, 1850, first February 16: black woman attorney in , admitted to • NOW regular meeting, 6 PM bar, 1872 February 17: January 18: • Birthday of Marian Anderson, 1902, • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrated opera star January 19: February 18: • NOW regular meeting, 6 PM • Birthday of Toni Morrison, 1931, PulitJanuary 25: zer winner, 1988 • Birthday of Virginia Woolf, 1882 February 21: February is Black History Month • Malcolm X assassinated, NYC, 1965 February 3: • Birthday of Gertrude Stein, 1874

Calendar

aration for Obama to do away with this odious discrimination against the military.

And it is discriminatory against women disproportionately. Women have received 61% of the DADT discharges for the Air Force even though they represent only 20% of the branch; 36% of the Army’s, where they are only 14% of the service; 23% of the Navy discharges, where they are 18%; and 18% of the Marines, where they are only 6 % of the total force.

Why? According to the Palm Center research, the disproportionately female “outing” comes at least partly from the “macho” culture of the military that sees women and gays as a threat to the male identity. Often the result of rebuffed sexual harassment is a complaint that she is lesbian, leading to an investigation of her sexual orientation.

And, we already know that 1 in 3 women in the military has been sexually assaulted.

The “hotline” to report such assaults is a 24-hour message recording. The majority of assaults are not even reported as it is another case of “blame the victim” and the end of her military career. Women have been reported dying from dehydration rather than consume liquids causing them to have to urinate after dark, as the latrines are the scene of most assaults.

Isn’t it time we spoke out against all this outrage!! You can join NOW and take action!

Check out the website for things you can do: now.org.

Start with attending a local NOW meeting (see clip out info on this page) and come to the Roe v Wade Town Hall and make your voice heard for choice.

NOW Chapter # CA 565 PO Box 1306, SLO, CA 93406 SLONOW @ kcbx.net http://groups.myspace.com/~slonow

General Meetings 1060 Palm St., SLO

3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:00 pm

Get Involved — Join NOW! San Luis Obispo Chapter National Organization for Women Every woman doesn’t have to join NOW, just the 142 million who are discriminated against!

Name: _ ______________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ City/St/ZIP: ___________________________________________ Phone: ________________________________________________ Regular Dues ….$40, Sliding Scale…..$15-39

Send your check and this form to

PO Box 1306 SLO, CA 93406

Amount enclosed: _____________

Chapter # CA 565 slonow@kcbx.net

NOW News 19

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Remembering Woodstock 40 years later – At the Intersection of Sexism with an Eco-Feminist Twist and Racism – SisterSong From the CA NOW web page:

A world class music event took place in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in October 2009 to commemorate the 40 years since Woodstock, the biggest and most famous music festival in the US, which took place in upstate New York in 1969, in the driving rain. More than 50,000 people flooded Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park in much better weather than the original, to hear such legendary Woodstock original acts as Jefferson Starship, Country Joe McDonald, Ray Manzarek (from The Doors), and many more.

Echoing the revolutionary 60’s anti-war gatherings that happened in the panhandle of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, the West Fest: 40th Anniversary of Woodstock was a celebration of exciting artists with new ideals and a psychedelic nostalgia of the past.

The CA NOW and San Francisco chapter of NOW in collaboration with West Fest, Green Zone Productions, and Rock the Bike presented a family friendly stage with worldclass acts, an off-the-grid, eco-friendly bikepowered stage, amenities for children such as a napping tent, free face painting, a crafting tent, and much more.

The amplification for this music stage was powered by women riding bicycles! “Our eco-feminism bike-powered stage brings attention to the relationship between feminism and the earth,” explained Mona Lisa Wallace, president of San Francisco NOW. NOW itself turned 40 two years ago.

Aileen Hernandez, legendary feminist leader, who served as NOW’s second president at

the time of Woodstock, spoke to the crowd about NOW’s action plans to help heal the earth. The current CA NOW president, Patty Bellasalma, noted that NOW was born out of the Woodstock generation and it was a wonderful honor to take part in this truly joyful celebration of 40 amazing years for feminism.

“Pharmaceutical corporations, grocers, coal, gas and chemicals all have their powerful armada of lobbyists,” she said in response to the question of why feminism is valid forty years later. “Women and girls have NOW; we lobby in the interest of women and girls in Washington and local legislatures. It is us who you call if you want to bring attention and funding to feminist issues; we strive to give the grassroots a voice in how this country is run.”

A number of artists performed on the CA NOW stage, including Pamela Barker, Aradhana Silvermoon, WomenROCK, and the Druid Sisters’ Tea Party dancers. As part of NOW’s grassroots edutainment effort, they widely distributed “herstory,” a rowdy compilation music CD featuring: Goddess Alchemy Project, Kim Manning, Aradhana Silvermoon, Roots A’Risin’, Pamela Parker, and Polly “RadWoman” Wood. The limited production of herstory, an album released to NOW members and the broader supportive community, celebrates women in music addressing topics from menstruation to Tupperware®.

For more information on bikepower, visit RockTheBike.com. For more information about “herstory,” visit feministmusic.com.

By Angie King

At the rally in Washington DC held to protest the inclusion of restrictive language against abortion in the health care reform bill, busloads of women were present through the organizing efforts of SisterSong.

I had heard only vaguely of the group before and knew it was a feminist activist organization, but I really didn’t know much more.

This year is turning out to be a critical juncture in the fight for progress for women and once again, our bodies are on the line, literally, with the abortion debate. SisterSong is an organization that understands repression and discrimination. Founded in 1997 and based in Atlanta GA, SisterSong is comprised of “women of color from many cultures and orientations who may sing different songs yet we all sing the women’s song in harmony, from the same score, on the same sheet of music,” according to one of the founders, Juanita Williams. Their motto is “Doing Collectively What We Cannot Do Individually.”

The mission of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective is to “strengthen and amplify the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color so that we may secure our human rights, and thus achieve reproductive justice. We fight equally for the right to bear – or not to bear – a child, along with the subsequent and necessary enabling conditions to realize these rights.”

SisterSong represents five ethnic populations/indigenous nations in the U.S.: Native American / Indigenous; Asian / Pacific Islander; Arab American / Middle Eastern / North African; Latina; and African American / Black / Caribbean / African. The Collective has 80+ women of color member organizations and individuals, and hundreds of white women and male allies who support our goal of improving the lives of women of color.

Photos by Sas Van Veen

They are one of the major proponents of Reproductive Justice, the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, economic, and social well-being of women and girls, which will be achieved only when women and girls have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, our families, and our communities in all areas of our lives.

Isn’t that what we all want?

I say SisterSong is at the intersection of sexism and racism, because SisterSong is the only national coalition in the U.S. of women of color organizations working to ensure reproductive justice for communities of color. Constituent groups include Asian Women’s Health Collective, Indigenous Women’s Health Clinics, Latina Health Organization, Black Women’s Health Project, and others.

Reproductive justice is essential to a woman’s self-determination for herself, her family, and her community. Regulating reproductive decisions of women of color is a central aspect of racial, class, and gender oppression in the U.S. It results in the control and exploitation of women and girls through our bodies, our sexuality, and our labor.

SisterSong’s goal is to eliminate reproductive oppression. They are building a movement that poses a strong, countervailing moral and political vision to the hypocritical “culture of life” framing promoted by those opposed to women’s rights. Instead of focusing on the means—a divisive debate on abortion that neglects the real-life experiences of women and girls—their reproductive justice analysis focuses on the ends: better lives for women, healthier families, and sustainable communities.

And, they are—apparently—doing very well. For more information check out their website: sistersong.net.

20 NOW News

Women’s Press January & February 2010

Celebrate Women’s Right to Choice

Roe v Wade turns 36 years old!

Friday, January 22, 2010 SLO Public Library, 6 PM Town Hall Discussion of Health Care Reform legislation Once again, the National Organization for Women hosts our annual public event to highlight our core principle – support for reproductive choice--and the current precarious nature of women’s access to reproductive rights, including the constitutionally protected right to terminate a pregnancy. Clinics are still being attacked; doctors and staff are still killed for doing their job; and now it looks as if the wing nuts have captured the health care reform bill debate to further their own social agenda of depriving women of civil rights.

Meet at the SLO library at 6 PM on Friday January 22, 2010 for an hour of lively conversation and debate about the merits of the various state and federal bills being considered. Since the issue changes daily, we don’t know the shape of any specific bill at

press time. But we do know that abortion has become the wedge – again!

Hilda Zacaris, candidate for state Assembly District 33 (Blakeslee’s old seat), has agreed to moderate the debate. Hilda knows the issues; she is currently Executive Director of the Santa Barbara Family Care Center, which serves to increase the quality and quantity of childcare throughout Santa Barbara County, and she serves on the board of Planned Parenthood locally.

After the discussion we will hold our traditional candlelight walk to honor the women who died from illegal abortions and then return to the library for networking and refreshments. The event is free and open to the public. We look forward to seeing you there!

More Effective than a Mammogram for the Prevention & Earliest Detection of Breast Cancer

Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging

• • • • • • •

Detects physiological changes 8 to 10 years before a mammogram can detect a mass No Radiation or Compression FDA Approved Detects Inflammatory Breast Disease (a mammogram cannot) Safe, painless, easy, non-invasive According to the American Journal of Radiology: 99% sensitivity, 90% specificity and 90% accuracy Creates a risk assessment and management program

For more information on Breast Thermogaphy: www.centralcoastthermography.com or (805) 441-5557 Available at: Rees Family Medical and Central Coast Thermography

YOU CAN HELP CREATE THE BEST NEWSPAPER ON THE CENTRAL COAST! Earn extra $$$ as an Advertising Rep Join the Staff of the Women’s Press We could always use help in many different areas!

Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com for more details.

Bulletins 21

Women’s Press January & February 2010 Energy balancing sessions free of charge in San Luis Obispo The Global Alliance for Balance and Healing is offering free energy balancing sessions on Saturday, January 16 from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

The free clinic will be held at Sierra Vista Hospital in the Auditorium, 1010 Murray Avenue, San Luis Obispo. Parking is best in the outpatient parking lot (on the west side and then go through the second entrance sliding glass doors). Once you enter the doors, turn right and then left into the auditorium. Sessions are 25 minutes in duration and no appointment is necessary. All are welcome.

Visit www.globalalliance.ws or call 805438-4347 to learn about energy balancing or other offerings from the Global Alliance for Balance and Healing.

For more information or to coordinate a clinic in your area, e-mail Wendy McKenna at wendy@globalalliance.ws.

Evening of Education and Enlightenment: Transgender Couples Speak Out

Ever wondered what it might be like to be happily married and then find out your husband or wife was miserable in his/her life as a man or woman? What happens when a married heterosexual couple “becomes” a gay couple, or vice-versa? What are the social, legal and emotional effects on the family as they adapt to such a radical change?

These are some of the issues we will be exploring on February 6, 2010 at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 2074 Parker St., SLO at 4:30 PM. The evening will start with a potluck dinner at 5:00 PM, followed by a viewing of the film, Normal, with Jessica Lange and Tom Wilkinson, at 6:00 PM. After the film, a panel of two transgender couples, along with Dr. Denise Taylor, a local physician treating many transgender individuals, will address some of the many issues affecting transgender couples.

Please join us for this evening of enlightenment and education. Bring a potluck dish to share and your own place setting and Lighten Up Your Body, Lighten Up Your Life 6 week series facilitated by Dorothy Segovia utensils. Drinks will be provided. An offering will be taken to offset the cost of showing the certified Life & Visioning(R) Coach movie. Contact Gina Whitaker (gwhitaker@ January 19 - Feb 23 7pm - 9pm Based on the book by Dr. Lucia Capac- ginanken.com) or Kari Graton (karigraton@ chione, this series will explore playful Cre- yahoo.com) for further info. ative Journal tools for reclaiming the body Writer’s Workshop and how we feel about our bodies!

Being comfortable in your body has to do Join us for the writer’s workshop “Book Pubwith loving your whole self - now - exactly as lishing 1-2-3: From the Writer’s Fingers to the you are!

Reader’s Hands.” We’ll take a behind-theYou’ll learn how to transform your beliefs scenes glimpse at how a manuscript becomes and allow your true, joyful self to emerge. a printed book, including the major steps $150.00 for 6 weeks (Includes book) within a publishing house. A longtime proTo register call: the Be Well Center at 805 fessional editor will describe the process, 460-9907 and share tips to help writers improve their For more information, classes at the Be chances of getting published, e.g., ideas for Well Center visit www.bewellliving.net finding literary agents. Other highlights For more information about Dorothy include quick creativity exercises and our Segovia and the Creative Journal method “Ask the Editor” Q&A session! visit www.writeinside.com Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the conference room of the San Luis Obispo Library (995 Palm St.). $10; each person will receive Perfect Pairings Fund Raiser All benefits go to the Literacy Council for a free, professional review of five (5) doublespaced pages of writing (hard copy).

San Luis Obispo County Laurie Gibson, presenter, has edited and Speed Dating for adults 45 and up proofread nearly 200 books, including novels January 31, 2010, 2:00pm to 6:00pm We especially need men to sign-up. Goal: such as The Color Purple (Alice Walker) and Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf ), short story 30 men and 30 women. $60.00 per person. $35.00 tax-deductible collections such as Tales from Margaritaville Talley Vineyards 3031 Lopez Drive, (Jimmy Buffett), and numerous titles by Brian Tracy, the bestselling business author.

Arroyo Grande Contact: Joe McLaughlin or Bernadette She also works with first-time authors to help improve their writing (and their chances of Bernardi getting published).

805-541-4219 or www.sloliteracy.org For more info. about “Book Publishing 1-2-3,” contact the presenter at (858) 635-1233 or eaglet5223@mypacks.net

Feed the Homeless with the Circle of Selfless Service

Homeschooling?

Come join other Homeschoolers for some The Circle of Selfless Service is in need of social fun, weekly get-togethers and field Volunteers to prepare and/or serve meals to trips. We want to hear your ideas!

Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ the homeless at the Maxine Lewis Shelter and Prado Day Center in San Luis Obispo. SanluisObispohomeschoolers/ This is truly a “feel-good” experience which greatly benefits the needy in our community.

Volunteering is a wonderful way to be a part of your community and give back.

Please call to offer your services and/or for more information.

Contact person: Susan Wood, Manager for the “Circle of Selfless Service” at the Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment: 805771-9706, susan@susanwoodlifecoach.com, http://www.spiritualcircle.org/

Where to find Women’s Press

All Libraries and the following exceptionally fine establishments!

• NORTH COUNTY: Atascadero – The Coffee House and Deli, Starbuck’s at Von’s Plaza, Green Goods, Player’s Pizza, Harvest Health Food Store, North County Connection, Senior Center, Women’s Resource Center/Shelter Office, Curves. Paso Robles – Cuesta College North Campus, Café Vio, Curves, DK Donuts, Panolivo French Cafe, NCI Village Thrift Shop, Paso Robles Health Foods; Templeton – Twin Cities Hospital, Templeton Market & Deli, Affinity Chiropractic, Kinship Center, Jobella’s Coffee; Santa Margarita– Santa Margarita Mercantile.

• NORTHERN COAST: Baywood – Coffee & Things; Cambria – Cambria Connection, Cambria Pines Lodge, Chamber of Commerce, Gym One, Azevedo Chiropractic, Lilly’s, Alloco’s, Cambria Drug and Gift, Bob & Jan’s Bottle Shop, Linn’s, Donna’s Nail Salon, Cookie Crock, Rainbow Bean and Coffee Shop; Cayucos – Cayucos Super Market, Kelley’s EsPresso & Dessert, Ocean Front Pizza, Chevron Station, Mobile Balloons; Los Osos – Starbuck’s, Baywood Laundry, Cad’s, Carlock’s Bakery, Chamber of Commerce, Copa de Oro, Garden Café, Los Osos Deli Liquor, Volumes of Pleasure; Morro Bay – Backstage Salon, Coalesce Bookstore, Coffee Pot Restaurant, The Rock, Southern Port Traders, Sunshine Health Foods, Two Dogs Coffee, La Parisienne Bakery.

• SAN LUIS OBISPO: Broad St. Laundry, Cool Cats Café, La Crepes, Edna Market, Booboo Records, Creekside Center, GALA, Marigold Nails, Palm Theatre, Susan Polk Insurance, Utopia Bakery, Unity Church, Zoe Wells, Naturopath, Cal Poly Library and Women’s Center, Center for Alternatives to Violence, Chamber of Commerce, Cuesta College Library, EOC Health Services Clinic, HealthWorks, Healing Alternatives, Laguna Laundry, Linnaea’s, Monterey Express, Natural Foods Coop, New Frontiers, Nautical Bean, Outspoken Beverage Bistro, Phoenix Books, Planned Parenthood, West End Espresso & Tea, San Luis Obispo Housing Authority Office, SARP, The Secret Garden, SLO Perk Coffee, Spirit Winds Therapy, The Studio Fitness for Women, Uptown Cafe, Yoga Centre, Ahshe Hair Salon, Apropos Clothing, Soho Hair Salon, Hempshak, YMCA, KCBX, Salon on Monterey, Jaffa Café, Med Stop (Madonna Plaza), World Rhythm and Motion, Steynberg Gallery, Correa Chiropractic, High St. Deli, Sunset N. Car Wash, Jamaica You, United Blood Services.

• SOUTH COUNTY: Arroyo Grande – Mongo’s, Act II Boutique, Central Coast Yoga, CJ’s Restaurant, Curves-AG, Cutting Edge, EOC Health Services Clinic, Girls Restaurant, Grande Whole Foods, Chameleon; Avila Beach– Avila Grocery, Custom House, Sycamore Hot Springs, Inn at Avila, Joe Mamma’s; Grover Beach – Back Door Deli, Cindi’s Wash House, Nan’s Pre-owned Books, Therapeutic Body Center, 30-minute Fitness; Halcyon – Halcyon Store; Nipomo – Anna’s Creekside Coffee House, Healing Touch Spa, Curves, La Placita Market, Healthy Inspirations, World Gym, Trendy Sister Salon, Senior Centers; Pismo Beach – Honeymoon Café, Pismo Athletic Club, RETurn to JOY!; Shell Beach – De Palo & Sons Deli, Seaside Cafe, Steaming Bean.

• SANTA MARIA: Café Monet, Hunter’s Landing, Library, Curves on Main and on Broadway, Lassen’s.

• ORCUTT: Loading Dock, Oasis Spa.

22 Resources

SIGN Continued from page 11

tions became possible and labor beds which convert into a variety of positions were adopted. Babies who weren’t drugged in labor could latch-on and nurse immediately after birth and did not need bottles and formula; La Leche League and the breastfeeding movement began. Now hospitals have lactation consultants on staff. Women who had not received medications and/or surgery could immediately begin to care for their infants and rooming-in became the norm; only infants who need special care go to nurseries now, so they look like ghost towns.

None of these changes were begun from within the system; they came about through consumer demand on the system, though all along the way nurses, certified nurse midwives, and a few doctors listened to their clients and ultimately were the ones to bring about change within the system.

Here are some of the changes I have seen locally in the twenty years since I became a doula. When I was pregnant with my son, there were two hospitals to choose from in San Luis Obispo: General Hospital, which was known for being more pro-natural birth and Sierra Vista, which had just gone through a dramatic physical renovation to create less “hospitally” looking rooms where a mom could stay throughout her time in the hospital. You had two choices of care providers who supported a natural birth, Dr. Lickness or the Certified Nurse Midwives working for Dr. Johnson and Dr. Richards.

Kathleen Huggins had published her “Nursing Mother’s Companion” and begun the Breastfeeding Warm Line, which dramatically increased our county’s breastfeeding rate. Did you want to try to birth vaginally after a cesarean? Talk to Dr. Clutter; eventually all the doctors in town would “allow” a woman to try for a V-BAC. At General Hospital the nurses worked hard to achieve the World Health Organizations “Baby Friendly” status and later with the help of the nurse midwives, Linda Seeley, Midday Johnson, and Lisa Winnick, and Dr. Spalding as they began doing water births.

At French hospital the nurses worked with the anesthesiologists to find a level of medication, which will give adequate pain control and leave the mom able to be more of an active participant during pushing.

Sierra Vista increased the level of care they could provide for seriously ill newborns so moms and babies could stay together in the county instead of being flown to bigger hospitals. Many beliefs about standard safety

Women’s Press January & February 2010 ABUSE

Adults Molested as Children Support Group (AMAC) Rape Survivors Support Group, SLO Support Group for Sexual Assault procedures have changed too, such as, when Survivors I had my son, I was continuously on the 545.8888 baby heart monitor, but now even the Amer- Center for Alternatives to Domestic ican College of Obstetricians and Gynecolo- Violence gists agree that fifteen minutes out of every 781.6406 hour is adequate for picking up a baby who’s North County Women’s Shelter & in trouble. Doulas became more common Resource Center, in the county, and I personally felt more (inc. domestic violence support groups) 461.1338 accepted as part of an over all team working to achieve the most positive birth possible for SARP (Sexual Assault Recovery & my clients. Each of these changes and many Prevention) others started small, one doctor saying yes or 545.8888 or 800.656.HOPE (4673) nurse saying I’ve never seen that done before, Women’s Shelter Program of SLO 781.6401 www.womensshelterslo.org but if it’s what you want. . .

None of these changes happened without ADDICTIONS push back from the established system. The AA Meeting stakes are high. The business of birth is big 541.3211 money. The fear of litigation is all too real. Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) And now, 20 years since my son was born, 498.2176 things have changed. And not for the bet- Al-Anon ter. My birth class clients have had doctors 534.9204 throw their birth plans across the room. I Cambria Connection (12 step support) sat in a doctor’s office and heard him tell my 927.1654 doula client that “natural” birth was all very Casa Solana well, but it wasn’t optimal. Both our hospi- Women’s Recovery Home 481.8555 tals currently refuse to “allow” women to Chemical Dependency intensive birth in water. Now because of space issues, outpatient program dads aren’t always able to stay with moms 541-9113 and babies after their births at our hospitals. Compulsive Eaters Anonymous, H.O.W. I listened to a birth professional tell a group Concept www.ceahow.org of women that Bradley classes teach women 546.1178 Drug & Alcohol Services not to trust their care provider, but I believe 781.4275 it is a birth educator’s responsibility to teach Narcotics Anonymous women to trust themselves and to trust birth, 549.7730 and 800.549.7730 and it is the care provider’s responsibility to Overeaters Anonymous foster a trusting relationship with their cli- 541.3164 ent. Sierra Vista asks doulas to sign a paper SCA, SLAA & SAA (Sex, Love & Romance agreeing to do little else than bring ice chips Addictions) and hold a woman’s hand. These days many 461.6084 women don’t want to actually feel birth, for TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) our society is too accustomed to medicat- 929.1789 www.tops.org ing our pain away. Add to that our culture’s Women for Sobriety obsession with scheduling our lives and we 215.536.8026 www.womenforsobriety.org get inductions and planned cesareans. MeanCHILDREN & FAMILIES while our hospitals’ cesarean section rates are climbing as is our premature birth rate as Birth and Baby Resource Center too many babies are being “scheduled” to be 546.3755 www.bbrn.org Childcare Resource Connection born too early.

541.2272 or 800.727.2272 So this sign on a hospital’s maternity ward Court Appointed Special Advocates door doesn’t surprise me but it does sadden (CASA) me to see that the things women and their “A child’s voice in Court in SLO County” partners, nurses, doctors, and midwives have 541.6542 worked so hard to achieve in moving birth in Children’s Services Network our country toward a more humane, family 781.1847 centered experience grounded in the belief First 5: Children & Families that women are created with the power in Commission them to birth their babies is being eroded.

781.4058; ask for Susan Hughs Homeschooling in SLO County (HSC)

462.0726; ask for Barbara

La Clinica De Tolosa 238.5334 La Leche League

489.9128

Migrant Childcare Program

544.4355 and 466.3444

MOMS Club of South SLO county

473.2548; www.southslomomsclub.org Partnership for Children

541.8666; ask for Beth

Real F.A.C.T.S. (Forum on Abused Children)

460.9016

Social Services

781.1600

Support for Kids Coping with Domestic Violence

473.6507

EMERGENCY/CRISIS Hotline

www.slohotline.org 800.549.8989

Sexual & Rape Prevention (SARP)

545.8888 or 800.656.HOPE (4673) Temporary Restraining Order & Victim Witness Program 781.5821

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

A.D.A.P.T. (Aid in Divorce Adjustment Problems Today)

543.0388

Alzheimer/Dementia Resource Center

800.443.1236

Alzheimer’s Association

547.3830

CALL–Concerned Agoraphobics Learning to Live

543.3764

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA)

542.0577 (SLO) 481.5093 (Grover Beach) 927.1654 (Cambria) 466.8600 (North County) Community Counseling Center

543.7969

Dealing With Divorce

544.9313

Depresson and Bipolar Support Alliance Group

927.3703

Divorce Discussion Group

489.2990, saintbarnabas@sbcglobal.net Eating Disorders Support Group

546-3774; free, meets weekly in SLO

Project Lifesaver

548.0909 www.projectlifesaverofslo.org Safe and Sober Support Group

473.6507

St. Barnabas (Depression/Divorce/ Grief)

489.2990 www.stbarnabas.ag.org

Talk/Listen - Emotional support

489.5481

Transformations Counseling Center

Free monthly workshops 541.7908

Resources 23

Women’s Press January & February 2010 FINANCE/BUSINESS

888.488.6555

800.540.2227

San Luis Obispo 543.1481, 238.9657 Templeton 434.3051

Consumer Credit Counseling Services

GAY & LESBIAN

Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast

541.4252

PFLAG.Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays

438.3889

SOL (Single Older Lesbians)

Mostly socializing! Call 474.9405

HOSPICE

Hospice of SLO County, AIDS Bereavement Group

544.2266 and 434.1164

American Cancer Society

Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia Support Group

JOBS/CAREERS AARP

788.2643

Cal Poly Foundation

Jobline 756.7107 www. calpolyfoundation.org

892.5556

Creative Writing Group

Arthritis Foundation

541-4219

Cancer/ Breast Cancer Support Groups

748-2676; contact Gloria

Caregivers of Aging Parents

549.9656; contact Shirley Powell

Celiac Disease Support Group

http://SinC-CCC.blogspot.com

543.1481 ext. 3 for information 543.7969 226.9893

Endometriosis Association

www.endometriosisassn.org

771.8640 www.enhancementinc.com EOC Health Services Clinics

no or low cost reproductive health services 544.2478 (SLO); 489.4026 (Arroyo Grande)

Healthworks of the Central Coast

Cuesta College

The Creekside Career Center

542.6269

Department of Rehabilitation

3rd Thursday, SLO, 7 -9 pm 464-0564

Mission Community Services Corporation Women’s Business Partners

785.0132

http://calpolyjobs.org 756.1533 http://www.cuesta.edu Jobline 546.3127

Hearst Cancer Resource Center

788.2600 or 237.3014 www.slocareers. org

IC Interstiti al Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome

549.3361

Long-term Care Ombudsman Services of SLO County

595.1357 www.mcscorp.org

READERS/WRITERS Adult Literacy

No or low cost reproductive health services 542.0900

Cal Poly University

www.kcbx.net/~slonow/ slonow@kcbx.net

541.9113

Enhancement, Inc. (for breast cancer Hospice Partners of the Central Coast survivors)

782.8608

NOW (National Organization for Women)

Lymphedema Education & Support Group

Nightwriters

Sisters in Crime

SENIORS

Adult Day Care

489.8894 (Arroyo Grande); 434.2081 (Templeton); 927.4290 (Cambria)

In-Home Support 781.1790 Nursing help for the terminally ill 781.5540

Elder and Dependent Adult Advocacy and Outreach – Victim Witness Assistance Center

781-5821

541.5502

544.4883

541.1963; www.spiritualcircle.org Awakening Interfaith Spiritual Community

Meditation Monday evenings 7-8 pm Open to all. 772-0306 awakeninginterfaith.org

Hungry Hearts Spiritual Community

RC liturgy with womanpriest 546.8672 Meditation Group

543.5140

MEDICAL SUPPORT/SERVICES

545.8412; Dawn Williams

WOMEN’S CENTERS/SHELTERS

227.4785 or 674.4162 Alzheimer’s Support

547.3830, 534.9234 (SLO/Los Osos)

New Beginnings Church

Self-Realization Fellowship

Commission on Status of Women

Sunday Services 995-1599

Democratic Women United

Homeless Shelter

541.4252

League of Women Voters

543.2220

800.247.7421 or 489-5481

Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment

Every Sunday, Coalesce Bookstore, MB

ALS Support Group (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)

Compassion & Choices (or Final Exit)

SPIRITUAL

www.codepinkslo.org; ososousaville@ charter.net

Senior Legal Services

Code Pink

544.3399 or 783.2383

Senior Peer Counseling

Mondays, 7:30–8:30 PM; 772.0306

544.9313

Central Coast Peace and Environmental Council

Senior Ballroom Dance club

POLITICAL

Pro Per Divorce Workshop

Camping Women

782.9200

Women’s Support/Therapy v (general) Women’s Healthcare Specialists

781-0922 Karen www.aauw.org

Foster Grandparents.Senior Companions

Family Law Facilitator

534.1101

American Association of University Women

473.4747

471.8102 (SLO)

Lawyer Referral and Information Service

481.1039; Cici Wynn, President

Elder Law, Geraldine E. Champion, Attorney

District Attorney’s Office – Victim Witness Center

788.3418

Altrusa International, Inc.

OTHER GROUPS & GATHERINGS

SLO 549.9446

544.2266 (SLO)

OTHER WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS

Department of Social Services:

Core Mediation Services

781.5821

549.8989 (crises), 781.6401 (business) www.womensshelterslo.org

Computer help: 489.6230

California Rural Legal Assistance

Caregivers of Stroke Survivors

Women’s Shelter Program of SLO

543.9452

LEGAL

Stroke Support Group

544.9313

Computerooters:

Free, trained in.home counseling for 60+ 547.7025 ext. 15

544.6334 medeee8@aol.com

Women’s Community Center, SLO

Hadassah.SLO

466.7226 (Atascadero/Templeton) 481.7424 (Arroyo Grande) 541.8633 (SLO) Planned Parenthood

786.0617 www.pradodaycenter.org

440.2723 www.campingwomen.org

489.5481 dg17@juno.com

544.7994

Prado Day Center (for the homeless)

781.1790

2nd Monday, 4-5 pm, 782-9300 Parkinson’s Support Groups

461.1338

Adult Protective Services

Private Industry Council (PIC)

www.jobhunt.org 788.2601

North County Women’s Resource Center, Shelter

781-3993

Housing Authority

543.4478

Please send additions, corrections or deletions to: womenspress.slo@gmail. com or leave a message at the WCC: 805.544.9313. Last update 12/28/09.