BLAINESWORLD
#694
1.18.2010

In this issue:
1. Reflections
2. FYI
3. Matter of perspective
4. Reviews . . . AVATAR , etc.
5. TV alert
6. The river
7. Websites
8. Computer tip
9. Pregnancy Q & A
10. A quote I like
11. Thought for the day
12. Advance planning department

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1. Reflections

A. Cynthia, my beautiful bride, and I went with a few neighbors to see the Metropolitan
Opera's HD broadcast of CARMEN at The Carolina Asheville . .. what a production!

Elina Garanca was superb in the leading role . . . in addition, we liked the behind-the-scenes
interviews that were conducted during the intermission.

The good news: You can still catch an encore performance on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at
6:30 p.m. . .. for a local theater near you, please click:

http://tinyurl.com/naznjg. 
Even if you're not an opera buff, you'll enjoy this one. (And will recognize much of the music!)

B. We also discovered two new places that I'm sure will become our favorites:

* A new ice cream store (at least for us): CinTom's Custard.

I had the pina colada, and Cynthia had caramel cashew crunch . . . both flavors
were sooooo creamy.

The business features other desserts as well . . . however, what makes CinTom's
so unusual are the following two things:

1. The decor . . . inside, it almost looks like a medieval castle . . . there's a colorful
mural that just has to be seen . . . also, there's a "talking" knight who actually speaks
to you; and

2. The owner, Tom Barkei . . . he greets you when you come into the store and makes
you feel welcome . . . in addition, he'll give you generous samples of as many flavors of
custard and/or tastes of dessert that you want . . . Gina, his employee, was every
bit as friendly.

For more information, please click:

http://cintoms.com/

Make sure you check the store hours (unfortunately, CinTom's is not open Monday
to Thursday during the winter), along with the daily special that changes each day.

* And with our friends Ted and Kimberly, we got to try out 131 Main in Biltmore
Park . . . the inside of the place was very attractive, and the service (from our
server Ken) was most attentive.

There was a slight problem with the kitchen that night, resulting in a delay for
us getting served . . . however, we were impressed with how the manager (Tyler
Thomas)  handled the situation . . . as it turns out, the wait was worth it . . . I
enjoyed my grilled chicken sandwich, and Cynthia said her cedar plank salmon
was quite tasty . . . our starter of cast iron cornbread was great; make that,
IT WAS THE BEST CORNBREAD WE HAVE EVER HAD . . .  that one item alone
will cause us to soon return. (And often, too.)

For more information, please call 828.651.0131.

C. The earthquakes in Haiti (see also the PS at the bottom of this missive) were
devastating . . . however, I'm dismayed by all the stuff that's coming out
about how folks can help--especially since much of it is coming from scammers.

Here was one of the worst I have ever seen:

Subject: Haitians desperate for supplies.
From: email@unicefusa.org

On the evening of January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitude
6.5 to 7.3 struck Haiti in the highly populated area of Department Ouest,
10 miles from Port-au-Prince. Within hours of the earthquake, UNICEF
made an initial contribution of $200,000 of our own funds for relief activities
and as of this morning we have pledged a total of $1 million to the response
effort in Haiti.

UNICEF is accepting public donations to support the Haitian response.
You can do it, you can help by making a small donation to UNICEF
International Response Fund (which is used to respond to disasters
such as the Haiti earthquake).

If you wish to make a donation click on the following link :

XXXhttp://www.unicef.org/haitiquakeXXX

(Several paragraphs followed and this name was then given.)

Caryl M. Stern
President & CEO
U.S. Fund for UNICEF

HOW TO TELL THE ABOVE IS A SCAM:

I put the XXXs in front and at the end of the website to make sure
no reader went to it . . . however, if you moved your mouse cursor over
it, you would see that it actually took you to some other site that
asked for information that UNICEF would never seek . . . furthermore,
there was an 800 number that when called, got you to a florist.

Lastly, there's no such webiste as this one that was mentioned in the email:

http://www.unicef.org/haitiquake

IF YOU WISH TO MAKE A LEGITIMATE DONATION:

Please feel free to click the following website:

http://www.unicefusa.org/

D. CONDOLENCES to Carol Latsch and family on the death of Carol's brother William
(Bill) R. Dunn . . . he was 62 and fought a valiant effort to win his battle with prostate cancer
the past 7 years. He was receiving hospice.  

If you'd like to make a donation in his honor to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, you
can do so by clicking:

http://www.prostate-cancer.org/aboutus/donate_memorial1.php 

***** BLAINESWORLD BEST AWARD *****

This week, it goes to Erik Bendix--an Asheville instructor in the Alexander
Technique . . . Cynthia nominated him; here's what she had to say:

His patience, calm presence, and way of being embody the lessons that he teaches. 
The Alexander Technique is a simple method for improving ease and freedom of movement
in everyday practical activities such as sitting, lying down, standing, walking, and  other
daily activities.

I tend to try many things. Asheville has thrown at me so many delightful healing opportunities. 
I often try something, and then go on to something else. Some little voice has told me
to stand in one place, and continue to work with Erik on a regular basis. There is a jewel in there,
and I will continue because I experience life-enhancing benefits. I have experienced the possibility
of moving in my life in a new way that makes normal everyday activities accomplished with more
ease. Learning new ways to do these things somehow transfers into how I live my life on
a deeper level. 

If you want to know more about this healing technique and Erik, please contact him at
828.298.5515 or via email: erikbendix@hotmail.com.

_________________________________________________________


2. FYI

How to learn just about anything online . . . for FREE . . . all you need
to do is click the following link:

http://tinyurl.com/yf3t7tz

You'll be taken to a very informative article that is in the
January-February 2010 issue of the AARP BULLETIN . . . it
also contains links to such:

Smorgasbord sites such as ITunesU, Academic Earth, YouTube (and
an education channel called YouTube EDU), ResearchChannel
and Videlectures.Net.

Standalone university sites such as webcast.berkeley and Harvard@home.

How-to sites such as Learning center, WonderHowTo and Howcast.

Deep thinking sites such as TEDTalks, Nobel Prize winners and
Forum National Network.

And miscellaneous sites for such topics as Health, Languages, Cooking,
Literature, Jazz, Finding your ancestors, History and Computer programming.  


FYI, part 2

* Clark in Pennsylvania: 

About the painting done by Joan Weiss . . . it's available through the Chamber’s website:

www.lbccc.org

Click the image of the painting “Olivia’s Lookout,” which is on the homepage. That will take you
to an order form that contains information about Joan and the painting. Framed prints are $159
(including tax) and matted prints are $58.30.It’s being sold through Susan Gittlen at Whispering
Woods Gallery. Proceeds benefit the Chamber.

MY TWO CENTS:

For those that don't know the name Joan Weiss, she was my close friend and colleague
at Bucks County Community College, and I still miss her . . . I also get to think of her
every day because of the fact that we have a framed print of the above painting on display
in the hallway leading to our bedroom. Here's a picture of it:

* Kimberly in North Carolina (with a delicious recipe that she developed from scratch):

Kimberly Ross' Gluten-Free, Lactose-Free, Sugar-Free Banana Blueberry Nut Muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Use non-stick spray or paper muffin cups
to line muffin pan for 12 muffins.

Mix in bowl:

¾ cup Quinoa Flour
¾ cup Organic "Quick" Oats
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Mix in blender:

½ cup Unsweetened Vanilla Flavored Almond Milk
6 packets "Stevia" natural sweetener
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 eggs
3 ripe bananas

Add the blender mix to the dry ingredients in the bowl. Mix together and
add 12 chopped walnuts (approximately 1/8 cup of chopped walnuts). Stir
in ¾ cup fresh berries (blueberries or blackberries) into the mix. Instead
of the berries, you can also add 1/3 cup dairy-free/gluten- free chocolate
chips. Spoon mixture into muffin tins ¾+ full with an ice cream scooper.

Bake approximately 22 minutes at 400 degrees. Each berry muffin has
approximately 100 calories and the chocolate chip variety has approximately
135 calories per muffin. Enjoy!!

* Danny in North Carolina:

Thought you might be interested in this. Has some nice restaurants on their menu to deliver
food to your home or business. They do drop-of catering too.

http://www.blueridgetogo.com/

* Nick in North Carolina:

Do you know that you can get thousands of world wide TV broadcasts for free on your PC? 
Ask you computer jock about it. Costs about $50 for the SW and there is no monthly charge,
and it is legal. You can buy a cable for about $10 which will allow you to connect you laptop
so you can watch it all on a large TV.  

* Gil in North Carolina:

I’ve also been thinking about switching my TV service to AT&T. Already have
landline and DSL.  

The costs seem comparable. I’ll look into it further. Thanks for sharing. 

I’ve started a new blog at:

http://wishdr.blogspot.com/

Take a look. I’m offering free career and job search advice . . . time to give
back to the community once again. Feel free to pass along to your friends
who might benefit . . . or you can put it in your next newsletter.

MY INITIAL REACTION:

Some real good stuff here. Do check it out.
* Joe in Pennsylvania with another excellent blog entry:
Here’s the latest . . . thought you might get a kick out of it:
http://thebulldogedition.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/and-on-the-seventh-day/
* Kathy in Pennsylvania with an important announcement about Girl Scout cookies:
Cookies are in! $3.50 per box. Thin mints, shortbread, caramel delights, lemon drops,
PB patties, Thanks-a-lot (cookies coated with chocolate) and Daisy-go-round (reduced
fat cookies). Help Olivia in her first time as a cookie seller.

For more information, especially if you live in Bucks County, call Kathy's number
at the community college: 215.968.8352.

* Arlene in Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh area) goes one step further; i.e., she'll even
pay to ship the cookies to you:

As for Girl Scout cookies, I posted that on Facebook but knew it would never work. The cost
of each box is $3.50. It would cost a lot more to ship it everywhere, but the thought of advertising
and making sales for my little Katelyn really appealed to me. Katelyn is 9 yrs old, and if I must
say so, absolutely adorable , bright with many talents.  Who wouldn't want to help her achieve
her goals?  That being said, how many gross would you like? I'd gladly pay the postage to send
them to you. 

MY RESPONSE:

I don't quite need a gross of these cookies, but that said, folks in the Pittsburgh area should
feel free to drop Arlene an email for their local orders . . . her email address is:
Sweetn5163@aol.com.

* Mary Lou in North Carolina:

I loved your rendition of the poem about death. I have a similar one that somebody
gave me when my Mom died almost 11 years ago. I have shared with so many in grief. It is
incredibly comforting!

Now that I'm gone,
remember me with a smile and laughter.
And if you need to cry,
cry with your brother or sister
Who walks in grief beside you.

And when you need me,
put your arms around anyone
and give to them
what you need to give to me.

There are so many
who need so much.
I want to leave you something.
Something much better
than words or sounds.

Look for me
in the people
I've known and loved or helped
in some special way.
Let me live in your heart
as well as your mind.

You can love me most
by letting your love
reach out to our loved ones.
By embracing them
and living in their love.

Love does not die,
people do.
So, when all that's left of me is love,
give me away as best you can.

Author unknown

***** CORRECTION *****

Last week, I incorrectly referred to the author of CLAPTON as George
Clapton . . . obviously, Eric Clapton is the author.

THANKS to two of my favorite Pennsylvania readers, Pat
and Barbara, for pointing this glaring typo out to me.

* Barbara further noted:

Thanks to his very successful recovery (and Crossroads, the recovery center in Antigua
he founded and heavily funds scholarships for Antigua's native-born who are in need
of treatment--something he almost never discloses ), Clapton has become brutally honest
about his failings. When he needs to "re-center," Clapton goes down to Crossroads just
to hang out with fellow recovering addicts.

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3. Matter of perspective

Child to her grandma: "Why do you call grandpa Hon?"

"It's a term of endearment," the grandma explained.

Her grandpa then mumbled, "After more than 40 years, it's a term
of endurement."

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4. Reviews

A. If you like playing video games, you'll love AVATAR . . . I don't, so count
me among the minority who don't count the film as one of the year's best . . . the
story, set in the future, involves an ex-Marine who infiltrates the planet Pandora
and finds life better there than anywhere else . . . it was very violent and too
long for my taste . . . the 3D effects were interesting, at first, but I got tired
of them eventually . . . I also didn't feel for any of the characters, though I did
appreciate Stephen Lang's work as a villain . . . rated PG-13.

B. THE INVENTION OF LYING is now out in DVD format . . . my review
from BLAINESWORLD #680 follows:

I thoroughly enjoyed THE INVENTION OF LYING, a romantic
comedy about a guy who lives in a world where everybody tells the
truth--all the time . . . and about everything, including a retirement
home that has this sign out front "A Sad Place for Hopeless Old
People" . . . advertising is equally truthful, such as this roadside
sign that promotes a "a cheap hotel for intercourse with a near
stranger" . . . so when this one rather innocuous guy discovers
that he can lie, the world changes . . . there are both funny
and touching moments in this film that effectively teams up
Ricky Gervais with Jennifer Garner . . . rated PG-13.

C. If you want to read garbage, check out this newsletter!

The above are words that I have not yet seen in print, but after reading POISONED
PENS--edited by Gary Dexter--I can only hope that continues; i.e., no
reader ever writes them . . . if so, I'll be grateful because as the author
points out in the subtitle of his informative book, there's been LITERARY
INVECTIVE FROM AMIS TO ZOLA . . . in other words, for a long time.

Many authors, it seems, actually take delight in trashing their contemporaries . . . for
example, here's what Samuel Butler had to say about Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe:

* I have been reading a translation of Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister. Is it good? To me it seems
perhaps the very worst book I ever read. No Englishman could have written such a book.
I cannot remember a single good page or idea, and the priggishness is the finest of its kin
that I can call to mind. Is it all a practical joke? If it really is Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister that
I have been reading, I am glad I have never taken the trouble to learn German.

Mark Twain had nothing good to say about another famous writer:

* I haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them. I often want
to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can’t conceal my frenzy from the
reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read Pride and Prejudice,
I want to dig her up and hit her over the skull with her own shin-bone.

What's fair is fair, though . . . Dexter found others who weren't crazy about Twain's
writing, including William Faulkner:

* [A] hack writer who would not have been considered fourth rate in Europe, who tricked
out a few of the old proven "sure fire" literary skeletons with sufficient local color to intrigue
the superficial and the lazy.

Lastly, I don't pay much attention to the documentation in a book . . . I made an
exception for POISONED PENS because what was included (182 footnotes) was
done quite well and actually provided additional tidbits about the various authors,
such as this comment from Tom Wolfe about a negative review he received
from Norman Mailer:

* Wolfe's comment on this in a letter to writer Anthony Arthur was: "All I got out
of that is the fact that Norman has made love to a lot of three-hundred-pound women."

D. Liked WHEREVER YOU GO THERE YOU ARE: MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
IN EVERYDAY LIFE, written and read by Jon Kabat-Zinn.

The author, founder and director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University
of Massachusetts Medical Center, does a fine job in presenting an introduction
to Buddhist meditation . . . the key is to practice "mindfulness," a more than
2000-year-olld method of living fully in the present while observing ourselves,
our feelings, others and our surroundings without judging them.

WHEREVER YOU GO is broken down into three parts. The first explores the
reasons why you should take or or deepen a personal practice of meditation. Part
two explores some of the basic aspects of any mediation practice. And part three
explores various applications and perspectives on the concept of mindfulness.

I liked the fact that the book wasn't full of jargon, and that it was easy to both
understand and apply . . . I also liked Kabat-Zinn's amusing stories of how
mindfulness could be applied to everyday life, including "Cleaning the Stove
While Listening to Bobby MdFerrin," "Cat Food Lessons" and the two chapters
on parenting as a form of meditation (and how he called children "live-in
Zen masters").

Although I don't presently meditate on any sort of regular basis, the author
has gotten me to revisit that practice.

_________________________________________________________

5. TV alert

A. LIFE UNEXPECTED premieres on Monday at 9 p.m. on CW . . . it is about
a mother who unexpectedly connects with the daughter she gave up for adoption
in high school . . . I saw the first episode; it's a winner!

B. THE BURIED LIFE debuts on Monday at 10 p.m. on MTV . . . it is a reality
show where four guys seek to cross items off their bucket list and help others
do the same.

C. GREAT PERFORMANCES AT THE MET has young tenors compete in "The
Audition" for a chance to launch their operatic careers . .  Wednesday at 9 p.m.
on PBS . . . because PBS times and dates often vary, check your local listings.

D. SPECTALE: ELVIS COSTELLO WITH . . . "The Boss" (see also the PS at the
end of this newsletter) in a program that will be stretched over two shows . . . Wednesday
at 10 p.m. on SUNDANCE.

_________________________________________________________

6. The river

A preacher was completing a temperance sermon. With great expression
he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw itinto the river."

With even greater emphasis, he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world,
I’d take it and throw it into the river."

And then, finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it
and throw it into the river." He sat down.

The song leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a pleasant
smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: ’Shall We Gather
At the River.' "

_________________________________________________________

7. Websites

A. If you're a writer or know of one . . . or perhaps you have to write
a paper for school . . . there's a website just for you; i.e., it will write
your own academic sentence for you . . . to put it to work, please click:

http://writing-program.uchicago.edu/toys/randomsentence/write-sentence.htm

You just know I had to try it out for myself . . . here's what I came up with: The 
emergence of history as such may be parsed as the ideology of the nation-state.

Don't like it? You always have the option to further edit your work.

B. For the TOP 10 AMERICAN IDOL songs of all time, please click:

http://tinyurl.com/yaj6cqk

You may not agree with all the choices, but even if you don't, you'll enjoy
getting the chance to hear these songs again.

C. BLAINESWORLD, the website, remains up and running . . . to view
it, please click:

http://www.blainesworld.net

To view pictures of yours truly with Cynthia, along with my friends, relatives
and neighbors, click "Blaine's Best" on the left and then "Pictures" . . . you'll also
get to revisit many of the great comics done by Pat Achilles . . . perhaps best of all,
thanks to the efforts of my new webmaster (Danny Brice), the original version 
of "Happy Together" loads as you view the pictures . . . so you can now enjoy what's
arguably the greatest rock 'n roll song of all time--at any time of the day or night . . . the
song even keeps repeating itself.
 
_________________________________________________________

8. Computer tip

If you like shopping online, check out this website:

http://www.fabuloussavings.com/

Simply input the merchant you are interested in and see what is available.
Some savings are a dollar amount and some are a percentage. It seems
a lot are for online orders only, so make sure and read all the instructions.
 
I just checked and among the current merchants are Victoria's Secret, Norstrom,
Orbitz, Target, Crocs, NutriSystem, JC Penney, NIKE and Amazon.com. 

_________________________________________________________

9. Pregnancy Q & A

Q: Should I have a baby after 35?
A: No, 35 children is enough for anyone.

Q: I'm two months pregnant now. When will my baby move?
A: With any luck, right after he finishes college.

Q: What is the most reliable method to determine a baby's sex?
A: Childbirth.

Q: My wife is five months pregnant and so moody that sometimes she's borderline irrational.
A: So what's your question?

Q: My childbirth instructor says it's not pain I'll feel during labor, but pressure. Is she right?
A: Yes, in the same way that a tornado might be called an air current.

Q: When is the best time to get an epidural?
A: Right after you find out you're pregnant.

Q: Is there any reason I have to be in the delivery room while my wife is in labor?
A: Not unless the word "alimony" means anything to you.

Q: Is there anything I should avoid while recovering from childbirth?
A: Yes, pregnancy.

Q: Do I have to have a baby shower?
A: Not if you change the baby's diaper very quickly.

Q: Our baby was born last week. When will my wife begin to feel and act normal again?
A: When the kids are in college.

_________________________________________________________

10. A quote I like

Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what
makes it permanent.-- Marilyn vos Savant (born 1946), American magazine
columnist, author, lecturer and playwright who rose through her listing in the
GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS under "Highest IQ"

_________________________________________________________

11. Thought for the day 

If you could see!
by Robert G. Bridges, MD

While reading one of Dr. Bernie Siegal's books, I ran across an interesting
question. Blind Helen Keller once asked her blind friends, "If you could
see for just 24 hours, what would you choose?"   

I pondered that question for days, then decided to try to write it on paper,
and asked some friends and a couple of patients of mine who were interested,
to try it with me. I learned an enormous amount about myself, as did those
working on their own list.
 
I divided my paper into two columns. The first, at what I would choose to look. 
The second, the number of minutes I would spend looking at each thing.
Remember, only 24 hours to look.  

Oh, my list grew very large rapidly, trying to imagine the things I would
want to see, all the wonders of our modern world: airplanes, TV, autos,
artworks, architectural styles, trains, computers, ocean liners, variety
of clothes, furniture, appliances, rocket launches, and the list was very
long. I sorted and resorted, changed time allotments, but as time
progressed over the next several months (yes, months) my priorities
changed radically from those I had started on the list.
 
Now, it was not the wonders of the modern world at all, but the wonders
of nature that headed the list and occupied the majority of my 24 hours!
Trees, grass, sky, mountains, oceans, stars and planets, clouds,
thunderstorms and rain, flowers and shrubs, and just plain dirt were
highest in the ratings, but also were the animals, especially the small
ones: rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, birds, dogs, cats, fish, and others
occupied a large chunk of time. Of course, the large animals were included,
but less time allotment. Which is more interesting to watch, a lion or a cat?
A giraffe or a chipmunk? A bear or a rabbit?   

And, of course, there had to be time allotments for friends, and family. I
had so little time left to see the man-made wonders, there was little I
could really see.
 
Everyone's list will differ, as ours did, also, but they were astonishingly
similar. But this beautiful world of ours is more fascinating, more miraculous,
and more interesting than all the rest added together.  

As I sit on my log home porch in the mountains and look out over a valley,
I view the small animals, feel the gentle breeze, smell the clean pine-scented
air, watching a sunset, I am reminded of what Helen Keller might have meant
in asking that question. Perhaps she knew the wonders of nature would far
exceed those of man.
 
I encourage each one of you to pick up a pencil and paper and start your
list. You will be amazed at the resulting list, and will learn more about
yourself than you ever dreamed; and, amazingly, your list will be similar
to mine.

Enjoy this world. The minutes continue to slip by, one by one. Never cease
to stop, look, and smell the roses. It only takes a second. They are here,
just for us.

_________________________________________________________

12. Advance planning department

A. ScriptFEST
SART's 28th Annual Playwrights' Conference
Readings of original unpublished and unproduced scripts
with SART actors and authors attending.
FREE to the public!

January 22, 23 and 24
 
Owen Theater,
Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, NC
FREE ADMISSION

For more information, please contact SART (Southern Appalachian Repertory
Theatre) at 828.689.1384 or via the Internet:

http://www.SARTplays.org

B. Cynthia (see also Section 1a) is running a FREE Creative Connection Workshop
with her friend Tammy Strange.  This will take place on Tuesday, January
26 at the Biltmore Lake Clubhouse. 

The purpose of this workshop is to provide an environment where each
participant can connect more deeply to each other, our own self, and our
spirit through imaginative activities. We want to share our creative side
and be inspired by others thoughts and talents. We encourage those
who don't think they are creative or have any special talents because
we do not consider ourselves special in these areas either, but we are
dreamers and find it fun to play.
 
Please RSVP by Sunday, January 24, either on  the Intranet RSVP system
or directly with Cynthia or Tammy. Feel free to contact either Cynthia or Tammy
with any questions.

Cynthia Greenfield, 633.1049; cgreenfield1001@aol.com
Tammy Strange, 704.724.9416; mststrange@hotmail.com  

In addition, she will be conducting her next JourneyDance/
Move Your Body session on January 28 at Jubilee (a spiritual
center in Asheville) . . . if you'd like to more information, just send
an email to bginbc@aol.com and put JourneyDance in the subject line.

C. Ted and Kimberly in North Carolina:

Saturday, January 30th: The Asheville Ballroom Dance & Professional Show

Join in the fun dancing the night away, enjoying some refreshments and watching the Asheville
Ballroom Dance Instructors perform various styles of dance. The show will feature Biltmore Lake's
own Ted and Kimberly Ross. General dancing starts at 8 p.m with the show starting at 9 p.m. S
Seating is limited so please plan on arriving early. There will be more general dancing after the
show until 11 p.m. $20 per person.

Location: The Asheville Ballroom & Dance Centre (991-B Sweeten Creek Road, Asheville).

For more information on this event, contact The Asheville Ballroom at 828.274.8320 or email: dmccart@ashevilleballroom.com

D. Natalie in Pennsylvania:

Ivan and I featured in new book, AUTUMN ROMANCE: STORIES AND
PORTRAITS OF LOVE AFTER 50. Join us for book launch party. 

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library in Philadelphia.
We would love to share this event with you.

For more information about the book, please click:

http://www.autumnlove.org/

_________________________________________________________

PS. Please join me in remembering Martin Luther King Jr. as we celebrate
his birthday on Monday . . . to do so , check out 15 songs inspired by his
extraordinary life by clicking:

http://www.spinner.com/2010/01/14/mlk-day-songs/

You'll even find a song sung by Springsteen (see also Section 4D).

As for the situation in Haiti (see also Section 1C), methinks that we all
need to pray for folks there, as well as for our remaining soldiers in both
Iran and Afghanistan, and for those folks in Israel and her neighbors
who are seeking peace.

And perhaps most importantly: Make it a great week, too!

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