iwannabeonoprah!

2008-08-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Back with a Whole New Story!

I last wrote in this blog on February 13, 2008 which, coincidentally, was my husband's 43rd birthday. At that time I had decided that if Oprah wanted to know about iCREATE and the Texas Legacy Arts Incubator, I was better served by stepping away from the keyboard and showing the world what it was all about. Since that time, quite a bit has happened. iCREATE will be part of the STELLAR campus in Manor Texas, I've gotten married and I have a new story to tell. And, yes, I still want to be on Oprah to tell it!

Let me begin by telling you that my husband, Keith Hogan, is a remarkable man. He is 43 and has Spinal Muscular Atrophy. He's outlived his doctor's predictions by about 30 years at this point. His form of the disease is Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. And, his film tells a lot of the story.

He entered South Austin Hospital with pneumonia on February 18th and, due to his inability to use his hands or legs, there was somebody with him 24/7 to be sure his needs were fully covered. Any night that I didn't stay with him, his mother did. For the most part he received excellent care from caring staff. There were some notable exceptions, but that's to be expected I suppose.

Keith did not return home until May 27th bringing new accessories: a trache, a ventilator and the need for 24/7 personal care attendants. This automatically doubled our PCA expense to almost $9000/month. We attempted to get help from the state of Texas, but don't meet the poverty level necessary for Medicaid and are not wealthy enough to continue paying out of pocket.

This is where the real work became clear and where our new story begins. The story I want to share with Oprah and the world is about the shameful, unarticulated public policy of impoverishing and marginalizing people with disabilities. To deny access to all the things that make life worth living so that a person might receive moderate support from an uncaring authority is patently un-American. There is no life, no liberty and no pursuit of happiness. We provide more support to visitors to our shores than natural-born productive citizens whose only limitations are physical.

At the present time many potentially productive members of society are being warehoused in nursing homes which are funded by Federal dollars, little of which is spent on quality patient care. This can be changed by the Community Choice Act which is based on the concept that the funding follows the patient, thereby empowering the individual. We are in an election year and have two Presidential candidates who have come down on opposite sides of this issue. Senator Barack Obama is for the Community Choice Act; Senator John McCain is against it.

With her early endorsement, Oprah Winfrey brought Senator Obama to the forefront of the American political scene. Keith and I are grateful for that for many reasons, including the fact that Senator Obama has shown by his actions that he is committed to creating opportunity for all citizens whether they can raise their own hands in support or need assistance.

This is the story we want to tell Oprah.

2008-02-13T19:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, It's Really Over....

I am not renewing my website for all kinds of reasons, mostly because my work with iCREATE is really picking up steam and I figure Oprah will hear all about me soon enough!

Ruth

2007-12-31T17:46:00.001-08:00

2007-12-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

John Breen, a computer programmer, developed the Internet game FreeRice to teach vocabulary and help fight hunger.

FreeRice.com is quickly becoming all the rage for school children as well as immigrants learning English.

Breen said the idea came to him one day in his kitchen in Indiana. He was sitting with his two teenage sons, preparing the older for the SAT.

"The younger one made a mockery of the situation. He kept saying, 'he doesn't know this word, he doesn't know that word,'" Breen said. "So I decided to do something on the computer to help my son learn vocabulary words."

What Breen came up with was a word game that he thought others might like to play on the Internet. He was already operating the Web site Poverty to inform people about hunger. So, he merged the two, and FreeRice.com was born.

Here's how it works: Contestants are offered four definitions for a word; by clicking on the right definition, a donation of 20 grains of rice is made to the U.N. World Food Programme. The U.N. distributes the rice worldwide.

English teacher Michael Hughes puts the Web site up on a large interactive screen and uses the game to warm up his classes at Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C.

Hughes' class raised 280 grains of Rice during a short session.

While that's hardly enough for a daily ration for a starving child abroad, it still adds up, said World Food Programme spokeswoman Jennifer Parmelee.

"FreeRice.com is up to more than 8.2 billion grains of rice, which is one heck of a lot of rice and more than enough to feed 325,000 people for the day," Parmelee said.

The Web site earns money from advertising and gives cash to the Word Food Programme. Some $100,000 has already gone to buy rice to feed survivors of a recent cyclone in Bangladesh.

Parmelee said the Web site offers a greater gift – the gift of awareness about world hunger. In just two months, FreeRice.com has driven the most Internet traffic to the World Food Programme site.

"We are all kind of dazzled by the power of a great idea — an idea that seemed to have come completely out of left field," she said.

Breen said he has hired a dictionary company to put some more words in the game, which adjusts as you are playing to different levels from zero to 50.

"I myself can't get much above level 45, and it is rare to get above level 48. But there are some people who cruise right up to level 50. So for them we are going to add some super, really ultra, tough words," Breen said.

And, he said, his son's vocabulary "has improved markedly."

Breen said e-mails are coming in from around the world from people trying to learn English to teachers and college students. He wants them to take away something more than just a few new words.

2007-12-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

Please help me with the Intuit/Jump Start Contest!

Please click HERE to vote.

Here's my story:

On April 17, 2002, in a meeting at the Texas Commission on the Arts was asked what was missing in the Austin cultural arts landscape. I promptly answered, "an architectural artisan school." And from that simple exchange a 5-1/2 year mission was born. My concept, the Texas Legacy Arts Incubator (TLAI), is an architectural artisan-based economic development model designed to incubate micro-enterprise in Texas (to start!). It is a far-reaching enterprise that will increase the kind and number of people who participate in the economic development of the larger community while improving the educational opportunities overall. In addition to the economic value TLAI will provide to the community, we will bring a wide variety of educational opportunities with the architectural artisan tradecrafts education and apprenticeship programs, which will be taught by well-known masters. The programs are primarily targeted at at-risk youth and historically disadvantaged populations. The TLAI will provide opportunities for cultural preservation, micro-business growth and development and workforce training. The first level of the TLAI architectural artisan tradecrafts training and apprenticeships will include: Stonework, metalwork, glassmaking, mosaic tile and food arts. These disciplines will teach critical path thinking & prepare participants for a sustainable life. Fast forward to now. The research is done, the land is secured, the relationships have been built & the support is in place to make this dream real. The monetary prize from this contest would allow me to more deeply focus on my role in taking this project from idea to reality.

2007-12-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

A Message from Keith Hogan

I am writing to ask you for your help to bring Tariq Baig to justice.

My name is Keith Hogan and I'm a 42 year-old man, with a physical disability. I was born with a form of Muscular Dystrophy known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Type II, which makes it difficult for me to move on my own. The fact of the matter is that I cannot use my hands, arms or legs, so I need assistance to do everything. To accomplish this, I employ Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) to assist me in all of my daily activities. Late last year, I hired Tariq Baig as a Personal Care Attendant.

Due to my inability to use my hands and write, I have a stamp of my signature, which I use as my legal signature. Recently, I learned that Tariq Baig had taken several checks and stamped my signature to them without my knowledge or consent. He also attempted to commit identity theft. I reported him to the Austin Police Department and he was arrested & released on bail. Afterwards another warrant was issued and in fact there are now three outstanding warrants for his arrest: a felony in Austin, a felony in El Paso and a misdemeanor in El Paso.

I cannot stand the thought of Tariq Baig taking advantage of other people living with circumstances similar to mine. Any help you can offer will be greatly appreciated. Please spread the word, he must be caught!

Thank you.

Keith

2007-11-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

New Charges Against TARIQ BAIG!

We just got word that a felony charge against Tariq Baig has been issued in El Paso! He must be found before he commits these crimes again. You can learn more about the charges here, just enter "Baig, Tariq" into the Name box.

2007-11-25T14:59:00.000-08:00

Miniature World

2007-11-14T19:57:00.000-08:00

UPDATE! ENZOOLOGY TO DEBUT ON ELLEN FRIDAY NOVEMBER 16TH!

Enzoology to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Friday 11/16 - We're excited to announce that Enzo, star of the hit kids' web video series produced by Clarity/Moujaes, will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show this Friday, November 16. Check your local listings for air times!

2007-11-13T18:47:00.000-08:00

21 Days of Gratitude

Dear Friends,

We all know that "Gratitude" is a powerful accelerant for all "law of attraction" processes.

When the teachers from The Secret came together to speak with Oprah, Dr. Michael Beckwith explained that "nothing new can come into your life until you are grateful for what you have."

In November, the month in which Americans traditionally reserve a day to focus on "gratitude," the founders of "Prosperity from the Inside-Out" would like to invite you to take the experience of "gratitude" further by participating in our free 21 Days of Gratitude project (officially beginning 11/19/07 - so that we can have our gratitude vibration in high gear by Thanksgiving!)

If you've participated in any of our previous free online "experiments" you know that powerful shifts always take place. (Follow any of the above hyperlinks to learn more participants' responses.)

Here is what you can expect from this experience:

You'll be encouraged to focus on gratitude for five minutes a day over the course of 21-days.

You'll be introduced to online assessments that you can use to: measure your gratitude vibration at the beginning (and at the end) of the experience; measure changes in your "happiness" levels and track things that you are grateful for (plus you'll be able to access all of these web-based programs - for free - at any time in the future.)

You'll be immersed in a community of people who are choosing to focus on gratitude via daily blog posts for the 21-days.

Plus, we will also offer enhanced opportunities: weekly live 30-minute "energy attunements" and hour-long group prosperity coaching accessible by phone and web simulcast (which will also be free for all interested participants.)

At ChoosingProsperity we have faith in the power of gratitude so we have created this free program to give you a rich experience of how valuable it is to bring the energy of gratitude to life.

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." -- author Melodie Beattie

2007-11-13T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Little Enzo that Could --- UPDATE!!

Enzoology to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday 11/15 - We're excited to announce that Enzo, star of the hit kids' web video series produced by Clarity/Moujaes, will appear on the Ellen DeGeneres Show this Thursday, November 15. Check your local listings for air times!

2007-11-12T20:25:00.001-08:00

The Little Enzo That Could

About a month ago my friend Pete Monfre told me about his son Enzo's new show on YouTube called Enzoology. Well that little show has really taken off and it will be getting national attention very soon!

Here's the first episode from Enzoology...be sure to check them all out :-)

2007-11-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

It's Time for Tessa's Tale to be Told!

In 1999 I was scheduled to speak in front of a group of educators in Austin Texas about creating fantastic presentations. Like most people, I was nervous and didn't sleep well the night before the presentation. In the pre-dawn hours I had a dream about a little girl who was scared of making a presentation and how she overcame that fear. After I awoke, I wrote the dream down and saw that it was a pretty cool little story.

Five years later, in 2004, I met a very talented artist named Margaret Burns. At the time we met she was pregnant with her first child and excited about bringing a little girl into the world. About 6 months after Mia was born, Margaret noticed the lack of books with the kind of messaging that she wanted to share with Mia as she grew older. I told her about my heroine, Tessa, and she became inspired to illustrate the story.

Fast forward to 2007. Margaret has another incredible daughter named Clara and our book is written, illustrated and ready to be brought to the world. We estimate that it will take $5000 to create the final press-ready proofs and develop a website from which Tessa can tell her first tale....with many more adventures to come!

I have created a Fundable project so that Tessa's tale can be told.

Margaret and I would appreciate you checking it out...and contributing if you can!

Thanks,

Ruth

2007-09-06T18:30:00.000-07:00

Bill Meets Willie!

My friend Bill Stidham created this painting of Willie Nelson as part of his Sacred Heart series. A big CONGRATULATIONS to him for having it signed personally. Check out his site to see the whole series.

2007-09-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

The Astonishing Power of Emotions

2007-09-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

Show your Love to the World!

We have set up our first store! Now you can tell the whole world where you go to get your own hot cup of cool: CafeCaffeined.

2007-08-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Weirdness Gone Wild

Melissa Bullock shares her experience of Francis Campone in her blog Weirdness Gone Wild

Francis Campone Where do I start writing about Francis and my experiences with him as my healer andteacher? I'd had a sticky pad note with his name and number on my computer at workfor 2 months, and when I started hearing about him through totally unrelated groups, decided that was my guidance to see what Francis was all about. My first impressionwhen I saw him was 'wow, he's young'. And then, 'oh my God, he's my age.' (I'm 50)

It would take four email newsletters to begin to describe his talents and power as a healer and teacher. And four more to describe the amazing journey my life has beenon since starting the classes and healing sessions with him four months ago. A journey that's been a warp speed roller coaster ride - the manifesting of creative ideasand outlets, the change in other people's response to me, the visions during meditation,the memories (who knows whose memories besides mine I'm accessing??), the synchronicities, not to mention the physical and emotional healing. And the list goes on. And this journey has been the inspiration for "Weirdness Gone Wild."

Francis, a native of Scotland, has been healing through hands on energy work internationally for 20 years, and started healing when he was four years old. He has been successful in curing people of every kind of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual condition including cancer, tumors, MS, fibromyalgia, diabetes, epilepsy, autism, deafness,back pain, allergies, arthritis, Lyme disease, migraines, depression, sexual abuse,etc. I personally think that within five years, most medical doctors will at least grudgingly acknowledge the healing power of energy work, and within ten years, most doctors will incorporate energy work into their practice or referrals.

When I walked into my first Monday night healing class with Francis, I walked into a room packedwith around 300 people. And it was like a Who's Who of Austin area healers and seekers. The class, geared toward all levels, encompasses a whole spectrum of students - those who are just starting their path of exploration and healing, and those who've been on the path for many years, and it has an equally profound affect on everyone I've talked to.

On Friday, August 3rd, Francis will present his First Friday August lecture on "OpeningYour Heart to Love and Bliss", which will include a lecture and group healing. Healings and classes with Francis have shown me how bliss is possible even in the midst ofchaos, and how to see beyond that chaos. Plus he makes me laugh. For more informationon his healing sessions and lecture, check out his website.

2007-08-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

An Exercise in Forgiveness

I like this exercise from Francis Campone. It's available as a podcast on the website.

You must forgive yourself first.

Say: "I forgive myself for everything I have done that I was not happy with."

3x/3xday

1x=body
1x=mind
1x=spirit

within 3 months it will be out of your consciousness and then you can open up to forgive others in the same way.

Forgive instantly so you can move on and live in the moment more easily.

2007-08-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

A Warrior of Light Succeeds, Thanks to the Right Allies

I read a great article today in the September 2007 edition of Ode Magazine. Here's the first paragraph of what Paul Coelho wrote:

A Little Help from Your Friends

All of you who see yourselves as warriors of light must share with others the happiness of your choices; otherwise, you'll never come to know your own qualities and shortcomings. So before you undertake any major project, find allies -- people who are interested in what you're doing. I'm not saying, "Find other warriors of light." I'm saying, "Find people with different skills, because a warrior's fight for his or her dream is no different from any other path that is a followed with enthusiasm." Your allies won't necessarily be people everyone looks at with admiration. Much to the contrary, they are people who aren't afraid of making mistakes. That's why what they do isn't always praised or acknowledged. Yet these types of people frequently change the world, because after many mistakes, they hit on something that is exactly right and will make all the difference to their communities.

There is much more to the article...I definitely recommend reading the whole thing!

2007-08-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

My New Favorite Magazine: ODE

Ode is a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better.
Ode was founded in the spring of 1995 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands by Jurriaan Kamp and Helene de Puy. Kamp, a former editor and correspondent with the leading Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad, and de Puy wanted to create an alternative to mainstream publications, a magazine that was open to new inspirations and new visions from around the world. The cover of the first issue - a close-up image of a radiant woman laughing out loud - captured the joy and spontaneity they wanted Ode to embody.

For the first nine years of its existence, Ode was published in Dutch. But in the summer of 2004 Kamp and de Puy, who are partners in marriage as well as in publishing, moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to launch the English-language edition of the magazine. Ode now appears ten times a year in both English and Dutch, with a worldwide circulation of more than 100,000. Over the past 12 years, Ode has helped make the 'alternative' media space more mainstream. The magazine profiled people like clown-doctor Patch Adams, guru Deepak Chopra and Dr. Andrew Weil long before more conventional publications made them household names.

During this time, Ode also built a community of readers who are passionate about the magazine and the issues for which it stands: positive social, environmental and economic change. Because these readers have a lot to say for themselves - and to each other- Ode created a new webiste that allows them to communicate, socialize and contribute to Ode. Odemagazine.com's mix of print and online journalism with user-generated content and social networking makes it unique on the Web.

In print and online, Ode's aim is to bring a new reality into view, to explore opportunities for positive change in our daily lives and our daily minds.

2007-08-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Wednesdays with Francis

Keith and I had our 3rd session with Francis yesterday. It was a little different this time. After I entered the treatment room, sat down and closed my eyes, I immediately felt the heat of the energy filling the room. When I had entered the room it was a comfortable temperature...once the session started it felt as though we were outside in the blazing Texas sun. He didn't place his hand on my head this time, but the intensity of the experience was considerably amped up. The trace amount of tendonitis I had remaining after the first two sessions has completely disappeared. My sleep is greatly improved and I feel more energetically aligned in all ways. I can't wait for my appointment next week!

2007-08-10T10:30:00.000-07:00

Friday Fun!

TYPE IN a command and see what happens... sit, roll over, down, stand, sing, dance, shake, fetch, play dead etc. and...it's also very cute if you type in a command that's not recognized...!!

Make sure you type in "Kiss" too, but do it last.

I Do Dog Tricks

2007-08-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

2nd Visit with Francis Campone

Keith and I had our 2nd session with Francis yesterday. In a word...WOW! I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to experience the energy that man shares.

During the session, I feel the warmth. Today I feel the amped up energy! It's like being a way station for universal energy...it's pretty awesome.

2007-08-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

WE ARE WATER!

i can't tell you how many dreams came true in two days,muchas,muchas! on the train ride from barcelona,i had a thought,this is it!

the part of the journey to see dr.emoto,who i have followed his work and loved it for years.it has felt like a big part of my mission in life and i thought who knows, maybe this whole journey is to just meet someone on the train and give them a smile or some kind words.i chuckled at the question,do we ever really know why we feel called to go certain places and meet certain people, do we really know what our mission is? do we just make it all up anyway?

Read more at Get Your Dream On!

2007-08-02T11:07:00.001-07:00

Abraham-Hicks: Art of Allowing Online Workshop

The cybersphere has opened to Abraham! We invite you to attend an Abraham-Hicks “Art of Allowing” workshop and participate in dialog with Esther and Jerry Hicks and the non-physical teachers called Abraham. Abraham (speaking to our level of comprehension through Esther Hicks) will teach you about the omnipresent Laws that govern this Universe and how you can use them to deliberately create all of your experiences. These include the Law of Attraction, the Law of Allowing, and many others.

The knowledge that you'll absorb from hearing Abraham's wisdom will take all the guesswork out of daily living. You'll finally understand just about everything that's happening in your own life, as well as the lives of those you're interacting with; and you will find out how you can joyously be, do, or have anything that you desire!

The full two hours of this Live Online Lecture will be devoted to answering questions from callers from all corners of the world. You’ll learn and grow through hearing Abraham’s insights into our audience’s real-life issues. And, as a workshop guest, you’ll be invited to call in with your question.* Please join us for this very special, first-time-ever event. Make history with Abraham today!

*U.S. and Canada may call toll-free; long-distance charges may apply to callers from other countries. Due to the volume of calls, we cannot guarantee that your call will be answered by Abraham. Listeners in any country, worldwide, who have an Internet connection may participate. A connection speed of at least 56k dial-up is recommended.

2007-08-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

What if It Really Works?

I had my first experience with an amazing healer named Francis Campone today. He is a friendly, warm, engaging man from Glasgow Scotland who is currently practicing in Austin. The healing experience is quiet and I felt immediate effects.

Francis will be interviewed on the internet radio show What If It Really Works? tomorrow, Thursday August 2nd at 4PM PST. If you miss the show, you can download the podcast in a couple of days.

2007-07-31T19:59:00.000-07:00

Fire the Grid - Shelley Yates - Part 8

2007-07-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

Fire the Grid - Shelley Yates - Part 7

2007-07-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

Fire the Grid - Shelley Yates - Part 6

2007-07-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

Fire the Grid - Shelley Yates - Part 5

2007-07-23T08:04:00.000-07:00

Fire the Grid - Shelley Yates - Part 4

2007-07-22T13:38:00.000-07:00

Fire the Grid - Shelley Yates - Part 3

2007-07-22T09:10:00.000-07:00

Find your inner Simpson...and share it with the world!

2007-07-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

2007-07-18T19:20:00.001-07:00

2007-07-17T18:31:00.000-07:00

Message from Maitreya:

It takes courage to have an incarnation on the Earth plane. Every soul on the Earth plane should be so proud of themselves because they have chosen a very difficult path in their soul growth. Why is this so? Because one has the Self when one incarnates into the physical body. The Self makes things harder for the soul and slows down soul growth, sometimes stopping it altogether. Why does the Self do this? Over many Earth years, the Self has mutated, much like a computer virus does in your computer, or a virus in your body. It becomes stronger and more devious as it learns through your incarnation. Originally, this was the survival instinct in humanity, harmless, an advanced warning in the body of danger. However, over the years of the Earth plane, this energy, for it is an energy, has ceased to be just an energy and has mutated until it is almost human.

Fortunately, the Self cannot survive when the body dies, so it does not go home with you into our world, your true home. It can, though, be a very manipulative energy when it is with you on the Earth plane. There is only one way to deal with the Self, and that is to raise your vibration to a higher level and learn to control it – to not give it any energy. The soul feeds on the energy of the emotional body. Each time you react to a situation with emotion, you feed the Self. If you have fear in your life, your Self will use this against you, bringing it up in front of you when you want to make change. So many souls are stifled from making change in their lives because of the Self. Yet it can be controlled; it can be tamed.

You will never lose the Self until you die on the Earth plane. Even when you raise your vibration and go to a higher level of consciousness, you will still have the Self. That is why it takes courage to take an incarnation on the Earth plane. It is not an easy existence, but one can learn so much more quickly by taking an incarnation.

It is so rewarding to come back to our world knowing you at least attempted an incarnation. Some of you ask for the help of a Master to assist you in taming the Self. Yet even with a Master’s assistance and the assistance of others from our world, many still fall by the wayside and do not tame the Self.

How can you tame the Self? Do not criticize another. Do not judge another. Accept all souls as being in their Higher Self and see them as perfect even when at times they upset you greatly. Detach from the situation so that you may see this. Allow others to experience their own lives. Do not try to do it for them. Allow them to stumble and fall and learn what they need to learn. Do not support them so they do not learn from their own experiences. Control your emotional body; try not to react to emotional situations.

Your whole incarnation is meant to be one of compassion and love, but not to give in to the emotional body and the drama it likes to create. Face all of your fear. More than anything, love yourself, for the Self lives on your loathing of yourself if you have this trait. God loves you unconditionally, and God knows your life lessons and learning. Only God can decide if you have learned the lessons you chose to learn through your astrological natal chart, your life plan that you and you alone chose before your incarnation. Nobody else has the right to make judgment about you. Always remember that, if they do, then it is the Self that does it, nobody else, for the Higher Self would not waste energy on such a thing.

Maitreya.

2007-07-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

The Ascension Grid (aka Light-Grid) is the newly formed energetic lattice that covers our planet. It reflects and amplifies our ascending levels of consciousness. It is a crystalline 'light' matrix that was anchored in 1992, five years after the harmonic convergence. Although in place and functional, its total activation will involve 12 phases, with full resonant vibratory rate achieved on the 12-12-12 ...December 12, 2012.The 'triple' dates ( 01-01-01 thru 12-12-12) that occur uniquely for the next 12 years each carry numeric light codes that open & activate each of the 12 major faces of the light grid.

Visualize the grid as as a geodesic sphere, of pentagons and triangles, sparkling as a faceted, brilliant diamond. It is a seed crystal of new form, the double penta-dodecahedron. Its time has arrived, merkaba of Earthstar. The double penta dodecahedron has 144 facets, the number of Christ ascension. ( Each dodecahedron has 12 pentacles with 60 facets, add the 12 pentagons for 72, double this for 144 ! )

The concept of planetary grids is not a new one. Plato theorized the concept as did the ancient Egyptians, Mayans and Hopi Indians. In a sense, grids are the template, the 'program', that allows all life to operate in the graduated light format.

If you will, the Ascension Grid, is 'Windows 2012' , and it is quite necessary for our ascension.

There is not one, but three grid templates surrounding our planet effecting human life. The three are separate, yet intricately related. The grids have separate functions relating individually to: (1) planetary gravitational field, (2) telluric electromagnetics, and (3) light consciousness. Any change or alteration to one, effects the others, in a proportional mathmatical ratio.

The ascension grid is anchored into the earth with two axis points. Tremendous energy lines flow outward from the northern axis point and reeneter at the southern. These energetic lines are directly connected to every sacred sites of Gaia. There are thousands.

The grids reflect and to an extent regulate, parameters of the consciousness of both Gaia and spirit. The Gravity gridand Electromagnetic grid have been adjusted on several occasions since mans establishment on the earth plane 200,000 years ago. The light-consciousness grid has evolved with mans increased awareness.

Platonic Solids Geometry

Since our planets birth, the grid work around the earth has consisted of a sacred geometry matrix of one of the five Platonic solids. Plato believed that the earth's basic structure was in the process of evolving from simple geometric shapes into more complex ones. In order of complexity the five patterns theorized by Plato to be the building blocks of crystalline matrix, are the tetrahedron (4 faces), hexahedron (6 faces), octahedron (8 faces), dodecahedron (12 faces) and icosahedron (20 faces). Plato further theorized that the earth was evolving into an icosahedron grid.

Academics, including Dr Ivan Sanderson, Dr Hagens and Dr Becker, diagramed this shape in the 70's by connecting major electromagnetic fields on the map. The points formed a triangular pattern of pentagons…. an icosahedron. The icosahedron was in fact, the geometry of the planetary light grid for the past millenia, prior to the Harmonic Convergence.

The 1987 Harmonic Convergence was a measurement of Earths vibratory level, a test. The Earth revealed a far greater measurement of 'light' than ever before. For the first time since the 'great fall', the planet carried more 'light' than 'dark'. As a result all three grids required 'upgrading'. The magnetic grid was adjusted to lessen the 'veil' separating humans from their duality. The telluric grid was adjusted to enable a greater vibratory rate at sacred sites. The light or ascension grid took on a new, higher geometric model, capable of regulating a far more sophistocated light code than the old iscosahedron.

As Joseph Jochmans writes in Earth: A Crystal Planet, "Beyond the Platonic series of Solids is another form being geometrically generated out of the old Icosa-Dodeca crystal. If you take an Icosahedron and join together with lines every other point inside the form, you create twelve pentacles or five-pointed stars. If you extend the outer edges of the Icosahedron and join these node points together, you create a second group of twelve pentacles or stars. This becomes the seed crystal that gives birth to a new crystalline form called a double penta- dodecahedron, composed of twelve double-pentacles equally spaced across the surface of the globe."

The icosahedron is now being replaced by an ascension 'light'grid. A'seed-crystal' matrix, the double penta-docecahedron, is born. The evolved geometry is divinely fashioned to resonate a higher frequency for the new Earth.

Mainstream researchers are in fact noting that the node points and grid alignments earlier attributed to the Becker-Hagens grid map, no longer fit. Weather patterns are changing, climates are in major flux and migration routes of birds are altered. Whales and dolphins are beaching themselves far more often over the past 14 years since the harmonic convergence. The earth's geomagnetic field is changing, and changing fast.

This all validates a change in the grid system and the work of the Kryon. The new ascension grid is increasing in frequency as the magnetic grid is lessened. The old crystal grid is fading, and a new crystal matrix is forming.

We are part of the new crystal formation….the ascension grid. One of the most meaningful avenues available to us in the ascension process is coming together as Lightworkers, in ceremony and unity, to awaken all humanity and bond with the Living Earth, by generating and directing positive energy.

By concerted efforts to support and give light to the ascension grid, we accelerate both it s formation and dissolution of the older matrix. The planetary Ascension grid is a manifestation of the energy evolvement and patterned growth of the Universal Consciousness. Earth is the living GAIA, the grid is her aura. Accordingly the grid contains the sacred geometry energy patterns of the Flower of Life, the crystal matrix of creation.

WE ARE CO-CREATORS OF THE PLANET EARTH AND GLOBAL ASCENSION GRID.

We accept readily that we are energetic beings surrounded by a potent electromagnetic field. We chose to be part of the ascension process and the ascension of the living Gaia. We channel inward great flows of cosmic divine energy with the capacity to direct this light outward through directed meditative thought for the highest good.

By unifying our energies in synchronized ecstatic states we form a powerful light vortex. This energy can cleanse, brighten, energize and activate according to our intent and flow. Our intent is light of the highest order, transferred to the new grid, the new crystal matrix of Gaia.

2007-07-08T18:25:00.000-07:00

Fire the Grid

2007-07-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

7-7-07 Harmonic Planetary Shift Blue from Auraphim speaks

Do not cast aside the importance of this message and the harmonic- shift 777 event ... for the limitations of your language and those self-imposed by our host (Oraphim) are unable to clearly translate and articulate the levels of unified awareness we are communicating to you and your greater selves and souls in this moment .. on the border of your waking minds and embracing hearts there is a potential "NOW" where ALL polarities are one ... your earth is on the edge of a grand planetary awakening ... propelled by the frequency of your inner transformations ... from limitation and fear into the unconditional love of being and of self ... the spheres of transformation coming into alignment .. centering at the midpoint on your July 7th, 2007, will bring a resonating harmonic shift into your perceptual fields of awareness ... you are now deep within the heart of a metamorphosis ... pregnant in poise ... ready for the birthing of a new awareness that will sweep your soul-ular (cell-ular) grid ..
as night will merge into day so too will separation merge into oneness ... matter blend into spirit ... ego merge with soul ... non- identity into identity and non-self into self ... time will shift into an eternal now, where 'is-ness' only resides ... where peace and stillness will be at the centre of your hearts ... the frequency fence has kept human consciousness in fear, denial and in ignorance of their greater selves and their soveriegn power within ... as the spheres of transformation descend and align ... the veils will begin to lift at an accelerated rate allowing you to perceive your greatness ... your completeness ... your inner love ... your inner peace ... and in doing so this will resonate and reflect unto the rest of your earth and all life within and upon it ... a new age of peace and love will be conceived in preparation for your greater birthing in 2013 ... we call forth for all of humanity (all human seen and unseen) to participate in this event ... to hold into position a resonating frequency of peace and love as we reboot ... reset the planetary grids and morphogenetic fields ... upon reboot ... a new operating system will be in place replacing your frequency fence of fear and limitation .. a spark of new conscious vibration will ignite your cells ... your souls ... a radiating glow will begin to ripple outwards and transform into electric waves of shimmering light ... that will wash over, completely encompassing your earth and its atom- sphere ... this is the beginning of the "mission-ignition" ... your coming crop circle season will magnificently, like none other ever before, reflect this new program ... new message ... new harmony ... this will be your marker ... your reflection .. your message of confirmation to yourselves ... the crop circles will in themselves be mind and heart openers ... you will begin en-mass to see the unseen ... hear the unheard ... touch the untouched ... know the unknown .. experience the un-experienced ... embrace the unembraced ... love the unloved .. you are ALL separate and yet whole ... sovereign individuals, yet related with ONE purpose and intent ... love will be the new currency of exchange ... and as love resonates and empowers your grids ... the spirit of eternal awareness will be realised within your souls ... do not be mistaken ... and do not let your ego's fear tell you otherwise ... for the desire is not to end individual uniqueness but to embrace and be ONE and ALL with it ... you always and forever have been complete ... whole and unified ... you only forgot and now have begun to re-member that no-thing is separate and you all are one in and every 'now' moment ... the harmonic shift occuring on your July 7th, 2007 will strengthen and empower those who are aligned with the intent of love and peace ... those who choose to resist and go against this wave will find they no longer have the power and dominion over the human spirit that they once did in your yester year ... those continuing to operate with the old program of fear, greed and separation will find the foundations of their establishments and institutions quickly disintegrating ... the crisis points will push those who refuse to embrace this new wave of human conscious awareness to confront their fears of dishonesty ... the metamorphosis occurring on this day in your timing is likened unto a bridge between disintegration and integration ... war and peace ... hate and love ... between separation and oneness ... although an awakening of this nature could occur at any moment ... the time is now, of your July 2007 ... as the focal point of universal ignition is harmoniously and elegantly tuned to this one moment of many ... likened unto two lovers in rhythmic harmony on the verge of a powerfully awakening climax ... this moment of ignition will be the one point of reflection where humanity will begin the shift into an era of spiritual fullfilment on earth ... all life ... planet, human, animal and nature will be in peace and balance ... harmony and co-operation ... working towards realising their true empowerment and full potential ... all resources will be equally shared, distributed and efficiently utilised for the betterment and well-being of body mind and spirit and not for greed or profit ... it will be a new era of self and universal discovery unparalleled to anything seen in your previous eras ... those who resist unification, in fear of a one world order, please know there is nothing to fear for no such thing will come to be .. rather it will be a United States of Nations respecting each others sovereignty ... love will be the new currency and in place of a NWO there will be a FWO (free world order) ... you who are here "now" reading this message are here for a reason and purpose to help others make this transition ... we ask that you share this message far and wide across your globe in preparation for this moment of ignition ... this harmonic shift .. as many lightworkers as possible will be requested across your earth to be online plugged into the grid to hold in resonance this new frequency much likened unto an electronic capacitor ... holding charge ... holding memory for a few moments whilst we/you reboot the crystal energy core and await the new systems to come ignite and come online ... before this transmission comes to an end please know there will be further transmissions to come leading up to the "harmonic shift 777" event ... for now we wish to end by asking you to issue forth an energy of love and harmony for all life especially to your human family .. your whale and dolphin species for they are human in spirit also ... as a wave of slaughter and then beaching is about to begin as they cry out to humanity to look at itself ... for aeons of time your whales and dolphins have been guardians ... holding the planetary energy grid whilst they await for you to come online ... know you that whales are the oversouls of dolphins .. and dolphins as a whole are the earth's soul (black box recorder) holding all of earth's memory ... when your whale species become extinct ... so too will your dolphins ... your earth and yourselves ... this is a message from a future now ... Blue from Auraphim (Oraphim) - The Centre of Light in Arcturus

2007-07-03T15:54:00.000-07:00

"the harmonic shift occuring on your July 7th, 2007

will strengthen and empower those who are aligned with the intent of love and peace ... those who choose to resist and go against this wave will find they no longer have the power and dominion over the human spirit that they once did in your yester year ... those continuing to operate with the old program of fear, greed and separation will find the foundations of their establishments and institutions quickly disintegrating ...

the crisis points will push those who refuse to embrace this new wave of human conscious awareness to confront their fears of dishonesty ...

the metamorphosis occurring on this day in your timing is likened unto a bridge between disintegration and integration ... war and peace ... hate and love ... between separation and oneness ...although an awakening of this nature could occur at any moment ... the time is now, of your July 2007 ...

as the focal point of universal ignition is harmoniously and elegantly tuned to this one moment of many ... likened unto two lovers in rhythmic harmony on the verge of a powerfully awakening climax ... this moment of ignition will be the one point of reflection where humanity will begin the shift into an era of spiritual fullfilment on earth ...all life ... planet, human, animal and nature will be in peace andbalance ... harmony and co-operation ...

working towards realising their true empowerment and full potential ... all resources will be equally shared, distributed and efficiently utilised for the betterment and well-being of body mind and spirit and not for greed or profit ... it will be a new era of self and universal discovery unparalleled to anything seen in your previous eras ... those who resist unification, in fear of a one world order, please know thereis nothing to fear for no such thing will come to be .. rather it will be a United States of Nations respecting each others sovereignty ...

lovE will be the new currency and in place of a NWO there will be a FWO (free world order) ...you who are here "now" reading this message are here for a reason and purpose to help others make this transition ... we ask that you share this message far and wide across your globe in preparation for this moment of ignition ... this harmonic shift .. as many lightworkers as possible will be requested across your earth to be online plugged into the grid to hold in resonance this new frequency much likened unto an electronic capacitor ... holding charge ... holding memory for a few moments whilst we/you reboot the crystal energy core and await the new systems to come ignite and comeonline ...before this transmission comes to an end please know there will be further transmissions to come leading up to the "harmonic shift 777" event ... for now we wish to end by asking you to issue forth an energy of love and harmony for all life especially to your human family .. your whale and dolphin species for they are human in spirit also ... as a wave of slaughter and then beaching is about to begin as they cry out to humanity to look at itself ... for aeons of time your whales and dolphins have been guardians ... holding theplanetary energy grid whilst they await for you to come online ...

know you that whales are the oversouls of dolphins .. and dolphins as a whole are the earth's soul (black box recorder) holding all of earth's memory ...

when your whale species become extinct ...

so too will your dolphins ...

your earth and yourselves ...
this is a message from a future now

...Blue from Auraphim (Oraphim)-

The Centre of Light in Arcturus

"In Multidimensionalman@yahoogroups.com

to visit websight click link below

www.hemuz.org/universal/harmonic.shift.07.07.07

there truly is a lot of love,always all wayspeace & prosperity friends

we are all in it together

namaste we are all one

2007-07-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

BILLY STEVE KORPI FUNDRAISER 7.7.7

CAFE CAFFEINE, 909 W. MARY, AUSTIN 78704

2007-06-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

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2007-06-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Introducing The Members ProjectSM, an exciting new initiative that brings American Express® Cardmembers together to do something good for our world. Join fellow Cardmembers to dream up, and ultimately unite behind, one incredible idea.

On August 7, American Express will bring it to life with up to $5 million. Will you send vital vaccines to India? Sponsor schools in the inner city? Or fund a next generation hydrogen car? The possibilities are endless. The decision is yours.

Visit membersproject.com.

I have posted a basic summary of the iCREATE vision for the Texas Legacy Arts Incubator, a/k/a Project number 5658. Please check it out and, if you are an American Express cardmember, sign in and show your support by giving us 5 stars!

Thanks for your interest...and support.

Ruth

2007-05-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

A big THANK YOU to Oprah... but not for the reasons that you might think...lol.

As you all know by now, I am not part of Oprah's "Big Give" television show. Though I know they've checked me out...thanks Statcounter!

So, why am I thanking her? There are a few reasons:

(1) Oprah's contestant search allowed me to fulfill my long-term intention of getting the iCREATE vision to her.

(2) Knowing that there was a chance to tell the whole world about the great things happening in Austin Texas reinspired me to tell the story in new ways!

(3) The energetic recharge I've experienced since I dropped the package into the mail in February has manifested in some amazing ways...

A little idea I had is gonna be on the shelves in truck stops by July!
We now totally own Cafe Caffeine!
My children's book is ready for publishing!
The ecoresort project in Belize is on!
The stage show about the journey to GuRuth is in process!
iCREATE has a home with STELLAR in Manor Texas!
The book on resonance repatterning is in process too!

So, although you won't see all this on the Oprah show...it's pretty cool to have it happening right here on Planet GuRuth...lol.

I'm going to take a break from this blog for a while. You can keep up with things at my other blogs:

Hope to see you at the new spaces!

2007-05-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

Whew....lucky I wasn't wating for Oprah to endorse the dream!!!

The Big Give
Original Air Date: April 30, 2007

Producing The Oprah Winfrey Show is one thing, but Harpo executives Harriet Seitler and Ellen Rakieten say producing the reality show The Big Give is unlike anything they've ever attempted before. Gayle talks with Harriet and Ellen about the unique idea behind Harpo Productions's new primetime reality series.For about eight weeks, contestants travel around the country and are challenged to think of and carry out innovative ways to help others and give back. Harriet and Ellen say the goal of the show is to promote philanthropy—the contestants's goal is to stay in the competition by "out giving" each other.

"What's happened is, these regular people—just like us and the people listening—have been put in a situation to give big and help other people and do things for other people," Ellen says. "And of course, as Oprah always says, 'When you give, you get more back for yourself.' This is what these people are experiencing."

So far, The Big Give has made stops in cities across the United States, including Los Angeles, Denver, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, New York and Chicago. While details of the competition are top secret, Ellen says contestants have already given away more than $4 million dollars and are helping many people in need. "[The contestants] don't even know if there is a prize waiting for them at the end," Ellen says.

"Nobody has asked. They are motivated by the idea of trying to be a better person."Like other reality shows, there is a host and judges. However, Harriet says the rest of the show is unlike anything you've ever seen before.

"I think this might be one of the most ambitious things that anyone has ever tried to put on television—because there is no model for it," Harriet says. "It's not what we do on The Oprah Show, it is not what anyone has done on television before, and it's really a whole new invention."

2007-04-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday! Ahem...it's ME!

This has been an exciting week and I had the great honor of being named Woman of the Week by Lyn in her blog. So, I guess sometimes you just have to be your own best friend and flaunt yourself...lol.

I appreciate people like Lyn who go out of their way to shine the light on those who may be virtual strangers but are truly in alignment with the values she promotes in her work. She is my friend in spirit and I look forward to telling you her story very soon!

Thank you Lyn!

rg

2007-04-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

NadaMoo! has reached another major market....

I was shopping in Central Market tonight and was excited to see that Amy's incredible NadaMoo! is in the frozen case at the Westgate Central Market in two of the most popular flavors: LaDa Mint Chip and GaDaDo Chocolate. Which means it is in your local Central Market too!

NadaMoo! is also available in Whole Foods in the Rocky Mountain/Southwest region. We'd love to see it everywhere. So, if you've been looking for a frozen taste treat that's non-dairy, agave-sweetened, organic with the taste of premium ice cream...tell your local grocer that there is an incredible product that you deserve!

2007-04-23T13:49:00.000-07:00

Once again, it's time to vote for your favorite consumables in the Austin360 2007 Restaurant Poll!

The categories are pretty extensive ranging from where you eat your dim sum [Tien Hong] to best Thai food in town [Satay] to what restaurant you'd like to see open again [Crimson!]. And in a fantastic [albeit dangerous] category above all others: Tex-Mex [Polvo's]!

Naturally, we'd love to get your vote for best coffee at Cafe Caffeine. We'd love it if you could vote for our vendors. Unfortunately most of them aren't categories in the poll so be sure to vote by buying their products! Butter's Brownies, Sweetleaf Tea, Willie Nelson Spring Water and many others.

I hope you all take the time to enjoy the wide range of taste treats the food community of Austin has to offer. And then take a nice long walk around Town Lake...so you can go back for more!

rg

2007-04-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hmmm.....

2007-04-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

The one and only time Niya and I shared actual space was about 10 years ago in our mutual friend Alexis Kuta's converted-garage office. Although we never were in the same place again, we stayed in contact.

It was one of those meetings I'm sure you've all had. You absolutely know that you have met someone from your energetic tribe. From the first moment I met her, I was blown away by her creative energy. Then I saw her work...omg, she rocks beyond description: Fine Art, Graphic Design and personal observations on life.

Over the years, we've stayed connected through my move to Austin and her path that took her from LA, to Portland and finally to Boulder. I could go on and on about Niya, but I'm going to let her share it in her own words:

I’m interested in beauty. I love how the Italians will tolerate imperfection in most aspects of their culture except the art of the beautiful; the furniture, churches, architecture, food and wine, glass, paintings, sculpture and the men and women. They take great pride in the beauty of the country and language and want to document it as much as possible—as though it’s the last trustworthy frontier. I feel this way when I paint. It’s a place of peace; a trustworthy mirror that reaches past media, cultural impositions and my own interpretations.

I paint in themes; narrative. I don’t use brushes. I use my hands. I find that I get to the core of the subject much more easily and I enjoy the intimacy with the work that is helped by not using brushes—how easily form, line, color, and the sensuality of the paint finds its little pools of stillness and perfection. I react to color as though it is a form being sculpted. I’ve come to appreciate texture as the webbing, the undertow of feeling in the painting. The content exists through my response to the formal elements and their relationship to one another. The act of color is content enough for me.

2007-04-17T20:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Oprah didn't call to wish me Happy Anniversary to mark the completion of 5 years working towards making iCREATE a reality. But, that's okay. Just today I got a great connection to the Department of Labor's Apprentice programs for iCREATE; Cafe Caffeine was full; the little idea I had for a novelty gift entered the manufacturing process; the children's book I wrote from a dream is illustrated and ready for publication; NadaMoo! is in Central Market; and I've been reminded for the zillionth time that I have found true love with Keith! Those are great gifts...and I'm looking forward to chatting about them with Oprah soon...lol.

2007-04-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

New Year's Eve...

Well, today is the last day of the 4th year of the journey to iCREATE.

Tomorrow, April 17th, marks the 5th anniversary of my first meeting with the Texas Commission for the Arts. Since most of you haven't been here for the whole story, I thought I'd take the opportunity to give you the background today and then the update tomorrow.

Believe me, a whole lot has happened just in the 7 weeks since I submitted the contestant video to Oprah's "Big Give"...though no call from Oprah yet. But there is still 24 hours till the official anniversary time...LOL.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RISKING IT ALL.

Here's my story:

On April 17, 2002, in a meeting at the Texas Commission on the Arts, I was asked what was missing in the Austin cultural arts landscape. I promptly answered, "an architectural artisan school." And from that simple exchange a 5-year mission was born.

Since then, I have pursued, researched, & otherwise wrangled a whole world of information into a model that has become the basis for my contribution to the social entrepreneurship arena: cultural strategy. As I define it, cultural strategy is the creation of economic development opportunities that balance community, culture & commerce. The key is to develop projects articulating how all those elements work together as the basis for sustainable growth based on shared cultural values. Example projects:

**Working to refine an economic development project in which iCREATE hopes to add to the Manor Education Foundation's vision for the STELLAR campus in Manor Texas. The overarching message of the project is "Science from the Playground to the Planetarium", promoting a creative campus model that reconnects art & science at long last!

**Invited to Kristiansan Norway in 2006 to participate in a discussion of potential cultural incubators in alignment with the iCREATE model; also developing the sister city relationship between Austin & Kristiansand beginning with an filmmaker & musician exchange program.

**Developing an urban teahouse concept which will be a one-stop shop for inner & outer health, with 10% of all proceeds committed to supporting the iCREATE model & programs.

There is quite a range, but they all capture the winning combination of community, culture & commerce, the 3 elements needed to create sustainable opportunity for all global citizens. The ultimate goal is to have this program become part of the UN's War on Poverty. I have no doubt that it will happen.

2007-04-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

Just got back from seeing my friend Kelly Turner-Cooke perform at Cafe Caffeine with Scott in their new group Zero Point. It was her first time performing live in about 10 years and she did a fantastic job.

Kelly & I first met a few years ago after a friend had recommended that she contact me. We met for coffee at the Satellite Cafe, a cool offshoot of Flipnotics. Our first meeting was memorable for a lot of reasons, one of which was that my name was clearly visible in the design on her tshirt. It was just one of those weird moments that seem to happen in Austin.

Over the last couple of years we have been on our journeys, mine rooted me deeper in Austin, hers took her to Hawaii..and back again. I knew she was back in town through mutual friends and we tried to connect but the timing was off. Till last week when she sent me an email telling me of her gig at Cafe Caffeine, I quickly replied telling her that I co-owned the place. We finally connected tonight and both laughed about how these spirals we are on always cross eventually.

I guess the lesson for tonight is to not fear letting go of people, just have faith that they come back when they are supposed to...and when they have tales to tell, or sing.

rg

2007-04-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Today I'm excited to promote Bill Stidham, who is a featured artist at the Austin Fine Arts Festival this weekend.

Bill is not only my good friend and kindred spirit, but also a bold, compassionate artist who articulates his heart energy with every word he writes and each painting he creates. What impresses me most is that he has moved through the fears that many people hide behind to evolve his heart energy from scarred to scared to sacred. It's amazing how a little rearrangement of the letters can free us to do our best work...lol.

Bill's current collection is The Sacred Heart which is an assemblage of iconic paintings imbued with the sacred heart imagery that he grew up with in the Catholic Church. Each of his sacred hearts have touched the world with the gifts that they have been given. Using their heart energy, these artists and shape shifters were able to change people's lives through the use of their gifts. Without them the world and the way we experience it would be lit a little dimmer. Bill challenges himself and others by boldly asking "How are you using your Sacred Heart for change?"

Bill Stidham came to painting after a bruising experience in trying to get his contemporary fiction novel published. Having spent 4 years in writing, editing, choosing an agent,more editing, then shopping publishing houses and hitting a dead end... William decided to pick up a watercolor kit from the local Walgreen's in order to do something different with his creative energy.

The initial paintings came out better than expected and offered encouragement. He could paint what he was feeling fast and had something beautiful to show for it, as opposed to writing where you can labor for years and still draw blank stares.

Fueled by more tumultuous experiences in his life, William dove deeper into the watercolor as a way of expressing what needed to be released. Out of those internal dialogs came the cathartic realization of the feminine archetype that he painted for a number of years. With each painting more was revealed about himself and what needed to be healed in his human condition. He refers to his paintings as a "spiritual exercise" where God takes over. He challenges himself with every painting by destroying them, then bringing them back to life.

Not having a formal education in art, he looks at this as a gift. "The only bad habits I have are my own. I'm not trying to copy anyone else's style. I have been fortunate enough to have been given my own. Watercolors can never be mastered and God is in the perceived mistakes that eventually become a new extension of who I am and where I am going. The so called mistakes end up becoming a new direction."

Bill has had shows in many cities including: Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta ,Corpus Christi and Queretaro, Mexico. He has been featured in the Austin American Statesman, radio stations in Austin, ME TV, magazines and a Coors Light beer commercial. His work also graces The Vineyard wine labels. He currently resides in Austin, Tx.

He asks you to not to be critical of where you stand with your knowledge of art...because he sure doesn't. Whatever touches you is a good enough reason to take it home and give it love.

2007-04-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Only in Texas!

This was an email I got on my listserve today:

My husband needs more armadillos at the ranch in Llano County. The drought last year decimated the armadillo population (no water=no grubs=no food for armadillos, and not enough water). Not enough armadillos = proliferation of termite mounds and red ants (they eat both) = huge areas of pasture land destroyed by the insects. Destruction of pasture (grasses) = erosion, proliferation of invasive species, etc.

If you have any that you have trapped and want a place to put them, let me know. He will come get them and take them to a really nice place in the country where they will have plenty of food (and water -- they now have LOTS of water) and can reproduce and restore balance to the ecosystem there. And it's unlikely they'll be run over -- too many acres of pasture to live on to wander out into the road.

And if you have anyone who's fast enough to catch them, send them over to my house -- I have several armadillos (or more), but can't run fast enough to grab them any more.

2007-04-10T19:23:00.001-07:00

The Highcroft Lifebook Project

A really cool guy named Billy Warhol who connected with this site through MyBlogLog. After reading through it, he left me the following message "I was telling my Flickr Friend Silvisrivers that he should be on Oprah* He's trying to bring attention to Mental Illness by having people express their Feelings in their own LifeBook* Maybe i was meant to see this Guruth!! He then sent me a link to the North Birmingham Community Arts

I clicked on the link expecting to see Birmingham Alabama, but was surprised to see that it is Birmingham England! My father was born in Hawick Scotland, but spent a lot of his childhood in Birmingham so I felt a bit of a connection to the place already. And I have experienced the healing power of creative energy and storytelling so I am happily bringing his video of the project to you!

It will take about 5 minutes to watch, but only a click to learn more about how you can help Silvis Rivers' dream become real.

2007-04-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

A Great Way to Fund All Kinds of Projects!

Earlier this year Molly Ivins, a local writer with national impact passed away from cancer. She had a great impact on her community and some of her neighbors are putting together a campaign to raise money for a bench in her honor in a local Austin park. I heard about this when it was posted on the HerDomain listserv last Friday and it triggered a vague memory of an online site that helps people organize that kind of fundraising.

Fundable lets groups of people pool funds to make purchases or raise money. Similar to online auctions, Fundable's pages, called "group actions," are created by people who use this site. Each group action has a description of how much money needs to be collected and what it will do. Once enough pledges (not payments) have been collected, Fundable turns them into real payments and sends the total to the group action's organizer.

No one takes a risk when making a pledge: if a group action expires before reaching its total in pledges, Fundable deletes all pledges and never charges money. This lets you participate in a group purchase or fundraiser without worrying about what other people will do. No one pays until and unless everyone else makes a pledge.

While there is no cost to set up a group action, once the group action is complete and the funds have been raised, Fundable charges a 7% handling fee for acting as the escrow agent.

I don't know if the neighborhood group will use this for the tribute bench for Molly, but I'm glad I was reminded of the organization.

rg

2007-04-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

When Talented Friends Collide!

About 9 months ago I introduced my friend Mary Louise Butters who makes the best brownies on the planet and was featured on the Food Network's "Road Tasted" to Amy Ramm the creator of the beyond-fabulous NadaMoo!. I am happy to report that their partnership has resulted in a completly organic, totally vegan and sinfully delicious new flavor for NadaMoo! We are having a tasting this weekend and I've got a feeling that it will be quite a success.

rg

2007-04-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Today I'm super-excited to introduce all of you to my incredibly creative friend Chris Moujaes. I met Chris at a networking luncheon when he was was a mild-mannered University of Texas RTF student by day...and an animation mogul by night. Well, that's not true...he's never been mild-mannered ;-)

That was 7 years ago and he's now a creative mogul 24/7.

Chris's team includes his wife Leila Moujaes who is as charming as she is talented [in other words, incredibly so on both counts!]; Aaron Romo, creator of Fairview High; and Chris's brother Eric who keeps the whole circus in popcorn...or whatever feeds their creative muses, lol.

The Chris Moujaes Company is a complete studio enterprise, providing the best in brand communications, creative services and original entertainment content and products. They create brands, entertainment and experiences for people around the world.

Their true product is unbound creativity delivered to clients through brand communications agency, an original entertainment studio, and through our online media concerns. They are artists, designers and professionals who understand how the spirit of great storytelling coupled with inspired design can create amazing brands, products and entertainment for eyeballs everywhere.

Over the 7 years that I have known Chris, Leila and Aaron, I have been entertained by their stories, amazed by their talent and proud of their commitment to the integrity of their products. I am happy to flaunt them anytime, anywhere... especially here and now!

rg

2007-04-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Secret Behind "The Secret"

DETAILS: Trilogy: 2 hrs 30 min
Conversational Extras: 45 min
Spring Screening: 10 min
The Meaning of Life: 5 min
DVD Video: NTSC 16x9 widescreen

Featuring in-depth interviews with Jerry & Esther Hicks and Abraham — whom Esther calls “infinite intelligence” and Jerry refers to as “the purest form of love I’ve ever encountered.”

How did this all start? How did Jerry & Esther meet? How did they meet Abraham?

Abraham discusses “The Law of Attraction,” “The Art of Allowing” and our “Emotional Guidance System.” They explain that, “life is supposed to be fun,” “the purpose of life is joy,” “there's no such thing as death,” and “you can be, do, or have anything you want.”

This 3-1/2 hour, 2-DVD set includes extras:

45 minutes of additional conversation: Stories from Jerry’s youth. Stories of close-calls and life-changing events . . .

Spring Screening: Audience reactions to meeting Abraham for the very first time.
And a one-episode sneak-preview of In Other Words — DEEPLY CHILLED TELEVISION

Pre-Order! Will be available April 10th, 2007!

2007-04-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Elyse Hope-Killoran's April Bill-Paying Challenge

I received this in my email box today and thought some of you might want to check it out:

Dear Conscious Attractors,

Tightness. Procrastination. Anxiety. Yuck!

Are these the words/feelings that you typically associate with the monthly (or bi-monthly) ritual of paying your bills?

If so, you may want to consider what impact your vibrational statement to the Universe is having on your future financial outlook.

The Law of Attraction - the most powerful law in the Universe - insures that "like attracts like." In other words, your experience around money today sets the stage for your experience of money tomorrow.

As the teacher Abraham reminds us, "You can't get thin from hating being fat. And you cannot attract prosperity from disliking being poor." As we focus on money and experience a sense of lack we become vibrational magnets for future experiences of financial lack.

To propose that how you hold the experience of paying your bills will effect your financial future is a radical shift - and this shift lies at the heart of the "Prosperity from the Inside-Out"system.

For the next month I'll be encouraging you to participate in a "Bill Paying Challenge." We'll be presenting one step in the paradigm shifting process each week throughout the month of April - which should be especially valuable for US citizens on and around April 15th - tax day.

Step One begins today so tune in to the article (below) or go directly to Step One and read it there.

And, if you are ready to have a direct, personal experience of Universe Laws in action in your life, join us for the next - complimentary - two week trial of the life-changing Prosperity Partnership program. Get a clear picture of the possibilities here: Two Week Free Trial.

Wishing you the delicious experience of seeing every day as a new beginning and a clean slate,

Elyse Hope Killoran

Prosperity Guide
Founder of the Prosperity Partnership

2007-04-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Oprah Meets Jerry, Esther and Abraham...Part 2

Just a reminder to catch the second episode of "Talk to Me" on XM Satellite Radio's "Oprah & Friends" channel (XM 156) to hear Jerry, Esther and Abraham's conversation with Oprah Winfrey.

Date Times
Thursday, April 5th (Second Episode) 4 A.M. // 10 A.M. // 4 P.M. // 10 P.M.
Thursday, April 12th (Third Episode) 4 A.M. // 10 A.M. // 4 P.M. // 10 P.M.
**All Times listed are Eastern Time**

If you don't currently have an XM radio subscription, you can sign up for a free online trial. Follow the easy steps and you're on your way.

For more information, please visit: Oprah or XMRadio

2007-04-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

We Need More of These Millionaires in Texas!

Technology Millionaires Switching to Social Entrepreneurship

California's Silicon Valley is rife with people who over the past decade built fortunes working for technology companies or arranging mergers, and who are leaving their jobs while still relatively young to start new careers as social entrepreneurs, Bloomberg News reports.

Social entrepreneurship, which came of age during the 1990s, is especially apparent in Silicon Valley and other parts of California, which had more millionaire residents than any other state in 2003, the most recent year for which the U.S. Census Bureau has complete information. In a related development, the number of private foundations in the state has surged 81 percent, to 11,367, over the past decade.

Former software executive Charly Kleissner, 50, left his job at Ariba, Inc. five years ago to help bring renewable energy to impoverished areas of the world; his goal is to provide electricity to at least 100,000 people over the next five years. To that end, he has established two organizations in Sri Lanka that back biomass energy projects — growing crops to be used as fuel in a power generator. His group also helps remote villages restore forests with gliricidia trees and other vegetation, which in turn are used to fuel a power plant.

Others are quick to point out that social entrepreneurs can also apply their talents to more established organizations. George Yandell, 49, switched to full-time philanthropy in San Francisco after working as an investment banker for First Boston and Montgomery Securities. Now he negotiates land purchases for the Nature Conservancy. "I'm buying land and trying to get the best bang for the donor's buck," he told Bloomberg. "Conservation is very similar to investment banking. A remarkable number of skills are transferable."

"[Social entrepreneurship] is not just about writing a check and walking away," adds Doug Bauer, a senior vice president at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors in New York City. "It's about rolling up [your] sleeves."

2007-03-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

Another Doorway to the Kind of Knowledge Shared in "The Secret"

I have worked with Lauren O'Connell here in Austin since January 2005 within the holographic repaatterning discipline. In that time I have personally experienced quantum growth in all areas of my life. I have happily recommended the process to all kinds of people, usually after they ask me what I'm doing that is making my life work so well! Each person has their own experience of the repatterning work, however all who try it feel the difference their lives and notice how people & situations that are no longer on their energetic vibrational level just seem to disappear, lol.

Chloe Faith Wordsworth is the creator of Resonance Repatterning [also known as holographic repatterning] which evolved after more than two decades of experience working with clients in her private practice and teaching students in her seminars in the U.S. and abroad, Chloe believes that we can "self-heal" for attaining extraordinary possibilities in our relationships, health, and vitality, and that we can apply the Holographic Repatterning model for tangible results in any field of endeavor.

A Message from Gail Noble Glanville about A Timely New Book

What people say about writing a book is true: there is nothing that clarifies your thinking more than having to put your ideas into words that will stand the test of time. While Chloe is in India for a well-deserved retreat, I’d like to tell you about her new book and the inspiring gifts its creation will bring to you.

The visionary writer and teacher, Barbara Marx Hubbard, wrote in her latest newsletter: “We have discovered that “resonance,” that is resounding or echoing back the highest consciousness of our being to one another, is vital to our conscious evolution.” In other media, even on Oprah’s TV show, I have read and watched as people discuss the theories behind The Secret, What the Bleep and the Law of Attraction. Wayne Dyer in his new tour titled “Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life,” discusses the benefits and wisdom of aligning yourself with universal energies, i.e., moving into resonance with the coherent frequencies of the unified field.

All of this activity means that Chloe’s new book, Quantum Change Made Easy, is coming to market this June at a perfect time in our history. What makes the book, and our sophisticated Resonance Repatterning system, so very timely is the way they anchor the theories described above, showing everyone how to put them to practical and effective use and align with universal energies whenever they need.

Chloe’s discovery that people actually resonate with what they don’t want and don’t resonate with what they do want, directly affects the Law of Attraction. Positive thinking and visualizations become even more effective when an unconscious resonance with the frequency of limitation is neutralized; when resonance with the open and flowing frequencies of love are activated through the sound, color and light of creation, in other words, through our modalities. Then the door is opened wide for the grace of quantum change to enter.

What I really appreciate about this book is how clear and grounded the theories of resonance, coherence, quantum change, kinesiology, patterns and modalities have become in the final version. I like how the book’s narrative thread ties them all together in step-by-step chapters so you as the reader–-through instruction, heart-warming stories, and interactive how-to actions–-experience your own upward shift in resonance.

This is much more than Chloe’s moving journal of discovery; it is a self-help book of the best kind. Because of Chloe’s dedicated efforts to create a breakthrough system for personal transformation, we now have tangible means and steps to improve our resonance and create our own conscious evolution. As Jim Oschman writes in the Foreword: "There is no work more significant for these times."

I’m telling everyone I know that when they want to transform their experience of life, it’s time to open this book and start reading!

rg

2007-03-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

OMG...Now We'll Never Know if the Poodles Will Get Their Skirts!

The Great American Dream Vote: ABC Pulls Ratings Nightmare

The premise for The Great American Dream Vote was that the audience would choose which contestant deserved to have their wishes and fantasies "magically" fulfilled. It could have been a good deal for contestants, but ended up being not so good for ABC. After only two episodes, the Donny Osmond-hosted reality show was making their audience disappear.

The sneak preview episode (which followed the Tuesday edition of Dancing with the Stars) lost over 11 million from its lead-in, leaving fewer than six million viewers. The second night was even worse, attracting less than 4.6 million. As a result, ABC has pulled Dream Vote from their schedule effective immediately. There are no plans to air the three remaining episodes.

Maybe the studio audience didn't know how to vote...but the folks at home sure did!

2007-03-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

SYDNEY, Australia - Australia's largest city plunged itself into near-darkness for an hour on Saturday night when city officials, thousands of businesses and many more residents cut the lights for energy conservation.

The normally gleaming white sails of the Sydney Opera House darkened, as did the arch of the city's iconic harbor bridge, big chunks of the downtown skyline and countless homes in the city of 4 million in a gesture of concern about global warming.

"Tonight is a call to action," said Mayor Clover Moore, whose officials shut down all nonessential lights on city-owned buildings. "We all have to act to reduce out ecological footprint. We are asking people to think about what action they can take to fight global warming."

Restaurants throughout the city held candlelight-only dinners, and families gathered in public places to take part in a countdown to lights out, sending up a cheer when the lights started going out at 7:30 p.m. local time.

There was no master switch, though, and it took a few minutes for the effect to take hold as buildings went dark at slightly different times. Some floors in city skyscraper remained lit, and security and street lights, those at commercial port operations and at a sports stadium, stayed on.

While downtown was significantly darker than normal, the overall effect, as seen in television footage from overhead helicopters, was that the city's patchwork of millions of tiny lights had thinned, not disappeared.

"We were expecting a big difference straight away, but it was just a little bit," said Sonja Schollen, who took sons Harry and James to a park to watch the skyline. "It was quite sweet, actually, because the kids started chanting `turn them out, turn them out.' You can see now the city's a bit dimmer."

Children waved glo-sticks and sparklers while parents picnicked and sipped wine.

Organizers hope Saturday's event — which about 2,000 businesses and more than 60,000 individuals signed up for online — will get people to think about regularly switching off nonessential lights, powering down computers and other simple measures they say could cut Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent in the next year.

Research by the University of New South Wales published last week found Sydney residents are poor at energy conservation, often leaving heaters and air conditioners running in empty rooms.

Saturday's event came a week before the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the U.N.'s influential network of 2,000 scientists, releases its latest report on climate change, which is expected to contain further dire warnings.

Leaked excerpts published in Australian media last week said average temperatures in the country could rise 6.7 degrees by 2080, making worse wildfires, floods, drought and storms. The Great Barrier Reef is already under threat from increased coral bleaching, the report says.

Australia, a nation of around 21 million people, is ranked as the world's worst greenhouse gas emitter per capita, largely because of its heavy reliance on coal-fired power stations.

Global warming has emerged this year as a mainstream political issue in Australia, and Prime Minister John Howard's government has announced initiatives such as the phased withdrawal from sale of energy-inefficient incandescent bulbs to blunt criticism of his refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol.

Supporters said Saturday's "Earth Hour" — as it was billed — showed that small individual actions can make a difference to a global problem.

"It's an hour of active, thoughtful darkness, a celebration of our awakening to climate change action," said Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, who attended a harborside function to watch the event.

More than 250 people went to Sydney's observatory in the hope the darkened skies would let them look further into space, though light from a nearly full moon was expected to dim the glow of the stars.

Sydney is not the first place to cut the lights for conservation. In February, Paris and other parts of France dimmed the lights for five minutes in a similar gesture, which also took hold in Rome and Athens.

2007-03-30T20:20:00.000-07:00

Earth Hour 2007

I got this from my friend Clare today. She's always on leading edge of all good things happening on the planet. Today she takes us to a very cool event happening in Sydney, Australia.

What is Earth Hour?

At 7.30pm on 31 March 2007, we are inviting Sydney to turn off its lights for just one hour - Earth Hour - to show that it's possible to take action on global warming.

World Wildlife Fund Australia and The Sydney Morning Herald are asking all of Sydney - its companies, government departments, individuals and families - to turn off their lights for just one hour. It's a simple action if everyone takes part, sending a powerful message that we care about the future of the planet.

Earth Hour is the launch of a 12 month campaign to reduce Sydney's greenhouse gas emissions by 5%. This could be achieved if all businesses and households turned off unused lights and appliances on standby.

What Can You Do?

Although this year's Earth Hour will happen in Sydney, the dream is that Earth Hour can grow into a global campaign. If you live outside of Sydney, you can show your support by joining us and turning off your lights at 7.30pm local time for one hour.

Hmmm...an hour in the dark on a Saturday night? Sounds like a very romantic setting in which to change the world!

rg

2007-03-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Sean Thompson is an amazing guy. He has spent his entire life truly living the words of an unknown philosopher: “Don't wait for your ship to come; swim out to it.”

He started his career earlier than most. Sean spent most of the 90's on business travel, and when he was actually home in Austin he exhausted most of his time getting caught up at the office. Issues at home and with family or friends often took the back seat. When he had down time to spend, unfortunately it usually went towards errands and the ever elusive to-do list. Flying off to a well-deserved vacation after another big client gig, Sean had a major epiphany: if he was the unofficial "go to" guy for friends, it was time for him to be that guy for clients. He spent the rest of the flight and ensuing vacation writing his business plan. When he landed back in Austin, Four Star Service was born.

Four Star Service has evolved over the years into a diverse suite of assistance services suitable for just about anyone, with any lifestyle and on any budget. Whether their client is an executive, a homemaker a vibrant senior--or all of those things--Sean and his team will tailor a plan to assist in productivity or relieve stress and free you up to enjoy the life that you're working so hard to create.

So, do yourself a favor, add one more thing to the top of your to-do list: give Sean a call. He and the team at Four Star Service will take that list out of your hand and free you up to do more important things, like enjoy your life!

2007-03-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality.
Dom Helder Camara

Last night, as I was putting "Certified Organic by the Colorado Dept. of Agriculture" stickers on NadaMoo! pint containers to do my part to help my friend Amy with her dream, I decided to watch ABC's show The Great American Dream Vote.

I had heard about the show from a member of the Her Domain listserv who posted about Devon's Dream to be able to build and maintain a Senior Basset Hound Center - speicifcally for the older hounds to live in comfort while they await adoption through BaRNI - Basset Rescue Network. It sounded like this show might be focused on a horizon a bit higher than average.

Devon got on stage to make her plea. The audience clapped and seemed to support her dream. Then a bald man took the stage. I wondered what his passionate dream would be...working with Greenpeace? rescuing abandoned kittens? rebuilding post-Katrina lives? Oh, no. Nothing like that. He took a deep breath and emotionally stated his dream: to have a full head of hair! As with Devon, the audience clapped to show their support.

I began to think that maybe Devon was going to have a chance. After all, who would pick hair transplants for a man who had the ability to change his life himself over some animals who had to depend on the kindness of strangers to live a safe & comfortable life? The host, Donny Osmond, had them both state their case one more time and then it was time for the audience to vote. It was then off to commercialville to build the tension.

Back to the show. The contestants are nervously holding their breath awaiting the big news. Donny reads the results and announces that the dream of a full head of hair will be fulfilled! Wild applause from the audience as Devon is ushered off stage. After she is out of camera range, Donny turns back to the guy and informs him that there was a whole bunch of other prizes in addition to a full head of hair: a new wardrobe, a car, a trip to Las Vegas, money, and much much more. The guy is beside himself with excitement. The audience applauds more loudly with every prize announced. Another 'dream' realized.

Frankly, I was appalled. Not because a guy was made happy, but because it seemed to be such a puny dream. And his reward was completely out of line with the smallness of the dream. And it gave me a picture of the audience that wasn't entirely complimentary. They gave the prize to a dream they could could feel comfortable with rather than extend themselves to support a dream that was bigger & possibly challenged them to think beyond their own comfort zone.

I assume that for the most part these were good people who had their expectation of greatness taken out of them at some point. The energy that would drive them to become someone or something "beyond their wildest dreams" [Donny's catch phrase...when it came to the prizes!] had been consumed with the daily demands of keeping everyday life flowing smoothly. I understand that and respect their choices, though I'm still disappointed with the outcome.

Ultimately we have a big world with equally big problems. We need people who will dream up the solutions of equal or greater proportions. I know that it was just a TV show, but like all television, it has the opportunity to reach beyond the box and engage the audience. The participants who shared their dreams are obviously action-oriented and driven to bring others in to their dreams. It would have been nice if the dreams had room for others.

rg

2007-03-29T07:41:00.000-07:00

Oprah Meets Jerry, Esther and Abraham

Tune-in to "Talk to Me" on XM Satellite Radio's "Oprah & Friends" channel (XM 156) to hear Jerry, Esther and Abraham's conversation with Oprah Winfrey.

Date / Times
Thursday, March 29th 4 A.M. 10 A.M. 4 P.M. 10 P.M.
Thursday, April 5th 4 A.M. 10 A.M. 4 P.M. 10 P.M.
Thursday, April 12th 4 A.M. 10 A.M. 4 P.M. 10 P.M.
**All Times listed are Eastern Time**

If you don't currently have an XM radio subscription, you can sign up for a free online trial. Follow the easy steps and you're on your way.

For more information, please visit: Oprah or XMRadio

2007-03-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

Whatta Wednesday!

Just a quick post. Cafe Caffeine has taken a solid lead in the Austin360 poll for the best coffee shop!

Thanks to everyone for helping us get to the top!

The poll is still open and we're still voting...go Team Caffeine!

rg

2007-03-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

"I had to have this weird thing about trying to illuminate the collective unconscious and help humanity."

I first met Bill at Nottingham Elementary in Houston Texas. He was far from the average 3rd grader. We shared a few classes and G-H homeroom through high school. I remember seeing him at the Comedy Annex in Houston when we were teenagers, then again when I was in Austin after college on a visit back from my life of waitressing & sailing in St. Thomas. The last time I saw him was at Igby's Comedy Cabaret in West Los Angeles while I was living in Santa Monica. Many people knew him better than me through those years, but I always knew that we had some odd connection. After his death in 1994, I learned alot more about his philosophical take on life and how deeply he connected to the infinite. The quote above is something I've used on my email signature since I've been on this iCREATE journey. It knocks me out with it's depth and simplicity. And every time I ready it, I can hear Bill saying it with a mix of resignation and hope.

Not everyone got to know Bill Hicks before he left the planet, but I recommend immersing yourself in his legacy. It's chilling how current his message is 13 years after his death.

[Just to add to the randomness of it all, our coffee shop, Cafe Caffeine is across the street from Alex Jones of Info Wars fame. Both Bill's & Alex's sites are connected to Sacred Cow Productions, which is the brainchild of Kevin Booth who has kept the Hicks legacy alive.]

rg

2007-03-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!
Pliny Fisk III, Austin's own "Godfather of Greenbuilding"

I first met Pliny about 4 years ago at one of the Center for Maximum Building Potential's monthly open houses I attended with mosaic tile master Craig Lopez. I didn't know a whole lot about greenbuilding or methods for environmentally-conscious living at that time, but soon became fascinated with the incredible environment that Pliny and his partner Gail Vittori had created out on FM969.

Back in 1975, while serving as assistant professor at the University of Texas’ School of Architecture, Pliny co-founded the CMPBS, an independent non-profit research and educational firm that concentrates on the interrelationships between the built and natural environments with a focus on sustainable community and local economic development.

The center’s broad agenda includes work and research in the areas of environmental planning and policy, environmental hazards, sustainable community planning in underrepresented communities, environmental justice, green architecture and construction, sustainability theory, materials science, life cycle assessment, building systems, and patent and product development.

Since the center's inception, Pliny has had a pivotal role in moving this agenda forward in four areas: architecture, master planning, participatory gaming and quantitative methods.

“CMPBS' body of work reflects the importance of recognizing the international protocols of life cycle assessment, geographic spatial analysis, and the footprint representation of sustainable technology as not limited to purely technical methods, but as a basis for public and client awareness and understanding” Fisk explained. “This new interpretation and visualization framework accepts interoperability between diverse disciplines as key in the creation of iconographic sequences, pictorial computer modeling, and infinite scaling procedures that literally interconnect the actions taken at the home level to those at a national or international level.”

A project exemplifying CMPBS’s work in these areas was the co-development of BaseLineGreen™, a modeling tool used to establish the environmental and economic baselining of generic building types. The center used this methodology in several green specification projects including work for the Pentagon Renovation Program in Washington, D.C., the NIST EpiCenter in Bozeman, Mont., the UT/Houston Health Science Center in Houston, Texas, and Seattle Green Building initiatives in Seattle, Wash.

CMPBS architecture projects include the internationally published Advanced Green Builder Demonstration and the Laredo Demonstration Farm. Additionally, the center developed an ecological land planning procedure, “Eco-BalancePlanning™,” which it has employed in master planning projects totaling more than 11,000 acres.

With CMPBS, Fisk has received several national and international awards including the United Nations’ Earth Summit Award, presented in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro Rio. The award recognized the center’s work with the city of Austin in creating the world’s first Green Builder Program. He has received the American Solar Energy Society’s 2000 Passive Solar Pioneer Award, the first Sacred Tree Award for “significant contributions to the advancement and transformation of green buildings in the public sector” from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2002, and the Presidential Team Award for contributing to the plan for moving towns relocated by the Mississippi Flood.

You can read more about Pliny in popular magazines such as Dwell and Metropolis. Or check out his team website for the U.S. Department of Energy's 2007 Solar Decathlon to see his brilliance in action!

rg

2007-03-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Now *This* Is A Creative Campaign Way to Challenge Presidential Hopefuls...

I was listening to Air America today and heard an interview with Andy Stern, President of the SEIU. As the interview went on, he mentioned the SEIU Walk A Day in My Shoes campaign challenging presidential candidates to spend time on the job and at home with a SEIU member.

Read more about it here.

rg

2007-03-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

We Have Faith!

Well, at least we have one of her handworked metal water features right outside of Cafe Caffeine. When Jeff Lewis founded the cafe in 2005 he wanted a unique element that would epitomize free flowing creative energy of South Austin and Faith Schexnayder did an amazing job. You can see more of her work at Flatfork Studio; if you're in the neighborhood, just look for the giant foam chicken outside her studio...she won't be far behind.

At Cafe Caffeine, we also have faith that we will get the 100 votes we need to make our coffeehouse #1 in the Austin 360 reader's poll for best coffeehouse in Austin. If you get a chance, please stop by the website and cast your vote for the South Austin tradition of good coffee and free flowing creativity!

rg

2007-03-20T19:04:00.001-07:00

Use your napkin to mop up some venture capital..or if you are over 35, maybe mop up your tears.

This notice came across the email transom today and I was pretty psyched about the opportunity till I noticed that it was limited to women age 35 or under...or at least each team submitting an idea had to have a woman 35 or under as a member. And the teams could actually be headed up by men, as long as at least half the team members were woman 35 or under. I read through the comments and saw that I was not the only person who was surprised that this opportunity was exclusionary. After reading Alison Bradley's comment, I was inspired to add my own $0.02:

I couldn’t agree with Alison Bradley more! At 35 I was still trying out new paths and it took till I was 40 to integrate it into a world-changing idea. I had the opportunity to meet Hillary Clinton last week and am on track to get the message to Oprah. Venture capital is great, but the community capital fund you build as you get older is what is needed to truly activate sustainable visions. I’m sure you’ll have many unique and fundable concepts sent in for this contest, however, I think you are sending a negative message to women everywhere when you tell them to get it done while you’re young because nobody will pay attention to you later.

To their credit, the editors of the site posted my comment and took the time to explain their philosophy. I am very glad that this site is available to the "next generation" of female entrepreneurs. I hope they find the support they need to grow their visions. However, as I posted in my comment, I encourage all of you to grow your personal community capital as you move down your path. Remember, soon you too will be over 35.

All that being said, I still think it's a great concept and I hope that a woman with an old soul wins. And, as Henry Miller said, “All that matters is that the miraculous becomes the norm.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Women 2.0 Napkin Business Challenge Eligibility and Rules

The business plan must represent the original work of members of the team. You can submit as many business ideas on napkins as you want. You may have a team of up to four individuals. At least half of the team must be female and at least half of the team must be under 35; else the majority shareholder must be a woman and under 35. This is a Women 2.0 and Entrepreneur27 production afterall.

We are accepting business ideas that are in concept stage or in beta launch only. The competition is for new, independent ventures in the seed, start-up, or early stage. Generally excluded are the following: buy-outs, expansions of existing companies, real estate syndications, tax shelters, franchises, licensing agreements for distribution in a different geographical area, and spin-outs from existing corporations. As if you’d be silly enough to submit that anyway.

2007-03-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

A Hero Supporting Heroes:
Jeff Skoll Puts His Money Where His Heart Is

2007 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship (3/16/07)

Ten Innovative Social Entrepreneurs Receive Million-Dollar Awards from the Skoll Foundation Grants to Allow Each Organization to Expand Their Reach, Address Social Needs Around the World

PALO ALTO, Calif.—March 14, 2007—The Skoll Foundation today announced it is awarding $10,150,000 to 10 recipients of the 2007 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship. The recipients, who will each receive three-year grants of $1,015,000, are organizations that target social issues in need of urgent attention.

This year’s Skoll entrepreneurs include a former French businessman who is building networks to prevent the abuse of street children, two longtime environmentalists whose “Ecological Footprint” enables businesses and governments to measure their role in depleting the world’s ecological assets, a community activist who helps villages in India run sustainable sanitation and clean water facilities, and a former accountant who is helping replenish the world’s collapsing fish stocks with an international seafood eco-labeling and certification program.

The Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship honor and provide support for organizations led by social entrepreneurs who have a demonstrated track record of pioneering social innovations and offering measurable objectives for increasing and expanding the impact of their work. The Skoll Awards are designed to advance lasting solutions to critical social challenges and recognize programs effecting positive change in six issue categories: tolerance and human rights, health, environmental sustainability, peace and security, institutional responsibility, and economic and social equity.

“The social entrepreneurship community received an unprecedented level of recognition recently when the Nobel Peace Prize committee honored one of our own as the person who most embodies the creation of lasting peace,” noted Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. “Muhammad Yunus’ vision for leading millions out of poverty through access to small amounts of capital has paved the way for hundreds of other social entrepreneurs to marshal their creativity, courage and fortitude to become 21st century change agents. And we need them now more than ever.

“This year’s awardees – as in prior years – all reflect the essence of a Skoll social entrepreneur: a practical innovator who creates sustainable engines at the grassroots level, putting into place the lasting means to get housing, education, health care and other critical resources to the world's impoverished and vulnerable billions,” said Osberg. “They offer a model for a new kind of leader who melds the discipline of business with the perspective of those less fortunate, and brings a tough-minded optimism to bear on the biggest challenges confronting our communities, our countries and the planet.”

Each year’s recipients are identified through an open competitive process that surfaces social entrepreneurs whose work has created, or has the potential to create, large-scale, transformational benefit for disadvantaged or disenfranchised populations or for society at large. The Skoll Awards will be presented by Skoll Foundation Chairman Jeff Skoll on March 28 at the fourth annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at the University of Oxford in England. The World Forum convenes a global community of outstanding practitioners and thought leaders in social entrepreneurship to set the future agenda for visionaries who want to transform society.

The 10 organizations receiving the 2007 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship are: Escuela Nueva Foundation, Friends-International, Global Footprint Network, Gram Vikas, Kashf Foundation, Free The Children, Manchester Bidwell Corporation, Marine Stewardship Council, Verité and YouthBuild USA.

The 2007 Skoll Awardees
Escuela Nueva Foundation – Since its creation in 1987, the Escuela Nueva Foundation has strengthened and promoted the Escuela Nueva (New School) model in Colombia and abroad, demonstrating that with the right educational approach, any child can achieve high academic standards and permanently escape poverty. The Escuela Nueva model now reaches more than 5 million children in 14 Latin American countries, Uganda and the Philippines and the World Bank has recognized Escuela Nueva as one of the most innovative educational programs in the developing world.

Social Entrepreneur: Vicky Colbert
Headquarters: Bogota, Colombia
Grant Objective: To support the Escuela Nueva Foundation’s Smart Scaling Campaign to reach an additional 1.5 million children by 2010 through current program expansion in Latin America and Uganda and by launching new programs in India, Peru, Costa Rica and Bolivia.

Free The Children – Free The Children recognizes the potential of young people to create positive social change. It works with schools throughout North America to educate and empower youths to act locally and globally as agents of change for their peers around the world. More than 500,000 students have joined the organization’s Youth in Action groups in 1,000 schools across the U.S. and Canada. They have shipped $11 million in essential medical supplies and have provided health care projects benefiting more than 505,000 people.

Social Entrepreneurs: Craig and Marc Kielburger
Headquarters: Toronto
Grant Objective: To expand in the U.S. and establish 800 new Youth in Action groups that raise an additional $1.5 million each year.

Friends-International – Since 1994, Friends-International has been running projects worldwide for and with street children, attempting to reintegrate these children into society and providing positive alternatives to those who unwittingly or out of economic necessity enable this phenomenon, such as taxis, Internet cafes, restaurants, hotels and tourists. Each year 85,000 children benefit from programs operated by Friends-International and partner organizations in Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Honduras, France, Switzerland, the United States and Germany.

Social Entrepreneur: Sebastien Marot
Headquarters: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Grant Objective: To build a financially sustainable global network of partners capable of helping 500,000 street children each year.

Global Footprint Network – To combat humanity’s consumption of ecological resources beyond sustainable limits, Global Footprint Network developed the Ecological Footprint, a science-based tool that graphically shows the depletion of ecological assets and helps businesses and governments track impacts and make ecologically sound decisions. The Ecological Footprint is used by Wales, Switzerland and Japan, and by hundreds of other cities, counties, businesses, intergovernmental bodies and educational institutions.

Social Entrepreneurs: Mathis Wackernagel and Susan Burns
Headquarters: Oakland, California
Grant Objective: To add 15 national and/or international government agencies using the Ecological Footprint to the partner network by 2010.

Gram Vikas – Gram Vikas (Village Development) has developed a holistic approach to rural development in India that involves entire communities, with water and sanitation as the starting point. Founder Joe Madiath believes every home must have running water and sanitation before villagers will collectively seek a better quality of life through education, job training and healthy practices. The program has been implemented in 289 villages, reaching 22,347 households and has successfully proven that the rural poor can and will pay for better sanitation and water facilities.

Social Entrepreneur: Joe Madiath
Headquarters: Orissa, Ganjam, India
Grant Objective: To bring water and sanitation to 100,000 families by 2010.

Kashf Foundation – Kashf is a microfinance institution that offers women below the poverty line in Pakistan a way out through access to financial services. Kashf began with 15 clients in 1996 and now assists 150,000 clients, with a recovery rate of 99 percent. It delivers collateral-free microloans, savings and life insurance products through branches that become sustainable within 10 months. Thirty-five percent of its clients move out of poverty within three years.

Social Entrepreneur: Roshaneh Zafar
Headquarters: Lahore, Pakistan
Grant Objective: To expand operations to 600,000 clients by 2010 in Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh provinces.

Manchester Bidwell Corporation – Through a nationally recognized model for arts education, vocational training and community development, Manchester Bidwell Corporation (MBC) has brought higher graduation and college enrollment rates and has reduced unemployment for thousands of young people each year in impoverished urban environments across the U.S. Since 1984, MBC and its subsidiaries have operated art and recording studios, computer classrooms and industrial kitchens, among other facilities, demonstrating that an inspiring space and state-of-the-art equipment lead to more motivated and engaged students.

Social Entrepreneur: William Strickland
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Grant Objective: Support replication programs in six cities that will serve 1,800 additional youths by 2009.

Marine Stewardship Council - To combat declining levels of wild fish stock, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) offers the world’s only international seafood eco-labeling and certification program, which uses market forces to support sustainable fisheries and encourage eco-friendly products. Today 500 MSC-labeled products from 22 certified fisheries are sold in 26 countries. Major companies such as Whole Foods in the U.S. and Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury in the U.K. have stocked MSC seafood, and in 2006 Wal-Mart announced that it would begin to source all its fish from MSC-certified suppliers.

Social Entrepreneur: Rupert Howes
Headquarters: London
Grant Objective: To increase market penetration in Europe, strengthen its U.S. presence, expand into the Asia/Pacific arena and certify at least eight more fisheries by 2010.

Verité – Engaging workers in a solutions-driven, participatory model, Verité partners with hundreds of multinational brands, sector leaders, factories, nongovernmental organizations, institutional investors and governments to improve social and environmental performance of global supply chains. Verité currently operates in more than 60 countries in electronics, apparel, footwear, food and beverage, and agriculture industries, among others, with a growing network of staff and partners. By bringing practical auditing, training, capability building and research solutions to stakeholders of the global workplace, Verité improves the lives of global factory workers, who often suffer from unhealthy, exploitive working conditions and typically have no leverage to effect change. The organization has improved working conditions directly and indirectly for millions of workers around the world, delivered training to thousands of factories, and improved policy and addressed labor issues providing protections for millions of workers.

Social Entrepreneur: Dan Viederman
Headquarters: Amherst, Massachusetts
Grant Objective: To strengthen partnerships in dozens of countries and train 1,500 practitioners to replicate its model by 2010, with the potential to reach hundreds of thousands more workers worldwide.

YouthBuild USA – To create a positive future for low-income young people who left high school without a diploma, YouthBuild re-enrolls them in an alternative YouthBuild school where they complete high school and build affordable homes for their neighbors, while transforming their own lives and becoming responsible citizens and good parents with well-paying jobs. Each year, YouthBuild programs engage 8,000 youths in local programs supported by the national YouthBuild USA organization in 42 states and produce affordable housing for 1,000 low-income or homeless families.

Social Entrepreneur: Dorothy Stoneman
Headquarters: Somerville, Massachusetts
Grant Objective: To build a critical mass of role models and have 500 YouthBuild students communicate their experience to audiences of millions, expand the program and fund a re-entry program for adjudicated youths in three states.

About the Skoll Foundation
Headquartered in California’s Silicon Valley, the Skoll Foundation was created by eBay’s first president, Jeff Skoll, to fulfill his vision of a world where all people, regardless of geography, background or economic status, enjoy and employ the full range of their talents and abilities. Today the Skoll Foundation benefits communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs – individuals dedicated to pioneering innovations that result in lasting solutions to complex social problems.

The Skoll Foundation invests in social entrepreneurs through the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship. It connects them through Social Edge, an online community at www.socialedge.org, and via the annual Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. It celebrates social entrepreneurs through such projects as the PBS Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Fund, which enables filmmakers, documentarians and other journalists to produce works that tell the stories of individual social entrepreneurs and promote large-scale public awareness of social entrepreneurship.

2007-03-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

Breakthrough Austin
Executive Director Search 2007

Breakthrough is seeking a visionary leader and seasoned manager to take our innovative program to new levels of excellence and sustainability. Proven skills in fundraising, systems focus, passion for creating educational opportunities a must. Competitive salary and benefits package. Send letter of interest, resume, names of three references and salary history to EDJobOpening@breakthroughaustin.org by April 18, 2007.

Please check out Breakthrough Austin to learn more about what they are looking for, and feel free to forward to others you believe would be qualified.

About Breakthrough

Breakthrough builds a path to college for low-income students who will be first-generation college graduates, starting the summer after their sixth grade year. Part of a successful national network , the Breakthrough Collaborative, Austin’s program was founded in 2001 and is a pioneer in many aspects of programming, governance and sustainability.

Breakthrough transforms potential high school dropouts into promising college candidates, making college possible for students who have not historically pursued higher education. As these students become college degree-holders, each will have the resources needed to enter a new economic class and impact his or her family for generations to come. This approach was celebrated in 2006 by the Austin Chronicle’s Best of Austin Awards, applauding Breakthrough as the “Best Education Money Can’t Buy.”

It is an exciting time in Breakthrough’s history! In 2007, Breakthrough will reach full enrollment, operating at capacity for the first time with 250+ students in grades seven through twelve. Additionally, the first senior class will graduate in May 2008. Breakthrough is ready to explore program expansion to serve more students in diverse communities, potentially through the concept of “Breakthrough in a Box” – a toolkit of best practices being designed to allow others to replicate the program model in new communities – while at the same time implementing the systems and infrastructure needed to effectively manage such growth.

Governed by a board of 13 local leaders, Breakthrough is managed by a staff of 10 FTEs, and supported by 20-30 seasonal employees and/or interns. The organization’s 2007 budget of approximately $740,000 reflects significant growth over previous years. Breakthrough is funded by private donations from foundations (50%), corporations (30%), and individuals (20%). The growth of individual donor income over the next three years is a key organizational goal.

2007-03-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

Shocked Rocked!

Last night we were beyond excited to have Michelle Shocked perform at the ATXtreme festival. She was in great voice and even better humor. She told the audience that she had told her manager to book her anywhere...and so here she was in a parking lot at a coffee shop in South Austin. She then said, "I wouldn't be anywhere else. This is the real Austin, where music really matters!" The crowd loved the show, sang along with the songs and then were treated to a second unexpected set when the next act decided to blow off their set. Michelle showed she was a pro and handled it all with grace as she launched into sweet, strong songs from growing up in East Texas.

If you ever get the chance to see her live, do it! Until then, check out her website, buy her music and keep Michelle's voice out in the world.

rg

2007-03-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

I just met Hillary Clinton!

Well, the big event was tonight and we got to meet Senator Clinton. She was quite stylish, very gracious and obviously deeply committed to her work. The event was hosted by a long time friend of hers from back in "Texans for McGovern" campaign days and it felt like we were just joining a conversation they had begun 30+ years ago.

I didn't fully know what to expect of the evening. We are inundated with media images of political figures, usually in some heightened, pressured, stressful environment. Or in a completely modulated formal setting. I had some thoughts about Senator Clinton formed by mass media; but I also have a friend who has known her for over 30 years and says he can't think of a finer person to have as our President. Another friend's mother lives in Buffalo New York and cannot say enough nice things about the Senator and what she's done for the 'real people' of upstate New York. I was fortunate to meet President Clinton in 2005 when he was in Austin signing his book so I knew that Hillary Clinton had to be his equal for their relationship to have lasted so long in such a pressure cooker.

What we saw tonight was a strong, smart, thoughtful woman who is fully committed to her principles. She was accessible, interested and had a much softer energy than is generally portrayed in the media. She took time with everyone, whether they were on the catering staff, old friends or new supporters. In her speech she spoke passionately about getting back to the principles of Americans; in her actions, she proved it was more than just words.

There is still a long campaign ahead, however tonight made me feel hopeful that it wasn't just another egotistical fight to the finish for the moneyed class. Rather, it's got the potential to be a reawakening of the American dream for those who had come close to giving up on that potential for themselves and their families.

rg

2007-03-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

How Does ExxonMobil's generous visionary action help iCREATE?

I think it is best answered in the story of Leonardo da Vinci ( 1452-1519), who was truly was a man well beyond his time. His lists of interests and achievements are extraordinary; as well as an artist and architect, he was an astronomer, researcher, scientist, experimenter, anatomist and inventor. His most acclaimed paintings are the Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) in the Louvre, Paris and the Last Supper in the refectory at Santa Maria delle grazie, Milan. His work was founded on a strict science and based on a profound analysis of ancient and traditional sources, but it was his curiosity which really drove him and his inquisitive mind.

The creative campus we are developing in Manor will be an incubator for creative and intellectual curiousity. Participants will learn the art of science...and the science of art. And then capture that knowledge in ways that will sustain them economically for the rest of their lives. Community based economic growth rooted in cultural legacy knowledge and shaped by intellectual rigor. Whole-brain thinking...and "doing". A place where 'genius' is recognized, encouraged and expected. The kind of place that Leonardo would feel at home.

ExxonMobil becomes the patron this work needs by committing $125 Million to the IDEA of this work. By supporting math & science initiatives in Texas, they have declared the importance of this work to the future of our world. So, eventhough the check is not written directly to iCREATE, the residual effect makes it possible for the creative campus to move from dream to reality.

2007-03-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!
(well, ExxonMobil is not a *personal* friend...yet!)

ExxonMobil Commits $125 Million to Math and Science Education Initiative (3/13/07)

ExxonMobil and the ExxonMobil Foundation in Irving, Texas, have announced a $125 million commitment to the National Math & Science Initiative a nonprofit organization created to facilitate the national scale-up of programs that have a demonstrated impact on math and science education in the United States.

With the funding from ExxonMobil, NMSI plans to expand two efforts that have been successful in Texas: training and incentive programs for advanced placement and pre-AP courses, and UTeach, a collaborative program of the Colleges of Natural Sciences and Education at the University of Texas at Austin that encourages math and science majors to become teachers by offering an integrated degree plan, financial assistance, and early teaching experiences.

Both programs have demonstrated considerable success in Texas over the past five years, with schools enrolled in the training programs more than tripling the number of students who scored a three or higher on AP exams in math and science. Over the same period, UTeach has doubled the number of UT-Austin students graduating with math and science teacher certification, while more than 80 percent of the program graduates who entered teaching four years ago are still teaching, compared with a 60 percent four-year retention rate nationally.

"Meeting the world's energy requirements and environmental challenges demands that we have a steady supply of well-skilled engineers and scientists," said ExxonMobil chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson "For many years, ExxonMobil has been greatly concerned about the erosion of the number of students coming out of American schools who are qualified and interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and we are confident that NMSI will help to reverse these trends."

"New Program Launched to Foster Next Generation of Scientists and Engineers to Improve U.S. Global Competitiveness."
ExxonMobil Press Release 3/09/07.

http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/10006546/story

2007-03-13T10:31:00.000-07:00

Choosing Prosperity

I received Elyse Hope Killoran's Choosing Prosperity From the Inside Out! e-zine this morning and it reconnected me with a game I used to play quite a bit as I was really embedding my abundance thinking. It is called The Prosperity Game and it can be played online through Ms. Killoran's website.

The description from the website:

The Prosperity Game, first introduced by Abraham-Hicks (teachers of Deliberate Creation), is a simple, fun, and empowering way to activate one's ability to create prosperity - from the inside-out.

Playing the game alone is a delicious experience, but when we gather together to play it with a group - watch out! As Prosperity Partnership members have experienced first-hand, when you add the power of group energy sponsorship to such a dynamic system, the result is a true amplification of the power of the process.

As Choosing Prosperity is all about supporting a world-wide shift of prosperity consciousness by seeing to it that all interested individuals have access to knowledge and tools to activate our true creative potential, we have created this program as a gift.

And, as there is absolutely no cost to participate in this program, feel free to invite your friends, family, colleagues, clients. Simply send an email to your circle of friends using the Tell A Friend link in the left menu. They can then go directly to the link in the email to register online for the game.

My Personal Experience

While Ms. Killoran specifically relates the game to financial abundance, it has been my experience that that is only one measure of the amazing energetic expansions that came from playing the game. Once I reconnected to the natural assumption of abundance with which I came into the world, the whole idea of scarcity seemed rather contrived. What a release from fear to assume that all would be well. That simple act of faith freed up a whole lot of energy that was tied to the care and feeding of worry, stress and other emotional hobgoblins that kept me disconnected from natural abundance.

I then turned that reclaimed energy to positive pursuits in the realms of mind, body and spirit. I found amazing opportunities opening up around me, people wanted to be around that positive energetic flow so that not only was I awakened, but it inspired others to throw their own windows open to the abundant flow. The greatest gift of all was that just about a year ago I met an amazing and wonderful man named Keith Hogan who has become the partner I've always dreamed of...mind, body and spirit. Individually we are each pretty dynamic...together our abundance energy is irresistable...lol.

I can't guarantee that you'll have the same outcome as me from playing the prosperity game, but I definitely recommend that you open your heart and "Sign Up for the Game"...you've truly got nothing to lose!

rg

2007-03-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

What A Week Lies Ahead!

The SXSW Festival kicked off last night and will run through March 18th. Naturally this brings all kinds of interesting people to town and the ecclectic energy of Austin reaches a whole new level.

My friends from Norway will be here with a large contingent to promote the creative economic opportunities in Kristiansand and check out the possibility of developing a Sister City relationship with Austin.

We will be preparing for the ATXtreme at Cafe Caffeine and just to be sure things don't get too mundane, I get to meet Hillary Clinton on Friday!

Now, all I need to do is get a call for the semi-finals of Oprah's Big Give show and this will truly be the best week ever!

rg

2007-03-09T08:14:00.000-08:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

ATXtreme is the heart/brainchild of Jeff Lewis who has put together this 5-day musical event with local, national and international musicians who are all excited to get their rock on in South Austin!

Please join us at Cafe Caffeine, as we host ATXtreme which is an incredible lineup of music March 14th to 18th to benefit ONE, which is an effort by Americans to rally Americans – one by one – to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE is students and ministers, punk rockers and NASCAR moms, Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life, united to help make poverty history.

The first chord will ring out at 11am on Wednesday March 14th and bands will play at the top of every hour until 11pm each night. The festival runs from March 14th to March 18th...and all the music is FREE!

Be sure to bring some cash for food, drink and artist merchandise. Some of the acts you've heard of [Tommy Ramone, Michelle Shocked, Pam Tillis], others you'll be happy to discover. Check the ATXtreme website for all the acts and any updates.

Jeff has reserved the entire Old South Austin Post Office parking lot for the event at the corner of S 5th & W Annie Streets. Free parking there . . .probably holds 150 cars . . . maybe more. Visitors must enter off West Annie Street side. Gate will be unlocked at 10:00am each day. The address is 1800 S. Fifth Street, about a block away from Cafe Caffeine.

We'll see you at Cafe Caffeine, 909 W. Mary, 78704...Austin's Original Hip Zip!

2007-03-05T21:15:00.000-08:00

Interesting...

I was going through my old emails and discovered that I had received this reply from the Oprah site on Feb 23rd 2006...exactly one year before the "Big Give" submission deadline.

I always have been ahead of the curve...lol.

rg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Oprah.com" to me
show details 2/23/06

Dear Ruth Glendinning,

Thank you for your e-mail! Your message is important to us. Unfortunately, due to the volume of e-mail messages we receive every day, we cannot guarantee that you'll receive a personal response. Feel free to check out our Frequently Asked Questions for additional help.
http://www.oprah.com/tows/program/tows_prog_main.jhtml

Thanks again for writing to us!

Sincerely,
The Oprah.com Staff
www.oprah.com

2007-03-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Vote for Cafe Caffeine!

Our coffeehouse, Cafe Caffeine is moving up in the Austin 360 reader's poll for best coffeehouse in Austin. Right now we are ranked #3, but we'd love to be #1! If you get a chance, please stop by the website and let us know that you like us continuing the South Austin tradition of good coffee, great music and the daily opportunity to chat with one of our more famous locals, Leslie Cochran. If he doesn't happen to be there in person when you visit, you can always pick up the "Leslie Dress-Up Magnet" that was created in 2006 by Jimmy Haddox, co-owner of Wet Hair Salon, which contains an 8-inch likness of Cochran along with several interchangeable magnetic outfits. Cochran himself receives 15% of the sales. Haddox predicted sales would exceed 10,000 by the end of 2006.

It's so Austin, how could we resist?

rg

2007-03-04T19:55:00.000-08:00

When Having a Cow Just Isn't an Option...

After tasting the La Da Mint Chip flavor for the first time last year, I became an unrepentant evangelist for this incredible organic, dairy-free frozen treat. It's naturally sweetened with agave nectar and it has about half the calories, carbs and fat - but ALL the rich taste - of premium ice cream. I know I've bragged on Amy & NadaMoo! before, but it's just that good.

Amy's gotten regional distribution this year and NadaMoo! will be in stores throughout the Southwest and Rocky Mountains. Keep your eyes open for it and if you don't see it, ask your local grocers to get it for you.

Give it a try, you'll be very happy you did.

rg

2007-03-04T19:31:00.000-08:00

To the "Main-er" Born...

How to Pronounce "Manor"

The town of Manor, Texas is pronounced "main-er", not "mann-er". It was named after the town's original Postmaster, James Manor, in 1872.

Welcome to Texas!

rg

2007-03-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

I Can Feel A Change in the World...

...and it's increasing my fire energy...as you can see in this photo!

Even during this crazy Mercury retrograde period amazing things have come to fruition.

iCREATE has been invited to move forward with the
Manor Education Foundation in the planning of the STELLAR creative arts/science campus. Another cool aspect of all this is Tommy Warren's incredible vision of a full-service music and movie production studio called Spiderwood.

The big plan is have a whole-brained creative campus that gives a wide range of pathways for success to real people of all ages. And it's working!

rg

2007-02-18T13:54:00.000-08:00

The Video Has Been Shot!

We just finished shooting the video for Oprah's 'Big Give' contestant search. This is my horoscope for February from Vanity Fair...I take it as a good sign :-)

rg

2007-02-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Back in the game!

I got an email the other day from a friend telling me about Oprah's new contest called the BIG GIVE...I'm totally going for it!

Oprah’s “BIG GIVE” Contestant Search!

2006-10-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

I received this message from an amazing woman I know named Dr. Foo Sawasdee. She is the godmother of Thai food in Austin and, without a doubt, is the original Thai-Texan! I hope you get a chance to enjoy her food & company at this Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce event or at either of her two restaurants: Satay or the Thai Noodle House

Dear Friends,

I hope you all had a great Summer. I just returned from Thailand yesterday and had to jump in to help TACC and TCA with one the most exciting event coming up this week.

I am writing on behalf of Texas Asian Chamber of Commerce (TACC) to invite all my dear friends to join me and a team of fabulous Chefs for a two-days Cooking Extravaganza (November 3 &4) at the First "ASIA FOOD FEST" in Austin Texas (Please see attached Poster). This event is supported and partnered by TCA (Texas Culinary Academy), Hong Kong Market, Western Union, and SATAY Restaurant, to benefit TACC's multiple community projects in Austin, Texas.

Although ASIA FOOD FEST is new to Austin, it is resulted from the success of last year "Thai Cooking Festival" in Austin and Houston, sponsored by the Thai Government to promote Thai cooking in the US.

This year, however, we realized that our culinary trend is on "Global Cuisine" and Asian-inspired dishes are of significant interest. Therefore, we have teamed up with several Asian Chefs and Asian-inspired Chefs from our beautiful Austin (Chef Jeff Liu from Bistro 88, Chef Quincy Adam-Erickson from Amuse Bouche, Chef Steve Riad from TOMO, Chef Nam from Koriente, Chef Mac from Me Kong River), Chef Chan from San Antonio, and our last year's most popular Chef Instructor from Thailand "Dr. Surachai Kim" to perform a series of "Asian-inspired" Wine &Food Pairing Dinners (at SATAY, Bistro 88, and Ventana) and Asian cooking classes and demonstration (from Basic to advanced Thai, Vietnamese, Sushi, Korean, Chinese classes), and an Iron Chef Contest as a big Highlight for the event at the Texas culinary Academy on Burnet Road.

Please call TACC at 420-8777 OR TCA at 837-2665 for details or register for all classes on line at www.txasianchamber.org

2006-10-20T09:31:00.001-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Since picking up the camera again, Korey Howell has created an amazing photography environment that, as she says, "with the benefit of great lighting, skilled posing, and creative concepts, you will look like you...just the very best version of you."

As an added bonus, anything she can’t fix with photography, she fixes with Photoshop! Believe it or not, I can fix those little imperfections like blemishes, wrinkles and, yes, even a double chin. In fact, she offers a 10 year-10 pound guarantee!

While that guarantee alone would make her flauntable, she also has an amazing heart to go with that photographer's eye. She's currently doing a photo essay for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign, in which 25 Austin women will be featured in AustinWoman Magazine!

She is offering this opportunity at a bargain rate of $225 which includes 3 looks...and at 10 pounds off per look, well, you'll love the results...lol. There are many more reasons to participate in this campaign, click here to see what it is all about and learn how you can show your heart to Austin.

She's also shooting the The 2007 Go Red for Women Calendar: "Men with Heart" featuring Austin men showing support for the American Heart Association. The images will be black and white with a splash of red; either by way of a Go Red lapel pin or other cool image. The calendar will be used as a fundraiser and will be sold at Macy's, who is a national sponsor. Korey & I talked yesterday and decided that Matthew McConaughey would be the perfect candidate for this calendar: he loves his mother and is already going pink for breast cancer awareness...let's have him go all the way and GO RED FOR WOMEN. So, if you're reading this Matthew, give Korey a call and she'll capture your heart!

rg

2006-10-17T10:53:00.000-07:00

October 17th is the Day to Give Conscious Vibrations of Love & Peace

This is the beginning, one of many trigger events to come between now and 2013. An ultraviolet (UV) pulse beam radiating from higher dimensions in universe-2 will cross paths with the Earth on this day. Earth will remain approximately within this UV beam for 17 hours of your time.

This beam resonates with the heart chakra, it is radiant flourescent in nature, blue/magenta in colour. Although it resonates in this frequency band, it is
above the colour frequency spectrum of your universe-1 which you, Earth articulate in. However due to the nature of your soul and soul groups operating from Universe-2 frequency bands it will have an effect.

The effect is every thought and emotion will be amplified intensely one million-fold. Yes, we will repeat, all will be amplified one millions time and more.

Every thought, every emotion, every intent, everywill, no matter if it is good, bad, ill, positive, negative, will be amplified one million times in strength.

What does this mean?

Since all matter manifest is due to your thoughts, i.e. what you focus on, this beam will accelerate these thoughts and solidify them at an accelerated rate making them manifest a million times faster than they normally would.

For those that do not comprehend. Your thoughts, what you focus on create your reality. This UV beam thus can be a dangerous tool. For if you are focused on
thoughts which are negative to your liking they will manifest into your reality almost instantly. Then again this UV beam can be a gift if you choose it to be.

Mission 1017 requires approximately one million people to focus on positive, benign, good willed thoughts for themselves and the Earth and Humanity on this day. Your thoughts can be of any nature of your choosing, but remember whatever you focus on will be made manifest in a relatively faster than anticipated time frame. To some the occurrences may almost be bordering on the miracle.

All we ask is positive thoughts of love, prosperity,healing, wealth, kindness, gratitude be focused on.

This UV beam comes into full affect for 17 hrs on the 17th of October 2006. No matter what time zone you are in the hours are approximately 10:17 am on the 17th of October to 1:17 am on the 18th October. The peak time will be 17:10 (5:10 pm) on the 17th October. You do not need to be in a meditative state through out this tie, though would be beneficial. The main key time no matter what time zone you are in will be the peak time of 17:10 (5:10 pm). Perhaps at this time if you can find a peaceful spot or location to focus. The optimum is out in the vicinity of grounded nature, likened to that of a large tree or next to the ocean waves. Focus on whatever it is you desire. What is required for the benefit of all Earth and Humanity is positive thoughts of loving nature.

We call this UV beam trigger event, "818" gateway. Please forward this message to as many people as you know who will use this cosmic trigger event to focus positive, good willed thoughts. We require approximately 1-million people across globe to actively participate in this event. Please use whatever communication mediums you have at your disposal. Reach out to as many people as possible. We require 1-million plus people at the least to trigger a shift for humanity from separation and fragmentation to one of unification and oneness. This is your opportunity to take back what is rightfully yours i.e. Peace and Prosperity for all Earth and Mankind.

This is a gift, a life line from your universe so to speak, an answer to your prayers. What you do with it and whether or not you choose to participate is your
choice.

2006-10-13T09:40:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Today I'm excited to promote Bill Stidham, a man who is not only my good friend and kindred spirit, but also a bold, compassionate artist who articulates his heart energy with every word he writes and each painting he creates. What impresses me most is that he has moved through the fears that many people hide behind to evolve his heart energy from scarred to scared to sacred. It's amazing how a little rearrangement of the letters can free us to do our best work...lol.

Bill's current collection is The Sacred Heart which is an assemblage of iconic paintings imbued with the sacred heart imagery that he grew up with in the Catholic Church. Each of his sacred hearts have touched the world with the gifts that they have been given. Using their heart energy, these artists and shape shifters were able to change people's lives through the use of their gifts. Without them the world and the way we experience it would be lit a little dimmer. Bill challenges himself and others by boldly asking "How are you using your Sacred Heart for change?"

Bill Stidham came to painting after a bruising experience in trying to get his contemporary fiction novel published. Having spent 4 years in writing, editing, choosing an agent,more editing, then shopping publishing houses and hitting a dead end... William decided to pick up a watercolor kit from the local Walgreen's in order to do something different with his creative energy.

The initial paintings came out better than expected and offered encouragement. He could paint what he was feeling fast and had something beautiful to show for it, as opposed to writing where you can labor for years and still draw blank stares.

Fueled by more tumultuous experiences in his life, William dove deeper into the watercolor as a way of expressing what needed to be released. Out of those internal dialogs came the cathartic realization of the feminine archetype that he painted for a number of years. With each painting more was revealed about himself and what needed to be healed in his human condition. He refers to his paintings as a "spiritual exercise" where God takes over. He challenges himself with every painting by destroying them, then bringing them back to life.

Not having a formal education in art, he looks at this as a gift. "The only bad habits I have are my own. I'm not trying to copy anyone else's style. I have been fortunate enough to have been given my own. Watercolors can never be mastered and God is in the perceived mistakes that eventually become a new extension of who I am and where I am going. The so called mistakes end up becoming a new direction."

Bill has had shows in many cities including: Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta ,Corpus Christi and Queretaro, Mexico. He has been featured in the Austin American Statesman, radio stations in Austin, ME TV, magazines and a Coors Light beer commercial. His work also graces The Vineyard wine labels. He currently resides in Austin, Tx.

He asks you to not to be critical of where you stand with your knowledge of art...because he sure doesn't. Whatever touches you is a good enough reason to take it home and give it love.

2006-10-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Austin's 'Shock Value' Unveils New ZAP Electric Car

An all electric car from automotive pioneer ZAP was unveiled yesterday at Shock Value, a new dealer for ZAP in Austin, Texas. Shock Value has submitted an application to the State and is awaiting its dealer license to commence sales for the all-electric XEBRA. Owner John Martin has signed a license agreement with ZAP, a publicly owned automotive distributor based in Santa Rosa, California, to sell the new ZAP micro-car in Austin. The new all-electric ZAP XEBRA PK was unveiled as part of Shock Value's blitz to spark interest with Austin consumers, government and corporate fleets. Owner John Martin liked driving the new electric car so much he decided to work with ZAP in bringing them to Austin. For more information, go to ZAP.

2006-10-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Today's star is Amy Ramm, creator of NadaMoo! an organic, agave-sweetened, dairy-free frozen treat that soothes your soul when, as the NadaMoo-ers like to say "...when having a cow is out of the question!"

NadaMoo! is a homegrown company that makes high-quality, natural food products in a responsible way. They combine traditional preparation methods with their knowledge of nutrition and the healing properties of foods to make health-conscious products so refreshing and satisfying that it makes having a cow out of the question.

They believe that business should be fun and desserts should be delicious but not deadly. The NadaMoo! team is passionate about natural foods and enjoys creating new culinary adventures, flavors and products. They only work with people who share our vision. Their mission is purity, stewardship, profitability, co-operation and integrity in both our products and business operations.

The NadaMoo! products are the brainchild of Amy Ramm, is a natural foods chef and instructor whose creativity and passion for cooking inspires people from all walks of life. She is the Culinary Program Director at the Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts, where she teaches many of the home processing and hands-on cooking classes as well as advises the students throughout the program. She also cooks for special events, retreats and private clients. Amy studied baking science at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and trained locally with some of Austin's best pastry chefs and bakers in the mid 1990's. More recently Amy studied and taught with acclaimed author Paul Pitchford, whose book Healing with Whole Foods is used worldwide as a textbook in medical and nutritional training programs. She is taking a break to produce and promote NadaMoo!, an all organic, sugar-free, dairy-free frozen treat that can be purchased at Whole Foods, Wheatsville Coop, and Farm to Market Grocery.

Other people are looking for alternative foods that meet their social, ethical or ecological standards — they want to eat organically grown foods or lead a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle; or they're concerned about animal rights, overpopulation, or fair business and trade practices. NadaMoo! fits all of those requirements…and it’s delicious!

2006-10-05T15:30:00.000-07:00

This Explains So Much...LOL.

Study Spots the Brain's Selfishness 'Off-Switch'
By E.J. Mundell
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Civil society may hinge on a tiny piece of tissue at the front of the human brain, a new study suggests.

Experiments involving a "fairness" game show that the right side of this region -- called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex -- helps people suppress selfish urges in obviously unjust situations, even at their own expense.

When researchers used a mild electric current to temporarily short-circuit this area, the law of the jungle quickly reasserted itself.

People with disabled right-side dorsolateral prefrontal cortexes grabbed whatever money they could from lopsided transactions -- even when they knew the deal they were getting was grossly unfair.

"They understood the unfairness of it all, but they simply couldn't inhibit their need for getting the money," said Paul Sanberg, director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa.

Sanberg was not involved in the study, which is published in the Oct. 6 issue of Science.

The Swiss and American team behind this research noted that, despite a long history of crime, wars and rapaciousness, human beings are innately cooperative. In fact, Homo sapiens is the only species to exhibit "reciprocal fairness" -- the punishment of others' unfair behaviors, even in situations where doing so hurts the punisher.

This behavior is demonstrated in an oft-used tool in behavioral science called the "Ultimatum Game."

In this game, one player is given a set amount of money. He is then instructed to hand over, at his own discretion, a share of the money to a second player.

Player 2 can either accept the amount offered or refuse the deal altogether, in which case both players receive no money.

When Player 1's offer is very low -- for example, $2 out of a total of $20 -- it would still behoove Player 2 to accept the offer, since $2 is better than nothing.

However, under normal circumstances, participants put in this position in the game overwhelming refuse such low offers, which they perceive as grossly unfair. Instead, they forfeit their own self-interest so they can "punish" Player 1.

Why might this be so? Humans are highly socially evolved, and punishing unfairness "helps sustain cooperation in groups," said study lead researcher Ernst Fehr, director of the Institute for Empirical Research in Economics at the University of Zurich.

Because more cohesive groups tend to have better survival prospects, humans who suppress their immediate urges end up on the "winning team," evolutionarily speaking.

Fehr's group sought to find the seat of this selfishness-override in the brain.

In prior brain-imaging studies, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) lit up during the game, so the researchers focused there.

In the study, they had participants play the game under two conditions. In the first condition, the researchers passed a mild electric current through the right or left hemispheres of Player 2's DLPFC, temporarily deactivating these brain regions. Other participants took on the Player 2 role under sham conditions where no real electric current was flowing.

"The big surprise," Fehr said, "is that a relatively minor inhibition of the right DLPFC removes or weakens the subject's ability to override their self-interest."

Players whose right-side DLPFC's were "switched off" accepted even very low amounts of cash nearly half (45 percent) of the time -- even though they knew the offer was terribly unfair.

But under normal conditions, barely one in 10 players accepted such insulting low offers, the researchers found.

The experiment shows that this part of the cortex "is clearly very important for our social behavior, our societal evolution," Sanberg said. The right side of the DLPFC helps people resist those strong urges for sex, money and general acquisitiveness that come from more primitive sites outside the cortex, he said.

"It provides modulation of those urges, so that you can have control over them," Sanberg added. "As we evolved, we somehow developed this control over our basic needs."

One intriguing line of research is whether the right-side DLPFC functions similarly in everyone -- even hardened criminals or sociopaths.

"This is a very interesting question which we are just exploring now," Fehr said. "Preliminary results suggest that the right DLPFC has very different activation across individuals."

His team also noticed that the left side of the DLPFC also sprang to life during the game, although its role remains much more mysterious. "We are just in the process of studying this now," Fehr said.

2006-09-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Flaunt-a-Friend Friday!

Today I am excited to promote some new friends who proudly declare "We're making Austin the Center of the Universe!". Naturally, many people in Austin already believe that...lol.

A Proposal Toward the Development of a Planetarium for Central Texas

Background
The Friends of the Austin Planetarium (FOTAP) was incorporated in December 2003, and received 501(c)(3) nonprofit approval in February 2004. Our objective is to build a planetarium facility in the Austin area for the primary purpose of enriching the science curriculum for the school children of our metropolitan area. This facility will also provide a laboratory environment to support hands-on learning experiences for primary and secondary school students, and support college and university level studies. Evening and weekend programs will serve to educate and entertain the general public with astronomy and space science shows. Because a planetarium displays a clear simulation of the night sky in the comfort of a domed theater, it would serve to educate and entertain both school children and the general public with astronomy and space sciences shows.

What is a Planetarium?
* A planetarium is a building that houses an instrument for projecting the constellations, planets and other astronomical phenomena onto a domed ceiling. A variety of projectors display a high definition simulation of the night sky.
* Unlike an observatory, which contains telescopes and requires clear skies to view the night sky, the planetarium brings the sky inside, independent of time of day and weather.

While Austin is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States and prides itself on being a high-tech city with a well-educated workforce, it is also now the 16th largest city in the U.S., and the only one of the top 50 that does not have a planetarium ( See Data ). Many students who pursue careers in science, engineering and technology begin with an interest in astronomy and space exploration. Our goal is to nurture that passion for science and to assist in our students’ quest for knowledge about their universe. They deserve the best education we can provide; and, as Texas raises the standards for state-mandated test passage, we believe that any curriculum enhancement that excites and inspires our children is a worthwhile cause.

Click Here to Learn How you Can Become a Part of This Important Venture!