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THE NEW ALTWIRE
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Welcome to OmPlace's Altwire newsletter. Please direct your submissions and suggestions to: susanp@omplace.com
 Jukebox Alive
This new music website is free to ByRegion Members
who have CDs to sell. jukeboxalive.com
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FEATURED WEBSITES
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 Present Moment Retreat
Troncones Beach, Mexico - Tropical yoga, meditation, Qigong and bodywork retreat center located on the Pacific Riviera in Troncones Beach, Guerrero, Mexico. For more information see
the website.
SACRED JOURNEY OF KU-KAI: Volume 2
This gorgeously composed album contains samples from sacred Japanese temple bells on every track and is intended to inspire spiritual awakening and a profound experience of peace. The first album of the series was nominated for a GRAMMY! Visit www.domo.com for more info. Special Offer: order now and receive a FREE cd!
Embrace and improve your life
with a quiet mind, open heart and loving body awareness. Energy Healing Sessions and Sacred Sexuality for life fulfillment. See lindawhitedove.com
Aromatherapy Certification
A comprehensive 50 hour aromatherapy certification class taught by a practicing aromatherapist. Linda-Anne Kahn, H.H.P., Clinical Aromatherapist has extensive training with over 25 years of experience. Class meets April 25, 26, & 27 Part I. May 16, 17 & 18th Part II" For more information, please visit us at our website or call (858) 457-0191 ext. 14
Creativity Workshop
Whether you are a writer, a business person, a teacher, a scientist or an artist, we can help you discover and nurture your particular way of expression and break through the fears and blocks that inhibit creativity. Upcoming workshop in New York City March 11 - 14, 2005. Call 1-866-217-1980 or see the website for details.
Grace & Compassion Pilgrimage
INSTANTLY restore peace, harmony, joyfulness, and abundance of self-love, prosperity, health and balance in your lives. Join Enlightened Master, Peace Shaman and Poet Saint Peace Mother Geeta Sacred Song on the nationwide empowering Grace & Compassion Pilgrimage and dissolve life times of karma through her prayer songs, blessings & wisdom teachings. March & April - DC, MD & RI; May & June - CA & AZ ... see the website for details.
 Strengthening Health Institute (SHI)
Provides educational programs that will strengthen, deepen and enrich your life. Learn macrobiotic cooking, Oriental facial diagnosis, shiatsu massage, and health care guidance. Create life-long friendships. Learn more.
Holistic Learning Centers
The "Harvard University" of Life Coaching
and Spiritual Counseling Schools.
FREE RESEARCH INFO
Catalog - Newsletter - Magazine
Tape: 30-Minutes That Can Change Life.
Visit the website or call 888-452-0878 for more details.
Women's Getaway Weekend
May 6-8 at the Chautauqua Institution, NY - Experience a wide assortment of health, cultural and intellectual programming for the fun loving woman. With the historic Athenaeum Hotel as the backdrop, it is truly a pampering and luxurious weekend. Register online or call 716.687.1888.
MandalArt Healing Images 2005 desktop calendars, greeting cards and giclee' prints available. Visit www.richardbonk.com to order.
Global Exchange Fair Trade Store Your source for singing bowls,
Tibetan bells and chimes,
candles and other Fair Trade
crafts from around the world.
See the website
Priestess in Paradise "Awakening the Tantric Priestess: Embodying Shakti to Heal Your World" retreat March 12-22, 2005 at the
Pura Vida Wellness Center and Health Spa in Costa Rica. For details please see the website
Hypnotherapy Certification
Hypnotherapy is transforming many aspects of the healing arts, and
can be a powerfully effective profession. A leading licensed school
since 1978, the Hypnotherapy Training Institute has taught innovative
holistic hypnotic methods to thousands of graduates from over 30
countries. Taught by Randal Churchill & Marleen Mulder, with Ormond
McGill, The Dean of American Hypnotists. See the website.
Remote Influencing: Have The Life You Desire And Deserve.
Learn to powerfully and
discretely influence situations. Taught by a former intelligence officer, RI is 15
hours of instruction on 7 audiotapes, a CD and a booklet for $178 +s&h. Thousands of
satisfied trainees worldwide.
Academy of Remote Viewing and Influencing, 1-561-330-3572, 9 AM to 7 PP Eastern M-F.
For more info click here.
Visit the
MarketPlace
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ALTERNATIVE NEWS |
US Becomes Last Country to End Death Penalty for Juveniles by Julian Borger / Guardian UK (via Common Dreams News Center)
The US bowed to international and domestic pressure March 1 (2005), becoming the last country in the world officially to abolish the death penalty for offenders who were under 18 when they committed murder. The Supreme Court ruling will spare up to 70 inmates who are on death row for committing murders while aged 16 or 17, and it removes a source of friction between the US and Europe. The EU welcomed the decision, but said it "opposes capital punishment under all circumstances". The judges ruled that juvenile execution conflicted with the eighth amendment of the constitution which outlaws "cruel and unusual punishment".
Previous news articles
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ENTERTAINMENT / MEDIA |
Hunter S. Thompson - 'Too Weird To Live And Too Rare To Die' By Brian J. Bowe / CreemMagazine.com
It's hard to put into words how much Hunter S. Thompson's writing impacted the career choices of yours truly (and many other writers I know). When news of his suicide broke, I heard from all sorts of former colleagues who wanted to trade favorite lines and reminisce about how his writing changed their lives. I understood. He was one-of-a-kind, a true visionary writer, plying his trade with a voice so perfect that it was impossible to imitate him (and impossible not to try). But the fact is, Thompson was a gentleman, a man of letters, not just some idiot drug-gobbling machine. That's a part of the whole thing that some of his imitators seem to have missed. It doesn't take much talent to get loaded, but to write like Thompson straight or sober is a tough trick. (This also applies to the people who try to copy Lester Bangs or Charles Bukowski). Part of his appeal came from his early rejection of the stuffy world of "straight" journalism. His early attempts at newspaper work ended in frustration. "There was no room in their complacent world for a man who despised mediocrity — who would let nothing stand in the way of the truth. The great American press was a babbling joke — an empire built on gossip and clichés — a final resting place for rumor-mongers and pompous boobs," he wrote. And people wonder why Thompson is a hero to journalists everywhere?
Previous entertainment articles
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SPIRITUALITY
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 The Impeccable Warrior of Light:
Fast Track to Self Realization
by Peace Mother Geeta Sacred Song / International Peace Shaman
The Impeccable Warrior lives in a conscious state, truly accepting they are sacred beings on a sacred journey, assisted by a living compassionate Wisdom that whole-heartedly respects and honors them. They choose to monitor their usage of energies with great vigilance. In this way, they do not allow themselves to be led into negative actions and reactions by any negative force. Walking the Spiritual Path, as an Impeccable Warrior, is achievable by everyone and must be embarked upon in order to reach self-realization. Whereas many people travel through life with eyes closed or only partly open, Impeccable Warriors respect and recognize that other worlds exist beside them and affect them. Most beings learn certain spiritual principles and then no longer allow themselves to think outside whatever limiting parameters they've accepted. The question to ask yourself is this: 'do I wish to be right?' (by staying stuck in my limiting box of thought) or, 'do I wish to be free?' (by becoming fully aware of the big picture of creation and all that exists).
Previous spirituality articles
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CONSCIOUS TRAVEL |
A Day at the Top of the World - Barrow, Alaska by Kuan Sng / BootsNAll.com
As part of a week in Alaska snowboarding and sightseeing, I felt compelled to visit this settlement on the shores of the Arctic Ocean. To experience, if only for a day, being on Top of the World. "What should I do in Barrow?" I ask an impeccably dressed businesswoman who's been there before (but on this flight is disembarking - along with most of the other passengers - at Fairbanks). "Get a cabbie to drive you to the local dump where, if you're lucky, you might see scavenging polar bears," she replies. If that's luck, I'm tossing my four-leaf clover into said dump! I inquire hopefully about other activities and confirm my suspicion about the lack of a thriving tourism industry in Barrow. "Just walk around," she suggests. How Zen. About five minutes from landing at Barrow airport, all I see is an infinite blanket of pure white snow. The occasional communications tower is the only blemish. Suddenly, the village appears. A single highway is the predominant civil engineering feature. From this 1,000 foot vantage, the village seems quite conventional - almost familiar. Not an igloo in sight! The only anomaly is the stark white expanse. It is then that the captain matter-of-factly announces the current weather conditions: -40 degrees with a wind chill of -95!!
Previous travel articles
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HOLISTIC HEALTH |
Tai Chi for Better Health
by Jane Golden / ShareGuide.com
Tai Chi is actually a type of Chi Gung, an exercise focused on moving chi (life force) through channels in the body, known as meridians. Tai Chi and Chi Gung are an integral part of Chinese medicine. These exercises are often prescribed in the treatment of illnesses, as well as used as preventive medicine. Today health issues are as predominant as ever. It has become more apparent that the individual must take an active role in preserving and maintaining his or her own health. We see that there is no miracle procedure, or drug, or person that can "cure" us, or rid us of disease. We see the effects of environment and stress on the body; we are becoming more conscious of the role of the mind and the emotions on health and the quality of living. As conscious individuals we see the power of our attitude, therefore, we see the power we have within ourselves to affect our health. Tai Chi is the personification of this. It helps the individual to focus, to recognize and to strengthen the body, the mind and attitude. Many people have used the practice as a substitute for other less healthy habits.
Previous health articles
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MASSAGE / BODYWORK |
Trager Work Reduces Headache Frequency
from MassageMagazine.com
The Trager approach decreased the frequency of headaches and the use of medication for people with chronic headaches, and it improved their quality of life, according to recent research. “The Trager Approach in the Treatment of Chronic Headache: A Pilot Study” was conducted by staff at the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles, California. Twenty-nine people ages 18-65 with histories of chronic headaches, at least one per week for at least six months, participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to one of three groups: the medication-only, no-treatment control group; the medication and attention control group; or the medication and Trager treatment group. Participants assigned to the Trager group received a one-hour Trager session each week for six weeks. The sessions focused on areas of tension and restricted motion in the headache sufferers, typically in areas such as the head, neck, upper back and shoulders. The Trager approach is an educational, movement-based therapy that aims to increase body awareness and relaxation, and teach clients pain-free, balanced movement. RParticipants also completed a Headache Quality of Life Questionnaire (HQOL), adapted from the Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, at the beginning and end of the study. Results of the study showed a significant decrease in the frequency of headaches for subjects in the Trager group, along with a significant improvement in HQOL and a 44-percent decrease in the mean use of medication.
Previous Massage articles
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VEGETARIAN FOOD
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Vegan Comfort Foods
by Rachel Himmelheber / Vegetarian Journal (vrg.org)
When I crave country-style food, I always head to the same restaurant, an old diner with twirly counter stools, homemade rolls, and its own produce market. I order their vegetable plate, and it never fails to satisfy. However, on a recent visit, I couldn't keep my eyes off my neighboring table's plates of hot open-faced hamburger sandwiches, complete with mounds of mashed potatoes and gravy. My fresh corn-on-the-cob was wonderful, but I envied how rich and comforting their dinner looked. Because of my health concerns and my convictions, I knew I would never order another hot hamburger sandwich in my life, but I began to wonder about substitutes for some of my old favorite foods. Some traditional comfort foods are easy to find in vegan or vegetarian versions, such as meat loaf. However, others that are more obvious, such as mashed potatoes, are difficult to find in lowfat versions. This article includes some traditional foods remade into lower fat recipes with no animal products. They are all kid-friendly, simple to prepare, and flexible. And while food should never be your only link to emotional security, it is undeniable that certain foods can trigger feelings of safety, comfort, and joy.
Previous food articles
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YOGA |
Standing on Your Own Two Hands By Linda Sparrowe / YogaJournal.com
Excepting the former gymnasts and a minority of athletically gifted daredevils, many of us seem to react with a certain amount of reluctance when a teacher blithely announces, "OK, Handstand, everybody." The same students who spring into standing poses and can't wait to do complicated twists suddenly start fussing with their clothes, retying their hair, or discover an urgent need to run to the bathroom. My friend Margie (I've changed the name to protect her dignity) even confessed to me that she'd walked out of a private lesson when her teacher announced it was time to work on Handstand without the benefit of a supporting wall. "I don't have any problem doing Headstand or even Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance)," she says, "but for some reason the idea of supporting all my weight on my own little hands made me panic." Handstand is not a particularly difficult pose physically, although it does require a certain level of flexibility and strength. Instead, the real challenge of Handstand for many students is working on the necessary physical skills in a calm, focused manner while confronting the primal human fear of falling.
Previous Yoga articles
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TAROT |
Tarot Personality Profiles - The Fool's Journey Begins
by Beth Owl's Daughter / Innerchange.com
Almost everyone knows their astrological sun sign, but did you know that the Tarot has similar, personal correspondences? Based upon your date of birth, the cards reveal personality traits and may even help you understand more about the patterns of your life's lessons. It is easiest to understand these patterns by examining the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the trump cards. The Major Arcana consists of twenty two cards, each of which has many layers of meaning as an individual entity. But we can learn a great deal about the human condition when the Majors are viewed as a sequence. This progression is often called The Great Journey or The Fool's Journey. Starting with The Fool (whose number is zero), the soul travels through a series of life lessons, represented as archetypes or symbols. For example, Number I, The Magician, represents the beginning of consciousness, action and power; the High Priestess, II, is a more intuitive, inward-directed power leading to III, the fertile, creative expression of the Empress. Moving along through the different lessons, after a time of introspection during IX, The Hermit, we emerge with X, The Wheel of Fortune, ready to turn our life in a more positive direction, and so on. In short, the Fool's Journey is a map that can show us the ups and downs we may expect on the road to wisdom.
Previous Tarot articles
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READING ROOM |
 The Mysterious Crystal Skulls by Joshua & Desy Shapiro / Co-Authors of Journeys of a Crystal Skull Explorer
There are many people today who work with their personal crystals in order to re-energize themselves, for healing (physical or emotional problems) or even to assist them in their development of their inner or spiritual gifts. However, when one begins to work with a quartz crystal that is in the shape of a human-like skull – other strange phenomena begin to occur around them. We have received numerous reports from people all over the world having some very special experiences connected to the crystal skulls. The public first became aware of the crystal skulls during the later part of the 19th century. At this time, many museums of the world became interested in displaying antiquities from past civilizations (Egypt, Greece, Mesoamerica, etc …). Thus, in the 1878, in the Musèe de l’homme (the Museum of Man) in Paris and in 1898, in the British Museum in London, each had a clear quartz skull on public display. It is believed that both of these crystal skulls originated from within Mexico (possibly connected with ancient ruins or tombs) during the 1860s, at the time of the French occupation of this country. As we entered into the first part of the 20th century, there was an entirely different group of crystal skulls that mysteriously surfaced. Within this group of skulls there was also a strong connection with the ancestors of the indigenous people living in different parts of Mexico or Central America.
Previous Reading Room articles
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HOLISTIC ANIMAL CARE |
Natural Veterinary Dental Care
by Jan Bellows D.V.M. DipAVDC / VeterinaryPartner.com
It is important to keep your pet's teeth and gums clean and strong. Examining the teeth monthly is helpful. Most dogs and cats are happy to let their owners peek inside the mouth to look at the teeth. First look at the face. One side should be the same as the other. There should not be any abnormal swellings. When looking at the head, feel the glands under your pet's neck. Both should be the same size. Next lift the lips and look at the teeth and gums. Note any areas of inflammation (redness), swelling, and broken teeth. Cats are especially prone to painful cavities. Home dental care can be best gift you can give your dog. If daily brushing is not performed plaque will form at the area where the gums meet the tooth. In time plaque will attract calcium salts and calculus forms. The plaque and calculus irritates the gum tissue leading to gingivitis and periodontitis. Gingivitis if treated early can be cured. In pets, periodontitis can only be controlled and not cured. Daily brushing is the key to dental home care. Brushing can be easy if you take a clean towel, wrap it around your finger and gently rub around the gumline. The upper teeth attract the most plaque, so spend the most time there. Pet toothpastes are available at your veterinarian. Natural human toothpastes can also be used.
Previous Animal Care articles
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ASTROLOGY & DIVINATION |
The Astrology of Film
excerpted from The Astrology of Film: The Interface of Movies, Myth and Archetype by Jeffrey Kishner and Bill Streett / StarIQ.com
Beneath the apparent chaos of film history, if one looks deep enough and if one retracts one's perspective far enough, a multi-faceted pattern crystallizes, and one is amazed to find that there is a hidden order to the apparently random output and diversity of movies produced and distributed season after season, year after year. From an astrological perspective, the age-old question, "Does life imitate art or does art imitate life?" is misinformed; the split is an artificial one. Rather, in astrology’s eyes, both real-world events and art are observable manifestations of archetypal forces that are dominant at any given time. Thus, using the example above, Lord of the Rings was not made in reaction to the events of September 11, nor was the release of Lord of the Rings an eerie but arbitrary coincidence paralleling the events and zeitgeist of the day. More correctly, as astrology suggests, both events emerged as the result of something that we can allude to and connote rather than pinpoint with absolute clarity: forces, archetypes, gods, energy, resonance.
Previous Astrology articles
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ENVIRONMENT |
EPA Plan Would Spew Under-Treated Sewage Into U.S. Waterways
by Susan Boni / Grist Magazine (grist.org)
Like clean water? Then you'll love Rep. Bart Stupak. For the last year, Stupak has been fighting a U.S. EPA proposal that would allow inadequately treated sewage to be "blended" with fully treated waste during rain and snow events. The messy mix would then be released into the nation's rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. If blending is permitted, Stupak warns, people will get sick, beaches will close, and tourism and fishing will suffer. Not only that, taxpayers will bear the cost of cleanup down the road. Blending is currently allowed as an exception during extreme events like hurricanes, but is not practiced regularly across the country. The method bypasses the second and most important step in the water-treatment process -- the step that kills bacteria, viruses, and pathogens known to cause infectious disease. Such bypasses, prohibited under the Clean Water Act under all but the most outstanding circumstances, would now be allowed in every "wet-weather" event. Last week (March 10, 2005), in a bid to block the EPA from implementing that policy, Stupak introduced the Save Our Waters From Sewage Act in the House with cosponsors Mark Steven Kirk (R-Ill.), Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), and E. Clay Shaw Jr. (R-Fla.). The bill comes on the heels of a late-February letter of concern [PDF] sent to the EPA and signed by 135 House members.
Previous Environment articles
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SOCIAL ISSUES |
 Lipstick Jihad: An Interview With Azadeh Moaveni By Michal Lumsden / MotherJones.com
Viewed from the outside, Iran seems an alien, forbidding place. What we know of its rulers - a clique of hard-core mullahs who run the country with a heavy hand - isn't encouraging; and what we know of its people ... isn't very much at all. It's useful, then, to have a book like Azadeh Moaveni's Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran, to show us that Iran is every bit as nuanced, as various, and as contradictory as we like to think the United States is. Moaveni grew up in San Jose, Calif., her parents having left Iran in 1976, three years before the Islamic revolution unseated the Shah and established theocratic rule, and radical students took Americans hostage in the US embassy in Teheran. The unresolved tension she felt between her cultural identity as an Iranian and an American led her, after college, to go to Iran as a journalist. Lipstick Jihad is the account of Moaveni's time in Iran, and of her quest to better understand her cultural identity.
Previous Social Issues articles
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EVENTS OF THE WEEK
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 Meet New Recording Artist Angela Fischetti
Saturday, April 2, 2005 - 7-8 PM at
Healing Light Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Friday, April 8th, 2005 - 7-8 PM
Healing Light Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Maria, a Southern California resident will be visiting South Florida for this special event. International recording artist and intuitive, Maria Kostelas has become known for her entertaining and transforming concerts. She plays over 100 different flutes. $15.00 per guest. For more information about Maria, see www.flutesoftheworld.com. To RSPV, please call (954) 564-2110 or visit www.healinglightinc.com or email rinalicht@bellsouth.net.
 Healing through the Chakras Intensive Workshop
Saturday April 9th, 2-5 PM
at Healing Light Inc. in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Hosted By C.T. healing touch practitioner Yogini Rina & Maria Kostellas. Learning tools to balance, rejuvenate your physical, mental, spiritual bodies, through physical postures, flute vivrational healing, Bija mantra toning, meditation, expansion vital flow & aromatherapy. $60.00 per guest. To RSVP call (954) 564-2110 - for more info visit www.healinglightinc.com or email rinalicht@bellsouth.net.
 Happiness Gym Exercise Program
April 5th – 26th Teleclasses from any telephone
and April 7th-28th Saratoga Springs, NY
Results matter! Discover your ‘happiness muscles’ and strengthen them using proven positive psychology exercises. The past is history, nothing more. Thrive in the here and now, comfortable in your own skin, and know that your future is bright! Four classes plus coached program. Very results oriented. The exercises are easy. The program helps you get them done and enjoy the benefits. Measurable results. All temperaments welcome. In-person classes Tuesdays 7pm – 8pm. Teleclasses Thursdays noon – 1:00 pm. Cost $97. See the website or contact Al Cannistraro at al@alcannistraro.com or 518 369-6578.
 Hypnosis Certification Classes with The
Academy For Professional Hypnosis Training
Next Class: April 22-May 1 in Southern California
Learn hypnosis as an adjunct to your current profession! In this 10-day intensive, you will receive both basic and advanced hypnosis training in a friendly, small-group setting. The teaching style is expert, experiential and fun; the pace is fast and varied. Instructor Mary Elizabeth Raines is a nationally recognized hypnotist who has been training top hypnotists for six years. Please see www.hypnosiscourse.com for details, or call toll-free: (877) 288-4022.
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