{ Volume XXIV, Number 5 } September & October 2009 A Publication of the Women’s Community Center of San Luis Obispo

spo County

Photo by Monique Snow

4 WCC Remembers 6 Casino Spirituality 10 Creative Women 12

Helen Bennett

5 Motherhood 9 Day With Creative 11 Voices Around the Table:

Women Thanks! Balancing Time
 2 Women’sPress Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com

Courtney’s Quill The other force capable of stimulating

some good, “cram for the exam” practice
is fear. All you need is an upcoming event
where you will be expected to play, possibly
With all the glory and chaos surrounding Fall—
a bit better than you have in the past, per-
children returning to school, the days getting
haps with other more well rehearsed players
cooler, and the beginning of the holiday sea-
and presto! You’re in business. I find myself
son—I often feel overwhelmed. As a single mom
in this position from time to time because I
of two children, juggling working full time, vol-
tend to accept or create performance chal-
unteering, and trying to get a few minutes to
lenges. At these points I am often employ-
myself each day, I often start my day off with a
ing techniques either beyond my normal
knot in my stomach. And by the time the sun
recedes into the west, I fall in bed exhausted,
Drum Circle Magic Part Eight: skills or pertaining to a pattern or drum
with which I am less familiar.
wondering what happened to those late night
writing jaunts I used to love so much. But as all And the Beat Goes On Practicing may take more than one
form. Playing along with a piece of music is
our wonderful Women’s Press writers constantly
Photo by Kathleen Deragon a great way to get the feel , but usually this
remind me, I need to focus on taking one day
By Francesca Bolognini must be preceded by much repetition of a
at a time. Soon, my children will be grown, my
Inspiration, the preferred stimulus, can practice pattern to create a muscle memory.
work will be finished, and time (and writing)
Welcome back to the circle. In previous arrive in a number of ways, often from I frequently do this, like many musicians,
will return to me in a slower fashion. Those days
columns, I have presented an overview of hearing a moving piece of music that makes while watching TV, a habit that can get on
will come. Now, however, I have beautiful and
some important historical, practical, and you want to pick up your drum. I recom- your partner’s last nerve. But it does yield
funny faces to wake up to each morning, eager
spiritual aspects of drumming and shared mend exposing yourself to good music on satisfying results in the chops department,
students to teach, a good book to get back to,
various experiences which might be help- a regular basis to keep this feeling alive. Put “chops” meaning technical skills. Getting
and angelic faces to kiss good night as the moon
ful to initiate or deepen your personal prac- on hot CD’s, watch music clips on you- together often with other players helps to
rises. I have a good life. I just need to remind
tice. This brings me to a key component tube, or go to concerts to see live musicians both encourage these developing abilities
myself of that every once in awhile.
of any successful approach, practice. We and watch their hands. With youtube you and test your progress.
One of the great things about Women’s Press
do not improve without it. For some, this can replay and pause to study technique, Just play. The more you do, the better
is our writers: the women who consistently write
comes easy. A bit competitive, they tend to but it is hard to beat the excitement of a you will become. There are so many ben-
articles, sharing their wisdom and advice for
use repetitions as a way of burning nervous live performance . The point is to connect efits to the act of drumming it becomes a
any age group. I consider myself lucky to read
energy. For others, it is a scheduled routine, to a source that makes you want to partici- win - win. So pick up that drum, give it a
these articles first and to really absorb their con-
not without pleasure, to accomplish a goal. pate, even if only in your living room and good work out and see how much better
tent before the first pages even hit the print-
But if you are like me, you sometimes need your dreams. Just reading about a culture or you sound and feel. And until next time,
ing process. I feel connected when I read about
motivation. Translation: inspiration or fear. a place will remind me how much I love the keep the beat!
the healing power of prayer (by Ruth Cherry),
Either one will do nicely. music and I will need to play.
the funny anecdotes of carrying around a mom
purse (by Jen Mowad), the amazing health
care system in Japan (by Susan Goya), and the

YOU CAN HELP

unsung heroes that help make our commu- About This Issue’s Cover Artist
nity better with every selfless endeavor they
make (by Berta Parrish). All these articles keep Monique Snow
my feet on the ground, my mind in the pres-
ent, and my heart open even wider than it was
CREATE THE BEST NEWSPAPER
Proving that adversity is often the mother
the day before. And if you have some wisdom to
of creativity, Monique Snow’s interest in
share, don’t hold back. You may not think you’re
photography as an art form grew from a
a writer or that your advice isn’t pertinent, but
condition that developed during child-
that’s just not true. Don’t be dissuaded. You’d
be surprised at how much your words can mean
to another woman in our community! Send in
hood—dyslexia. Since reading National
Geographic was out of the question, she ON THE CENTRAL COAST!
studied the amazing pictures found in that
your articles. Inspire me.
And for the board members of the Wom-
en’s Community Center—Angie King, Robin
publication and realized she wanted to cre-
ate her own. Linda Hamilton, a profes- Earn extra $$$
sional photographer, mentored Snow, and
Rinzler, and Sonia Paz Baron-Vine—thank you
Stephen Curtis, well-known local black
Join our advertising sales team and earn commissions!
so much for another spectacular Day With Cre- Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com
and white photographer, instructed her on
ative Women! The event was a huge success,
the basics of “F” stops and depth of field.
benefiting not only the WCC’s bank account
(helping to fund all those great resources they
Snow’s work has been featured in many
local establishments and earlier this year,
Join the Staff of the Women’s Press
provide for women, but also our modest little
Press), but also all the women, men, and chil-
she had a private show in San Luis Obispo We could always use help in many different areas!
at the Photo Shop. She recently expanded
dren who attended! This is definitely an event to
her print medium from the traditional pho- Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com for more details.
look forward to each year.
tograph to unique glass cutting boards and
Enjoy your Fall and all that choas and
canvas.
glory....

Courtney Women’s Community Center Board

Angie King, President
Sonia Paz Baron-Vine
Robin Rinzler
6000 free copies distributed in SLO County. Subscriptions available.
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September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press LocalPerspectives 3

How Big Is Your Bowl? Photo by Emin Ozkan

Click Your Heels—Then Make Your Plans
For Where , with Whom, and How You Will Live for the Rest of Your Life

By Adele Sommers After writing one

Did you know that a goldfish can grow in
proportion to the size of the con-
tainer it lives in? Its dimen-
sions are not limited to
the size of the typical
pet that you used to keep in a gallon
aquarium. In fact, the greater the bowl, the
grander the fish. And when you think of
the scale of a pond or a lake, imagine how
large your goldfish can become!
Ask yourself: How do you communi-
cate your passion, knowledge, wisdom, and
interests to the people you wish to influ-
ence? What helps you extend your reach in
your profession or industry? How do you
create a rapport, even with people you don’t
know, such as community members, pros-
pects, clients, or customers?
One way to do this is through a system-
atic article-writing campaign.
Article-writing and publishing cam-
paigns offer an ocean of possibilities for
expanding your business, philanthropic, or
professional influences well beyond your
local “bowl.” With the advent of desktop
publishing software and the Web, you can
persuade and inform people far and wide
just through the power of your keyboard!
When we use article writing as a way to
become well-known in our areas of inter-
est, it represents a type of marketing. Even
though these articles are typically unpaid,
they have the power of helping us build
authority, credibility, and name recognition
in our local and global communities. You
may be surprised to learn that you don’t
need your own Web site or any funding
whatsoever to conduct a viable article-pub-
lishing program.
or more articles,
you can plan to
submit them to
various online article
directories. It’s ideal
to get into the habit
of doing this regularly. These directo-
ries will then make your content avail-
able for others to disseminate in their
own publications. The rules stipulate
that your articles retain full copyright
under your byline, regardless of where they
are republished.
Be certain to include a “resource box”
for the end of each article. This term refers
to a few sentences that describe you, your
business, or profession and contain a link
back to your Web site, if you have one.
To locate article directories, do an Inter-
net search. Select a few that relate to your
subject and sign up as an author. For exam-
ple take a look at:
• EzineArticles.com (for a variety of top-
ics)
• HowToDoThings.com (for “how-to”
articles)
• BestManagementArticles.com (for
business management articles)
In conclusion, your articles can help
you, too, become a “big fish” in whatever
size pond you choose to swim!
Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is a business per-
formance consultant who helps entrepreneurs
align their life passions with their business
purpose. She also guides organizations through
“tactical tune-ups” and “strategic makeovers”
in individual or group sessions. Contact her
today for a free initial consultation at Adele@
LearnShareProsper.com, or 805-462-2199.
By Kathleen Deragon
Dorothy clicked the heels of her red shoes
together and said, “There’s no place like
home.” I agree with what she said, but she
had pigtails and was able to go home to
Auntie Em. I cut off my pigtails years ago,
refuse to wear heels, and have no Auntie
Em to go home to.
I’m a single older woman (you decide
for yourself how old “older” is; for me, it’s
anyone over 50 – I’m 60) who is giving
some serious thought to what home will
mean for me in this last stage of my life. I
know I’m not alone in admitting that occa-
sionally fears of the “bag lady syndrome”
have chilled my heart, especially given the
recent economic crisis. But the Pollyanna in
me believes there is enough to go around—
we just need to come together and discuss
ways we can ensure we will have roofs over
our heads, ways to leverage our financial
and personal resources, and how to connect
to a community that will nurture us. And I
hope to help you do that in an upcoming
series of articles.
When I moved here eight years ago, I
met many older single women, especially
after I started working as editor of the
Women’s Press. Often these older women
would talk about what life would be like
when they left the workplace—would they
be able to stay in their homes, still live in
SLO County, what activities would they
engage in, what would their support system
Photo by BazzleStock at DeviantArt.com
be when aging slowed them down and chal-
lenged them with health problems?
Out of personal self-interest, I’ve been
reading and researching options for myself.
The biggest insight I’ve had is that to get
what we need and want, we need to create
it now before we are too infirm to do the
work it will take. Who the “we” is here is
important. “We” are women who under-
stand the importance of human connec-
tions in both families and communities. To
manifest a secure future for ourselves, we
will be creating and re-imagining the role
of community in our lives. We will explore
how to share the caring about and for one
another, in what kind of structures we will
live in and with whom. The result of our
work will be as unique as we are unique.
Think about it. We are the first popula-
tion of women in human history that had
access to birth control during our child-
bearing years, which gave us the freedom
to get educated, hold down a job, and
have financial and personal independence
unknown – though not unimagined – by
our foremothers. So, of course, our wan-
ing years will also look different from those
of the women who preceded us. How they
will look is something we need to gather
and discuss with one another now and take
action soon so we will be sure we can live
the life we imagine.
I welcome your thoughts about this
topic as I myself continue to explore it. Go
to womenspress-slo.org and comment.

Another Good Reason Why I Don’t Have Children

By Dorothy Segovia

I am only here visiting overnight,

Nurturing Magic Moments
By Jeanie Greensfelder
On a stress-filled day driving between euca-
lyptus trees, lyrics popped into my head,
“You’re in the magic zone.” Entering Mon-
tana de Oro, the day’s concerns faded and
my sense of wonder bubbled up. The brisk
breeze, stunning rock formations, and
steady ocean waves opened a timeless real-
ity.
When a bunny paused on the trail I felt
like Snow White, expecting animals and
plants to converse with me. The rabbit told
me that I thought I knew the world, but I
didn’t know anything about her. Then she
disappeared into the thicket, leaving me
curious about where she lived and what she
ate or feared?
Photo by B. Lawless
I watched pigeon guillemot, black ocean
birds with white wings and red feet, nest-
ing in the cliffs. I love the reliability of their
return each spring.
Our world is magical when we remem-
ber to notice: we are travelers on spaceship
Earth, and don’t need spacesuits.
There are many entries into the magic
zone. The natural world works for me from
wilderness to plants in my backyard. Other
times I close my eyes wherever I am and
feel the wonder of being alive. Music is
another portal.
Thich Nhat Hanh says we are just a step
away from the kingdom of heaven, and that
the kingdom of heaven is here.
What does your magic zone feel like?
What transports you there? Plan some time
in your favorite place at home or elsewhere.
Take that step.
yet I find myself bent over the kitchen sink,
rinsing, scrubbing and scraping the dog doo
from the bottom of my nephew’s fancy light-up sneaker.
I don’t remember the grooves being this deep
nor the patterns this intricate on the soles of my Keds when I was 11.
I also don’t remember being as clever as Christian,
aka coolguy4jc@yahoo.com - when I was his age.
The poop is almost gone and I’m searching for a tool narrow enough
for the final dig when Cool Guy suggests a toothpick.
I suggest that he go find Abuela and say
“please shovel the rest of the shit from the yard,”
feeling only slightly evil,
knowing that Christian will be doing the shoveling when Abuela hears the ‘s’ word,
I sure hope that Christian scoops fast.
I don’t want there to be a queue of nieces and nephews:
each holding a shoe, each child shorter than the other,
all waiting for a tender moment with Aunt Dot before she’s had her morning tea.
Christian is 11 and wanted to hose the crap off of his $62.50 Nike himself.
I could teach him how to aim the hot water so that only the rubber part gets wet:
but the fear that his solitary sole wouldn’t be clean enough in time for church
grips my un-caffeinated heart, and I picture him following me
through the chattering house, waiting for the others to return from Mass.
I yank the sneaker out of his hand,
“this is what a loving aunt is supposed to do,” I tell him.
4 Women’sCommunityCenter
• TO engage in and facilitate interaction among local, state, and national agencies and organi-
zations working to benefit women
Supreme Court Update
By Angie King
With the new Supreme Court term begin-
ning October 5 (first Monday in Octo-
ber) the Court will have its hands full and
a new face on the bench. Congratulations
to Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the first Latina
and only third woman to sit on the Court.
For the first time since Justice O’Connor
retired in 2006, there will be two women
on the court!
The liberal-conservative balance hasn’t
changed, however. Souter, whose place she
takes, was considered one of the four lib-
erals. The Roberts/Scalia/Alito/Thomas
conservative bloc is still formidable, with
Justice Anthony Kennedy still often the
swing vote.
According to scholar Erwin Chemer-
insky, in the term just ended, the court
decided almost one-third of the 75 cases
decided by 5-4 votes. Kennedy was in the
majority in 18 of those. In the 16 of those
cases Chemerinsky identifies as splitting
on ideological grounds, Kennedy voted
with the conservatives in 11 cases, cases that
drastically changed the shape of American
jurisprudence. One such case was the New
Haven firefighters’ case, where the Court
found that the city violated the rights of
white firefighters when it did not use the
test results of a promotion exam because
Helen Bennett, 1921-2009
By Angie King
San Luis Obispo lost another of its out-
standing women when Helen died this year.
She was actively involved in a number of
community activities. As her obituary so
rightly stated: she was always interested in
music, architecture, art, dance, religion,
politics, and psychology; she was a Mother
for Peace; she was dedicated to politi-
cal fairness and honesty. Her commitment
to the welfare of women and the women’s
movement led to her involvement with the
Women’s Resource Center.
Helen Bennett is synonymous in my
mind with the Women’s Resource Center.
In a compilation of the Center’s history
printed in 1995, the Center was success-
ful “because it fulfills a need in this com-
munity and because dedicated volunteers
have staffed the phone, listened empatheti-
cally and have been there when they were
needed.” I hope that’s still true today.
Helen first became active with the WRC
about 1987, when she and her husband
Bruce retired to the area from Ohio. She
was the group’s treasurer, represented WRC
at public functions, and was in charge of
the food booth at DWCW. And in the
years since, until her retirement from active
involvement with the WRC, Helen did a
little of everything – continued to serve on
the board, as president in later years, vol-
unteered in the office, helped coordinate
the Day with Creative Women, and repre-
sented WRC at various community func-
tions.
In the year 2000, those
involved with WRC, includ-
The mission of the WCC is:
• TO maintain an accessible center to
collect and exchange information of interest
and concern to women
• TO organize and facilitate work-
shops, clinics, seminars, classes, and support
groups on subjects of interest and need
the effect of promoting those with the
higher scores would result in discrimination
against the non-white candidates, a reverse
discrimination claim. It was race in this
case, but it could just as easily have been
gender.
Even before the term officially starts, the
full court will consider new arguments in a
case about whether sections of the McCain-
Feingold Campaign Financing Act passed
in 2002 are constitutional. The case turns
on the prohibition in the Act against ads
aired within 60 days of an election which
come from corporations (including non-
profit corporations, like NOW) and which
support or oppose a named candidate. The
case arose when TV stations refused dur-
ing the last primary election to air a movie,
submitted by a conservative non-profit
group, which was derogatory toward Hill-
ary Clinton. The group, Citizens United,
sued the Federal Elections Commission
claiming the section of the law they cited
to ban the movie is unconstitutional. The
case is important because it may gut hard-
fought bipartisan legislation designed to
curb electioneering excesses.
Let’s hope the wisdom of a Latina helps
shift the Court’s balance. Let’s hope she
makes friends with Kennedy and convinces
him to join her and become the 5th vote for
a more liberal position.
ing Helen, reached out to a new wave of
activists for renewed energy. This group re-
organized under the present name, Wom-
en’s Community Center, and incorporated
as a non-profit tax-exempt organization,
but it has continued to provide that need
in the community to “give women a place
to come for support, referrals, information
and to learn a little more about who they
are. It is a refuge for those not yet ready
to take a hard line feminist stand,” again,
according to the history of WRC.
Her obituary noted her kind and gener-
ous nature and her genuine concern for the
welfare of others. When I remember Helen
Bennett, I get a warm feeling; she was
always a comforting presence, calm, caring,
understanding. Apparently I’m not the only
one.
Nancy Castle writes of Helen: “Ah,
Helen. Memory comes back of a gracious
lady, kind to the core. She was very aware
of the foibles and challenges that confront
humans, the continuum of brutality to
sweetness that is the potential of all human-
kind, and choose to do what she could
to make life better for the ones she could
reach. Her reach was long with the Wom-
en’s Resource Center, serving those women
who were boxed into blind corners, calling
in, desperate for help. Helen made sure that
help was available, serving the Center in so
many roles: volunteer answering the phone,
board member, president. She was the
mainstay for many years, along with others,
it is true, but Helen in so many ways held
the helm steady and true.”
It was always a joy to see Helen. There
was a sense of give and take, although now
Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
WCC Update
By Robin Rinzler, Chairperson
Day With Creative Women 2009
The Women’s Community Center offers an
instructional, informative divorce seminar
on the third Wednesday of every month.
Jan Potter shares her personal insights from
her own difficult and complicated divorce
and the many valuable lessons she has
learned. Robin Rinzler is a divorce medi-
ator and addresses the pros and cons of
mediation vs. litigation. At the end of these
round table discussions, evaluations from
those in attendance often state that this
seminar is informative and helpful. Call
The Women’s Community Center to sign
up at (805) 544-9313.
Whew! Another year of hard work and
here we are, basking in the glory of another
successful Day with Creative Women. Our
35th to be exact! Reading the evaluations
that were completed by the vendors who
had booths at Day with Creative Women
always puts a smile on my face. The ques-
tion posed to them was, “What did you
like about the day?” The answers include:
the people, the music, great energy, well
attended, everyone positive, a great event,
very organized, helpful staff and volunteers,
we loved it all! And the list goes on.
From left: Melody DeMerritt and Helen Bennett.
Photo taken at Day With Creative Women 1992
as I think back, I, as an upstart, self-impor-
tant college kid, might have taken more
in some ways, as I really can’t recall hear-
ing much about Helen’s life and or possible
problems. But the exchanges were caring,
and the time together was very appreciated
on both sides, as she supported and encour-
aged me, and recognized my efforts on the
behalf of the Center.
At one point, I found that she had a
number of magazines from a Gnostic orga-
nization. She gave me a few, and I found
them light filled and inspiring. I think that
she found resonance with her core values
within this philosophy. As Nietzche said:
“There is enough for all. The earth is a gen-
erous mother; she will provide in plentiful
abundance food for all her children if they
will but cultivate her soil in justice and in
peace.” I think Helen knew this to be true,
and worked to do her part to help spread
that word, along with the words of com-
passion and love that are core to the move-
ment. I have no doubt that she continues to
be a force for good.
From left:
Robin Rinzler,
Angie King
and Sonia Paz
Baron-Vine.
Photo by B. Lawless
at DWCW 2009
But Day With Creative Women could
not happen without the help and support
of many people, and I would like to take
the opportunity now to thank some of
those people, starting with the musicians
that donated their time to perform. A huge
thanks to: Nu Monet, The Celebration
Chorus, Café Musique, the Women’s Drum
Group, Poetry in Motion, Flute Fun, Chick
Tuesday, and Hear the Darlings Roar, and
special thanks go to Renee Sanpei for put-
ting it all together!!!
Also, I’d like to thank the companies
that gave us our raffle items. They include
Baileyana Winery, Tigerlily Hair Salon,
The Palm Theatre, Novo Restaurant,
Pizza Fusion, Taste of San Luis, Growing
Grounds, and Obispo Wills, Ltd. The raffle
was a fantastic success, and we truly appre-
ciate their generous donations!
We received gift certificates from Vons,
Starbucks, and Costco in order to purchase
the delicious food and drinks that we sold
at our booth.
And finally, but very importantly,
thanks to the women from Gate Help
Inc. and the many volunteers who were
instrumental in selling food, raffle tickets,
(wo)manning our barricades, and assisting
our wonderful vendors. Thanks to you all!!!
With my sisters
Sonia Paz Baron-Vine
WCC Board Member
The summer morning is perfect
arriving from near and far
sisters of all ages, fill
the Mission Plaza
with colors and laughter....
Sisters hugging and smiling
setting up their booths and sharing
their art.
The sound of the drums in the air
the smell of coffee and chocolate buns,
young girls running around with colorful
painted faces,
and volunteers in bright yellow shirts
like sunflowers helping everyone..
Day with Creative Women
music, art, poetry, fun, and sisterhood
I sit under the ancient eucalyptus trees
and listen to the Mission bells ring,
a bride like a fairy in white walks on the
lawn
and we smile to each other
both happy, both surrounded with joy
I look around and see my sisters
laughing, sharing, dancing,
all is well, all is peace.
Family Law Action Committee
Call 788-2491 for more information
Dealing With Divorce
3rd Wednesday of each month – 7 PM
Sept 16, Oct 21 and Nov 18
$10 donation
Self-Represented Litigants’ Clinic
4th Tuesday of each month – 5:30 PM
Upcoming:
Sept 22, Oct 27 and Nov 24
Reservations required.
$40 donation
September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
The Children’s Bookshelf
By Lisa Pimental Johnson
Smiles are blooming on mother’s faces,
panic laced with excitement is plastered on
children’s faces, teachers strategic planning
has been going on for weeks: A new school
year is on the crest of waning summer days.
Here are a few books to get in the mood for
another successful school year.
They called her Camilla Crayon in
school because she would change colors and
shapes all over her skin, faster than chang-
ing channels on a T.V. A Bad Case of Stripes,
by David Shannon is a colorful story of a
little girl named Camilla Cream who was
afraid of being herself and literally turned
herself into the person she thought oth-
ers would like. She morphed into purple
polka dots, checkerboard squares, and big
bold stripes. She even sprouted roots, ber-
ries, crystals, feathers, and a long furry
tail. After feeling miserable and lonely, she
decided she really wanted to be just herself
and ingested lima beans to transform back.
Lima beans may be the perfect first day of
school food!
Ruby the Copycat, by Peggy Rathmann is
a charming tale of a desperate little girl try-
A Bottomless Pit of Goodness
By Jen Mowad
Sterile bandages? Check. Hand wipes?
Check. Trail mix? Check. Sunscreen?
Check. Antibiotic ointment? Check. Water?
Check. Extra pair of underwear and socks?
Check.
No, sadly this is not my camping or hik-
ing checklist, this is an inventory of the
items in my handbag, and yes, these can
be found in my monstrous Mom-purse any
ol’ day of the week. It’s my keeper of good-
ies, my stash of distractions, my satchel of
secrets, and my warden of sanity. I have
the ultimate Mom-purse, and I’m beyond
proud of it. I’m a sure-thing if you’ve got
items to check off on a scavenger hunt;
hunt me down and I guarantee I’ve got a
bobby pin or nail clippers in my bag. And
don’t think my toddler and preschooler are
unaware of the adventure awaiting them
just by emptying the contents of my volu-
minous bag. You can see the gleam in their
eyes as they part the openings and extend
their chubby little arms into its depths, the
unknown treasures buried deep within call
for them to explore and expunge.
Now, if you’re picturing my Mom-purse
a beat-up version of your Grandmother’s
purse, think again. There is no faux tan
leather here, no brass buckles or massive
zippered compartments. Nowadays, every
designer and house of couture has a line of
oversized handbags, and every celebrity and
her sister sports a purse the size of carryon
luggage. After searching stores and websites
and finding nothing that fit my needs, I dis-
covered a website of all things handmade,
Etsy.com, and spent hours creating my per-
fect Mom-purse with one of the design-
ers. I had a list of necessities that correlate
with my maternal lifestyle such as numer-
ous inner and outer pockets, a strap that
can be long or short, and washable fabric
that will withstand the inevitable sippy cup
leakage. The handbag I ultimately chose
meets all my requirements and is reversible,
so I get to enjoy a funky cream and orange
bird print or a cream and brown damask
print depending on my mood. Between the
ing to win approval from her peers in her
new school. Ruby copies her new friend,
Angela, in every conceivable way from
her red hair ribbons, daisy patterned pur-
ple sweater, and rainbow colored sneak-
ers. Angela grows resentful of the imitation
and responds in a hurtful way. Wounded,
Ruby dries her eyes and switches her focus
onto the teacher, Miss Hart, and begins the
same pattern. Gently and patiently, Miss
Hart encourages Ruby to express her own
individuality. Ruby finds acceptance and
true friendship by being herself in her own
funny, unique way.
It’s the first day of school and Cassie is
all set to go and her dog, Marely, thinks he
is going too! In the book by John Grogan,
Marely Goes to School, this is every child’s
dream of having their dog at school with
them. Marley digs a tunnel out of the back-
yard and sniffs his way to school. As he
roams the halls, he concocts lots of trou-
ble: releasing mice in the science lab, steal-
ing the basketball in gym class, and wolfing
down hot dogs in the cafeteria. Marely
eventually finds his best friend, Cassie, as
well as action and adventure in an academic
setting too!
hip print of my bag and the fact that six-
teen year old celebrities parade around with
handbags the size of their torsos, I feel like
my bag fits both my early-thirty-something
age and my busy-mom lifestyle.
Now you may be wondering who bene-
fits the most from this massive bag of good-
ies and necessities, and most would assume
it would be my kids. And to some extent, I
do think they get the most use of my purse.
It carries snacks and water, along with sun-
hats, diapers, hand wipes and the occasional
sweatshirt, all which see consistent weekly
use. But the person who most enjoys my
Mom-purse is my husband. When we’re
out and about, it has the ability to hold
his wallet, cell phone, and sunglasses so his
pockets can feel light and unencumbered.
Never mind my lilting, numb shoulder, but
hey, that’s another story. I should’ve known
my husband would enjoy my graduation to
a Mom-purse, as he’d mentioned more than
once how muzch he adored his own moth-
er’s purse when he was a boy. And honestly,
my mother-in-law’s purse puts my purse to
shame, even today, so I can appreciate the
renown of her infamous purse. She may not
have toddlers, but her handbag contains
everything that anyone from her grandchil-
dren to her ninety year old father could ever
possibly require. That woman is a walking
emergency kit and you’d better hope you’re
near her in the event of a real emergency.
As I clean out my Mom-purse this after-
noon, I am led to recall the events of my
past week. Ticket stubs to the county fair, a
crayon drawing made while in the doctor’s
office waiting room, six and a half goldfish
crackers, and a ball of twist-ties made by
my toddler during our last trip to the gro-
cery store (which diverted a screaming tan-
trum and allowed for a quieter experience
for all shoppers, for which you can thank
me later), and I realize that my mom bag is
not only full of all the things that make my
life with kids easier, but it holds the things
that remind me how full my life is with
kids. And it occurs to me that maybe that’s
why my mother-in-law still carries around
her Mom-purse.
Liberated Stay-At-
Home Mothers
By Gina Carmen Turley
Today, a woman has many choices when
she decides o be liberated. Back a few years
ago a woman’s “liberation” may have come
from having more jobs available to her than
a mom and wife. Maybe the choice to get
out of her marriage may have been a fight
worth fighting for and still may be. In
today’s world, the new women’s movement
has some of the olden ways and some of the
new. It is the movement of the new “stay at
home mom with a more balanced partner-
ship in marriage.”
Although a woman may have had some
negative experiences back in the day with
being a mom and a wife, she did have the
respect as a mom or wife that today women
must ask for. It is true, many women have
come far in having choices in their career
world. Yet the other truth we don’t hear
about is many women do or want to choose
motherhood and the art of homemaking
as a career. The woman who chooses to be
a mother and educator and homemaker
while also finding a way to provide for her
family is limited and looked down upon
in our society today. The words “is that all
you do” are common words from people
who talk to moms these days. And yet more
Onset
By Kathy Bond
My stomach plummets to the floor
when my daughter tells me
over the phone, shattering
my peaceful Sunday morning
that she needs cancer surgery.
I thought “Take me.”
Why is she the one
who got the gene?
Her grandmother, who she looks
like, died from this 50 years ago--
at the same age--mid 40’s.
I tell my self
that modern medicine’s
found some answers
in the interim. But,
it still kills,
and she’s our child,
with children of her own
and this disease doesn’t respect
family needs and dreams.
Fear freezes respirations
and I can barely breathe.
Motherhood 5
Photo by Mary R. Vogt
and more children are turning to drugs, sex,
and crime and/or becoming little adults
with their packed schedules so mom or dad
can work and the kids can get “socialized”.
Nature is less of an option for children and
socialization is more about how many peo-
ple your kids are around in a day than how
much they are really learning and dealing
with emotions, relationships, and getting
along. Motherhood has been replaced by
an overworked woman who has pressures to
find a way to occupy her child other than
nurture her child and find ways to co-oper-
atively work with her husband or partner
so they find time to maybe see one another
sometime during the week. And everyone is
too busy to get to know themselves or one
another.
For those women who are looking to be
“liberated” from the career that takes their
life away and keeps them busy looking for
a class or workshop on relationships or how
to talk to their teenager, there is hope. I,
among other women in San Luis Obispo
county, are among the many mothers in the
country who are standing proud for our life
as mothers, wives, and homemakers. Moth-
erhood and being a wife is not a Christian
Continued in LIBERATED, page 11
She has surgery.
Her port site infects.
We visit and the priest,
surgeon, microbiologist
and discharge nurse appear.
One of the doctors, also a
survivor, relates that
she lost 30 lbs. and her hair
on chemo. They leave
and I bathe her; I soak her feet
and we share a joke about men.
Our granddaughter answers
the phone at home and tells
a telemarketer--she spits
the words out with the
rattle of a machine gun--
her mother can’t come
to the phone because of
breast cancer--
her way of coping.
Now, three years later,
our daughter receives
good checkups. You know
it’s changed everyone’s way
of thinking about life and death.
6 Body&Soul
Spirituality Matters
It Is All About Choice
By Heather Mendel
Having just returned from an enjoyable and
enlightening trip to the Balkan Peninsula, I
am conscious of the importance of choos-
ing to let go. Visiting the countries of the
former Yugoslavia, the hope and aspirations
for a better future were as tangible as the
physical evidence of past conflicts, recent
and ancient. The wounds from the recent
homeland war in Croatia, Slovenia, Monte-
negro, and Albania were still fresh, both in
the physical landscape and the hearts of the
people. Geopolitical boundaries are perme-
able and shift while ethnic divisions remain
deeper than any marks on a map.
As visitors, we are reminded of the
ethnic pain suffered over the globe in far-
off lands and close to home. Whatever
our own ethnic background, we feel each
other’s pain and are reminded of our own
familial stories. What do we do with our
own historical and ethnic pain? What to
we pass on to the next generation? With
the blessing of an education, we realize that
we have choices. We can teach our children
not to forget and at the same time to for-
The Greatest Prayer
By Ruth Cherry, PhD
Some say our greatest prayer is “Thank
you.” It’s a prayer available to us when
we are overwhelmed. It’s a prayer we can
choose when we feel hopeless. It’s a prayer
which thrusts us from a perceived position
of victim to one of partner.
Saying “Thank you” empowers us.
We actively choose to engage in the cur-
rent situation knowing that God works
beneath the surface. We willingly cooper-
ate although we can’t say how or with what.
We simply declare, “I am available and I
trust.” And then we pay attention.
We always know that we are protected.
We prefer to move to the level of solution
rather than wallow at the level of problem.
Power lies in that choice, and we own our
power when we say, “Thank you.”
Knowledge Is Power… Unless It’s Not
By Jill Turnbow
I used to love the expression, “once you
know better, you do better.” It opens a
floodgate of forgiveness opportunities and
justifications for the past. But I find it not
always true. In the last several years, I’ve
learned a lot of things. My knowledge has
grown by leaps and bounds. And now that
I know better, I don’t seem to be doing bet-
ter.
For example, I KNOW Ben & Jer-
ry’s Cherry Garcia is not good for me, yet
I continue to seek it out. I know that a
nice walk in the sunshine can brighten my
mood, yet I crawl back into bed. I know
getting angry doesn’t help a situation, and
yet sometimes I seethe. And when depres-
sions strikes, nothing I know seems to bring
light to the dark corner I’ve created for
myself.
give, as we forge a new pathway forward.
Our challenge is to find ways of releasing
the past instead of living in it in the pres-
ent moment.
The Balkans are a complex interweaving
of histories, ethnicities, and cultures. Visi-
tors marvel at medieval walled cities, now
vibrant with internet cafes and people sip-
ping coffee and chatting on cell phones.
Museums are filled with ancient weaponry
and swords— instruments of death, irre-
spective of their beautiful mother-of-pearl
and inlay designs, for those deemed differ-
ent. Just as buildings of ancient stone, par-
tially destroyed by earthquake or human
greed and fear of the ‘other’ can be left to
accent the landscape, they are also used to
rebuild new lives and start anew. Can we
each learn to take past memories, remnants
scattered over the terrain of our individual
inner landscapes, and build something new,
creative, and hope-filled? By letting the past
go, we can become conscious in the pres-
ent moment and build a new and different
future of mutuality, respect, and celebration
of diversity. It is challenging, possible, and
worth our striving.
Choosing to align with the flow in the
Universe reflects our awareness of our one-
ness. We are one, but when we say “Thank
you,” we acknowledge it consciously. We
release our struggle and any resentment or
frustration. We relax and exhale and let it
be.
“Thank you. For whatever is right now,
thank you.”
Ruth Cherry, PhD, is a clinical psycholo-
gist in private practice in San Luis Obispo,
CA. Her specialty is midlife when psychologi-
cal and spiritual dynamics merge. The power
of the unconscious at midlife to heal and to
transform is tapped in meditation. Besides
writing about meditation, Ruth leads guided
meditation groups weekly. Her web site is
midlifepsychology.com.
Being self-aware does not seem to rouse
me into action. Knowing is not doing it
for me. And I am normally a “doer,” prob-
ably because keeping busy leaves no time to
contemplate. When given time to ponder
and muse on life’s circumstances and my
inner being, I crater. And then “doing” is
not possible. It’s as if my brain has created
its own off/on switch that requires a secret
code. And the trouble is, I know the code, I
just can’t throw the switch.
Throughout the years, I’ve read enough
self-help books to realize I’ve only helped
the authors. But I did learn a few things I
hold dear. I learned I can make a choice to
face each day with joy and a smile. I know I
create my own universe and consequences.
I know the solution is within me. And I
know the next person that reminds me of
that fact is going to get a verbal smack-
down. That much, I do know.
Maybe it’s hormones.
Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
By MaryAine Curtis
If you’ve been practicing all these years to
be conscious and aware, the time has come
to know the dress rehearsal is over. We are
on stage now, and if you’ve forgotten your
lines, you will have to wing it.
Marianne Williamson is one of my per-
sonal mentors and has inspired me for
many years. I wanted to meet her in per-
son, so I drove to a big Reno casino. Her
familiar opening prepared me for inspira-
tion; however this message was about world
affairs, religious wars, and hunger and had
a bit of an edge. Marianne’s message was
crisp, to the point, and commanding. Grow
up and stop fighting about what doesn’t
really matter. Whether you are being pas-
sive or aggressive makes no difference. Get
over yourself.
Collectively we have lowered the bar
on education, values, integrity, morality,
and ideals. We’ve come so far we are going
backwards. How many workshops have you
been to that raised your vibration exponen-
tially and then a month or so later, you’re
back in the same place? It’s an inside job so
let’s commit to action. If you want some-
thing to change, initiate the change in
yourself first. “Be the change you wish to
see” (Gandhi).
We agree about getting into action and
out of complacency. Complacency is a can-
cer of the soul. Isn’t it time to release denial
and let go of the band aid? It’s time to stop
going ‘lalalala’ and sticking your head in the
sand. It’s time to stop justifying unaccept-
able actions and using proverbial crutches
to stay tuned out of life. We have people
starving in America. We have working peo-
ple that have lost their homes and are living
in parking lots and tents while they main-
tain their jobs. Some are not so lucky and
the company closed and took their retire-
ment. Do they even have a tent?
We as a nation have to come out of
any trance that has enabled us to ignore
the hard facts of what is happening in our
country and world. The time of the 60’s
Casino
Spirituality
Part 2
through the 90’s and practicing to be func-
tional is past and any comfy, idealistic
American dream story has shifted. When
we get out of the trance and face our fears,
say it like it is, then we are less vulnerable
to the terrorism that is undermining our
life. It’s internal. We terrorize ourselves and
we see it outside of us as a group vision per-
petuated by the media. Notice if the things
that you resist just happen to be the things
that keep showing up in your life. “It’s not
up to you whether you learn, it’s up to
you whether you learn from joy or pain”
(Course in Miracles).
The question is: how do we all mature
in our life and communicate consciously
even if we are scared to speak up? Try it..
Can we be aware that we all really want the
same thing? The need for food and shelter
for our family is universal. It’s time to move
beyond our fears and take action within
ourselves first and discover who we are.
What are my values and am I living them?
When we know this, then we can take it to
those in this world.
I was simultaneously applauding and
also wanting the warm and fuzzy every-
thing is gonna’ be ok feeling. This was a
call to action, a demand to grow up and
quit pretending everything is ok. It’s not.
We have to mature, be accountable for our
fellow man, and take care of the children’s
need for food for the mind and body. We
have to stop waiting for someone else to
take care of it. We have to make what we
need to happen together, now. Say yes.
One person can make a difference; a hun-
dred people can move mountains. A thou-
sand people….miracles.
If you’ve been practicing for years then
you are ready to show up fully expressed
allowing your full light to shine for all of
us. That’s how we learn from joy. The cur-
tain is up.
MaryAine Curtis (Cherry) Emissary of
Change www.return2joy.com Now in San
Luis Obispo.
September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
Is There Time to Listen to the Messages?
By Judythe Guarnera
Important messages are coming at me as
fast as a toddler can get into trouble. My
recent birthday unceremoniously dumped
me into the next decade of my life – the
seventies. So, as I sit at my computer on
this coastal Sunday afternoon, I am busy
planning how I want to spend the last tri-
mester of my life.
I very much value the volunteering
I do­—ten years as a mediator for Cre-
ative Mediation and RSVP and six years
as a Senior Peer Counselor. At this time of
major program cuts for non-profits who
serve our community, volunteering is criti-
cal to maintain services for people in need.
I would be remiss if I did not point out
that volunteering has as many rewards for
the volunteer as it does for the recipients.
One benefit is the friendships I have with
my fellow volunteers, outstanding, talented
people. Another is the opportunity for
gaining new information and skills that add
to my goal of connecting through commu-
nication.
Several months ago our Senior Peer
Director gave us an article on joyfulness.
In a study of one hundred people who
described themselves as happy, some had
major health problems, others had grave
financial problems. The author of the arti-
cle indicated that we are born with a cer-
tain type personality, with some of us being
more or less joyful by virtue of birth. That’s
not all of it, though.
Each time we react joyfully (or not), we
imprint a neural pathway in our brain. The
more frequently we respond cheerfully or
joyfully, the more we strengthen that neural
pathway. If the joyful pathway is stronger
than the negative pathway, the individual
will more and more frequently, as the path-
way strengthens, respond in a positive or
joyful manner.
Now, I consider myself a positive per-
son, and I think most of my friends and my
family would say that I respond positively
more often than not. But, when I told my
husband, Steve, that I wanted to become
more joyful, his response was not partic-
ularly positive. He indicated that lately
he had noticed me responding in a nega-
tive manner more frequently than usual. I
jumped right in with a challenge—“Give
me some examples.” Steve jumped right on
that challenge.
“Remember last night when we sat
down to dinner and you complained that
you kept finding cold spots in the casserole.
I offered to reheat it in the microwave for
you, but you preferred to sit there and be
unhappy.”
He was ready with one more. I have
always been a worry-wart about money.
Someone had given us a shredder, more
expensive and far superior to our old one.
The first time I used it, I missed some sta-
ples and stripped the gears. I was angry at
my carelessness. Steve replaced the shred-
der, but I couldn’t let go of my unhappiness
about wasting money and adding to the
waste at the landfill.
I appreciated Steve’s examples, as the
importance of working on positive think-
ing took on more meaning. The mes-
sage from the article on joyfulness and
his observations convinced me that I had
another important goal for my last trimes-
ter. I know it will take time to strengthen
the positive/joyful reaction pathway in my
brain. It helps to realize that positive think-
ing will increase my ability to communicate
and connect with people.
For several years I have been looking for
positive connecting opportunities. Most
of the time these take as little as a minute
or two. One day I had just parked my car
when I noticed an older gentleman in the
parking lot struggling to get a large box into
his trunk. A young woman got out of her
car, approached him and offered to help.
He responded abruptly, “No, I’m fine.”
Her face fell and she hurried back to
her car. I approached her open window
and said, “I really appreciate you offering
to help that man. You must feel sad that he
didn’t respond well.” Her face lit up and she
uttered an appreciative “Thanks.” That con-
nection made both of us happier.
My photographer friend, Dennis Young
can’t walk out his front door, enter a room,
or walk down the street without connect-
ing with those in his path, with his warm
and charming personality. He is always in
the business of making friends, although he
enjoys those encounters too much to call
them work. I am convinced he is an excel-
lent photographer because he genuinely
likes and is interested in people. Seeing his
happiness and how it impacts others, I real-
ized that he was giving me another message
I needed. It was time to ramp up my con-
necting activities.
Today I had some lab work done. By
the time I left the room, the two techni-
cians and I were all smiling broadly, and I
believe, genuinely feeling happy. We knew
each other’s names, felt supported and
appreciated and all it took was a few min-
utes of “Dennis behavior.” When I see how
little effort it takes, it is fun to try to create
at least a small oasis of happiness in the day
of those with whom I come in contact.
Sometimes, though, just like with the
older man’s curt rejection, my efforts seem
to have no effect. I feel sad when the other
person doesn’t show any acknowledgment.
My sensitive and caring big brother (also in
his last trimester) gave me the cure for that
one. He suggested that I just pat myself on
the shoulder and say, “Good girl, Judy.”
He’s right; my body/brain doesn’t care
whether it is the other person or me who
responded. Once that little act of valida-
tion occurs, I can go a step further in posi-
tive thinking. Since I don’t walk in anyone’s
shoes but my own, I have no way of know-
ing what it going on in that other person’s
life.
Recently, my good friend, Donna had
a “Juicy Crone” party to acknowledge my
70th birthday. The wonderful and caring
people in my Senior Peer Counseling group
and their significant others helped cele-
brate. This event was another time when I
was served another serious dollop of joy and
a sense of awakening. My friends and I in
our mid to last trimesters are not dried-up
old crones. We are seasoned, experienced,
educated woman who choose to spend our
remaining years loving, communicating,
connecting, learning to be more joyful and
more positive and hopefully enriching the
lives of those with whom we interact.
No matter how busy you are, take the
time to listen to those messages.
The Cycle of Fasting
By Tricia Wolanin
I have started a 10 day cleansing, currently
at Day 3. It was a tradition I started four
years ago, though not always fulfilled to
completion. Cleanses have existed for me
as a means to mark the end of a phase and
progression towards the next goal. This cur-
rent cleanse will mark my return towards
being a pescatarian (only a seafood omni-
vore). At a recent wedding, as I ate Filipino
pork filled lumpia and General Tso chicken,
an old roommate asked “You eat meat
now?” As I devoured the meal, I answered
quickly “Yes, for the past year.” I could
not help but think “Why am I still eating
meat?” For the past fifteen years of my life,
ten have been pescatarian. I have identified
myself by my dietary constraints, but there
have been cycles where I strayed. Previously
I had eaten meat because I could not afford
the pescatarian lifestyle. Most recently I had
begun to add meat to my diet because of
becoming frequently ill with colds and flus.
I thought my protein dosage could be sup-
plemented easily by meat. The push from
my chef fiancé was also a driving force to
become an omnivore. As this simple ques-
Going to
the Source
By Inglis Carre’-Dellard, M.F.A.
As we go through our daily lives, we are
bombarded with images, colors, scents,
sounds, and textures. We hurry along,
our minds elsewhere, our senses register-
ing huge amounts of information which
is edited out if it is not immediately use-
ful. This treasure of original experience that
constitutes our worlds is the raw potential-
ity that could transform a muted creative
output into something that really sings.
Magic is all around us and also within
us. Our inner self is like a huge storehouse
of images, symbols, feelings, archetypes,
and memories. This archive contains ele-
ments of our lives all the way back to our
birth and back further in the form of genet-
ically imbedded information.
What happens to this abundance of
raw materials when we enter our studio
or workshop with the intention of creat-
ing “Art” or “The Great American Novel,”
or some other great thing? Do we use them
as fuel for our creative fire, or do we leave
them outside the door? Do we end up with
work that is a soaring aria about the ele-
ments of our world and how they deeply
touch us? Or is the result of our labors
more like a little jingle about the work of
another artist, or another period of art his-
tory, or an exercise from art school ?
There is much we can do to increase our
absorption and utilization of sensory mate-
rials from our physical surroundings. We
can begin by making notes about the mul-
titude of large and small things we encoun-
ter every day. These notes can be written
descriptions, or sketches, or pictures torn
from magazines and pasted into a note-
book. In addition to visual samples, we can
Body&Soul 7
tion was asked, I realized if we have strayed
from our goals, it does not mean that those
goals cannot be reestablished. I knew that
I had accomplished this previous lifestyle,
and I could return to it. I knew that if I
started my 10 day fast, my body and mind
would be prepared to be pescatarian again.
In preparation for my return to pesca-
tarian life, I felt a fast would scrub away
the omnivore’s cravings. I have seen fast-
ing as a metaphor for cycles in life. Prior to
starting a fast, one needs a reason to begin.
Generally this is because a behavior/life-
style had increased to the point of gluttony.
A goal was then set. A fast occurred, which
entailed a limited period of sacrifice that is
endured in hopes to attain a goal. Yet, most
people who fast generally do not engage in
this cycle once. The fast cycle is repeated.
We have fallen or strayed from our goals
temporarily, due to the fact we are human,
but we can return stronger. Fasting is a
metaphor of the cycle of straying from who
we are, to what we have become, to where
we want to be.
What is your goal? What type of fast
will you engage in to achieve your goal?
Photo by Julia Freeman-Woolpert
collect information about interesting sound
effects, music, scents, weather, and lighting
conditions.
We can change our point of view by
looking very closely at tiny things. By mak-
ing a window with our hands we can iso-
late a particular view in the distance, or
by moving up close we can isolate parts
of large things and uncover exciting possi-
bilities for new subjects and compositions.
This process will require a slowing down
and focus of concentration—something
most of us would welcome in our lives.
The more difficult, but also more
rewarding part, of our journey of discovery
is the exploration of our inner landscape.
This is where thoughts and feelings live that
are triggered by elements of our environ-
ment and subconscious.
How do you feel when you see a torn
piece of paper scurrying along in front of
the wind? Or a flock of white gull catch-
ing brilliant sunlight off their wings as they
turn and wheel in the sky? What do you
think is the meaning of the people and ani-
mals that populate your dreams?
When we create from a need to express
our feelings and question the discoveries
we have made from encounters with our
world, we create something that has a qual-
ity of freshness. This compelling presence
prompts a new awareness in the viewer and
a new way of seeing. We have created art.
Inglis Carre’-Dellard, M.F.A. is a Los Osos
artist and teacher whose teaching style empha-
sis individuality and self expression in a nur-
turing environment. For more information on
individual counseling or her fall creative pro-
cess classes in Los Osos, San Luis Obispo, and
Pismo Beach contact her at ingartist@yahoo.
com or (805)534-9693.
8 LocalPerspectives
Unsung Heroine
Marie Brinkmeyer
Where the Public Option
Works Great
By Susan Goya
Could it be? Was I really listening to the
pleasant song of birds? Looking around the
hospital, I saw birdcages affixed to the walls
every twenty feet or so. Well, that’s differ-
ent. So began my first visit to a Japanese
hospital. Over the years I would visit gen-
eral practitioners, optometrists, dentists,
obstetricians, and pharmacists in public,
private and church-run facilities, but that
was the only time I listened to finches sing-
ing while waiting to see the doctor..
The media is full of assertive statements
based on unexamined assumptions about
what a “government -controlled” plan must
certainly imply. Government administra-
tion is not necessarily bad. I lived in Japan
for nearly twenty years. Patients in Japan,
even foreigners like myself, can choose to
be privately insured or join one of the two
public options available. I started out with
a private health insurance company, but I
joined the Japanese National Health Insur-
ance plan as soon as I could. All Japanese
citizens automatically qualify.
Japanese National Health Insurance is
affordable. Self-employed people pay the
monthly premium out of pocket. Employ-
ers withhold the premium from employ-
ees’ salaries at around 4%. Considering a
median $50,000 salary, the premium comes
Matching
People with
Opportunities
Japan:
Photo by Asif Akbar
to about $166/month for a family. The
insurance covers 70% of the bill; the patient
pays 30% out of pocket. Patients happily
pay 30% of a far smaller total bill than they
would in America. In the case of childbirth,
the local city hall reimburses families that
30%. In fact, on April 14, 2008, National
Public Radio wondered if health care in
Japan was too cheap.
Because health insurance premiums
are withheld from income, Japanese peo-
ple naturally pay slightly higher taxes than
what they would without premiums. Even
so, most Japanese people do not consider
the additional tax to be burdensome. In
fact, most people pay total income tax of
no more than 20% (about 15% for the sum
of national, prefectural, and municipal
taxes) plus the 4% for health insurance). A
rate of 19% compares favorably to American
tax rates. Think of it. For approximately
the same tax burden Americans bear, the
Japanese have their health care premiums
included.
The American public option would
likely increase American taxes, but that
increase would be more than offset by the
elimination of punitive health insurance
premiums. Furthermore, medical bills
would decrease because there would be
Continued in JAPAN, page 14
Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
By Berta Parrish
I left the interview with Marie Brinkmeyer
singing, “Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make
me a match. Find me a find. Catch me a
catch,” a popular song from Fiddler on
the Roof. Not only do the lyrics describe
her lifework, but the upbeat rhythm and
unflappable optimism describe her philoso-
phy of life. What keeps her so hopeful in
these troubling times?
As the Director of the Retired and
Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) of the
Central Coast, Marie is constantly wit-
nessing successful partnerships, connect-
ing over 1500 volunteers to the needs of
300 organizations, agencies, and nonprofit
groups in San Luis Obispo and northern
Santa Barbara Counties. Not surprisingly,
the approximately 200,000 hours annu-
ally contributed by RSVP members result
in millions of dollars for the community.
Marie’s greatest pleasure is marrying the
desires of the person to those of the organi-
zation. “I enjoy the openness of this effort,”
she says. “We are open to anyone over
55, no particular skills or experiences are
required. We’ll find the site and the activity
that’s best for their availability, talents, and
interests. We’re here to help both the volun-
teer and the organization thrive.”
Three life experiences in particular make
Marie the best match to direct RSVP’s mis-
sion. She brings administrative expertise
from working over thirty years in human
resources in hospital and business settings
throughout California. Additionally, she
developed patience and empathy from rais-
ing ten of her own children plus six step-
children and from keeping up with thirty
SAN LUIS OBISPO
2050 Garfield Street
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Toll Free: 800.544.7250
805.549.9911 Fax: 805.546.0734
SUPPORTERS OF WOMEN IN BUSINESS!
grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchil-
dren. Nevertheless, she believes that her
grandmother was the most influential in
her career choice. “My grandmother’s house
was known throughout the Hobo Jungle as
a place to go for a good meal. She shared
soup and bread with whomever came to the
back door.” From her grandmother’s exam-
ple, Marie learned that it feels good to help
others.
Sixty years later, she is still benefiting
from this lesson, just like the RSVP mem-
bers who discover that those who volun-
teer live happier, healthier, and longer lives.
Our local RSVP is part of Senior Corp, a
national volunteer recruiting and placement
agency conceived during Kennedy’s presi-
dency. It currently links more than 500,000
Americans to service opportunities through
its three programs—Foster Grandparents,
RSVP, and Senior Companions. Along with
AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve America,
Senior Corps is under the newly formed
Corporation for National and Community
Service which provides Americans of all
ages and backgrounds opportunities to give
back to their communities and their nation.
Marie’s daily tasks of helping others
make a difference in their community while
helping the community make a difference
in the lives of its citizens would make any-
one feel good and hopeful. She is indeed a
Matchmaker who, like the marriage broker
in the song, will look through her book and
make a perfect match.
If you’re interested in volunteering
with RSVP, call (805) 544-8740 or visit
http://www.rsvpcentralcoast.org/.
Near Downtown
Deluxe Continental Breakfast
Pool & Spa
Fitness Room
Guest Laundry
Suites
September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press DayWithCreativeWomen 9

presents

A Monthly Series of Spiritual Workshops

Save the World

Temple Beth David, 10180 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo
Third Thursday of Each Month • 7-9 pm • $20

Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com or (805) 541-6874 for more information.

Day With
Creative Women
Thanks for a Beautiful Day!
September Workshop
Hula
Hula is the soul of Hawaii expressed in
motion. No one knows its exact origins but
Hawaiians agree that the first hula was per-
formed by a god or goddess which makes
the dance a sacred ritual. Some believe the
hula was only danced by men, but legend
and historical sources tells us both men and
women danced. Hawaiian hula is unique
and totally different from other Polyne-
sian dances. Although it began as a form
of worship during religious ceremonies, it
gradually evolved into a form of entertain-
ment. Kumu Hula (teacher of Hula) Sylvia
Hambly and Andrene Kaonohiokala Kaiwi-
Lenting, members of Hula Halau Na Mele
O Ke Kai Halau (hula school), will share
history and evolution of this expression of
aloha as well as give basic instruction in
hula.
October Workshop
Heart: Open
Come experience yourself in a new way
and allow gentle guidance along a pathway
of your creativity, delight and innocence.
This is the ‘heart open’ play space where
one remembers play, wonder , fun and joy.
A lesson, poem, visualization and color-
ing wands will be part of the adventure. All
that is required:
• Desire.
• A copy of a picture of your young self
under 10 yrs. if possible.
Bring a friend! “What surprisingly won-
derful experiences I’ve had with your work.”
G.S.
“She was such a joy to listen to and work
with I found myself using what I learned
immediately and I’m very happy with how
things are changing for me.” R.A.

Sylvia Rodriguez Hambly began the study
of hula as a pre-teen in southern California
and began performing professionally at the
age of 15. Sylvia has been very involved with
halau Na Mele o ke Kai (Song of the Sea)
as an instructor, business manager, and now,
director of the halau. Her instruction is dedi-
cated to proper hula technique so that the tra-
dition of hula is not lost and can be enjoyed
for years to come.
MaryAine Curtis (Cherry) Emissary of
Change, internationally known presenter has
recently relocated her office to Toro St. in SLO.
Guiding people to be “fully expressed, actively
being in life”, is her calling and joy. For
info check out www.return2joy.com. Release,
Believe, Inspire.

Andrene Kaonohiokala Kaiwi-Lenting,

Clare B. Lowery L.Ac.
Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
Diet, Exercise and Lifestyle Guidance
San Luis ObiSpa
4115 Vachell Lane
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
805-541-6772
of Hawaiian-Portuguese-Chinese decent, has
danced hula for most of her life. While grow-
ing up in Southern California, her main
kumu (teacher) was her mother. Fortunately,
Andrene’s parents immersed her into the
Hawaiian culture, encouraging music and
dance even when so far away from their home,
Hana, Maui. Andrene traveled through-
out California performing at cultural festi-
vals and events prior to moving to San Luis
Obispo in 1984. Dancing on occasion for fam-
ily functions only, she recently joined Na Mele
o ke Kai in Morro Bay and has reunited with
the Hawaiian language through mele (song)
and hula.
10 CreativeWomen Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com

Angelo’s Spaghetti
By Phibby Venable

I am here for donuts, but today Angelo is pushing spaghetti.

He is ill with the waitress, the appliance man, the wife,
and mostly himself, for cooking too much spaghetti,
so that now he is cooing it like a common hawker,
words falling from his mouth like a forgotten language,
his rage held behind the windshield of his deep eyes.
His father is coming for lunch, passing through a city
of window seats, his long face ready with judgment.
Already he has placed Angelo in exile.
It was the white wine yesterday.
His father suggested he donate it to the synagogue
for the dead, they had no preference in taste.
Suddenly, there is a buzz at the back door.
It is a young driver, asking where he should back his truck.
Angelo suggests several unusual parking positions,
most of them bodily impossible.
He swears a dozen curses on the boy’s future
and implies canine concoctions on his ancestors.
The driver has no way of knowing
that he is the one person Angelo had hoped to see.
He is the white wine bought at a bargain
and the narrow contempt of a father’s eyes. Travel Safety Tips For Women Travelers
He is the rush hour on a bad day & a wife that refuses
to come near the kitchen.
Later Angelo offers him free spaghetti, Choosing a Hotel
as he whistles a love song his mother brought from Italy.
By Dianne Tuttle, CTC

Mountain Women Smaller is smarter: you want the staff to

be familiar with guests and with you. The
By Phibby Venable smaller the lobby, the more noticeable the
loiterers.
In the mountains women stash Aim for a well-trafficked street (neigh-
their grief in dough bowls borhood restaurants and late-night stores
and knead it on down mean traffic, corporate offices mean dark-
to a comfortable size ness). Affluent residential areas tend to
to be softened & beaten have more reliable transportation and fewer
into cathead biscuits threatening street people.
eaten Room numbers should be written on
and stored near the heart. the key envelope, not mentioned aloud
or inscribed on the key--this way, anyone
finding your key won’t have access to your
Where to find Women’s Press room.
All Libraries and the following exceptionally fine establishments!
Look for a parking lot that is well lit and
secure. Find out if there’s valet parking and
if it will be available when you need it. Use
it, even it costs a little bit more.
Does the hotel gym have an attendant?
Being alone and semi-dressed in the base-
ment is not good for your health.
Dianne Tuttle has been in the travel field
over 30 years and owns Academy Cruises &
Tours and Academy Travel School “In The
Creamery” 570 Higuera St. #225 in San Luis
Obispo.If you have a travel question send an
email to: atc@itravelconsultants.com or call
805-781-2630 I’ll try and answer it in my next
column.

• NORTH COUNTY: Atascadero – The Coffee House and Deli, Starbuck’s at

Von’s Plaza, Green Goods, Player’s Pizza, Harvest Health Food Store, North
County Connection, Senior Center, Women’s Resource Center/Shelter Office,
Curves. Paso Robles – Cuesta College North Campus, Café Vio, Curves, DK
Central Coast Book & Author Festival
Donuts, Panolivo French Cafe, NCI Village Thrift Shop, Paso Robles Health Book lovers from around the county are display during the month of September at
Foods; Templeton – Twin Cities Hospital, Templeton Market & Deli, Affinity eagerly awaiting this year’s Central Coast various county public library branches, will
Chiropractic, Kinship Center, Jobella’s Coffee; Santa Margarita– Santa Margarita Book & Author Festival, which takes place be available for viewing and for sale at the
Mercantile. October 4th in San Luis Obispo’s Mission San Luis Obispo City Library on the day
• NORTHERN COAST: Baywood – Coffee & Things; Cambria – Cambria Plaza. of the festival. There will also be an exhibit
Connection, Cambria Pines Lodge, Chamber of Commerce, Gym One, Azevedo The festival is a fund-raiser for the showcasing the art of bookmaking.
Chiropractic, Lilly’s, Alloco’s, Cambria Drug and Gift, Bob & Jan’s Bottle Shop, Foundation for San Luis Obispo County The Central Coast Book & Author Fes-
Linn’s, Donna’s Nail Salon, Cookie Crock, Rainbow Bean and Coffee Shop; Public Libraries and benefits library pro- tival features authors with books addressing
Cayucos – Cayucos Super Market, Kelley’s EsPresso & Dessert, Ocean Front Pizza, grams such as the county-wide Children’s a range of women’s issues. Heather Mendel
Chevron Station, Mobile Balloons; Los Osos – Starbuck’s, Baywood Laundry, Summer Reading Program. is author of Dancing in the Footsteps of Eve:
Cad’s, Carlock’s Bakery, Chamber of Commerce, Copa de Oro, Garden Café, Los The event will feature free author pre- Retrieving the Gift of the Sacred Feminine for
Osos Deli Liquor, Volumes of Pleasure; Morro Bay – Backstage Salon, Coalesce sentations including workshops, panels and the Human Family through Myth and Mysti-
Bookstore, Coffee Pot Restaurant, The Rock, Southern Port Traders, Sunshine readings, at several venues in and nearby cism. It is a contemporary mythic and mys-
Health Foods, Two Dogs Coffee, La Parisienne Bakery. Mission Plaza. A complete event schedule tical reading of biblical Eve which reveals
• SAN LUIS OBISPO: Broad St. Laundry, Cool Cats Café, La Crepes, Edna Market, will be posted at www.ccbookfestival.org her to be the hero who moves the human
Booboo Records, Creekside Center, GALA, Marigold Nails, Palm Theatre, Susan two weeks prior to the event. story forward.
Polk Insurance, Utopia Bakery, Unity Church, Zoe Wells, Naturopath, Cal Poly Over 50 exhibitors are booked for this Berta Parrish, Ed.D is author of Wise
Library and Women’s Center, Center for Alternatives to Violence, Chamber of year’s event, including publishers, non- Woman’s Way: A Guide to Growing Older
Commerce, Cuesta College Library, EOC Health Services Clinic, HealthWorks, profit organizations, and authors from a with Purpose and Passion. The book stimu-
Healing Alternatives, Laguna Laundry, Linnaea’s, Monterey Express, Natural broad range of genres including histori- lates and guides older women through the
Foods Coop, New Frontiers, Nautical Bean, Outspoken Beverage Bistro, Phoenix cal non-fiction, women/gender studies, life-changing experience of turning 60, a
Books, Planned Parenthood, West End Espresso & Tea, San Luis Obispo Housing mystery, cooking, self-help, children’s, and resource that our youth-obsessed society
Authority Office, SARP, The Secret Garden, SLO Perk Coffee, Spirit Winds young adult. There will also be children’s lacks.
Therapy, The Studio Fitness for Women, Uptown Cafe, Yoga Centre, Ahshe Hair story time, live entertainment, and a raffle B Lynn Goodwin’s book You Want Me
Salon, Apropos Clothing, Soho Hair Salon, Hempshak, YMCA, KCBX, Salon on for a $500 cash prize. to Do What? offers caregivers a means of
Monterey, Jaffa Café, Med Stop (Madonna Plaza), World Rhythm and Motion, A highly-anticipated event at this year’s self-care through journaling. According to
Steynberg Gallery, Correa Chiropractic, High St. Deli, Sunset N. Car Wash, festival is the action-packed multi-media Goodwin, journaling allows us to process
Jamaica You, United Blood Services. show featuring comic book super-hero, stress and celebrate what is right. The book
• SOUTH COUNTY: Arroyo Grande – Mongo’s, Act II Boutique, Central Spider-Man, which is made possible by gives readers open-ended instructions on
Coast Yoga, CJ’s Restaurant, Curves-AG, Cutting Edge, EOC Health Services Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab. There will spilling your guts in the safety of a private
Clinic, Girls Restaurant, Grande Whole Foods, Chameleon; Avila Beach– Avila be two shows at the San Luis Obispo City journal and offers two hundred sentence
Grocery, Custom House, Sycamore Hot Springs, Inn at Avila, Joe Mamma’s; Library, where the famous web-slinging starts to help you begin writing
Grover Beach – Back Door Deli, Cindi’s Wash House, Nan’s Pre-owned hero will share his love of books and read- The Central Coast Book & Author Fes-
Books, Therapeutic Body Center, 30-minute Fitness; Halcyon – Halcyon Store; ing with children and teens. The show is tival takes place Sunday October 4, 2009
Nipomo – Anna’s Creekside Coffee House, Healing Touch Spa, Curves, La Placita free, but tickets are required and are avail- from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in San Luis
Market, Healthy Inspirations, World Gym, Trendy Sister Salon, Senior Centers; able at all county public library branches. Obispo’s Mission Plaza. The event is free.
Pismo Beach – Honeymoon Café, Pismo Athletic Club, RETurn to JOY!; Shell A new art show will feature original art For more information, visit www.ccbook-
Beach – De Palo & Sons Deli, Seaside Cafe, Steaming Bean. by approximately 20 local book illustrators festival.org, call (805) 546-1392, or send an
• SANTA MARIA: Café Monet, Hunter’s Landing, Library, Curves on Main and on and authors. The pieces, which will be on e-mail to info@ccbookfestival.org.
Broadway, Lassen’s.
• ORCUTT: Loading Dock, Oasis Spa.
September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
Mid-Life Psychology
By Ruth Cherry, PhD
In our 20’s and 30’s we worked to develop
competence in the world. We wanted to
establish a place for ourselves and to prove
our worth. We earned degrees, created and
organized a home, and developed an iden-
tity around our roles. We were what we did.
Our inner worlds may have been a bit fuzzy
and incomprehensible but we focused on
polishing our outer world facades and that
was sufficient.
But now in our 40’s and 50’s, it’s no
longer enough. We have achieved some
measure of success but, strangely, we’re dis-
satisfied and we can’t explain why. Nothing
is wrong exactly, but nothing is quite right
enough. We must have more and we must
have it now. First we repaint the house.
Then we buy that red sports car we’ve
wanted for three decades. We may even
quit our jobs and sail around the world.
But something is gnawing at our souls and
no matter what we “do,” we can’t assuage
the restlessness.
Very slowly it dawns on us that it isn’t a
matter of “doing” at all. It’s time to “be” in
a different way and we can’t willfully manu-
facture that. Then the enormity of this shift
hits us and we realize that we’re not “in con-
trol” of anything any longer. We worked
so hard in the first part of our lives to be
“in control”—to push away those niggling
doubts that we weren’t quite up to snuff,
that we harbored some despicable vulner-
ability, and that not only did we not want
to be known in all our nakedness, we didn’t
even want to look at what lived inside us.
By our mid to late 40’s, we’re way past
choosing what we do or don’t want. The
decision is out of our hands. Life has con-
fronted us with the truth about who we
truly are in the depths of our hearts. And
it’s not pretty. We are not what other people
see and we are not who we want to believe
we are. Those demons that have been liv-
ing in the shadows inside roar and demand
that we acknowledge them now. We must
feel the hurt from the childhood loneliness
which we’ve pushed away with our life-of-
the-party act. We can’t escape the anger
that still smolders. That seemingly bottom-
less pit of need and want waits for us and
will not be covered over. Now is the time
and our inner world is the place. Healing is
finally possible.
When we sit with those feelings that
were terrifying fifteen years ago, we notice
that they are not as large as we had thought
and not as long lasting and not as hardy
as we are. In all these years we have devel-
oped a maturity and strength of character
that allows us to confront our demons. And
when we do, we see that in reality they are
children­—babies who need to be nurtured,
toddlers who want to be encouraged, and
adolescents who deserve to be heard. We
have made monsters out of our childhood
wants and fears by ignoring them! But now
in mid-life we can allow them to heal by
seeing them, listening to their wants, and
holding them while they cry. We will not
be destroyed by these feelings now after
we have cultivated our personal reserves of
maturity and patience and trust. Now we
can surrender to the Life process.
Surrender is the key mid-life term.
Through surrender—feeling whatever feel-
ings come and accepting whatever situ-
ations arise—we find resolution. Our
lifelong conflicts seem to melt away as we
release our resistance. The crippling self
doubt (and perhaps self hatred) loses its
force. We are not kids any longer looking
up to a bigger world. We are on top of our
lives and not because of our efforts, but
because we have relinquished efforting.
The surrender we experience in mid-life
opens us to partnership. We don’t have to
be religious or think of ourselves as mysti-
cal beings. This process of integration that
occurs (without our conscious assent) is
a basically spiritual one. We reunite with
parts of ourselves we have distrusted or
feared and disowned and through this inte-
gration we find peace. We realize a creativ-
ity and an aliveness that we have not before
known. We see opportunities that had been
hidden when we relied upon our logic and
suddenly we sense a loosening of limits.
This process of integration happens only
through surrender and only at mid-life.
From that point on, this partnership with
the larger whole, which we have established
through listening to our inner worlds,
guides our days. We are not alone. The one-
ness we experience inside is reflected by the
oneness we experience with the world.
And all this magic happens during mid-
life.
Ruth Cherry, PhD, is a clinical psychologist
in private practice in San Luis Obispo, CA. 
Her specialty is midlife when psychological
and spiritual dynamics merge. Her web site is
midlifepsychology.com.
Life, work, children, friends, spouses,
free time: How do you do it all?
Sonya
Ohhhh how do I do it?
Not taking things too personally, smil-
ing at my boss, taking a deep breath when
things do not turn out like I want, and
allowing life to flow around me.
L ike I tell my six children: surf with life,
go with the flow, and do not go against the
current.
Jen Mowad
Seriously? Who does it all and maintains
their sanity? I do my best and meet the
basic needs of my family. In a good week I
get a lot accomplished and feel good, and in
a bad week, at least we’re all wearing clean
underwear and have decent food in our bel-
lies and I can feel good about that too.
Dorothy Segovia
Instead of doing it all - I’m the single Aunt
Dot who drops in and out of the kid scene
at my discretion!
Hooray for the women’s movement—
and my lovely choice!
Tricia Wolanin
Over the years I have found it is difficult to
balance these roles simultaneously. When
all of these roles are juggled in the moment,
they receive a frazzled me. I have learned
to focus and dedicate time to each role ,so
I can be fully present. I no longer answer
every phone call, but return calls when I
can truly be there to listen. Mindfulness is
key.
Jill Turnbow
“Pretty simple. I started by not having
spouses or children, and I work part-time.
That leaves friends and free time. And that
is my life. So I should stop complaining.”
Liberated
Continued from page 5
value-- it’s a way of life for anyone no mat-
ter what religion they are. Work is also a
part of the stay at home mom. The question
of is that “all you do” can be answered with
a no. Most of us believe in satisfying all of
our life and go to school as well as home-
school our children and/or have a job that
we do at home or away from home while
we co-operatively work with our husbands
or partners to raise our family. We also look
to how we can improve our marriage and
do not look for ways out of our marriage
when it gets a bit tough at times.
Although in the past many women
needed a way out of their marriage, today
many women need more support on how
to keep their marriage strong while raising
a family. Many women and men are taking
the plunge into both being a part of their
kids life and dealing with less money if they
have to in order to have a more balanced
life. The more support these families get,
the more balanced our society is as a whole.
It takes a village to make this happen and
you cannot pay for this village. You have to
create it.
Life with family, children, and in mar-
riage does not mean we are living in the
stone-age as some may believe. In this day
Voices 11
Laurel White
Drink lots of wine.
Terry Brogno
It’s important to recognize that you can’t
do it all. Having said that, you need to
prioritize what’s most important for you
and your family. Nothing in life is perfect
and no one should expect perfection, so
ask for help and know that organization
and good communication make life easier.
At different stages of life, some things are
more important than others. Younger chil-
dren need more attention and time then at
other ages, so their needs come first. Don’t
neglect your relationship with a partner and
never forget that friends are your lifeline.
Women tend to overextend themselves. We
should all find thirty minutes in a day to do
something for ourselves. We may be having
a cup of tea, a glass of wine or taking a bub-
ble bath at midnight, but it’s important to
find some time each day to breath deep and
relax. Somehow we all do what we have to
do, but there is a very old and dated saying
that still stands true, “If mama’s not happy,
nobody’s happy!”
Jenny Ashley
I don’t do it all. (I rarely cook, I barely
clean. Family, job, friends and fun come
first).
Denise Gibbons
I don’t. Unfortunately, the free time and
friends get pushed to the back burner.
Next issue question:
What are you most
thankful for?
E-mail responses to
womenspress.slo@gmail.com
and age, it takes people looking for balance,
commitment and family to stick together
and work together to create a beautiful
way of life. It is possible to still honor the
woman you want to be and the mother you
want to be. You do need support. Don’t
let the “liberated woman” confuse you. A
“liberated” woman is a free woman. If you
want to stay at home or find a way to work
and still educate your children, you can. It
takes a village and we are a village when we
believe in what we want and talk about it.
It doesn’t take a second mortgage to be the
mother or wife or part-time worker that
you want to be. It takes courage and belief
that whom you are as a woman is impor-
tant and sacred no matter what the T.V.
and magazines say or what you thought it
meant to be strong. Strength is following
what you know is right for you and your
family. If that means wearing a dress and
cooking and home schooling your children,
then do it. Join me and others who are cre-
ating a co-op school in the fall where we
all work together to teach our children in
classes at people’s houses. You can choose
1 day a week or up to 5 days a week. We
also are going to set up a support group for
women who want support as a stay at home
mother or home school mom. So e-mail
or call today and let us know you need us
because we all need a village!
12 NOWNews
This Page Presented by the National Organization for Women
Coordinator’s Corner
By Angie King
I hope everyone saw the Tribune on August
26th last month – Women’s Equality Day!
We took out a whole page ad, with the help
of 2 AAUW branches, San Luis Obispo and
Atascadero, and Code Pink, and celebrated
89 years of women voting. We have made
a difference! The 19th Amendment passed
in 1920, when the legislature in the last
state needed to ratify it, Tennessee, passed
the measure – by one vote! Think of all the
changes women voters have made – bet-
ter working conditions for women, an end
to child labor, equal pay, equal inheritance
rights, and the list goes on. And just last
year, almost a woman president.
But I ask, with 89 years of voting behind
us, why don’t we have the ERA? The Equal
Rights Amendment was first offered by
Alice Paul in 1923 to codify women’s equal-
ity in the federal system, and it was re-
introduced every year until 1972 when it
passed Congress and was sent out for state
approval. The ERA is the only US Amend-
ment with a time limit for passage, and
only 35 of the required 38 states did so by
the deadline in 1982.
There are some activists who feel the
best chance of success is a clean start, and
they have re-introduced a new ERA. In
recent years, Representative Carolyn Malo-
ney (D-NY) continues to re-introduce the
ERA in Congress. However, there are oth-
ers—those who cite considerable legal
grounds for accepting later ratifications of
the original Amendment as still timely. For-
tunately, the two groups support each oth-
er’s position. Therefore, resolutions are also
introduced each year to mandate this result,
to encourage those states that have not yet
ratified the ERA to do so. There has been
some movement in some of the unratified
states to complete the process. The fifteen
states that have not ratified the ERA are:
Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Geor-
gia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Mis-
souri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.
California ratified the ERA early on;
after all, we had a state ERA in place that
was the envy of feminists in many other
states. However, we saw where that state
protection went – out the window with
NOW Hails Reintroduction of the Equal Rights Amendment
NOW President Terry O’Neill
The National Organization for Women
welcomes the reintroduction of the Equal
Rights Amendment H.J.Res. 61. Lead spon-
sors are Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY) and Congresswoman Judy Biggert
(R-IL). We applaud Rep. Maloney for her
dedication and commitment in working
tirelessly to help women achieve constitu-
tional equality.
Throughout the history of this country,
women have faced systematic and purpose-
ful discrimination. Women were conspicu-
ously absent from the U.S. Constitution
when it was drafted more than 200 years
ago, and today, women still have no explicit
legal guarantee of equal protection. While
the 14th Amendment to the Constitution is
commonly believed to be a source of pro-
tection for women, the amendment was
not drafted to ensure legal protection from
sex discrimination, and the 14th amend-
ment does not provide women with suffi-
cient legal remedies for sex discrimination.
As such, we know the ERA must be ratified
to ensure meaningful and lasting equality
for all women.
Women have been and continue to be
Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
The purpose of NOW is to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society NOW !
NOW News
Prop 207! Whichever tactic you think bet-
Acceptance Remarks by Incoming
ter, I think we should insist the people we
National NOW President, Terry O’Neill:
vote for support passage of either or both of
I am honored and humbled to begin serv-
these Congressional resolutions.
ing you as president of the National Orga-
See the statement by our new NOW
nization for Women with my sister officers.
president on this issue.
We take our charge seriously: We are here
The other topic I wanted to mention
to serve you, the grassroots arm of the
deals with self-esteem and the glass ceil-
women’s movement. Do You want this Man Running the
ing. We all know the stereotypical trait
I share your vision of full equality and Army? On August 4, the Senate Armed
ascribed to women - that we underestimate
justice for all women and girls, and I pledge Services Committee approved Obama’s
our own abilities. The reasons are legion:
to modernize the women’s movement by nomination of Rep. John McHugh as Sec-
from not being encouraged to think well
tapping into the energy around the coun- retary of the Army with no opposition.
of ourselves as children, to belittling par-
try and bringing more women to the side- McHugh represents New York’s 23rd Con-
ents, partners, or friends, to not wanting
walks, statehouses and in-person and online gressional District, which includes the
to outshine a potential “boyfriend,” or for
forums where feminist dreams become real- large Fort Drum Army base, as well facili-
any other of a million reasons. We fail to
ity. I will work tirelessly to strengthen the ties owned by the nation’s largest defense
develop confidence and initiative, conflict
grassroots, collaborating with you every contractor, Lockheed Martin. McHugh
management, teamwork, and other skills
step of the way. has typically received large campaign dona-
that translate into the workplace, according
I will support, empower and amplify the tions from Lockheed Martin employees,
to a study at the University of New Mexico
change you’re leading in your own commu- as well as from employees of other defense
School of Management which was reported
nity. I will also lead cutting-edge national contractors, including Boeing and Gen-
in the Tribune. It found a gender differ-
action campaigns to demand the equality eral Dynamics. However, he also worked
ence in reviewing the results of an industry
we deserve. Up immediately on the docket to reduce women’s opportunities in the
standard assessment tool, where over 250
are campaigns to: military by attempting to exclude women
male and female managers from all over the
• Build the feminist case for single-payer from positions where 17,000 Army women
country were asked to rate their own job
health care, including coverage for the already were serving. He also opposed pro-
performance, to ask supervisors and sub-
full range of women’s reproductive ser- viding funds for abortions for military
ordinates to rate them as well, and then to
vices, so that every woman and girl, no women and even voted against the Led-
predict what ratings those people would
matter her race or immigration status, better (equal pay) bill. We were alerted to
give. Women were 3 times more likely than
has access to the health care that is her this nomination by Charlene Suneson,
men to underrate their supervisors’ assess-
human right member of NOW since 1967 and cur-
ment by an average of 11% lower on the
• Achieve equal marriage and full lesbian rently the Military Women’s Issues Rep-
study tool. According to the study, the 11%
and queer rights nationwide, imple- resentative for Hollywood NOW, who
figure shows a distinct gender difference
menting a state-by-state, commu- points out: Since the National Organiza-
in how women perceive how others per-
nity-by-community strategy alongside tion for Women’s decision to support the
ceive us, which researchers say could indi-
national efforts to immediately repeal Equal Rights Amendment in 1967, it has
cate why many women don’t rise to head
the so-called “Defense of Marriage stood for equal rights and responsibilities
companies or why there is the wage dispar-
Act” (DOMA) and “Don’t Ask, Don’t for women. NOW has been on record since
ity between men and women (currently 78
Tell” 1990 as explicitly opposing the exclusion
cents to the dollar). The study concluded
• Pass the Equal Rights Amendment and of women from combat. This position was
that managers should find better ways to
ratify the Convention on the Elimina- reiterated on December 23, 2008 when the
communicate to female employees that
tion of All Forms of Discrimination National Organization for Women submit-
they are valued, and women may need to
Against Women (CEDAW) with- ted Executive Action Proposals for Women
learn how to better seek positive and critical
out the addition of harmful reserva- to President-elect Obama which included
feedback. Is this another view of the glass
tions, understandings and declarations “Remove the combat exclusion for women,
ceiling?
(RUDs) permitting commanders to assign qualified
October brings the Harbor Fest and our
I am committed to not just implement- troops where they are most needed with-
fundraising activity. We volunteer to handle
ing, but also building, these campaigns with out regard to gender, and permitting female
one of many jobs that make the festival a
your input, expertise and vision for justice. service members who are in fact serving in
success, and we get paid for it from the pro-
Soon I will reach out with my team to tap combat (although it is not called ‘combat’
ceeds. If you would like to spend a couple
your ideas and solicit your feedback. We are because of the exclusion) to receive the pay
of hours helping NOW at Harbor Fest on
putting together new ways to communicate and benefits related to combat service.”
October 3 and 4, email us ASAP!!! You get
and connect with you, because we believe Action: Contact Boxer and Feinstein
into the festival free both days. And Morro
in the power of NOW, we believe in the and oppose this nomination for the above
Bay has perfect weather in October.
power of you and we know your voice gives reasons.
feminism the power to achieve full equality
for every woman and girl!
In sisterhood, Terry O’Neill
the disadvantaged subjects of a privileged
male system. As a result, we face many more
Get Involved — Join NOW!
hurdles in the fight to attain consistent and
non-prejudicial applications of justice in
the legal system. The recent appointments
of conservative judges throughout federal San Luis Obispo Chapter
courts have compounded these difficulties.
We hope that progressive leaders will
National Organization for Women
join NOW to begin in earnest an important Every woman doesn’t have to join NOW,
dialogue among our elected representatives,
just the 142 million who are discriminated against!
legal scholars, women’s rights advocates,
and the public. This national dialogue Name: _ ______________________________________________
should seek to determine the many ways
Address: _____________________________________________
in which an application of an equal rights
amendment can resolve sex-based discrimi- City/St/ZIP: ___________________________________________
nation -- as it is much more than a problem Phone: ________________________________________________
of unequal pay and bias in hiring and pro- Regular Dues ….$40, Sliding Scale…..$15-39
motion. In fact, the broadest possible appli-
cation of this constitutional amendment is
critically important as we go forward. Send your check and this form to Amount enclosed: _____________
The National Organization for Women PO Box 1306
has a long and intimate history with the
ERA, having mobilized one of the largest SLO, CA 93406
grassroots advocacy campaigns in history Chapter # CA 565
in support of ratification during the 1970’s
and early 1980’s. We can and will undertake
slonow@kcbx.net
the same effort as we believe that the time is
long overdue for a constitutional guarantee
of equality between the sexes.
 September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press NOWNews 13
Illustration by Penny Mathews

Demand Health Care Reform NOW!

NOW Chapter # CA 565

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

Single Payer Option:
The House of Representatives’
health care bill (America’s Affordable
Health Choices Act of 2009, H.R. 3200)
still has a single-payer option although the
Senate caved and took it out. The Edu-
cation and Labor Committee approved
an amendment offered by Rep. Dennis
Kucinich, (D-Ohio) that would allow states
to pass and implement single-payer plans.
The amendment provides for automatic
waivers from the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act (ERISA), which might
otherwise prevent states from enacting sin-
gle-payer plans.
Now the challenge is to keep single
payer in the bill when it goes to a floor
vote. Your calls and emails to House mem-
bers are critical to support retention of
a state single-payer option in health care
reform legislation. The Kucinich amend-
ment must be retained in the final version
of the House bill, H.R. 3200, and perhaps
made even stronger. There is no time to
waste. Pressure is needed directly on those
members who have the ability to act in sup-
port of the amendment’s retention.
The National Organization for Women
adopted a resolution in 1993 that supports
a single-payer type approach (Medicare for
all) as the best way to control costs and
cover everyone. Women, especially, will
benefit from a single-payer system because
all medically-necessary services are covered
and the single-payer system’s approach is
the only way to bring costs under control.
No up-front deductibles would be required
and no exclusions
for reproductive health care services
would be allowed.
Further news: An amendment to
be offered by Rep. Anthony Weiner in
committee that would establish a
national single-payer system
(H.R. 676) may take place
before the floor vote, though
we are not sure when and if
this may come up. Insiders
believe that the national
single-payer plan has
little chance of being
adopted in a floor vote.
Inclusion of Abortion Services: In
mid-July, fifteen anti-abortion rights
amendments offered by Republicans were
narrowly defeated in the Senate Health,
Education, Labor and Pension Commit-
tee as the committee marked-up health care
overhaul legislation. One, offered by Sen.
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), would have pro-
hibited abortion coverage in a health care
exchange for participants who receive gov-
ernment subsidized coverage.
Another, offered by Sen. Tom Coburn
(R-Okla.), would have specified that fed-
eral health reform legislation could not
override state laws on parental notification
when minors seek abortion services. A sec-
ond Coburn amendment was rejected that
would have advanced a broad version of so-
called “conscience” exemptions for health
care providers with moral or religious
objections to reproductive health care.
On the House side, amendments that
sought to prohibit health care plans—
including a public plan—that partici-
pate in the proposed health insurance
exchange from covering abortion services
was defeated. The House Ways and Means
Committee also approved H.R. 3200 after
spurning dozens of Republican amend-
ments, including several attempts to
exclude abortion coverage from the essen-
tial benefit package created in the bill.
General Meetings
11573 Los Osos Valley Rd, #B, SLO
The topic of abortion 3rd Tuesday of every month
coverage in health care reform has become at 6:00 pm
red hot in recent days as abortion rights
opponents have pressed the Democratic
leadership to accept restrictions against
abortion services in House legislation. Calendar
A campaign of disinformation has been
mounted by these groups, claiming the pol- September 1:
icies the Obama administration are pursu- • Birthday Queen Liliuokalani of
ing “will result in massive public subsidies Hawaii, 1838
for abortion and result in a massive increase September 4:
in the number of abortions.” • 1995, fourth UN world conference on
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), co-chair women, Beijing, China
of the Pro-Life Caucus, has said that health September 6:
care reform legislation should maintain • 1971, NOW adopts lesbianism as “a
restrictions on federal funding of abortion. legitimate concern of feminism;” first
Stupak was among a group of 19 conserva- national organization to do so
tive Democrats who sent a letter to Speaker September 15:
Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in June threatening • Four girls killed in Birmingham
to vote against any reform legislation that church bombing, 1963
does not specifically prohibit federal fund- September 15:
ing from being used for abortion services. • NOW regular meeting, 6 PM
Some observers believe that this height- • Birthday Karen Horney, first to chal-
ened campaign against abortion rights has lenge phallocentric psychologists, 1885
an ultimate goal of prohibiting private September 20:
health insurance plans from covering abor- • 1884 Equal Rights Party nominated
tion. A 2002 study found that 87 percent of women candidates for US president
employer-based health insurance policies and vice president
covered ‘medically necessary or appropriate
abortions’, while another study found that October 4-5:
46 percent of workers with health insur- • Morro Bay Harbor Festival, NOW
ance had coverage for abortion. So, if abor- Fundraiser
tion rights opponents win on prohibiting October 7:
private insurance from including abortion • Congress authorizes women in military
coverage, millions of women will be affected. academies
Anti-abortion rights groups are flooding October 10:
members of Congress with thousands of • California women win vote, 1911
calls, opposing any provision in health care October 11:
reform that would permit the use of gov- • Birthday of Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884
ernment funds to pay for abortion care as • National Coming Out Day
well as trying to stop private insurance cov- October 15:
erage of these services. • Love Your Body Day
Please call or mail your representative October 16:
and senators right away. Take action now! • Margaret Sanger opens first birth con-
trol clinic in US, 1917
October 17:
• Birthday of Mae Jamison, 1st black
woman astronaut, 1956
October 20:

Here’s some possible language to use:
I appreciate your colleagues’ and your
recent efforts to reform our nation’s fail-
ing health care system. But women’s repro-
ductive health care coverage must be a part
of any reform plan. Please do not bend to
extremist pressure to prohibit coverage in a
public option and to restrict private insur-
ers’ current coverage for abortion services.
This is the time to demonstrate courage
and stand up for women’s fundamental
human rights to receive needed and appro-
priate reproductive health care services.
The campaign of intimidation of women,
health care providers and elected officials
over abortion and contraception must stop.
Like all other health care services, deci-
sions about women’s reproductive health
care should be made by professional health
care providers and their patients—not poli-
ticians. Please do not deny coverage of any
reproductive health services, especially con-
traception, emergency contraception and
abortion services.
Reproductive health care is an impor-
tant part of women’s health care; federal
assistance for low-income women to access
this care is crucial. I ask that you support a
woman’s right to access all health services in
any health care reform bill you support.
Sincerely,
Your constituent
Where to Write and Call
Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-0505
Phone: (202) 224-3553
Fax: (202) 224-0454
Senator Dianne Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-0504
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954
Representative Lois Capps
1110 Longworth House Office Building,
District of Columbia 20515-0523
Phone: (202) 225-3601
Fax: (202) 225-5632
Representative Kevin McCarthy
1523 Longworth House Office Building,
District of Columbia 20515-0522
Phone: (202) 225-2915
Fax: (202) 225-2908
• NOW regular meeting, 6 PM
October 26:
• Birthday of Hillary Clinton, 1947
NOW Goals
• Support reproductive choice
• Work to eliminate ALL violence
against women
• Fight against sexual harassment
• Encourage tolerance and diversity
• Promote feminist issues
• Commemorate Roe v Wade
(January 22)
• Celebrate Women’s Equality Day
(August 26)
• Participate in Farmer’s Market
• Support feminist politics
14 CommunityBulletins
Bulletins
K9s For Felines Walk Around The Lake
The North County Humane Society invites
you and your dogs to Canines for Felines
in Atascadero. Saturday, October 3rd, from
7:00am to 1:30pm, bring your dog to the
Atascadero Lake Bandstand for a walk
around the park. Registration is $30 and
includes a T-shirt and dog bandana. All pets
must be on a leash. All proceeds benefit the
North County Humane Society. For more
info, call the NCHS at 466-5403.
Pet Bereavement Support Group
If you’ve recently lost a cherished pet, the
North County Humane Society invites
you to a Pet Bereavement Support group
offered at the Shelter the last Thursday eve-
ning of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
The group is free to the public and lead by
a professional Bereavement Counselor. The
Shelter is located at 2300 Ramona Road in
Atascadero, just off the Del Rio Rd. exit.
For more information, please contact the
Shelter at 466-5403 or visit the web site at:
www.slonchs.org.
Detoxify
Wellspring Health Services and Longevity
Healthcare is offering a Wellspring Detox-
ification Workshop, Oct, 20th and 27th.
These informative sessions are presented
by Sandy Muran, a nutritionist and health
educator. Both Tuesday sessions will be
held at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort
in Avila Beach from 6-9pm. Cost is $65 and
reservations are required. A light dinner is
included. Call 548-0987 by Oct.16th to reg-
ister. For more info on toxin detoxification,
visit www.longevityhealthcare.com.
Leap! The Movie To Be Screened
in Atascadero
Wendy McKenna, holistic healer and
founder of the Global Alliance for Bal-
ance and Healing is hosting a screening of
Leap!, the movie, Tuesday, September 15 at
6:00pm at the Atascadero Library. A discus-
sion period will follow. Admission is $10.00
per person at the door with 100% of the
profits donated to Global Alliance.
For more information about Leap! visit
www.leapmovie.com.
Blessing Of The Animals
The North County Humane Society invites
you to bring your pets to the Blessing of
the Animals Ceremony on Saturday, Oct.
10th, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This
event is free and open to the public. The
NCHS is located at 2300 Ramona Road in
Atascadero, just off the Del Rio Rd. exit.
For more information, contact the NCHS
at 466-5403 or visit the web site at: www.
slonchs.org.
Book Publishing 1-2-3: From the Writer’s Fin-
gers to the Reader’s Hands
Curious about publishing? Join us for this
“behind the scenes” glimpse at how a man-
uscript actually becomes a printed book.
Led by longtime editor, Laurie Gibson, this
talk will also include practical tips to help
writers increase their chances of getting
published, such as ideas for finding liter-
ary agents. The workshop will be held Tues-
day, Sept. 29, 7:00 p.m. in the conference
room of the San Luis Obispo Library, 995
Palm St., SLO. The cost is $10 (no RSVP
needed). Each attendee will receive a free
professional evaluation of 10 pages of writ-
ing (hard copy).
For more information, call (831) 646-
4610 or email eaglet5223@mypacks.net.
Free Energy Balancing Sessions in SLO
The Global Alliance for Balance and Heal-
ing is offering free energy balancing sessions
on Saturday, September 19, from 11:00am
to 4:00pm.
The free clinic will be held at Sierra
Vista Hospital in the Auditorium, 1010
Murray Avenue, San Luis Obispo. Sessions
are 25 minutes in duration and no appoint-
ment is necessary. All are welcome.
Visit www.globalalliance.ws or call 805-
438-4347 to learn about energy balancing or
other offerings from the Global Alliance for
Balance and Healing. To coordinate a clinic
in your area, e-mail Wendy McKenna at
wendy@globalalliance.ws.
SoulCollage
Judy Mandler, licensed Marriage and Fam-
ily Therapist and certified SoulCollage
Facilitator, will be presenting an exciting
workshop in Arroyo Grande on Saturday,
October 24. SoulCollage is a powerful com-
bination of imagination and intuition using
basic collage techniques to create a deck of
cards. Your personal collages form a kind
of visual journal and invite you to explore
your inner self. No art experience is neces-
sary!
For further information about the
October workshop, contact Judy Mandler
at 805-927-2585 or email judymandler@sbc-
global.net.
Living The Eternal Way:
A Spiritual Training Course
What is it we seek? We naturally want to
be happy, to be successful, and to make a
useful contribution to life. The “Living the
Eternal Way” course, taught by Reverend
Nancy Ballinger, provides the spiritual tools
for turning our lives around in the direction
of true fulfillment, and demonstrating how
to prosper from the soul level in every area
of our life. This course, based in the tradi-
tion of Kriya Yoga, is about discovering the
best of who we are and being it. Classes are
Thursdays, Sept. 3rd thru Nov. 19th, from
6:30pm-8:30pm, at the Awakening Inter-
faith Spiritual Community, 1130 Napa Ave.
in Morro Bay. For more info, call 772-0306.
Calling All Highly Sensitive People - HSP’s
I wanted you all to be aware of a large
movement that is forming around HSP’s
spearheaded by Dr. Elaine Aron (who
did the research on HSP’s) and Jacquelin
Stickland, LPC, HSP who has held many
HSP gatherings here and in England. Go
to www.lifeworkshelp.com/newsletter/
summer-09/index and scroll down to “Fea-
tured Highlights” to learn about HSP
Gathering Retreats, a new HSP magazine
(Tribe), and the HSP World Network that
puts you in touch with HSP’s worldwide
for conversation and travel. (Some of you
may remember I prefer the term Highly
Sensitive Nature because HSPerson suggests
that it completely defines you; I’m using
HSP here because that’s how it’s commonly
known.)
Barbara Atkinson is a spiritual and HSP
mentor and can be reached at blisspapers@
gmail.com
Women’s Press | September & October 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
Classifieds
Reiki Koki Ho Therapy
Deep Relaxation Stress and Pain Relief
Reiki Usui Certified
Level 1, 2, and 3 Classes
Julie McKenna RP/RMT 805-235-6283
Imginehealing@aol.com
CCY 900E. Grand Ave. Arroyo Grande
Japan
Continued from page 8
considerably less infrastructure to support.
A public option is simply much leaner than
what we have right now. More than 40% of
premiums go to cover an insurance com-
pany’s overhead plus profit. Medical care
costs are also higher than they need to be
to cover the health care provider’s cost of
dealing with private insurance companies.
Clearly, health care consumers would real-
ize substantial savings with a public option.
The government of Japan does not stand
between the doctor and the patient in any
way. In fact, there is no feeling of govern-
ment presence at all. Patients go to the doc-
tor, the doctor orders treatment, patients
pay their 30%, and go home all done with
it. The closest thing to government intru-
sion is the government’s requirement that
doctors and dentists participate in the gov-
ernment preventative health program by
conducting free physical and dental screen-
ings once a year in every elementary school,
kindergarten, and preschool. The govern-
ment also sends new parents reminder
notices for free well-baby clinics. That’s the
extent of government “interference.” The
government never contradicts the doctor’s
order or refuses to pay its portion for ser-
vices or prescriptions.
Although most health care facilities
are privately owned, there are some public
facilities. Doctors usually do not work for
the government. They may be sole propri-
etors of their own hospital which may be
quite small, sometimes with as few as four
beds. I saw no dedicated out-patient facil-
ities; every facility had the ability to take
admissions (except optometrists and den-
tists). Wait times for service are about the
same as in America.
While many of the large hospitals offer
comprehensive care, some hospitals are
specialized. For example, a patient with
heart disease may go to cardiac hospital.
My maternity doctor had one of those lit-
tle four-bed hospitals, several nurses, and
a cook. His patients gave birth in the same
familiar environment where they received
Opportunity to Volunteer!
Women’s Press is desperate for volunteers in
San Luis Obispo and North County! We
need a few people to committ to distrib-
uting papers in designated areas. This is a
job that requires you to pick up papers at
the WCC in San Luis Obispo and then dis-
tribute them in designated places in your
area. You will need to restock papers usually
twice a month (or more, depending on how
popular the location is). It’s such a reward-
ing job: you get to distribute WP to your
community, you get to meet local mer-
chants, and you are helping a great organi-
zation.
We are also looking for someone with
a van/truck/large automobile to pick up
Women’s Press at Cal Poly and deliver the
papers to the WCC. This is a volunteer job
that needs to be done only once every two
months! That’s only 6 times a year!!!
Please let Courtney Brogno know
if you are interested by emailing
womenspress.slo@gmail.com
Photo by Áron Balogh
prenatal care. Doctors may also work for
large hospitals. Patients may go to any doc-
tor or specialist they choose anywhere in
the country. A patient’s own residence is of
no consequence. There is no such thing as
a preferred provider network. Thus there
is far more consumer choice in Japan than
with America’s HMOs and PPOs.
Hospital are generally full service,
at least from the patient’s point of view.
Patients do not go to a separate facility for
labs or x-rays. If a doctor sent, for exam-
ple, a biopsy sample to a pathology lab,
the patient doesn’t receive a separate bill
from the lab. There is no subcontracting of
health services generating bills from all sorts
of random providers. In the example of the
pathology sample, the pathology lab bills
the doctor directly who bills the patient. In
the case of x-rays, there is no bill for tak-
ing the x-ray separate from a bill for read-
ing the x-ray. If a hospital wants a second
party to read an x-ray, the hospital pays for
it, not the patient. It is crazy that an Ameri-
can hospital signs a contract with an out-
side radiologist committing a third party,
the patient, to paying the contract. If a
patient goes to a Japanese emergency room,
the patient pays one bill, not multiple bills.
Ditto for surgeries.
One reason why the Japanese public
option works is the lack of profit motive.
Whether health insurance should ever be a
for-profit business is a matter of debate. The
profit motive creates an inherent conflict of
interest; the higher the premiums and the
less the company pays out, the greater the
profits. It is in the company’s interest to
collect premiums but deny benefits. Ameri-
can private insurance companies are fond of
the current system because the patient must
pay for decisions made by health care pro-
viders and insurance companies. In Japan,
people can self-pay, participate in the pub-
lic option or purchase private health insur-
ance, as they choose. This is something that
all Americans should consider.
September & October 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press Resources 15
ABUSE Project Lifesaver Planned Parenthood
Adults Molested as Children Support Group (AMAC) 548.0909 www.projectlifesaverofslo.org SLO 549.9446
Rape Survivors Support Group, SLO Safe and Sober Support Group Stroke Support Group
Support Group for Sexual Assault Survivors 473.6507 471.8102 (SLO)
545.8888 St. Barnabas (Depression/Divorce/Grief) Caregivers of Stroke Survivors
Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence 489.2990 www.stbarnabas.ag.org 544.2266 (SLO)
781.6406 Talk/Listen - Emotional support Women’s Support/Therapy v (general)
North County Women’s Shelter & Resource Center, 489.5481 534.1101
(inc. domestic violence support groups) Transformations Counseling Center Women’s Healthcare Specialists
461.1338 Free monthly workshops 541.7908 544.4883
SARP (Sexual Assault Recovery & Prevention) FINANCE/BUSINESS POLITICAL
545.8888 or 800.656.HOPE (4673) Consumer Credit Counseling Services Code Pink
Women’s Shelter Program of SLO 800.540.2227 www.codepinkslo.org; ososousaville@charter.net
781.6401 www.womensshelterslo.org Commission on Status of Women
GAY & LESBIAN 545.8412; Dawn Williams
ADDICTIONS Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast
AA Meeting Democratic Women United
541.4252 541.4252
541.3211 PFLAG.Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) League of Women Voters
438.3889 543.2220
498.2176 SOL (Single Older Lesbians)
Al-Anon NOW (National Organization for Women)
Mostly socializing! Call 474.9405 www.kcbx.net/~slonow/ slonow@kcbx.net
534.9204
Cambria Connection (12 step support) HOSPICE READERS/WRITERS
927.1654 Hospice of SLO County, AIDS Bereavement Group Adult Literacy
Casa Solana 544.2266 and 434.1164 541-4219
Women’s Recovery Home 481.8555 Hospice Partners of the Central Coast Creative Writing Group
Chemical Dependency intensive 782.8608 748-2676; contact Gloria
outpatient program Nightwriters
541-9113 JOBS/CAREERS
Compulsive Eaters Anonymous, H.O.W. Concept
549.9656; contact Shirley Powell
AARP Sisters in Crime
546.1178 www.ceahow.org 788.2643 http://SinC-CCC.blogspot.com
Drug & Alcohol Services Cal Poly Foundation
781.4275 Jobline 756.7107 www.calpolyfoundation.org SENIORS
Narcotics Anonymous Cal Poly University Adult Day Care
549.7730 and 800.549.7730 http://calpolyjobs.org 756.1533 489.8894 (Arroyo Grande);
Overeaters Anonymous Cuesta College 434.2081 (Templeton); 927.4290 (Cambria)
541.3164 http://www.cuesta.edu Jobline 546.3127 Adult Protective Services
SCA, SLAA & SAA (Sex, Love & Romance Addictions) The Creekside Career Center 781.1790
461.6084 788.2600 or 237.3014 www.slocareers.org Computerooters:
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Department of Rehabilitation Computer help: 489.6230
929.1789 www.tops.org 549.3361 Department of Social Services:
Women for Sobriety Mission Community Services Corporation In-Home Support 781.1790
215.536.8026 www.womenforsobriety.org Women’s Business Partners Nursing help for the terminally ill 781.5540
595.1357 www.mcscorp.org Elder and Dependent Adult Advocacy and Outreach –
CHILDREN & FAMILIES Private Industry Council (PIC) Victim Witness Assistance Center
Birth and Baby Resource Center www.jobhunt.org 788.2601
546.3755 www.bbrn.org 781-5821
LEGAL Elder Law, Geraldine E. Champion, Attorney
Childcare Resource Connection
541.2272 or 800.727.2272 Core Mediation Services 473.4747
Foster Grandparents.Senior Companions
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) 544.6334 medeee8@aol.com 782.9200
“A child’s voice in Court in SLO County” District Attorney’s Office – Victim Witness Center Senior Ballroom Dance club
541.6542 781.5821 489.5481 dg17@juno.com
Children’s Services Network Family Law Facilitator Senior Peer Counseling
781.1847 788.3418 Free, trained in.home counseling for 60+
First 5: Children & Families Commission Lawyer Referral and Information Service
781.4058; ask for Susan Hughs 541.5502 547.7025 ext. 15
Homeschooling in SLO County (HSC) Pro Per Divorce Workshop SPIRITUAL
462.0726; ask for Barbara 544.9313 Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment
La Clinica De Tolosa 238.5334 Senior Legal Services 541.1963; www.spiritualcircle.org
La Leche League 543.5140 Awakening Interfaith Spiritual Community
489.9128 Meditation Monday evenings 7-8 pm
Migrant Childcare Program MEDICAL SUPPORT/SERVICES
ALS Support Group (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) Open to all. 772-0306 awakeninginterfaith.org
544.4355 and 466.3444 Hungry Hearts Spiritual Community
MOMS Club of South SLO county 227.4785 or 674.4162
RC liturgy with womanpriest 546.8672
473.2548; www.southslomomsclub.org Alzheimer’s Support Meditation Group
Partnership for Children 547.3830, 534.9234 (SLO/Los Osos) Mondays, 7:30–8:30 PM; 772.0306
541.8666; ask for Beth 888.488.6555 New Beginnings Church
Real F.A.C.T.S. (Forum on Abused Children) American Cancer Society Every Sunday, Coalesce Bookstore, MB
460.9016 San Luis Obispo 543.1481, 238.9657 Self-Realization Fellowship
Social Services Templeton 434.3051 Sunday Services 995-1599
781.1600 Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia Support Group
Support for Kids Coping with Domestic Violence 541.9113 WOMEN’S CENTERS/SHELTERS
473.6507 Arthritis Foundation Homeless Shelter
892.5556 781-3993
EMERGENCY/CRISIS Cancer/ Breast Cancer Support Groups Housing Authority
Hotline 543.1481 ext. 3 for information 543.4478
www.slohotline.org 800.549.8989 Caregivers of Aging Parents North County Women’s Resource Center, Shelter
Sexual & Rape Prevention (SARP) 543.7969 461.1338
545.8888 or 800.656.HOPE (4673) Celiac Disease Support Group Prado Day Center (for the homeless)
Temporary Restraining Order & Victim Witness 226.9893 786.0617 www.pradodaycenter.org
Program 781.5821 Endometriosis Association Women’s Community Center, SLO
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT www.endometriosisassn.org 544.9313
Enhancement, Inc. (for breast cancer survivors) Women’s Shelter Program of SLO
A.D.A.P.T. (Aid in Divorce Adjustment Problems Today) 771.8640 www.enhancementinc.com
543.0388 549.8989 (crises), 781.6401 (business)
EOC Health Services Clinics www.womensshelterslo.org
Alzheimer/Dementia Resource Center no or low cost reproductive health services
800.443.1236 544.2478 (SLO); 489.4026 (Arroyo Grande) OTHER WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS
Alzheimer’s Association Healthworks of the Central Coast Altrusa International, Inc.
547.3830 No or low cost reproductive health services 481.1039; Cici Wynn, President
CALL–Concerned Agoraphobics Learning to Live
543.3764 542.0900 American Association of University Women
Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA)
Hearst Cancer Resource Center 781-0922 Karen www.aauw.org
542.0577 (SLO) 481.5093 (Grover Beach) 542.6269 Camping Women
IC Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome 440.2723 www.campingwomen.org
927.1654 (Cambria) 466.8600 (North County) 3rd Thursday, SLO, 7 -9 pm 464-0564 Hadassah.SLO
Community Counseling Center Long-term Care Ombudsman Services of SLO County 543.9452
543.7969 785.0132
Dealing With Divorce Lymphedema Education & Support Group OTHER GROUPS & GATHERINGS
544.9313 2nd Monday, 4-5 pm, 782-9300 Central Coast Peace and Environmental Council
Depresson and Bipolar Support Alliance Group Parkinson’s Support Groups 544.3399 or 783.2383
927.3703 466.7226 (Atascadero/Templeton) Compassion & Choices (or Final Exit)
Divorce Discussion Group 800.247.7421 or 489-5481
489.2990, saintbarnabas@sbcglobal.net 481.7424 (Arroyo Grande)
Eating Disorders Support Group 541.8633 (SLO)
546-3774; free, meets weekly in SLO Please send additions, corrections or deletions to:
womenspress.slo@gmail.com or leave a message
at the WCC: 805.544.9313. Last update 9/9/09.
 ... looking for a spiritual change?
The Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment is an interfaith community
dedicated to celebrating diversity and honoring
the spirit that connects all things.

Spiritual Leader: Laura V. Grace

Sunday Services 10:00am

Please join us for meditation at 9:30am each Sunday before the service
Sunday School Provided: Educational and Fun
1500 Lizzie St., Room J-2, Adult School, San Luis Obispo

For more info: 805.541.1963

Website: www.spiritualcircle.org
E-Mail: spiritualcircle@spiritualcircle.org

Please join us for a celebration of expanding consciousness and love.

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