|
Happy Mongolian and Chinese New Years to everyone! And happy Losar (Tibetan New Year) in advance! Please let us know if we missed the temporal cycle observance of your culture.... And speaking of temporal cycles, here we are again with another Lunar transmission to keep you up on what's goin' down in Earthville.
DHARAMSHALA UPDATE
January was a great month in Dharamshala, which swayed but gently in the quake that devastated parts of Western India (hence the title of this month's missive). So, yes, we're all fine, but many in other parts of India are suffering terribly. For those of you wondering how you can help, we just learned that you can visit www.icicicommunities.org and make donations via credit card or cheques in the name of Give Foundation (Janpath Citizens' Initiative), Money2India or Infinity Internet Banking. (Thanks to Nancy Meyer for the info!)
As you may recall from the last Lunar love letter, Dara has been hard at work training, streamlining, tidying and otherwise improving things at DEVI/Khana Nirvana. Well, with a lotta help from our friends, she has delivered.
DEVI (the Dharamshala Earthville Institute) hosted a warming winter season of learning and discussion that included an educational film and video series that shed light for staff and guests alike on the subjects of secular meditation, interfaith studies, multiculturalism, environmental awareness, studies in race and class, and portraits of non-violence with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Reverend Cecil Murray and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - on his birthday (Thanks to Stevie Wonder!).
Our super nice volunteer Justine, an art student from New York, led English studies for our Tibetan staff. (Thank you, Justine!) Studies in computer graphics began at the end of the month thanks to another most excellent volunteer, Carl, from England. (Thank you, Carl!) Two of our Tibetan employees have recently joined the staff of CONTACT (the Dharamshala community newsmagazine which DEVI publishes) and are already conducting their own interviews and contributing their own original articles. (Good work, you two!)
In the realm of the unprecedented, we are proud to report that two of our Tibetan staff now aspire to earn PhD's. There are few things more difficult for a Tibetan refugee than securing a college education - and few things more rewarding. With our support, they have begun the process of preparing for University and we are looking for ways to make sure they get there. Hopefully, more of our Tibetan friends will soon follow suit in various areas of scholarship. We will keep you updated on this most inspiring development. Tax-deductible contributions to our new Tibetan scholarship fund are most welcome. (Profound thanks to Drs. Kay and Byron McClenney for her recent generous support of our educational work in the Tibetan exile community!)
Finally, in response to last year's Rabies outbreaks in Dharamshala, which took the lives of countless dogs and several humans, DEVI launched the first successful mass-vaccination program for street dogs in Dharamshala. So far, we have vaccinated 37 street dogs for Rabies and seven other canine diseases and marked the dogs by suiting them with hand-embroidered collars that read "vaccinated 2001". The success of this effort is remarkable, and we could not have done it without the fundraising efforts of our angel friend Dianne Aigaki from Napa, CA, and the swift handed vaccine-wielding volunteer efforts of our new friend Charlee from the sunfields of Hawaii, California and, most recently, Africa. (Go CharleeGirl!) We'll be doing this project once a year now if we can raise the US$1000 needed each year to get it done. Again, all donations are welcome.
OHR OLAM ADVANCES
We're pleased to announce that the Ohr Olam Project's Passover 2001 program in Dharamshala is shaping up to be the best ever. Azriel Cohen has been working hard at organizing, team-building and fundraising in the far corners of the world, and things are coming together. We will again be blessed with the presence of Mimi Feigelson and this year, for the first time, the teaching staff will also include Ohad Ezrahi, an innovative teacher and writer from Israel, and Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Jew in the Lotus, Stalking Elijah and other popular books. For further information about the program, which will run most of April, email Ohr Olam.
EARTHVILLE ONLINE
Stay tuned for progress on the rebuild of Earthville Online. We are completely redesigning our website, adding cool new stuff and organizing the Earthville ISP. We should be ready for show and tell in the light of the next moon.
For now, stay warm (or cool, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere or frequently wear sunglasses) and remember to take regular breaks and focus frequently on distant objects.
With all-natural love and other quality ingredients*,
Dara and mark, your neighbors in Earthville
* This month's closing inspired by the letters of musician/artist Jim Santi Owen
|
