Healing our Nations Wounds
Elections are days away, and many are thinking and praying through the issues that are coming to the forefront of our nation’s thought about itself whether it is the economy, the environment, the role of government, healthcare, global security and the polarization of our United States.
As I have been trying to deal with these issues in my own thought and life, I have been challenging myself to seek a healing response versus a human reaction to the issues at hand. Divisiveness and anger do not produce a mental environment conducive to progress. At a time when our nation needs to come together the most and take the greatest accountability for our actions, we are reeling in destructive criticism and blaming others.
As with any identity crisis, America has the opportunity to grow in grace and strength if we chose to undertake this task. This doesn’t just take a new government policy, a less wasteful Congress, more ethical business practices and a less indebted populace. It takes all of these things if we want to truly find a way to prosperity again. Solving problems and moving forward doesn’t need to abandon the roots of our democracy saying it has failed. It needs to resolve the failing parts of our democracy that is causing it to fail. When companies or causes experience problems, they often start with their original mission and see where they have gone off course and how they need to change their mission to meet the present needs.
So let’s start by looking at the original mission of our democracy by our founding fathers as food for thought as we all think through the problems of today constructively. “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.” ––Benjamin Franklin. “I thank God that I have lived to see my country independent and free. She may long enjoy her independence and freedom if she will. It depends on her virtue.” ––Samuel Adams. “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” ––John Adams.
Since morality is a sticky subject today, let’s address one immoral behavior we can all agree on, secular and non-secular: dishonesty and stealing based on unethical behavior and then not taking responsibility for it. Are we not seeing this at every level of our society today? Can we not see its damaging effects on our economy and the potential lose of our freedom and democracy? Does this mean we abandon what has made this country great for over 200 years or does it mean that we have a change of thought about who we have become and change our ways? It starts with each of us and also not tolerating as a society these destructive elements when we see them. We the people today have the power to do this and change things. Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures remarks, “Honesty is spiritual power. Dishonesty is human weakness, which forfeits divine help. You uncover sin, not in order to injure, but in order to bless the corporeal man; and a right motive has its reward.”
Our mission today needs to help us bridge this gap and protect us from the elements destructive to democracy without losing it altogether. It demands change at every level of society for the better. Not exchanging one problem for another such as a corrupt government instead of corrupt businesses, but focusing our energies on removing the corruption of both. So often when we think of God, we think of Him as One who punishes His creation instead of recognizing Him as a loving saving God from our own undoing. We hurt ourselves; whereas, God is the source of wisdom, understanding and intelligence; care, compassion and unselfish love; support, integrity and creativity; goodness, order and purity. These qualities of thought and action would rebuild and fuel businesses, economies, governments and families, breathing life and healthy energy in decision making and problem solving. We would identify ourselves from the basis of our Creator and look to Him for more unlimited and lasting answers than we could possibly do for ourselves.
Let’s not change for change sake alone. Let’s be inspired to change only what needs changing under divine guidance and protection. Maybe this season of Thanksgiving will help us think through these issue with the gratitude and courage needed to move forward in a positive way.
Anne Cooling

CARLSBAD, Calif. (Oct. 14, 2008) – Only at LEGOLAND® California can you see the world’s largest LEGO® Christmas tree light up the night sky delighting visitors young and old at a special ceremony featuring a surprise celebrity guest along with a well-known man with a white beard honoring the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption on Monday, Dec. 1, 2008 at 5:30 p.m.

More than 245,000 forest green DUPLO® bricks click together to create the 30-foot tall holiday tree which is set to tower over the main entrance of the 128-acre family theme park in Carlsbad. Adorned with more than 240 LEGO ornaments and 100 LEGO holiday candles, the world’s biggest LEGO Christmas tree is the centerpiece of the tenth annual Holiday Block Party presented by Volvo Cars of North America at LEGOLAND California, Dec. 20 through Dec. 31, 2008. The popular “Holidays Around the World” LEGO mosaic returns, welcoming guests from around the world to the family theme park. That theme continues into the night with fireworks lighting up the sky above LEGOLAND California accompanied by a unique soundtrack featuring holiday songs from across the globe every night during the Holiday Block Party.

The entire theme park transforms into a holiday wonderland featuring vibrant holiday decorations, savory meals and jolly sounds of the season. Children may also pose with a special life-size LEGO display of Santa, his sleigh and two reindeer. The 7-foot tall display features 51,100 bricks and provides a unique photo opportunity during the holidays. Visitors are encouraged to come and watch the tree sparkle in the night, meet special guests, enjoy festive holiday music and get some holiday shopping done at The Big Shop. The theme park’s Big Shop is the one of the largest LEGO retail store in the nation boasting more than 8,000-square-feet of the hottest toys and merchandise.

The holiday season concludes with the one-and-only Kids’ New Year’s Eve party in southern California on Dec. 31 with festivities beginning at 3 p.m. For more information on the LEGOLAND theme park, event schedules, hours and prices log onto www.LEGOLAND.com or call (760) 918-LEGO.

Momen Month at Marion Meyer

(Laguna Beach, CA, October 12, 2008) – A series of major paintings and sculptures by international artist Karl Momen is featured this month in the current show at Laguna Beach’s Marion Meyer Contemporary Art through November 10.
This Momen exhibition of new and selected works features three epic homage paintings, including “Faust,” the artist’s newly completed work honoring German writer, poet and dramatist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Momen began work on this large 60” x 60” oil painting in 1995 and completed it just this summer. The Marion Meyer showing represents the artwork’s worldwide debut.
Also featured is a tribute to Goethe’s “Iphigenia in Tauris” (1998 – 2002), a 60” x 60” oil painting .Shown as well is as a very spare and elegant painting, “Dem lieben Gott,“ an homage to Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. Several other major Momen paintings and sculptures are on view.
In addition to the Marion Meyer show, Momen is featured this month in Laguna Beach with a simultaneous one-man show at Endangered Planet Gallery. This exhibition unveils Momen’s new six-painting “Dream Island” suite, along with additional Momen paintings and sculptures, and also runs through November 10.
Karl Momen is an international artist whose works are in public and private collections in Europe, Japan and the U.S. Here in America, he is best known as the creator of the epic 87’-tall “Metaphor: The Tree of Utah” sculpture that is located adjacent to Interstate 80 in Utah’s stark Bonneville Salt Flats. Momen’s monumental sculpture, completed in 1986, is seen by millions of travelers each year.
Born in Iran in 1934, Momen moved to Germany in the late 1950s and studied art and architecture there. In Germany he worked for both Max Ernst, one of the masters of Surrealism, and Le Corbusier, one of Europe’s foremost architects. Momen moved to Sweden in 1961 and, after establishing himself as a successful architect, began to work full-time as an artist and sculptor in 1978. Since then his work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries worldwide, including The American Swedish Museum (Chicago, IL, 2004), Hillstrom Museum of Art (St. Peter, MN, 2004), The Tech Museum of Innovation (San Jose, CA, 2005), the Nordic Heritage Museum (Seattle, WA, 2006) and the Krasl Art Center (St. Joseph, MI, 2006). His ten-painting suite on the operas of Richard Wagner was purchased in 2006 by Seattle’s Nordic Heritage Museum for its permanent collection. Upcoming Museum Exhibitions include shows in Museums in the United States, Europe and the Far East 2009 to 2014.
He currently lives in Stockholm, Sweden, and frequently works in the U.S. at his studio in Sausalito, CA.
Marion Meyer Contemporary Art is located at 354 N. Coast Highway. Call (949) 497-5442 or visit marionmeyergallery.com.
Endangered Planet Gallery is located 384 Forest Ave., #13, in the Lumberyard Mall. Telephone (949) 497-5690 for information, or go to endangeredplanet.org.

IS YOUR TEEN AT RISK?”

What every parent needs to know…

Attention Parents of Middle and High School Teens:

This FREE Safety Presentation is a must see! Want to learn more about:

*Teens and Technology Today:

Texting, Internet concerns, Social Networking (MySpace, Facebook & others), on line gaming, predators…learn how to keep your teen safe!

*Current Drug Trends in the Community & Substance Abuse

*Bullying and School Violence

*Teen Driving: Including Laws, Parental Liabilities, Street Racing and Distracted Driving.

Learn from experts working in our communities. Presenters include:

Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s School Resource Officer, Drug Recognition Expert, SMART Team Sergeant , Internet Safety/High Tech Crimes Unit & Traffic and Safety Bureau.

Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief

Dr. David Sabet of JourneySafe (please see journeysafe.org)

And hear from parents in our community who lost their child to an accidental overdose. Please don’t miss this important presentation!

SEVERAL RESOURCE PROVIDERS WILL HAVE BOOTHS AND INTERACTIVE EXHIBITS FOR YOU TO VISIT BEFORE AND AFTER THE PRESENTATION. TALK WITH THE EXPERTS AND GET INFO!!

WHEN: Tuesday, October 21st, 5:30 – 8pm

DINNER WILL BE AVAILABLE **Resource area opens at 5pm

WHERE: Laguna Hills Community Center (Alicia Pkwy/Paseo de Valencia)

TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT; REPLY TO: OUTREACH08@COX.NET

Council to honor Aliso Viejo National Little League team, 17-year volunteer umpire for outstanding feats

The City Council on Wednesday will honor the Aliso Viejo National Little League team for its impressive accomplishments during the 2008 All Star Tournament and a long-time volunteer umpire who was selected among hundreds to work in the San Bernardino-based tournament.

The Aliso Viejo Little League 11-12-year-old majors division’s road to the summer tournament was the first time that an Aliso Viejo team advanced that far and only the third time in 30 years that a team from District 55 had done so.

The tournament was the final step in qualifying for the Little League World Series. The team’s games were hard fought and well played with victories and defeats along the way. Although the team did not advance to the World Series, it made history in the league and represented the city of Aliso Viejo with talent, perseverance and style.

Resident Duane Cave, who has volunteered his time umpiring Little League games for nearly two decades, received an “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity when he was selected as one of only 14 umpires to work in the Little League Western Region Championship. The invitation was well deserved and impressive, as District 55, which serves Aliso Viejo and 11 other South County leagues, has more than 150 district volunteer umpires. Qualifying as a regional umpire requires countless hours of umpiring and a recommendation by the district administrator based on skill. During the San Bernardino-based tournament, Cave lived in barracks, worked two games per day and was the only umpire who had a cheering section every time he hit the field.

The City Council meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Council Chambers at 12 Journey. For more information, call 949-425-2505 or visit the city’s Web site, www.cityofalisoviejo.com.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., October 13, 2008 – Mission San Juan Capistrano is pleased to honor the service of our nation’s military veterans this Veteran’s Day, Tuesday, November 11, 2008. Veterans will be given free admission on this day when accompanied by an adult or senior who purchases an admission. Proof of veteran military status required.
See historic Serra Chapel, built shortly after the Mission’s founding in 1776, in which Fr. Junipero Serra himself celebrated Mass and provided the sacraments. Enjoy the rustic ruins of the Great Stone Church, an architectural marvel of its age that collapsed in an earthquake in 1812. Experience winding paths, majestic fountains and beautiful gardens.
To help visitors better understand and appreciate the historic Mission, included in the price of admission is an audio tour guide. An adult version includes many stories, legends and interpretations by Mission staff and volunteers; and, in a new version for students, children can join 4th graders Tommy and Megan and bell ringer Acu as they travel through different periods in the Mission’s history.
A special feature on Tuesdays are the Mission’s curiosity carts, manned by staff and volunteers 10 a.m. – 12 noon. Also on display in the Soldiers Barracks Gallery is Belles of Capistrano: Four Women and Their Art, an art exhibition of mission and California landscape scenes by gifted California artists Barbara Andolsek, Pat Arakelian, Nancy Egan and Sharon E. Rawlins.
Mission staff and volunteers salute the service of our nation’s military veterans, and cordially invite them to enjoy the day at Orange County’s only mission, Mission San Juan Capistrano. For additional information on the Mission, visit www.missionsjc.com.

Mission San Juan Capistrano is open 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily. The Mission operations are funded by gate admissions – preservation work is funded by grants and fundraising efforts. To reach the Mission, take I-5 to the Ortega Highway exit to San Juan Capistrano. Admission: $9 adults, $8 seniors, $5 children ages 3-11, and under 3 free. Price includes self-guided, digital audio tour for adults and seniors. Information: (949) 234-1300. Mission address: 26801 Ortega Hwy., San Juan Capistrano. Website: www.missionsjc.com.

Laguna Beach $1.2 Million Home Raffle Enters Final Week with Over 90% of Tickets Sold

DANA POINT, CA, October 15, 2008 – The Ocean Institute’s exciting 2008 Laguna Beach Million Dollar Home Raffle has begun its final week with over 90% of tickets sold. The deadline to purchase tickets is Wednesday, October 22; the Final and Grand Prize Drawing will be held November 8, noon, at the Ocean Institute in Dana Point.
Dozens of prizes have already been awarded in two Early Bird drawings. Joy and John Farrell of Lake Forest took home the top cash prize of $20,000 in the Early Bird 1 drawing and Richard Peterson of Irvine won $15,000 in the Early Bird 2 drawing.
“The excitement is building. We’ll soon have the pleasure of drawing the lucky winner of our Grand Prize of either $1 million in cash, or a $1.2 million dollar home in Laguna Beach,” remarked Dan Stetson, President of the Ocean Institute. “We have a few more tickets left, so now is the time buy before next week’s deadline.”
The Laguna Beach home has a spectacular, panoramic view and is an easy walk to the beach. The Grand Prize winner can also opt to take $1 million in cash.
Stetson noted that despite the tough economy, more tickets have been sold in 2008 than last year. He added, “It just goes to show that hope is alive and well here in Orange County.”
Tickets are $150 each. A maximum 20,000 tickets will be sold; in addition to the grand prize, there are over 100 cash and merchandise prizes plus a bonus drawing for multiple ticket purchasers. The 1st prize for multiple ticket purchasers is a 2009 Lexus RX400h or $20,000 in cash; the 2nd prize is the winner’s choice of one of a series of dream vacations that include airfare or $10,000.
A portion of each ticket sold benefits the educational programs of the Ocean Institute. Bentley Cavazzi, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, noted, “While there will be over 100 winners of cash and prizes in the home raffle, the real winners will ultimately be the thousands of school children who visit the Ocean Institute each year.”
To purchase a ticket or for more information on the raffle, please call (949) 542-3600 or visit www.ocean-institute.org. All proceeds benefit the non-profit Ocean Institute. The 2008 Million Dollar Home Raffle is registered with the California Attorney General’s Office.
For information about the Institute, please visit www.ocean-institute.org.

Founded in 1977, the Ocean Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to ocean preservation through education, setting the standard for educational excellence and serving as a leading resource for universities, museums, teachers and all others seeking to increase their knowledge of the ocean. The Ocean Institute is open to the general public on weekends, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Cost: $6.50 adults, $4.50 children (ages 4-12), Ocean Institute members free. Unique maritime and ocean-themed items are available in the Chambers Gallery everyday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Institute address: 24200 Dana Point Harbor Dr., Dana Point. Website: www.ocean-institute.org. Phone: (949) 496-2274.

2008 Business of the Year – The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce has selected the Ocean Institute as Dana Point’s “Business of the Year.” The award recognizes the positive contribution the Ocean Institute has made to the Dana Point community.
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Food bank, Turkey Trot host online pledge drive for needy

DANA POINT, Calif. – The Dana Point Chamber of Commerce is partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, its official charity of the 31st annual Dana Point Turkey Trot, hosting an online pledge drive to help feed the hungry in Orange County.

The Dana Point Turkey Trot is a renowned event with a simple mantra: “Run so others can eat.” Folks who sign up to participate in the Dana Point Turkey Trot 5K and 10K run/walk dubbed, “America’s Turkey Trot,” can join the online pledge drive and ask 10 people to donate $20 each or just make a donation.

Every donation counts and can make a difference to Second Harvest, which is working to eliminate hunger in the county. The food bank provides more than 1 million pounds of food each month for more than 220,000 people in need.

Each dollar donated provides about $12 worth of food to the hungry. Volunteers provide more than 55 percent of the labor so that 94.2 cents from every dollar donated can be passed on through products and services to the needy.
Members of the food bank will have a booth during the Dana Point Turkey Trot – one of the nation’s largest Thanksgiving Day races in the country – to help raise awareness of the hunger issue in Orange County and how people can get involved in the fight against hunger.
To join the Second Harvest Food Bank pledge drive or to make a donation, visit www.turkeytrot.com or www.feedoc.org. Credit card donations will also be accepted by Second Harvest on race day.
For information about the 31st annual Dana Point Turkey Trot, presented by Irvine-based Golden State Foods, call the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce at 949-496-1555 or visit www.turkeytrot.com. For more information about the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, call 949-653-2900.

The Raise Foundation is pleased to present our

Sixth Annual Raise Foundation™ Gala Dinner Dance – CASABLANCA

WHEN: Saturday, October 18, 2008

WHERE: Fairmont Newport Beach
Entertainment: Rik Howard Music
Ticket Prices: $175.00
2008 Gala Invitation
2008 Auction Solicitation Letter and Form
2008 Sponsorship and Advertisement Form

for more details or call our office at 949.955.1578

The Raise Foundation is Orange County’s official Child Abuse Prevention Council as officially designated by the Orange County Board of Supervisors (Resolution No. 74-492) in 1974. This is in keeping with the California Welfare and Institutions Code (Section 18982) which requires every county to have a child abuse prevention council.

We became incorporated as a private non-profit 501(c)3 agency in 1987 under the name The Child Abuse Council of Orange County. In 1999, we changed our name to Prevent Child Abuse – Orange County. We became The Raise Foundation. Better parents. Better kids. TM in 2003.

Our purpose has remained the same throughout: prevent child abuse, help others prevent child abuse and fulfill our mandate as Orange County’s Child Abuse Prevention Council.

We achieve this purpose by attacking the problem of child abuse through a multi-faceted strategy, recognizing that no single approach and no single agency can solve this problem alone. Our strategy includes providing direct services to at-risk families in order to give parents more tools to cope with the challenges of parenting and the stresses of life. We collaborate with other agencies and organizations in programs to prevent child abuse so that duplication of services can be minimized and the use of limited resources can be maximized. We convene the Prevent Child Abuse Network each month. This Network is comprised of organizations, businesses, agencies and individuals who are committed to eliminating child abuse in Orange County. We conduct public awareness campaigns and provide the public with educational forums, such as our annual Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention, and Treatment Conference.

Finally, we look for areas where services and resources are still needed to help combat child abuse and we work to do something about them. In keeping with our mandate as the Child Abuse Prevention Council for Orange County, we report all of this to the Board of Supervisors annually.

Orange County receives, on average, over 85 reports of child abuse every day. We have our work cut out for us.

As European immigrants came to America, they brought their varied Halloween customs with them. Because of the rigid Protestant belief systems that characterized early New England, celebration of Halloween in colonial times was extremely limited there.

It was much more common in Maryland and the southern colonies. As the beliefs and customs of different European ethnic groups, as well as the American Indians, meshed, a distinctly American version of Halloween began to emerge. The first celebrations included “play parties,” public events held to celebrate the harvest, where neighbors would share stories of the dead, tell each other’s fortunes, dance, and sing. Colonial Halloween festivities also featured the telling of ghost stories and mischief-making of all kinds. By the middle of the nineteenth century, annual autumn festivities were common, but Halloween was not yet celebrated everywhere in the country.

In the second half of the nineteenth century, America was flooded with new immigrants. These new immigrants, especially the millions of Irish fleeing Ireland’s potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize the celebration of Halloween nationally. Taking from Irish and English traditions, Americans began to dress up in costumes and go house to house asking for food or money, a practice that eventually became today’s “trick-or-treat” tradition. Young women believed that, on Halloween, they could divine the name or appearance of their future husband by doing tricks with yarn, apple parings, or mirrors.

In the late 1800s, there was a move in America to mold Halloween into a holiday more about community and neighborly get-togethers, than about ghosts, pranks, and witchcraft.

At the turn of the century, Halloween parties for both children and adults became the most common way to celebrate the day. Parties focused on games, foods of the season, and festive costumes. Parents were encouraged by newspapers and community leaders to take anything “frightening” or “grotesque” out of Halloween celebrations. Because of their efforts, Halloween lost most of its superstitious and religious overtones by the beginning of the twentieth century.

By the 1920s and 1930s, Halloween had become a secular, but community-centered holiday, with parades and town-wide parties as the featured entertainment. Despite the best efforts of many schools and communities, vandalism began to plague Halloween celebrations in many communities during this time. By the 1950s, town leaders had successfully limited vandalism and Halloween had evolved into a holiday directed mainly at the young. Due to the high numbers of young children during the fifties baby boom, parties moved from town civic centers into the classroom or home, where they could be more easily accommodated. Between 1920 and 1950, the centuries-old practice of trick-or-treating was also revived. Trick-or-treating was a relatively inexpensive way for an entire community to share the Halloween celebration. In theory, families could also prevent tricks being played on them by providing the neighborhood children with small treats. A new American tradition was born, and it has continued to grow. Today, Americans spend an estimated $6.9 billion annually on Halloween, making it the country’s second largest commercial holiday.
History.com

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