May/June 2001 NW Newsmakers
Community News

Great Idea Dept.
Are you one of a growing number of urban dwellers who want to simplify their life and help the environment? You may work from home or be close enough to work to walk, bicycle or take public transport, and would like to save the $5,762 a year that the average new-ish family car costs you (AAA figures). But, there are just some times when it is so convenient to have one…

Well, CarSharing Portland may be the answer. For a modest membership fee of $10 a month (or $100 per year), you can have access to their fleet of vehicles under three years old, including Dodge Neons, a few Saturns, one Honda Insight (the hybrid electric sportscar that gets over 70 mpg) and a Toyota pickup. The hourly rentals are low and geared to short term use. If you need a car for a whole day or weekend away, they have negotiated special deals with some car rental agencies. Some of their members use this service to avoid getting a second car, and others live elsewhere but are visiting Portland for a while.

Similar car-sharing services are popping up from coast to coast, testifying to the idea’s growing popularity. If you want more information, contact CarSharing Portland, 620 SW Main Street, Portland 97205; tel.: 503-872-9882; email: carsharing@ carsharing-pdx.com; web: www.carsharing-pdx.com.

One Day of Peace - a Holiday for the World
A coalition of business people, organizations, teachers, lightworkers of every stripe and vibration has gathered together in the past few months with the aim of promoting January 1st as a Holiday of Peace and Sharing. They are affiliated to a national organization that got the US Congress last year to proclaim January 1st, 2001 as “One Day of Peace & Sharing.” This effort to create a world-wide holiday of Peace was pushed forward by thousands of schoolchildren and adults and was adopted at the Millennium by 100 countries. It is the coalition’s mission to get this day adopted as an ongoing holiday in Oregon, and they are working with national and international groups to get it officially recognized throughout the US and the World.

The celebration being developed in Portland is one of the first, and it will provide a model for other communities. The programs will focus on creating an experience where people can come together to recognize their unity while enjoying their diversity. They will include the sharing of food, art, music and dance among groups of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds.

There will be an educational program in the schools leading up to the holiday, that will culminate in a published book and exhibits around the state that showcase the youngsters’ art and written views on peace and sharing.

To join this initiative or for more information call 503-422-7254
Website: www.onedayofpeace.net (under construction)

Belly Dancers to Perform Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"
The avant-garde troupe Sharita Productions weds an ancient Middle Eastern dance form to some of the greatest American jazz masterpieces of the 20th century. Graced by historical scenery provided by the Scottish Rite Center, the stylish interpretations are directed and conceived by dancer/choreographer Sharita (a.k.a Elinor Friedberg)and performed to live music by pianist Elizabeth Harcombe of the Oregon Bach Festival, vocalist Jim Jeppesen of the Portland Opera, and jazz singer Kim White. The program includes the Chopin "Harp Etude", Rossini's "Figaro" aria from the Barber of Seville, Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot!" and wraps up with a surprise vaudevillian touch to a second version of "Rhapsody in Blue".

While belly dance is generally performed to Middle Eastern music, Sharita finds that the emotional depth of classical music sparks richness in the movement. Her choreography employs a variety of styles to represent the revolutionary fusion of jazz and classical. “Gershwin celebrated these differences in his music," says Sharita. "To perform 'Rhapsody in Blue' as a belly dance is to complement Gershwin's own taste for adventure."

The performance will be at the Scottish Rite Center in Portland, 709 SW Morrison, Thursday May 24th and Friday May 25th at 8PM. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door for adults; $9 for students, seniors and children under 12, available at the Hawthorne location of Powell's Books, 3747 SE Hawthorne or through Fastixx (503-224-8499, surcharge $2). For information on Sharita Productions contact Elinor Friedberg, 503-236-9946.

Portland Healing Portal Opens - June 9-10th
A special energy portal, unique to the Portland area, is opening the Weekend of June 9-10, 2001. This promises to be a period during which there is tremendous opportunity to bring forth the forces of unification and to communicate the higher knowledge and wisdom from the ancients and the masters. The seeds of this major destiny pattern began to grow some 20 years ago and will entirely change the concept of healing and nurturing on the planet. This weekend marks the time when the seeds will fully sprout and manifest out into the world, bringing widespread transformation and breakthroughs for all who wish to align themselves with this opening. Whoever takes his/her place as an agent of change during this time will experience tremendous growth, bringing success particularly in careers that bring forth the new order over the next 12 years.

As part of ushering this wonderful influx of energies into the Portland area, a SKHM Healing Workshop will be held on June 9-10 at The Village at Crystal Heart in Beaverton, Oregon. The workshop will be co-led by Patrick Zeigler, who introduced SKHM in 1984, and Diane Ruth Shewmaker, a Portland-based spiritual teacher, healer and author of All Love: A Guidebook for Healing with Sekhem-Seichim-Reiki and SKHM.

Contact: Sally Bishop at 503-658-6567 or
email: mgicwizrd1@aol.com
website: www.celestialwellspring.com.