{ Volume XXIV, Number 1 } January & February 2009 A Publication of the Women’s Community Center of San Luis Obispo

po County

Andrea Raft: “Natural Selection”

3 My Resolution 7 Voices Around 9 My Croning 12

The Table Ceremony

4 Happiness Is All 8 Mark Your Calendars: 10 Local Perspectives:

Around You LUNAFEST® Roe v. Wade
 2 Women’sPress
Courtney’s Quill
Dear Readers,
Whew! 2009 already? Where did 2008 go?
As I sit, enveloped in a warm blanket, watch-
ing my eight month old crawl backwards
toward his sister, I can only be in awe of how
quickly time continues to fly by. Just a few
months ago, my son was barely able to sit by
himself, and it seems like it was also just a few
months ago that my now nine year old daugh-
ter was crawling herself. I desperately want
time to slow down, to go by slowly enough
for me to capture every moment, record it in
my mind, and actually enjoy it. And yet, time
will not slow down--time does not seem to
care about my busy schedule.
I’ve come to realize that time can be slow,
if I would only slow down myself and appre-
ciate the moment, but it’s hard to appreciate
every moment when I am constantly occu-
pied with working, parenting, cooking, plan-
ning, cheering, loving, and if I have a spare
moment, exercising. I know that this sce-
nario is the same for many women. Almost
every woman I know is desperate for a free
moment and some time to just sit still and
be. And though every year I have made the
same New Year’s resolution to slow down, this
is the first year that I have actually taken steps
to make this resolution happen. I have made
the decision to work less, to be with my chil-
dren, to be still in life, and to be present in
the moment as much as possible. Of course,
these decisions have come at a price: I will
have much less money, which means my chil-
dren and I will not have the same luxuries as
we’ve had before, yet this is also quite freeing,
for time pays back multifold when I can sit
on the floor with my children and watch the
rain fall from the sky and puddle in the grass.
Ahhh… the beauty of that simple moment.
This issue also examines the 36th anniver-
sary of Roe vs. Wade, occurring in February.
How thankful am I that Obama won and
America doesn’t have to listen to a President
who wants to take away a women’s right to
choose! So, we look at Roe vs. Wade from local
perspectives: from Proposition 4 to how to
educate teens about sex. Overall, I am proud
of those who have written to share their
thoughts and experiences about this topic.
Finally, I wish you all a wonderful new
year, and I thank you for your continued sup-
port. This is was my first issue as editor, and
if Kathleen hadn’t been around to answer my
constant questions, I don’t know what this
issue may have looked like. Being able to rely
on help from the women involved in Women’s
Press has shown me how beautiful a commu-
nity of women can be. It has shown me how
beautiful we all are.
Courtney
MAILING ADDRESS:
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The opinions expressed in the Women’s Press are those of the
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Drum Circle Magic Part Five:
Drum Speak
By Francesca Bolognini 
Welcome back to the circle. Previously we
have covered the universal nature of rhythm,
your personal connection, paths of learning
and experience, and the heartbeat. Now we
shall explore an essential aspect of commu-
nication. Vibration, as the medium of all
things, is an important means of communi-
cating. Vocalization pushes air through the
vocal chords in a rhythmic way. Percussion
is always involved, even if you are tapping
a keyboard. An ancient invention which
combines drumming with speech patterns
is the African talking drum. Basically, it
is an hourglass shaped tube, with heads at
each end connected by lacing and struck
with a cane shaped beater. A wide variety of
tones, often resembling a wah wah peddle,
are produced by holding the drum against
About the Cover Artist
Andrea Raft
The inextricable blend of Nature’s spirit and
artist’s prayer is conveyed in Andrea Raft’s
mix media pieces through oils and acryl-
ics, often interspersed with found objects,
rocks, metals, and photographs. Most strik-
ing about Raft’s canvasses, however, are the
references to Eastern cultures that infuse her
work. Taken together, the Asian symbols
and textiles that denote so many of Raft’s
pieces tell a rich story about history, about
philosophy, and about art: an intricate nar-
rative interwoven with Nature’s own. Natu-
ral Selection encompasses some of Andrea’s
son’s photographs, as part of the collage
materials mixed into the painting.
Please see Andrea’s website for more
information: www.andrearaftstudio.com.
5000 free copies distributed in SLO County. Subscriptions available.
Contributors
Beverly Engel
Jeanie Greensfelder
Ali Hatcher
Hilda Heifetz
Charlene Huggins
Laura Grace
Angie King
Volunteers
Evelyn Adams
Barbara Atkinson
MaryAine Cherry
Kathleen Deragon
Bailey Drechsler
Anne Dunbar
Cynthia Fatzinger
Ani Garrick
Angela Henderson
Margaret Hennessy
Jane Hill
Susan Howe
Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
A more deeply primal aspect of the
drum, dating back to the time when our
entire planet shared Shamanic traditions,
is the assignment of specific drum sounds
with corresponding connections to the ele-
ments. I prefer to introduce this informa-
tion early in the education process because
a player should understand the power of
her drum to call these elements into mani-
festation.
Strike the center of the drum in a way
allowing the head to resonate to produce
the deepest tone.
This sound, made in a way similar to
dropping a stone into a pond, represents
the element of Water. Deep resonance, pen-
the body and squeezing the laces to adjust etrating the body in a thorough way, acti-
tension between the heads. This effect may vates the corresponding human aspect of
be artfully manipulated to resemble speech emotion.
or played with for fun. Practically, it serves By slapping the drum head in the center
serious functions, relaying information over openhandedly, the head is stilled, becoming
long distances and informing a drum ses- solid in a way that grounds us in the ele-
sion with emotional content. ment of Earth.
An ancient world wide tradition of A firm strike or series of strikes at or
instruction, called drum speak, relays pat- near the edge of the drum excites the senses,
terns to be played via spoken syllables. For raising the energetic element of Fire.
Middle Eastern rhythms, the sounds are Finally, a swish of the hand over the
Dhum, Ka, and Tek. For African patterns head or the jingle of the zills on a tambou-
they are Dun, Gun, Go, Do, Pa, and Ti. rine opens the senses and summons the ele-
Written notation came along much later. ment of Air.
I personally learn much more easily using   I hope this information helps you to be
drum speak. Remember, when practicing a aware of what you say when you play. Now
specific pattern, to begin slowly, increasing get out there and have a magical rhythmic
speed only when you can do so accurately. conversation, express yourself, and until
This technique will serve you well when next time, keep the beat!
playing with others with the same rhythmic
vocabulary.
Women’s Community Center Board
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Robin Rinzler
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January & February 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
About Being Human
By Hilda Heifetz
In that great recycling place where new
human beings are put together, perhaps
some Socrates stuff slipped into the genetic
mix that created the potential me? As far
back as I can remember (and even before)
the inclination to see life broadly takes hold
of me. So much so, apparently, that my ten-
dency must be to overdo it?
It was brought home to me when my
mother was painfully sharing a problem.
I thought it would surely comfort her to
know that “lots of people have the same
problem!” In her frustration with my gen-
erality, she snapped: “Must you always be
a philosopher? Can’t you just be a human
being?” Ow, Wow!
What a harsh awakening when her mes-
sage got through. It went something like
this: “How can you take my personal suf-
fering and turn it into some catch phrase?
Why don’t you FEEL with me, a unique
human being...I’m not people, I’m an indi-
vidual person!”
It was an effective thrust, never to be
forgotten. If I had been “abstracting” myself
from the human race, I’d better pay atten-
tion. If the quality of real existence was
being lost, what good is my so-called philos-
ophy? So through the years, in my relation-
ships, the lesson has been vital. My work
with the Anti- Defamation League involv-
ing the anatomy of prejudice required the
reconditioning from stereotypes (destruc-
tive generalization) to respecting the quali-
ties of the individual person.
And as I learn about the speedy advance
of technology, computers, and the “human-
izing” of the robot, I wonder about the
intended use. Technicians and scientists are
My Resolution
By Sonci Lancaster
The commencement of a new year holds
different meanings for many people. For
some it promises the chance to start afresh,
to set new goals, to reflect on prior accom-
plishments. For others, it is simply the
chance to recover from another hangover.
Yet, for nearly everyone, the celebration of a
new year presents the opportunity to make
resolutions. Oh yes, they’re back. With their
appealing persuasive promises and taunting
told-you-so smiles, resolutions make their
annual emergence onto hearts, minds, and
to-do lists everywhere.
My experience with these resolutions is
reminiscent of those bad-habit boyfriends
from days of yore—the ones who pulled
me in with their soulful eyes, brooding
ways, and seeming unending array of vastly
superior knowledge only for me to realize
a few weeks later the maintenance of such
a man is exhausting! While I must admit,
my experience with faulty resolutions is
much more abundant than my experience
with self-important men, the comparison
still retains some validity. How many of us
become caught up with the hope of some-
thing new, different and better, only to dis-
cover mere months later that we cannot, or
will not, keep pace any longer with these
new habits?
During the few weeks following a new
year, many will create goals and make
promises: lose weight, quit smoking, spend
more time with family, spend more time at
work (you never know), learn something
new, travel, exercise and so on. In and of
itself, this list is probably not a slippery
slope to some dangerous lifestyle; quite the
opposite actually, which is why most people
continue to make the same resolutions year
after year after year. Resolutions definitely
have their place—change can be very good
and taking time to reflect on your life is cru-
cial for development. However, it is far too
not expected to be concerned with moral
outcomes, and if they celebrate added
human capabilities to the robot, I have to
wonder what kind of people they are envi-
sioning. People like Einstein, The Dalai
Lama, Jonas Salk...Hitler?! The possibilities
are awesome.
All of which brings me back to my
mother’s protest and larger meaning con-
nected with it. Though all living things are
part of the whole cosmic process, we are also
individual organisms. The human, espe-
cially, senses a self, fulfilling its potential as
a single entity and unique...an identity sep-
arate from others even to the patterns and
contents of the DNA, the fingerprints, the
voice quality, etc. This self needs to be rec-
ognized and respected. It feels demeaned by
abstractions, generalizations, universals! My
mother needed me to feel with her, directly
one-on-one, heart to heart. It seems the pri-
mary way for life to grow and prosper!
Well, Mother, perhaps this is more of
my philosophizing, but I have learned to
be a human being. And I thank you for the
jolt.
easy to get swept away by the worldly wiles
of the resolution, captivating assurances of
all things “er”: those tempting, comparative
adjectives that push us into being faster,
stronger, better.
Perhaps this is just my being a product
of the kindly “I’m okay, you’re okay” gen-
eration, or from having a pre-school teacher
for a mother, or simply from the sheer dread
of being forced to hear the endless lists of
improvements droning on and on around
me (okay, and within me, too!). But there
is one resolution I wouldn’t mind hear-
ing more often—the resolution to just be.
Or put another way, the resolution to just
accept yourself as you are, even just for a
few weeks every January: not finding some-
thing desperately in need of such immedi-
ate improving that it had to wait for the
beginning of the New Year to change, but
just stepping into the New Year by embrac-
ing yourself. Yes, we can all agree that we
all need a little (or even a lot) of changing.
Yes, the planet is in disarray and could use
a hefty amount of attention. Yes, the edu-
cation system, workforce, government (oh
wait, perhaps there is hope for this one after
all!) are all in need of some serious changes.
But these are not issues that occur only
after the hands of the clock join together
to announce the dawning of a new year.
These issues are always with us, waiting for
us to take action. And let’s be honest, most
of our new year resolutions are not so lofty
as national change in the house of represen-
tatives. They tend, for better or worse, to
stay somewhat closer to home, to things we
might be able to change in our own lives.
I’m not advocating the dissolution of reso-
lutions, but I just think we could all use a
good dose of acceptance. Maybe if we begin
to accept ourselves a little more, we can
start spreading that love around.
Sonci Lacaster is a Cal Poly senior majoring
in English and minoring in Women’s Studies.
Unsung Heroine Leona Evans:
Reinventing a Life Purpose
By Berta Parrish
What happens when a woman who deeply
believes that we are born to do a certain
thing, to express a certain talent, masters
that thing and then feels lost and clue-
less? Whether the former identity is one of
homemaker, executive, clerk, or artist, we
all arrive at this crossroad sometime in our
lives. Which way do we go? Where are the
signposts? How do we ascertain the “right”
direction? Fortunately, there are role mod-
els, and one is Leona Evans, author, moti-
vational speaker, and minister of Unity of
SLO. When she felt that she had completed
her singing and acting career, she endured
that painful liminal space, and courageously
chose the startling different spiritual jour-
ney.
Reflecting on this confusing time,
Leona explains that she started performing
as a child, unknowingly seeking approval
to feel loved, and continued through her
adulthood, wanting to feel valuable. “I felt
I had to justify my existence; I had to do
something to deserve my place on Earth,”
she says. However, after achieving success
and still not feeling satisfied in her 30s, she
realized that “nothing out there could fix
my needs.” So, she started to look inward
instead, as people should while standing
dispassionately at the crossroads of life.
This inward shift reclaimed several
themes from her Jewish cultural heritage
as well as childhood experiences. At the age
of ten, she had formed an insightful theol-
ogy: if, in fact, there is a God, it would be
more of a Presence than a person, and that
Presence would be of Unconditional Love
and inclusion, not partisanship. Could she
devote her skills and talents to partner with
such a God to promote love of self and oth-
ers?
She found the answer when she attended
a Unity service on a bet. Intrigued, she soon
Happy Holidays From The ‘Cynics Corner’
By Jackie Turner
What is it about the Holiday Season that
makes me feel so incomplete and anony-
mous? I look at others and they seem so
happy and normal, going about their busi-
ness, shopping, and spending money, trav-
eling, and just celebrating. I look at me and
I look and feel off the wall, out of touch,
staid, and stodgy. True, Christmas is not
my natural holiday and in New York, on
Christmas day, I went to the movies. Here
in SLO, even without the snow, everyone
appears so festive and “into it”! I just bide
my time and wait for it to get over with!
True spirit on my part!
I am happy (relieved) that we have
Obama to look forward to in 2009. Even if
he turns out to not be the greatest, at least
he promises to be an adventure. Of course,
in the back of my mind there is always
Canada.
I am sitting here at my desk and the only
feelings I have are of suffocation and pov-
erty of spirit. That is what social holidays
do to me – nothing. I guess I am a curmud-
LocalPerspectives 3
became a member and choir director. This
was the turning point, and the first steps on
her arduous road toward ministry. Once the
goal became clear, Leona made a long-range
plan: first community college, then a BA,
and finally a Master of Arts in Religion.
Mishaps, accidents, and job uncertainties
challenged her commitment but did not
change it. After graduating, she became
chair of the Metaphysics Department at the
Unity School of Religious Studies in Kansas
City for eight years. Leaving academia, she
served as minister in Warrensburg, Missouri
and Gulf Breeze, Florida before arriving in
San Luis Obispo fifteen years ago.
This is where Leona has been able to
share all of her talents to help build a spiri-
tual, educational, and creative community
center that supports the personal growth
of each person while honoring the Presence
of God in all creation. Unity of SLO serves
the greater community by housing a Mon-
tessori School, by participating in People’s
Kitchen, and by offering Community and
Children’s Theatre as well as poetry and
other classes. On her Positive Living TV
cable television show, Leona offers insight
and encouragement while providing role
models for courage, dedication, and public
service.
Looking ahead to the challenges of 2009,
the premise of one of her books, Spirituality
& Abundance says it all: “True prosperity
is a state of consciousness that transcends
both riches and poverty. It is a deep sense of
spiritual well-being - a grateful confidence
in a benevolent universe filled with unlim-
ited supply, energizing life, creative fulfill-
ment, and endless love.” This deep knowing
is her reward for following a calling at that
life-changing crossroads.
For more information about Leona’s
books, seminars, recordings, and consulta-
tions, please visit www.wisdomgrows.com.
geon, a bah humbug, a cynic. I guess that is
why I have written a “Cynic’s Corner” for
over seven years now.
For all of you who are celebrating, don’t
mind me… rejoice, be grateful, be in love,
eat, drink, and be merry. Don’t mind that
lady in the corner.
Jackie Turner can be reached at jackie@
callmejackie.com
4 WomenatWork
Getting Unstuck: Tips for Overcoming “Decision Gridlock” (Part 2)
By Adele Sommers
In Part 1 of this series, we explored ideas
for breaking through the barrier of worry-
ing about always making the perfect move,
which can cause a bad case of “analysis
paralysis.”
If you’re feeling stuck in relation to your
business, personal matters, or both, it can
dampen your potential. This article dis-
cusses the second of two patterns of “deci-
sion gridlock,” and what to do about it.
Pattern #2: The Desired Move Seems Too
Intimidating (or Too Simple)
Are you setting the bar too high in the
short term? I firmly believe in identifying
a “grand vision” that aligns our life pas-
sions with an overarching business idea—
one that has the potential to engage us in
a very full and satisfying existence over
time. But when we set major goals that are
so challenging, there is only a small chance
of achieving them quickly, we can easily
lose enthusiasm unless we plan the process
incrementally.
Happiness Is All Around You
By Dianne Legro
Most of us are looking for ways to live with
passion and purpose.  It’s critical to do so,
and some people find it challenging. Here
are some things I’ve learned.
Live your life on purpose, as a creator,
with personal freedoms. Make choices that
nurture your simple joys, talents, relation-
ships with loved ones, contributions, and
your connection to the abundant source
and spirit.
Making choices based on staying close to
your passions, purpose, and calling expands
everything else in your world. You stay in
the zone of fun, synchronicity, attraction,
flow, prosperity- there is a oneness between
the universe and you.
I have also learned that if you make
choices based on false desires, you travel
further away from your center: less hap-
pens, you struggle and forget things. You
try harder, you do more things to make it
work, and yet there is a numb separateness
between you and life.
If you are in this predicament, and you
are taking stock and want 2009 to be a
transformational year full of gifts from your
soul, I suggest two unlikely places to find
where our freedoms and vitality sometimes
get recaptured.
Take a good look at what irritates
you. Yes, irritates! Why?  Not to get worked
up all over again but to take a compassion-
ate look inside the things that won’t leave
you alone.  When you examine your irri-
tations, what you find are the things you
really care about that have remained with
you unexamined, like grains of sand inside
an oyster.  Unexamined ‘grains’ become
even bigger pains, like a toothache in your
soul.   You won’t become all that you truly
are until you look in a new way at your
annoyances and irritations.
One of the most difficult things a family can go through is to watch their loved
one struggle with the use of alcohol or other drugs
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Take Christina’s situation. Her longtime
dream is to launch a business that caters to
professionals who groom, train, and exer-
cise pets. She foresees the potential for a
large-scale operation with international
franchises. Her grand vision is so rich and
comprehensive that she can visualize every
detail.
But because of the size and complexity
of her vision, Christina feels intimidated
about how to move forward. In this situa-
tion, I suggest a two-pronged approach:
1) First, develop a “grand vision build-
out plan” that has flexible phases or mod-
ules. View the plan from a top-down and
bottom-up perspective.
Top-down planning can provide the
structure for major activities that need to
occur. Keep in mind, however, that over
time, the circumstances, requirements,
technology, markets, and other factors can
change considerably. That’s why top-down
planning doesn’t cement every detail, but
instead acts as a framework.
Bottom-up planning can identify the
specific actions you can take today that
Have the courage to ask yourself what
your vanities are?  What makes you feel
attractive, smart, or important?  Is it being
on the A team, being consulted by someone
important, making a lot of money, looking
young? If so, what are the consequences?  Is
the game bringing you life? Or is it killing
you? Such questions increase our self aware-
ness, which ultimately is our best way to
make adjustments to our life.
Examine these places and seek freedom
from any entrapments. This takes courage
and reckoning. This takes self acceptance,
forgiveness, and mercy. And lo and behold,
when this happens, the universe floods back
to you with a swoop, delighted to see you
again, surrounding you with happiness.
Dianne Legro is a national speech coach to
individuals and corporate groups. She is a key-
note speaker and will help you to speak like a
pro and increase your business. Contact her at
Dianne@diannelegro.com.
Lic.#MFC35690
Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
will move you forward, regardless of what
shifts in the future. For example, do you
need to develop an Internet presence and
start building a subscriber list? If so, you
could start by creating informational con-
tent that will establish your credibility and
begin attracting an audience. Also con-
sider conducting surveys, field tests, and/or
pilot programs to validate your assumptions
about what the audience needs and wants.
What you learn will help clarify your grand
plan! your progress. Instead of fearing failure, see
2) Second, build momentum with each yourself as a researcher running a series of
small step. Set your expectations fairly low, inexpensive experiments. By gathering data,
and each time you achieve a short-term interviewing, observing, planning, and test-
goal, set a new one and continue to let ing ideas incrementally, you’ll create build-
momentum carry you forward. Taking one ing blocks that generate momentum.
step forward -- in any direction -- will pro-
duce satisfying accomplishments that lead Adele Sommers, Ph.D. is a business per-
to more small steps. By pacing yourself, formance consultant who helps entrepreneurs
gaining traction, and developing a rhythm, align their life passions with their business
you’ll have fun instead of turning your purpose. She also guides organizations through
dream into an oppressive chore! “tactical tune-ups” and “strategic makeovers”
In conclusion, taking small, low-risk in individual or group sessions. Contact her
steps can help you blast through “deci- today for a free initial consultation at Adele@
sion gridlock” and start feeling great about LearnShareProsper.com, or 805-462-2199.
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 5

Doing Good: Make Volunteering Your New Year’s Resolution

By Phyusin Myint, Crisis Services Coordinator

The Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention
(SARP) Center’s mission is to transform the lives
of sexual assault survivors, their families and the
community through hope, healing and empower-
ment. Their vision is to create a world that is free
of sexual violence. They contribute articles
regularly addressing issues around sexual assault.
In California, the first three centers were Santa Mon-
cia Rape Crisis Center, Bay Area Women Against Rape,
and WEAVE in Sacramento. The Rape Crisis Center in
San Luis Obispo began in 1976 when volunteers met in
parks and garages to talk about a communal response
to sexual violence.
These pioneers in the movement were average citi-
zens like you or me, who deciced to take initiative with
the goal of enchancing the communication and coor-
dination of sexual assault awareness and victim advo-
3) Special Events: Working at our sponsor events such
as Walk-a Mile in Her Shoes: a Men’s March to Stop
Rape, and An Evening with an Artist.
4) Education/Prevention: Assisting our education
team with education and prevention in the class-
room as well as women’s self-defense workshops.
5) Peer Counseling: Providing information and sup-
port to survivors and their significant others as a
specially trained sexual assault peer counselor.
Our volunteers are an invaluable and treasured

T
cacy efforts. Although we may not be directly affected resource. Each year the SARP Center benefits from the
he holiday season is traditionally a time for giv-
by a particular cause, as informed citizens we can all generosity of volunteers who donate time and services
ing and sharing with family and loved ones. This
participate in becoming an enviromentally and socially for the survivors of sexual assault. Without the help of
year, as you share those moments, I hope you
responsible community. our dedicated volunteers, we would not be able to do
will consider giving a gift that will make a difference for
The Sexual Assault Recovery & Prevention Center this work. Your participation and involvement can have
countless victims of sexual assault: the gift of support
of San Luis Obispo County provides a 48-hour State a tremendous impact on those who have been trauma-
and safety. As the Crisis Services Coordinator at the
Mandated Crisis Counselor Training for professionals tized by acts of sexual violence.
Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention Center of San
and volunteers interested in joining this movement. The
Luis Obispo County, I work daily with a phenomenal
training is offered three times a year and covers a wide The SARP Center has been serving SLO
group of volunteers who share their time and hearts so
array of topics such as crisis intervention, active listen-
willingly to support survivors of sexual assault. Often, County for over 31 years. We offer a 24-hour
ing skills, childhood sexual abuse, and advocating with
the task of combating an issue such as sexual violence
can seem very daunting, but with a long stanging his-
law enforcement and medical personnel. crisis hotline, counseling, advocacy/accompani-
Once you have completed the training, volunteers
tory, time has shown how much can be achieved. It is ment, education, and self defense. All services
serve the agency in a variety of ways including:
important to remember that the rape crisis movement
1) Advocacy/Accompaniment: Accompanying a are free, anonymous, confidential, and available
began with a small group of women who came together
survivor to law enforcement interviews, forensics to survivors or significant others, ages 12 and up.
to influence community action and legal reforms.
medical exams, and court proceedings, acting as
The first Rape Crisis Centers were established in the
an advocate and a support person.
For more information about volunteering at the
1970’s. Though they originated independently, these
centers came to foster a united action for social change.
2) Telephone hotline: Providing information and SARP Cente please contact 805-545-8888 or
support to callers twenty-four hours a day on our
online at www.sarpcenter.org.
crisis hotline.

Women Don’t Have to Choose between Health Care and Rent

By Raye Fleming, Director of Health Services

A
survey released in December 2008 by the
National Women’s Health Resource Center
(NWHRC) highlights yet another disturbing
aspect of the current financial crisis: many women have
made the difficult decision not to seek health care for
themselves or their families in order to save money.
Almost half of the women surveyed (45%) failed
to seek medical care because the cost was too high.
Women shared that they skipped doctor’s visits, recom-
mended medical procedures, and medications through-
out the last year to cut costs from their household
budgets.
Especially in these challenging times, it is important
for women to understand that, not only is going without
health care to save money likely to result in more costs
down the road, they don’t have to choose between
being healthy and paying the rent.
EOC Health Services (EOCHS) Clinics, serving SLO
County since 1972, provide a safety-net for the rising
number of low-income, uninsured, and underinsured
members of our community.  From the teen mom seek-
ing to avoid a second unplanned pregnancy, to the
homeless woman in need of a free pap smear, to the
menopausal woman who would otherwise be unable
to afford a mammogram and essential lab work, the
San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande EOCHS Clinics
assist individuals in maintaining their health by provid-
ing menopausal services, promoting early detection of
breast, cervical and testicular cancers, preventing unin-
tended pregnancy, and avoiding sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) and HIV, all at low to no-cost.
As the only health care provider for many of our
patients, EOCHS Clinics not only provide reproductive
health and contraceptive services, other health risks,
such as hypertension and diabetes, are often identi-
fied.  In those cases, education and immediate referral
for appropriate treatment is provided, preventing future
debilitating illness, avoiding unnecessary expenses, and
saving lives.
EOC Health Services offers quality, confidential,
and compassionate reproductive health care includ-
ing exams for men and women; birth control (includ-
ing Emergency Contraception); pregnancy testing
and counseling; screening and treatment for sexually
transmitted infections; HIV testing; screening for breast,
cervical, and testicular cancers; peri-menopausal, meno-
pausal, and post menopausal  education; hormone
replacement therapy as appropriate; lab work; referrals
for free mammograms; and evaluation and referral for
gynecological concerns.
The Clinics, located at 705 Grand Avenue in San
Luis Obispo and 1152 East Grand Avenue in Arroyo
Grande, provide services Monday through Friday for
adolescents, women and men up to age 64.  Services
are also provided at the Prado Day Center every other
Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:30 am.  Appointments can
be made by calling 489-4026 for Arroyo Grande or 544-
2478 for San Luis Obispo.  Walk-ins are also welcome.
All Clinics are staffed by caring bilingual/bicultural
reproductive healthcare professionals, and are handi-
capped accessible.

Join the Staff of the Women’s Press

YOU CAN HELP We’re putting together a team of interested women to get
the work of the paper done. Join a committee to manage
the monthly workshops, yearly women’s film festival, and
events yet to be planned! Or do one of these tasks on your

CREATE THE BEST NEWSPAPER own or with other volunteers.

• Decide on themes and seek out content

• Oversee a section of the paper
ON THE CENTRAL COAST! •
•
Edit and proofread
Maintain the database
• Solicit ads (get a commission!)
find out how here and here • Publicize workshops and film festival
• Keep website content updated
• Develop relationships with local women’s organizations
• Prepare paper for mailing

Earn extra $$$ •

•
Distribute paper in your area of the county
Market the Press
• Participate in fundraising activities
Join our advertising sales team and earn a commission
Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com
6 Body&Soul
Responsibility
By Barbara Atkinson
Let go. There is a difference between feel-
ing responsible for others and being a guid-
ing light.
Too often some of us take the idea of
“being of service” and turn it into “being
responsible for.” We have a responsibil-
ity for our small children, for caring for a
pet we acquire, and for the welfare of aging
parents that become disabled and the like.
Most everything else is about being respon-
sible for ourselves – living in integrity so
that our lives become a guiding light.
Each person is responsible for her
choices. We cannot save someone from
themselves or those choices. We can merely
show the way. Nor are you responsible
for what others think of you. Each of us,
though connected as one, is on an individ-
ual journey. No two awakenings are alike.
Though the markers and destination are the
same, we are individuated, and Spirit works
How to Say NO and Still be Liked
For women who struggle with wanting both.
By MaryAine Cherry
Have you ever wondered “will people still
like me if I say no?” How many times do
you say yes when you really mean no just to
keep the peace? Here’s a radical thought for
you: say YES to yourself.
Here are five tips on how you can do
this:
Learn, notice, and listen to your own
inner guidance.
Your body tells you when you are going
against yourself. Signs from your stomach
growling, pain in your head or neck, and
even a feeling of heaviness are a few ways
of your body telling you to listen to your
inner voice.
Recognize when you’ve heard it before
and use it.
You will become better at recognizing
the signs from your mind and body. Think
back to  times you knew beforehand that
something was not quite right and you went
ahead anyway, perhaps getting a speeding
ticket while trying to get one more errand
completed. Learn your lessons.
Identify comfort zones past, present
and future.
Think back to a time when everything
worked. How did you prepare and what
were you feeling?  These are comfort zones
that you can recreate for today and the
future. Practice staying in your comfort
zone.
Establish comfortable boundaries to
use all year long.
Notice when you give your power away.
Use this as a reminder by noting how you
feel at the time you give away your power
and especially the next day as you mull over
what you should have said and done. This
is a good opportunity to make a choice
about your future boundaries, which can be
tricky because sometimes we have to make
exceptions. Life happens, as do too many
events on your schedule. But this can be
through our particular nature.
When you are responsible for yourself,
for living in integrity, you aspire to live in
harmony with the universe – with flora and
fauna and others around you. You choose to
love and value yourself and to do unto oth-
ers as you would have done to you. Only if
our advice is sought out do we give it.
Even if we choose to work for the bet-
terment of others, i.e., offering medical
assistance or new farming techniques to a
deprived population or spiritual teachings,
we do so as a guide and helper, not because
we are responsible for others. Each person
is responsible for themselves and to the
Divine Spirit within and around them.
So check in with yourself and your rela-
tionships with family, friends, and others in
general. Are you letting a feeling of respon-
sibility creep in?  Free yourself from the tyr-
anny of misplaced responsibility and shine
your light.
balanced  out with days off  to rejuvenate.
Mark time on your calendar for you and
don’t change it unless you reschedule the
time. That is a valuable boundary allowing
you to stay balanced. As you honor that it
becomes easier to create in other aspects of
your life.
Mark your calendar with “Rejuvenate
dates” for yourself.
Take your 2009 calendar and go through
the months right now and mark off time
for yourself for the next 52 weeks. The time
doesn’t need to be set in stone, but it needs
to be there so you can recognize it each
week. This is saying yes to you. Give your-
self an ‘Atta girl!’
Classes start Wednesday Jan. 22st, for
four weeks on this topic at the RETurn
To JOY! Classroom from 5:30 to 7:30.
Online registration is active Jan. 5 at
www.lmusd.org community classes.
Call 805-773-4475.
MaryAine Cherry helps people believe in
themselves with self development coaching
since 1996. She is a Rapid Eye Technician-
Trainer, Health Educator, Massage Therapist
and the founder of RETurn To JOY! in Pismo
Beach. Contact her at 805-773-4475 or www.
return2joy.com
Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
Awakening Through Grace
By Laura Grace
“What is the best religion?” queried a
truth seeker. “Self -realization,” Yogananda
replied. “Self-realization is, in fact, the only
religion. For it is the true purpose of reli-
gion, no matter how people define their
beliefs.”
As we enter into the New Year, let us
take a moment to clarify our vision for
2009. In my own life, I’ve been thinking
about my vision, and what keeps surfacing
is awakening through grace: being fully con-
scious and present to my true Self. It’s the
same vision I’ve had for several years, and it
applies to my vision for the Circle of Spir-
itual Enlightenment as well. Awakening is
the greatest gift we can give ourselves and
entails the following three components:
Intention, Attention, and Retention—with-
out the tension!
For example, if our intention is to
awaken to the Truth of who we truly are, it
means waking up each day and affirming:
“Today, I awaken to the awareness that all
beings are One. Today, I shift out of reptil-
ian fear, fight or flight response, and move
into love so I can experience the true free-
dom that comes from my intention to
awaken.”   pening; countless people across the planet
The question then becomes, “And how
do we do that?”
And the answer is by putting our atten-
tion on this moment. Not on yesterday or
tomorrow, but on what is going on right
now, one breath at a time. It’s akin to some-
thing I once heard the Zen Master Thich
Nhat Hanh say: “Take a step mindfully, on
the snow and ice. Being present, breathing
in, I know that I’m alive. Breathing out, I’m
grateful for my life and for this moment.
Breathing in, I know that this is a wonder-
ful moment. Breathing out, I’m grateful, for
this moment.” On the home page of Thich
Nhat Hanh’s website it lovingly urges every-
one to “Wake Up!”
Finally, our vision for awakening includes
the power of retention. This involves retain-
ing the awareness that everything we need is
already in our life. It doesn’t need to come
to us because it’s already here. Everything
we desire—peace, love, contentment—is
within. We only need to be willing to see
it more clearly and retain the awareness of
its presence.
When enough of us come together to
awaken internally, we will experience gen-
uine and lasting freedom. It’s already hap-
are setting the intention to awaken because
they are tired of being sick and tired, and
they are tired of suffering. We are at a
point in time where the scales have tipped
because enough people are ready to awaken
and realize their true Self.
It helps to remember that our inten-
tion is lovingly supported by Spirit because
Spirit wants us to awaken. As you celebrate
the New Year, may you set and fulfill the
highest intention for yourself and may you
awaken through Grace.
January & February 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
Voices Around the Table:
Dorothy Segovia
My resolution is to be kinder to myself.
I intend to keep it by noticing how it
feels when I complain about another per-
son’s actions: whether outloud or to myself.
For instance, today I was frustrated with
traffic and a driver cut me off. Usually I just
‘shoot a mental barb’ but I really don’t like
how that feels.
Instead I started praying for patience. A
few lights over, I needed the car ahead of
me to scoot up so I could get into the left
lane. Yes, the car moved - and of course - it
was the same driver that cut me off a few
blocks earlier. I waved and yelled thanks.
So, being kinder to myself by paying
attention to my energy means being kinder
to everyone
else. This really
keeps the ‘all is
one’ statement
close to heart.
Synchronicity & Serendipity
By Heather Mendel
The ideas expressed in this article come
from my book Dancing In The Footsteps
of Eve: Retrieving The Healing Gift Of The
Sacred Feminine For The Human Family
Through Myth And Mysticism to be pub-
lished 2009.
As we approach the start of 2009, and
another New Year, we are very conscious
of time, a mysterious realm that we don’t
really understand. Chronos and Kairos are
two archetypal markers of this mystery:
Chronus — that logical, mighty, mascu-
line keeper of clocks and calendar, of past
and future, while Kairos, portal to the eter-
nal now, the present, can be likened to the
intuitive swirling, feminine space of “once-
upon-a-time.” Like dancers on the stage of
eternity, these two aspects of time are locked
in an eternal tango in which the ever-pres-
ent Chronus sets the rhythm and beat for an
unfolding reality. Kairos confounds us with
the color and flow of movement that tanta-
lize us with a sense of new possibilities and
ancient tales from the world of myth and
story that reveal and then conceal them-
selves once more.
As Kairos dips and swirls into awareness,
we grasp for the wisps of an alternate and
complementary reality that seems to with-
draw just as we reach out. Kairos introduces
chaotic sparks of possibilities that slip in
and out of the pattern of order established
by Chronus.  Kairos is a portal to an eternal,
“once upon a time” dimension that is home
to our souls; the realm’s “lingua franca” of
imagery that is the language of our souls.
Most of our days are filled with Chronus
‘form’— the fore-grounded, outer reality of
our existence that separates and differenti-
ates us as individual human beings, each
living our own ‘story’ with beginning, mid-
dle, and end. Sadly, for many, temporal
Chronus time is all that we know. It is where
we spend most of our waking moments,
remembering the past or anticipating the
future and in so doing, missing entirely the
present moment. Eckhardt Tolle, a contem-
porary mystic and spiritual teacher, reminds
us that if we are able to still our ever-rest-
less minds, we have possibility of opening
to the realm of Kairos, mostly relegated to
What is your New Year’s resolution and how do you resolve to keep it?
Jeanie Greensfelder
I intend to ask how I can connect with
myself during the day and in the moment.
Simply voicing the question is often enough
to remind me of inner priorities and the joy
of noticing daily activities.
Kathleen Deragon
My resolution is to start doing some
creative writing and to ensure I do it, I am
committed to journaling every morning to
prime the pump.
Sonia Paz
My new years resolution is to volunteer
at the SLO Women’s Shelter.
They need our support, not only finan-
cial, but with donations
of clothes, books,
children toys,
diapers, etc
the background of our awareness.
Synchronicity. Serendipity. These words
have a special magic and a musicality just
as words; sparking through the drabness of
our daily routines, they are portals to the
mystery and intrigue of Kairos where we
acknowledge and celebrate our similitude.
It is here that we recognize and remember
that although we are all totally unique indi-
viduals in the world of form in Chronus,
at the same time, we are also all intercon-
nected, identical sparks of The Eternal.
This all came to mind in a very real way
several months ago, when my little dog
was gravely ill with an undiagnosed prob-
lem. Deeply concerned about his life, I was
startled by the doorbell and the arrival of a
friend I had not seen for some time. Mira-
cle of miracles – not just a friend I respect
and love, but a medical intuitive par excel-
lence, who just ‘happened’ to arrived unex-
pectedly when I most needed her insight.
She immediately recognized the problem
with our beloved dog, and we were able to
formulate a plan. Her arrival on our door-
step at that exact moment was a clarion call
of Kairos, a synchronous and serendipitous
event graphically reminding me of how
interconnected we all are on a very deep
and mysterious level.
As we contemplate a New Year, a new
administration in Washington DC, and a
new beginning many more levels than just
in Chronus, my New Year’s resolution is to
open myself more fully to the mysterious
and celebratory realm of Kairos. My spiri-
tual practice is becoming more regular, and
I intend becoming more conscious and
appreciative of the inner landscape in which
we are all one.
Leslie St. John
My resolution is to gift time to my cre-
ative self—writing, dancing, and playing.
Jennifer Kaplan
My New Year’s resolutions are to find
more quality time with my husband; to
find a way to either bring in more money
for our family or to reduce the amount
we are spending; to get a babysitter once a
month so I can go out either with friends,
or my husband (which completely goes
against above mentioned resolution); and
to try to eat as locally and organically as we
can afford.
Christine Dewart
My New Year’s resolution, more like life
goal actually, is to be more decisive. I struggle
tremendously with this, as I feel many other
females do as well. I want to work on being
more sure of myself in the everyday things I
do--I feel it will help build my self-esteem.
I think it will also allow me to present
myself in a more confident manner when
interacting with others.
New Stories Painting New Possibilities
By Kathleen Deragon
We live our lives in the stories and cul-
tural myths of our society—and the time
has come for us to begin telling and living
new stories. As a single older woman liv-
ing alone, in these economic times, I’d like
to write a new story for my future so its
prospect is not so grim and I don’t have to
worry about becoming a bag lady.
Fortunately, there is a grassroots move-
ment starting in our county that just might
give us the opportunity to take part in cre-
ating new stories—and have fun doing it:
the Transition initiative, a moving towards
more localized energy-efficient and produc-
tive living arrangements. There will be a
two-day training session in January. Here’s
some information that may give you the
motivation to become involved.
First, what stories are no longer true?
• We’ll have more wealth in the future
than we have now
• Economic growth can continue indefi-
nitely
• We’re too much of an individualistic
society to have common goals
• Having “stuff” makes you happy
And why? Peak oil and climate change.
Rob Hopkins, the major figure in the Tran-
sition movement, says in The Transition
Handbook, “Most things around you rely on
cheap oil for their manufacture or transpor-
tation” (p. 19). And as for climate change,
he says there’s a “scientific near-consensus
that our oil-addicted lifestyles are to blame”
(p. 33). So as time goes on, products will
become more expensive or less available and
our climate will continue to decline. Unless
we start writing and living new stories.
The new stories will come as we take
action to become more resilient – able to
withstand a crisis in our immediate envi-
ronment and not just survive but to thrive.
A community needs resilience in its food,
energy, money supplies, and transportation
system.
If food becomes too expensive at Vons
because of the cost of transporting it for
hundreds or thousands of miles, do we have
Voices 7
Denise Gibbons
To lose weight and be comfortable with
my body—like it is every year. Eat right and
exercise... like every year... though this one
never seems to stick.
Melanie Reese Senn
One of my New Year’s resolu-
tions is to spend more time with my girl
friends. I love the men in my life (my
spouse, my one-year-old, my two-year-
old), but I miss—and need—the women!
Caroline Janney
To relax and do lots of yoga, by taking a
class two days a week.
In the next issue, the Voices
Around the Table question is
“How do you make your
home your sanctuary?”
Please send responses to
womenspress.slo@gmail.com
local food supplies we can afford? If our
local utility’s energy is too expensive, are
we set up to use local wind, sun, or water
supplies? Is all our money in national or
internationally owned banks vulnerable to
worldwide economic instability or is it in a
local bank? Do we have a local public trans-
portation system that will enable us to get
to work, the doctor, or recreational activi-
ties if we can’t afford a car? Do we have big
enough social circles that we can trade ser-
vices for ones we need but can’t afford?
The fun I mentioned at the beginning of
this article will come as we unleash our cre-
ativity and genius to make our community
a resilient one, writing those new stories. A
huge ship can’t quickly make a 180º turn,
and a community cannot overnight become
resilient. We need to start now.
When: January 17-18
Where: Dancing Deer Farm in Templeton.
Cost: $200 if paid before January 6,
$225 after that
Contact 805-239-0147 or
jim.cole@charter.net
Can’t come but are interested? Go to
http://transitioncalifornia.ning.com/ and
http://transitiontowns.org/ or Google “tran-
sition towns”
8 Women’sStories Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com

Mark Your Calendars! Women’s Way To Wealth

February 28th, 2009

The Women’s Community Center is pleased

For the third year, the Women’s Press and
Cal Poly Women’s Programs and Services
will be presenting LUNAFEST®, a national
traveling festival of films by, for, and about
women put together by Luna Bar. Coordi-
nating the festival with International Wom-
en’s Day (IWD), which is on March 8, our
event will be held on Saturday, March 7,
time and place to be determined. So mark
your calendars and go to slolunafest@
gmail.com to be put on our notification list
regarding time and place and to volunteer.
Go to www.lunafest.org to find out more
about the films and view a trailer.
IWD has been celebrated in some form
since the early 1900’s and is the global day
connecting all women around the world
to present a day long seminar on surviving
the current financial crisis, in collaboration
with the SLO Women’s Business Network
and the SLO County Commission on the
Status of Women. This seminar is designed
to educate and empower women of all ages
and circumstances to take charge of their
finances and gain economic freedom.
“This seminar responds to the urgent
need in the community for informa-
tion to assist individuals concerned about
their financial situation in these uncertain
times.”
Join us on Saturday, February 28th,
2009, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at SLO
Library Community Room. The seminar The day will close with a plenary session
will present an overview of the following speaker, with drawings for donated gifts
topics in a morning panel. In the afternoon, and prizes.
participants may choose from a series of The cost of the event is $10 in advance
simultaneous, repeated workshops on those and $15 at the door. Translation services will
topics most relevant to them. be available for Spanish-speakers and lunch
The schedule will include presentations is included. All are welcome.
on:
and inspiring them to achieve their full • Components of financial planning For more information, please call the
potential. IWD celebrates the collective • Budgeting/debt management Women’s Center at 544-9313. Send your
power of women past, present and future. • Real estate issues check, payable to WCC-WWW, and mail
Annually on March 8, thousands of events • Insurance to the Center at 880 Industrial Way, SLO
are held throughout the world to inspire • Financial aspects of beginning or end- 93401.
women and celebrate their achievements. ing personal relationships
While there are many large-scale initiatives,
a rich and diverse fabric of local activity
connects women from all around the world
ranging from political rallies, business con-
ferences, government activities, and net-
working events through to local women’s
craft markets, theatric performances, fash-
ion parades, and more. LUNAFEST is one
Submissions
of the ways we celebrate locally. Hope to see
you at the movies! Wanted!
Articles, essays, opinion pieces, letters, and
poetry all wanted and appreciated. The next
issue—March/April—will have an insert
celebrating Women’s History Month. We are
looking for articles celebrating women’s life
stories. Some ideas to think about: what made
you or someone you know such a strong
woman today? What important woman helped
shape and guide you today? What one aspect
of your life do you deem the most important
as a woman? Essays should stay within the 500
word count. Please submit to womenspress.
slo@gmail.com by February 8, 2008. The Wom-
en’s Press reserves the right to edit all submis-
sions for content, clarity, and length.

True wealth is about

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Website: www.spiritualcircle.org
E-Mail: spiritualcircle@spiritualcircle.org © 2008 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated. Member SIPC.

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

 January & February 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
The Power
By Courtney Brogno
“Atha. Come to Atha,” says Lisa Terranova-
Pittelli at the beginning of her Sunday morn-
ing yin yoga class. The Sanskrit word “atha”,
meaning “now”, is the first word of Patanja-
li’s 2,000-year-old yoga guidebook, the Yoga
Sutra, and Lisa begins with this word in order
for her students to stop the wandering of their
minds, to pay attention to what she is about
to say, and to, most importantly, begin to live
in the present, to focus on the now, to just be.
It’s just too bad that I can’t even seem to do
this for more than a minute! Almost as soon
as the word “atha” leaves my ears, my mind
begins to think about the long to-do list I
have sitting at home awaiting my return. And
within 10 seconds I have added three more
items to my list, and then my mind begins to
think about an argument I had with a friend
last year and how I really need to mend that
relationship, and oh my, I forgot to turn off
the iron at home, does my insurance cover
accidental fire? If everything burned down
what would I miss the most? Certainly not
my old bed, but most definitely …
“Atha:” I come back to the present for a
minute and focus on my breathing. This back
and forth between the chaos of my mind and
the calmness of the yoga room is the reason
I return as often as possible to Lisa’s classes.
Like most women who live complicated and
busy lives, I am not a centrally guided person.
I flutter, I create chaos, and I leave the iron
on. I need to be guided to find my peace, at
least for now. And yoga, for me, has been the
perfect practice to find peace and acceptance.
Although many people often think of yoga
as just a type of exercise that incorporates
breathing and stretching, Lisa believes that
yoga is much more. Having been introduced
to yoga in 1994 in San Francisco from a room-
mate who urged her to start a “really healthy
exercise,” Lisa soon realized that there was “a
lot more than met the eye” and that she had
a lot to work with psychologically, which Lisa
describes as both “compelling and fright-
ening.” The compelling won out, and Lisa
continued her training, working with many
teachers along her path to becoming a well-
rounded, spiritual yoga teacher and owner of
Smiling Dog Yoga in San Luis Obispo.
There are many wonderful teachers at
Smiling Dog Yoga and each teacher is individ-
ualized, something that Lisa believes “esteems
the variety” that each individual teacher and
student brings to the class. The public classes
are often filled with people of all ages—from
the little girls who take kid’s yoga, to the col-
lege student who comes in looking tired from
Deluxe Continental Breakfast
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!
of Now
Photo provided by Lisa Terranova-Pittelli
a long night of studying, to the very preg-
nant woman in the pregnancy yoga class, to
the amazingly flexible 80 year old woman
in the yin class—and everyone is welcome
and encouraged to learn and experience.
And while yoga is a gender neutral activity,
Lisa explains how fundamentally great it is
for women.
Yoga is a natural fit for women, and
as Lisa says, “particularly beneficial” for
women. Lisa believes that yoga is a more
organic—slow and even—strength building
for women: to the lower body, openness, the
upper body, integrity. It is also beneficial in
dealing with issues of women’s health: bal-
ancing out the menses and hormones day
to day; balancing out the body during preg-
nancy; minimizing the symptoms during
peri-menopause and menopause; aiding in
preventing bone density loss; and women
do seem to be more receptive to the spiritu-
ality yoga offers.
And it was this spirituality that took me
by surprise as a yoga student. A little over a
year ago, my life started to fall apart, and I
felt incredibly lost and fairly bruised. When
making my New Year’s resolution, I chose
something simple: to go back to yoga. At
the time, it just seemed to be the right thing
to write down in my journal. But last Janu-
ary I kept my resolution and, six months
pregnant, I entered Lisa’s yoga class with
the hopes of stretching out my ever growing
body. But during the class, listening to Lisa
ruminate about the nature of coming to
“atha,” I began to cry. It was as though—by
coming to the present, even if only for a
minute—I was able to hear myself breathe
for the first time in a long time, and I was
able to feel a healing energy coming from
the earth. Lisa’s words continued to pen-
etrate my psyche every time I came to her
class, and I left more whole, more sound,
and slowly I began to heal. Yoga did relax
my body (and I believe, led to the rather
easy delivery of my son), but it also led me
to a deep, spiritual place where I learned to
trust myself and my intuitions once again.
This was possible, of course, because of a
resolution I made in haste, a resolution that
led to so much more than just a check on
my list of things to do. And so I encourage
all to come to “atha”—be it fleeting or tran-
scendent, it is a resolution worth pursuing.
Smiling Dog Yoga is located at 1227
Archer Street, San Luis Obispo. Feel free
to call or visit their website: 805-546-9100
www.smilingdogyogaslo.com.
Near Downtown
Pool & Spa
Fitness Room
Guest Laundry
Suites
My Croning Ceremony
Sitting in a Circle of Wise Women
By Kathleen Deragon
Women friends are so remarkable. They are
so “there for you” for both the sad and cel-
ebratory moments of your life. Their love
and accumulated wisdom enrich those
times when you are so sad you feel you’ll
fall into a dark hole unless they are there to
keep you from tumbling in or so happy you
need to share it with other people or you’ll
explode.
I turned 60 in the fall and am so joy-
ful about this time of my life that I decided
to celebrate by inviting friends and my two
daughters to a croning ceremony, which
one of my friends agreed to facilitate. The
crone, although once a word that conjured
up an ugly and frightening old woman
with hooked nose and stooped shoulders,
is being embraced by women my age, who
know what she really represents: a woman
with inner beauty who acknowledges the
power and wisdom of her accumulated
experience and who is committed to caring,
listening, and connecting to others. She –
we – are willing to tell the truth about our
lives and have come to trust our intuition
and creative power. In a society that pro-
motes the removal of wrinkles and bashes
a woman with a belly, we accept our wrin-
kles and spreading bellies and butts, and
focus gracefully on the inevitable process
of aging. And we know the importance of
doing it together.
Nurturing Heart: Wish Moments
By Jeannie Greensfelder
Thoreau described heart wishes with the
story of a farm couple having tea on an
old apple-wood table. They heard a tiny
scratching noise and in time an insect
emerged from deep inside the table. An
egg, warmed by the teapot, had awakened.
Thoreau suggested that within each of us
is an “unhatched abundance.” Nurtured,
our eggs can burst forth, inviting us to the
winged life.
So in the New Year, I like to listen for
heart wishes, to hear what is calling for
my attention and how I can support inner
longings. I keep a notebook handy ready
to record passing ideas, large and small, to
act on them during the year. My catego-
ries include creative projects from writing
to cooking, playful art, and music to places
in nature that beckon. I also include what I
wish for family members and for my work.
This year, I’ll be taking a poetry writ-
ing class. Setting aside time feels like pro-
viding the right circumstances so poems
Women’sStories 9
Photos taken by Sarah Deragon
So sitting in a circle under a magnifi-
cent oak tree, my friends and I reflected
on friendship and this stage of our lives. As
each woman came up to me and offered me
her good wishes, often through a poem –
sometimes one she wrote herself – we all
shared in the wisdom of the words being
spoken. My ceremony was a celebration for
us all.
May some of the thoughts expressed
on that day inspire other post-menopausal
women to embrace the crone and all she
can represent:
May Gaia guard and guide you as you
enter your crone responsibility for her well-be-
ing and that of all the life she nurtures on her
generous body. Future generations look to you.
Past generations urge you onward. May you
always remember that you are not alone as we
all more toward Earth Community.
Hold with both hands each precious glit-
tering moment of your life.
I see this next chapter of your life as one
of vibrancy, courage, dynamic self-expression,
beauty, and some exotic “putting it all out
there” –ness! I acknowledge you as a powerful,
graceful, purposeful, beautiful woman, sister,
and friend.
Blessing on your journey as you grow,
enveloping all your experiences as “maiden”
and “mother” and become powerful yet gentle
in your new roles as a wise woman.
Congratulations on being an unfin-
ished woman!
can emerge. When words and feelings get
shaped into form, I feel enlivened. My play-
ful art includes time with clay, dancing, or
singing around the house, and taking pho-
tos.
Along with resolutions for the New
Year, you might note some of your wishes
and longings over several weeks. Keep a
notebook near your chair. See which com-
ments call for some action and invite you
to take flight.
10 LocalPerspectives: Roe v. Wade
Editor’s Note:
This issue explores Roe v. Wade. As many
know, the Supreme Court issued its land-
mark decision on January 22, 1973, with a
7 to 2 majority voting to strike down the
Texas abortion laws. This January 22nd will
mark the 36th anniversary of this law, and
with the presidential election just weeks
behind us, it’s worth remembering that
some politicians, for example, John McCain
and Sarah Palin, want to reverse the ruling.  then the floor gave way underneath her and
It’s also worth noting that California did
not pass Prop 4. Suffice to say, Roe V. Wade
is still incredibly important and controver-
sial, and this issue showcases some local
women’s perspectives.
Women’s Health:
What’s in Our Future?
36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade
Thursday, January 22, 2009
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the
San Luis Obispo Library Conference Room
Join the National Organization for
Women and Health Care for All in honor-
ing women’s right to health care
Guest speaker: Dr. Susan Robinson
Then walk through Farmers Market,
returning for Candlelight Circle
Information Tables and Refreshments
provided
For more information call Angie at
544-4331
Reproductive Rights Update
Prop 4 and Prop 8 were the two conten-
tious propositions last fall; one got all the
ink, and passed, and the other hardly got
any press, and failed. Both appear uncon-
stitutional on their face because they both
impose restrictions on our personal rights.
The Constitution defines what government
can do and the Bill of Rights defines what
it cannot do. Government has no power to
tell people what to do except in areas spe-
cifically authorized in the Constitution and
nothing in that power shall deny rights
held by the people in the Bill of Rights.
That means government has no right to
tell people whether or not they can engage
in homosexual acts; no right to invade our
personal privacy; no right to manage our
health-care system; no right to tell us what
a marriage is; no right to run our lives; no
right to do anything that wasn’t specifically
authorized in the Constitution.
Prop 4 would have required a parent’s
notification before providing abortion ser-
vices to a minor. The backers of Prop 4 used
a fake story about a fake issue to scare vot-
ers into further restricting access to repro-
Treating Children with Autism / Sensory Disorders
Lawrence Bardach, OTR / L
Pediatric Occupational Therapist
By Anna Quinn
The baby sat up across from me. Dressed
in her little pink jamies, smiling with baby
joy, she glowed. I waved from behind the
wall of a glass elevator. Excited, she started
to crawl toward me, but I waved her back.
Yet she wouldn’t stop coming. I waved and
waved her back. She stopped for a moment,
she fell down the elevator shaft.
I woke up from another December
dream. In the pitch black of the winter sol-
stice, I dream of the baby I aborted 28 years
ago.
She is a girl. I know this, as she is in
every dream. I have dreamed of opening a
refrigerator door to find her trapped there,
her face bruised and ashen. When I still
dated her father, I dreamed of her as a two
year old, sitting playfully on her father’s
chest. That was a dream of longing; the oth-
ers are dreams of regret.
My discovery that I was pregnant was
so classic it was almost a cliché. I was sim-
ply very tired, more tired than I’d ever been
in my life. So tired I could barely walk.
My roommate at the time suggested that I
might be pregnant. I scoffed at the idea. I
had been religious about putting my dia-
phragm in. Pregnancy was just impossible,
I said. Luckily, she urged me to check.
I had been dating the father for almost
two years. We were New York City sophis-
ticates; he lived in Greenwich Village, I in
Chelsea. On top of that we were coworkers
in a huge corporation, my father one of the
principal officers.
We both had roommates, but he had his
own room where we often happily shared a
bed. I loved him, but we both came from
religious families. His was Jewish and mine
ductive health care. It was the third time
voters had to fight back the religious right
to maintain our constitutional rights.
Maybe now they’ll quit trying. According
to an editorial in the Tribune before the
election, fewer than 3% of California’s teen-
age girls become pregnant every year, and
the vast majority of those tell their parents,
and indeed, depend on their parents for
emotional support. As we know, those who
don’t, or can’t, tell their parents have a good
reason not to and these girls need to know
they can still seek help without criminal
consequences. Prop 4 would have required
the minor to notify the doctor if she was
the victim of abuse or rape and the doctor
was then required to notify police.
But apparently, that’s not the end of it.
Bush just announced new federal regula-
tions requiring medical facilities to certify
that they do not impede the rights of those
with a “moral objection” to providing repro-
ductive health care services to their clients.
These regulations were passed without com-
ment, over the objections of the EEOC,
DHHS, the Congress or the states’ attorney
Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
Roe vs. Wade
Christian. It probably wouldn’t make much
difference now, but it made a lot of differ-
ence then.
His family was so upset that we were
dating that they found him a one-bed-
room apartment in his grandparent’s build-
ing in Queens. As a further incentive they
told him he had to take his dog, which he
couldn’t house in his Manhattan apartment.
They told him they were tired of watch-
ing it and they might send the dog to the
pound. Of course he moved there. Not only
did he not ask me to move in with him, but
he never even introduced me to his grand-
parents, although he saw them every day.
They were holocaust survivors who would
be very upset to know he was dating a non-
Jew, he said.
Soon I was looking for an apartment in
Queens too. It was more affordable, and I
could have my own place, I told myself. All
of that was true and it worked out very well
in the long run, but really I wanted to be
nearer to him, of course.
The night I told him I was pregnant, he
immediately said he would pay for an abor-
tion. He said this was the way a gentleman
would react. His quick reaction also con-
vinced me that I shouldn’t have the baby. I
didn’t have a qualm. He asked me if, accord-
ing to my beliefs, abortion was a sin. I said
I really didn’t think so, that at this point it
was a bunch of cells. And I meant it.
Shortly afterwards, a friend of mine who
was going to medical school in Canada vis-
ited me in New York for the holidays. She
advised me that if I was going to get an
abortion, I needed to do it immediately, not
wait. I had told her I had thought of wait-
ing a little bit, just to see what being preg-
nant was like. She was adamant that would
be a mistake, and I listened to her.
generals. Many states have their own regu-
lations (like California) mandating access.
These regulations supersede those rules and
overturn decades of civil rights laws about
discrimination based on religion. The new
rules take effect January 19th. Spokespeople
from the Obama administration say they
are preparing to overturn those regulations,
but that it could take several months.
On the plus side, however, a trial level
judge in San Francisco struck down a state
law that placed residency restrictions on
women before qualifying for public aid
for reproductive health care. These women
are covered under a special health program
for uninsured residents who are over the
Medi-Cal income limits. The judge said the
6-month waiting period unconstitutionally
restricted the federal right to travel freely
across state lines (also based on the Bill of
Rights).
Prop 8, on the other hand, got all the
publicity, but has dropped off the radar
as challenges to its constitutionality move
forward, on a number of fronts. There are
actions challenging the tax-status of the
Mormon Church, which heavily financed
the Proposition; there are lawsuits challeng-
ing the constitutionality of the wording the
Proposition and the procedure by which it
got on the ballot; there is pressure on the
Assembly to legislate a way to rescind it.
Even supportive organizations themselves
are distancing themselves from the extrem-
I had the abortion at a top New York
facility, on the Upper East Side called the
Women’s Reproductive Center. It was clean,
private, and safe. The doctor asked me to
tell him what I thought about when I was
told I was pregnant. He seemed puzzled by
my answer, “I was surprised to learn that I
was fertile.”
But that was true. I was a child, not a
woman. I never dreamed I could con-
ceive. It turned out that I didn’t thoroughly
understand how a diaphragm worked, that
it’s really only a cup to hold spermicide. I
used it every night, but didn’t understand I
had to apply more spermacide in the morn-
ing or it was useless.
I recuperated in my boyfriend’s Queens
apartment. After a long nap, I woke up and
sat on his couch in my pajamas. I looked
around me. Although it was Christmas,
there were no lights, no tree. I thought of a
line I’d read in the magazine in the waiting
room of the Women’s Reproductive Center,
which said that most relationships break up
within six months after an abortion. On
the surface, I still felt love and gratitude for
him, but deep down I knew that might eas-
ily be true of us. It was.
I am glad Roe vs. Wade made abortion
legal. I think there would be many more
suicides if women like me did not have an
out. I am glad that my pregnancy was taken
care of in a clean, well-lit place, performed
by excellent doctors. I’m glad to this day
that I never told my parents. My mother
died without knowing and a strange, stub-
born part of me is proud of that. But I’m
also sad that I had an abortion. I know
from my dreams, which started about two
months after, that it was a child, not a
choice. And she never had a name.
ists groups leading the charge, whose stated
agenda is the abolition of all rights afforded
gays and lesbians in the law, in other words,
removing sex and/or gender discrimina-
tion protections in every area of civil life.
Even those who oppose civil marriage for
gays apparently aren’t ready to support that.
I guess that’s progress. Barry Lynd of the
American United for Separation of Church
and State said the battle for same-sex mar-
riage will ultimately be won by convincing
churchgoers that marriage is a civil rights
issue and that same-sex marriage will not
destroy their church.
Before the election, Ellen Goodman
had a column comparing gay rights and
abortion rights. A conference she attended
noted that gays have come out of the closet
and women who have had abortions are
going back into the closet, meaning that
gays have become so visible in our own
lives, that they have almost become invis-
ible (as in different), and being gay has lost
its stigma.
Abortion rights, however, framed as a
matter of individual choice, and therefore,
private, is hardly discussed at all. One-third
of American women have had at least one
abortion by age 45. Over half these women
already have families. But we think of abor-
tion happening in private, to others, some-
one not us and therefore, invisible. And, she
says becoming more stigmatized.








!
www.Playpaththerapy.com
805-481-7529
January & February 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press
Education Offers Answers
By Hannah Hewes-Clark
As an official “Teen Wellness Provider”
at The Center (the local reproductive
health clinic for teens), I speak from my
heart when I say that sex education needs
to be a priority in schools and, perhaps
more importantly, in homes. Upon hearing
where I work, most people ask, “So do you
guys perform abortions for girls?” While
the generally negative connotation of this
question continues to bother me, I’m able
to reply that no, The Center does not offer
abortions. What we do offer are the tools to
prevent pregnancy, and subsequently, abor-
tions.
Four days a week, I have the opportu-
nity to spend about fifteen minutes each
with teens who go to The Center for birth
control, Plan B, STI testing, pap smears,
and education. My job is not only to gather
all the information I can about each patient
so that the clinician can do her job, but also
to answer any questions peers might have
and to provide comfort and trust for teens
who are confused about their bodies or
whose families refuse to provide the educa-
tion they need. For many of these kids, The
Center is the only place that offers clarity
and an open willingness to talk about one
of the biggest taboos in our culture: sex.
Teen sex is inevitable and unstoppable,
and, frankly, it’s insulting to hear people
saying that teens shouldn’t be having sex
and that they shouldn’t be educated about
it. One of the biggest things I’ve learned
from working at The Center is that all types
of people are sexually active, and no matter
one’s shape, age, or orientation, everybody
needs the same services to protect them-
selves and their partners. Teens have the
same desires and emotions as adults. They
have the same capacity to love, and they
should have the freedom to express their
love and to explore their sexuality while
LocalPerspectives Roe v. Wade 11
presents
receiving the same--if not more--services
as older, sexually active people. Yes, some
teens may make decisions that they will
A Monthly Series of Spiritual Workshops
later regret or that may not be healthy, but
they are simply discovering the passion that
lies in all human beings. And that’s not to
say that adults don’t make some of the same Save the World
harmful decisions as well.
Because no one can stop teens from
becoming sexually active, the best that any- Congregation Beth David, 10180 Los Osos Valley Road, San Luis Obispo
one can do is to educate teens: inform them
about their bodies, how they work, and Third Thursday of Each Month • 7-9 pm • $20
what the best ways are to protect themselves Contact womenspress.slo@gmail.com or (805) 541-6874 for more information.
from pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections. I think it’s incredibly ignorant
for anyone to suggest that we eliminate sex
education in schools because teens have the
right and the need to understand their bod-
ies and how they work. If their bodies are
telling them one thing, and adults start tell-
ing them that there is only one “okay” way
to live in the meantime (abstinence), they
will begin to feel ashamed at their natural
desires and they will not know how to han-
dle certain situations. In fact, they may find
themselves more hurt than if they had been
educated and protected.
At The Center, my job is to give peers
the options and education that they need.
When I’m able to reach out to someone my
age, who may even go to my own school,
knowing that he/she isn’t getting the same
support at home, I’m confident every urine
pregnancy test I run is worth it. I couldn’t
be more proud to be doing what I am privi-
leged enough to do, and I hope to continue
my work. I want to spread the message that
January Workshop February Workshop
all teens should be able to talk with edu-
cated peers or adults about sex. Dancing with Your Shadow Soul Collage
The answer to preventing teen preg- Thursday, January 15 Thursday, February 19
nancy? Education.
Let 2009 be the year to feel less confused Soul collage is a beautiful and creative pro-
Hannah Hewes-Clark is a senior at San and conflicted and more fulfilled and ener- cess of allowing your soul to communicate
Luis Obispo High School. Next fall, Hannah getic. By relating to your shadow, the dis- with you through the use of art and imagery.
will be attending the acclaimed women’s lib- owned, undeveloped, and denied aspects It allows you to express what is held deeply
eral arts college, Barnard. of your personality, you can improve all inside and to honor all aspects of self, giving
your relationships and make more satisfy- them a voice and a chance to be heard. In the
ing choices. Trip the light (and the dark) process it allows you to tap into the deep wis-
fantastic to understand your hot buttons, dom that is held within.
blind spots, and projections. Learn how • You are a spiritual being.
other people mirror our shadow elements, • You are divinely guided.
thereby, becoming important teachers. • You are deeply connected.
Through journaling, dialogue, awareness, Come and listen to what your soul has
and reflection, we discover the sacred pur- to say. Listen to your inner voice. Reconnect
pose of the shadow, not as an enemy to be with lost aspects of yourself and listen to the
vanquished or an enigma to be solved, but longings of your soul.
as a fascinating partner in the rhythmic, Images will be provided. Please bring scis-
improvisational dance of life. sors and a large glue stick and dress comfort-
ably as we may be working on the floor.
Berta Parrish, Ed.D, is a college edu-
cator, writer, and workshop leader with a Terrie Miley is a licensed Soul collage
strong background in Jungian and Arche- facilitator and graduate from The Four Winds
typal Psychology. She has published articles Healing the Light Body Training under the
on spiritual journaling, women’s issues, and tutelage of medical anthropologist Alberto
Cronings as well Wise Woman’s Way: A Guide Villoldo, PH.D. She is trained as a healer to
to Growing Older with Purpose and Pas- work in the chakra system and subtle ener-
sion, a book that offers an initiatory expe- gies of the luminous body of the client, help-
rience to a vibrant third stage of life. Berta ing them to remove trauma and blockages
also offers Practical Jung, Dream Quest- from the system that no longer serve them.
ing, Elder Tales, and Myths Women Live Together she is able to help them to find a
By workshops for civic organizations, wor- new vision for their lives and their world.
ship communities, Osher Lifelong Learning She is a speaker and facilitator on the Cen-
Institutes, and Grandmother Gatherings. tral Coast and is currently awaiting the pub-
lication of her first book helping children to
heal from the crippling after-affects of child
abuse.
12 NOWNews Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com

This Page Presented by the National Organization for Women

The purpose of NOW is to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society NOW !

Roe v Wade Turns 36 years old on January 22, 2009
By Angie King
As some of us remember, prior to 1973,
having an abortion was illegal. Period. The
women, the doctors, and the staff were
criminally liable, and many were pros-
ecuted. Women still had abortions, of
course, but they had to do it themselves, or
find a “back alley” abortionist who might
or might not have cared about sanitation
or skill. Botched procedures led women
to emergency rooms, where many were
not treated on purpose and left to bleed to
death. Roe changed all that; since 1973 doc-
tors may perform abortions without fear of
criminal prosecution and women are free
to make the choice for themselves whether
to terminate a pregnancy. Of course, there
were then, and there have become increas-
ingly more so, a number of restrictions
on that right. But the basic constitutional
premise has become black letter law.
Just to recap: The federal Constitu-
tion spells out the limited rights and pow-
ers given to the federal government, which
has no powers not specifically authorized in
the Constitution. The Bill of Rights specifi-
cally spells out what government may not
Celebrate Roe v Wade!
do. The ninth and tenth amendments were Women’s Health: What’s in our Future?
included to make absolutely sure there was
Can you believe it’s been 36 years that The annual Roe v Wade commemora-
no misunderstanding about the limited
American women have had the right to tion will be on Thursday, January 22, at 6
powers the Constitution grants to the fed-
choose how and when to control their own PM at the SLO Public Library, featuring a
eral government.
reproductive health? Some of those inter- speaker who is a physician that performs
Amendment IX: The enumeration in
vening years were pretty grim, as Congress abortions and who is active in the univer-
the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not
passed the Hyde Amendment prohibit- sal health care movement. Dr. Susan Rob-
be construed to deny or disparage others
ing the use of any federal tax dollars to any inson believes that health care is a human
retained by the people.
program anywhere that even mentions the right and should be guaranteed to all peo-
Amendment X: The powers not dele-
word abortion to its clients and welfare ple regardless of age, employment, or eco-
gated to the United States by the Constitu-
reform cut off aid for health care to mil- nomic status. She believes that the best way
tion, nor prohibited by it to the States, are
lions of poor women; as states passed oner- to accomplish this is through a single payer
reserved to the States respectively, or to the
ous laws restricting access to providers; and universal national health care program- one
people.
as arsonists, bombers, and shooters took in which there is one government spon-
The court, in Roe, determined that these
the law into their own hands and destroyed sored insurance whose purpose is to pro-
two amendments clearly encompassed a
health clinics and killed doctors and staff. vide comprehensive health care instead of
right to individual privacy, and, in the con-
Every year, the local chapter of the many investor-owned insurance companies
text presented, included the right to make
National Organization for Women presents which compete to make profit from illness
personal choices, including termination of
a public event, to bring awareness of the and misery.
pregnancy.
issues, spotlighting different aspects of the If the weather permits, we will then
But the right to have an abortion is only
struggle depending on current events. This march through Farmer’s Market and return
one side of the story. The other side of the
year, NOW wants to focus on the issue of to the library for a candlelight circle honor-
issue is access to services.
health care as a primary need for all women ing those who lost their lives in the strug-
Beginning immediately after Roe, peo-
and especially women seeking reproduc- gle. If the weather is inclement, we will
ple who opposed a woman’s right to choose
tive health care services. How can we pro- show a 25 minute video showcasing doc-
moved to throw up roadblocks. Some states
vide full services to all women? One option tors who were willing to risk their license to
might be a universal health care system that help women who needed them in the days
See Roe, page 14 turns no one away and can provide a greater before Roe, telling their own story.
range of services to patients. Please tell your friends and join us!

Black History Month: Canada Beats us to the Punch

February is Black History Month, so this
article is both politically and culturally
timely. Over past years, we have featured
black women who have excelled in Amer-
ica, showcasing the achievements of these
women made often under great odds and
against all expectation. This month, we
turn north for the story of a little known,
but very powerful black woman.
Did you know Canada has a female
black Governor General? That office is the
Queen’s representative in Canada, the com-
mander in chief of the armed forces who
approves every piece of legislation from the
Parliament – and also controls when or if
Parliament will even meet. That’s some
power!
So, who is the Governor General? Her
name is Michaelle Jean, age 51, an émigré
from Haiti, who has been running Canada
since 2005. She is married to a filmmaker
(a white man); they have one daughter,
and live in the Canadian equivalent of the
White House, Rideau Hall, in Ottawa.
Governor General (or GG as she is called in
the press) Jean was born in 1957, but moved
at age 11 to Canada to avoid the tyranny of
Papa Doc. She is fluent in many languages
and began her career as a radio journal-
ist with Radio Canada, eventually hosting
her own television series showcasing social
justice activist projects and coming to the
attention of the Prime Minister.
Before becoming a journalist, Michaëlle
Jean worked with Quebec shelters for
battered women and helped establish a
See Canada, page 14
Coordinator’s Corner
By Angie King
January is traditionally the time of new
beginnings, and NOW always starts the
year with a celebration of our core feminist
principle: our right to choose. January 22nd
is the 36th anniversary of the Roe v Wade
decision, and this year we have a great pro-
gram planned. Please see the flyer and arti-
cle for details.
January, in the Roman calendar, was also
a time to look back and reflect. This Janu-
ary affords us all a stark contrast between
our immediate past, what we are leaving
behind (finally!), and our future, what we
have to look forward to (hope and change!).
I am already hopeful, considering the Cabi-
net choices Obama has made, and his state-
ments about policy. As radical as many of
you know me to be, I am ready to hold him
accountable for his promises, but I offer
I was reviewing the birthday calendar
I have of famous women (thanks to Irene
Stuber) and noted how many were born
in January. I’m not an astrology believer,
exactly, but is that only a coincidence?
It may be another example of new begin-
nings. If you are a January baby, I hope you
will find that extra boost from knowing you
are in such good company in history to take
action to make history yourself.
Susan B. Anthony was born in February;
each year NOW tries to have a “birthday
party” for Susan. Plan to join us in Febru-
ary to wish her happy birthday. Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were
the driving force behind the original suffrag-
ist movement in the 19th century. Anthony
was the public face, who defied anti-woman
laws, spoke in public and encouraged action
to gain the vote. She was educated at home
by her father and went on to become head

Get Involved — Join NOW!

also a little caution: politically imposed of a female academy. She then took up with
change takes a long time to sink into the the temperance movement, and moved
ethos of the society, and in bad times, the from there to women’s rights. She and Stan-
San Luis Obispo Chapter old way is never very far below the surface. ton held the first women’s rights convention
Let’s not expect too much too fast. Be kind in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848.
National Organization for Women Finally, this is the first issue edited by
to the new guys; the old guys left them a
Every woman doesn’t have to join NOW, just the 142 million who are terrible mess. the new Women’s Press editor, Courtney
discriminated against! Brogno. Congratulations, Courtney, for a
job well done.
Goals
• Support reproductive choice • Commemorate Roe v Wade (Jan 22) February 4
• Work to eliminate ALL violence
against women
• Celebrate Women’s Equality Day
(Aug 26) Calendar • Birthday of Betty Friedan, 1921
February 15
• Fight against sexual harassment • Participate in Farmer’s Market • Birthday of Susan B. Anthony, 1820
• Encourage tolerance and diversity • Support feminist politics January 3
• Birthday of Lucretia Mott, suffragist, February 17
• Promote feminist issues • NOW regular meeting, 6 PM
1793
January 11 February 21
Name: _ ______________________________________________ • Birthday of Alice Paul, suffragist, 1885 • Birthday of Barbara Jordan, activist,
January 19 1936
Address: _____________________________________________
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
City/St/ZIP: ___________________________________________ January 20
• NOW regular meeting, 6 PM
Phone: ________________________________________________
January 22
Regular Dues ….$40 • Roe v Wade decision, 1973
Sliding Scale…..$15-39 January 25
Amount enclosed: ________________________
• Birthday of Virginia Woolf, author,
Send your check and this form to General Meetings 1882
January 26
PO Box 1306 11573 Los Osos Valley Rd, #B, SLO • Birthday of Julia Morgan, architect,
SLO, CA 93406 1872 NOW Chapter # CA 565
3rd Tuesday of every month PO Box 1306, SLO, CA 93406
Chapter # CA 565 SLONOW @ kcbx.net
at 6:00 pm
slonow@kcbx.net http://groups.myspace.com/~slonow
January & February 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press Women’sCommunityCenter 13

Women’s Community Center Help us plan this year’s LUNAFEST®

Family Law
Volunteer to be on a committee
The third annual LUNAFEST, a fund-
Action Committee raiser for the Women’s Press and Cal Poly
Women’s Programs and Services, as well
Our mission is: as the Breast Cancer Fund, will again be
Dealing With Divorce held during the first week in March, this
• TO maintain an accessible center to
3rd Wednesday of each month – 7 PM year on Saturday, March 7. LUNAFEST
collect and exchange information of
Upcoming: is a national traveling festival of films by,
interest and concern to women
January 21, February 18 and March 18 for, and about women brought to you by
• TO organize and facilitate work-
Talk with other women who have LUNA. We need volunteers to help us
shops, clinics, seminars, classes, and
been there, done that in a supportive, get sponsors, promote the event around
support groups on subjects of inter-
non-judgmental environment. the county, put up posters, and help us
est and need
$10 donation on the day of the festival. This year we are
• TO engage in and facilitate interac-
tion among local, state, and national collaborating with the SLO International
agencies and organizations working Self-Represented Litigants’ Clinic Film Festival (March 6-15) with some of Go to www.lunafest.org to
the publicity. Join us to make this a suc-
to benefit women 4th Tuesday of each month – 5:30 PM
cessful event. find out more about the films
Upcoming:
Call for Volunteers January 27, February 24 and March 24 Go to slolunafest@gmail.com to let us and view a trailer.
Get family law advice from local know we can count on your help and to
Hear ye, hear ye! The Women’s Com- be put on our notification list when we
munity Center is looking for a few vol- attorneys and/or paralegals.
Reservations required. $40 donation have finalized time (probably around 5
unteers to help with several projects. We PM) and place.
could use some help with general office
duties and to monitor family court pro- Call 788-2491 for information
ceedings (Court Watch).
Report of Family Law Court Watching Observations
By Angie King
One of the family law activities of the
Women’s Community Center is an active
Where to find Women’s Press court-watching program. The program
All Libraries and the following exceptionally fine establishments! involves volunteers who sit in the family
law courtrooms and observe the proceed-
• NORTH COUNTY: Atascadero – The Coffee House and Deli, Starbuck’s at ings. Our major focus is on those cases
Von’s Plaza, Green Goods, Player’s Pizza, Harvest Health Food Store, North where one or both of the parties before
County Connection, Senior Center, Women’s Resource Center/Shelter Office, the court is self-represented. We watch to
Curves. Paso Robles – Cuesta College North Campus, Café Vio, Curves, DK
make sure the court personnel, from the
Donuts, Panolivo French Cafe, NCI Village Thrift Shop, Paso Robles Health
Foods; Templeton – Twin Cities Hospital, Templeton Market & Deli, Affinity judge to the bailiff to the other attorneys
Chiropractic, Kinship Center, Jobella’s Coffee; Santa Margarita– Santa in the courtroom, treat these self-repre-
Margarita Mercantile. sented litigants with the same degree of
• NORTHERN COAST: Baywood – Coffee & Things; Cambria – Cambria respect that is accorded to clients with
Connection, Cambria Pines Lodge, Chamber of Commerce, Gym One, 7 attorneys.
Sisters, Azevedo Chiropractic, Lilly’s, Alloco’s, Cambria Drug and Gift, Bob & For the most part we have found the Commissioner Peron was uniformly
Jan’s Auto Shop, Linn’s, Donna’s Nail Salon, Cookie Crock, Rainbow Bean and judges very patient with unrepresented seen as being especially patient and just:
Coffee Shop; Cayucos – Cayucos Super Market, Kelley’s EsPresso & Dessert, clients; they take the time to explain the she heard 42 of the cases observed. Peron
Ocean Front Pizza, Chevron Station, Mobile Balloons; Los Osos – Starbuck’s, process and the reasoning for their rul- was never ruffled or brusque, and many
Baywood Laundry, Cad’s, Carlock’s Bakery, Chamber of Commerce, Copa ings. Often the parties are not prepared, of the cases reported on were domestic
de Oro, Garden Café, Los Osos Deli Liquor, Volumes of Pleasure; Morro and when that happens, the judge is violence cases; she was commended for
Bay – Backstage Salon, Coalesce Bookstore, Coffee Pot Restaurant, The Rock, understandably frustrated, as the case her demeanor in keeping things calm.
Southern Port Traders, Sunshine Health Foods, Two Dogs Coffee, La Parisienne cannot move forward. WCC wants to Commissioner Perry, who heard 23
Bakery. make sure parties are prepared in court; of the cases, was also seen as patient and
• SAN LUIS OBISPO: Broad St. Laundry, Cool Cats Café, La Crepes, Edna to that end, we offer a monthly class and understanding, explaining the legal conse-
Market, Art Café, Booboo Records, Creekside Center, GALA, Marigold Nails, a monthly legal clinic so parties can learn quences of a decision to the parties before
Palm Theatre, Susan Polk Insurance, Utopia Bakery, Unity Church, Zoe Wells, what will be needed in court and how they were asked to agree to orders, so they
Naturopath, Cal Poly Library and Women’s Center, Center for Alternatives to to make sure they are prepared for their had the opportunity to ask questions, or
Violence, Chamber of Commerce, Cuesta College Library, EOC Health Services hearings. to ask for a continuance to seek advice
Clinic, HealthWorks, Healing Alternatives, Laguna Laundry, Linnaea’s, Monterey This report focuses on the 82 cases we outside the courtroom. In one case, the
Express, Natural Foods Coop, New Frontiers, Nautical Bean, Outspoken observed last year. Of those, there were wife was not prepared, despite earlier
Beverage Bistro, Phoenix Books, Planned Parenthood, West End Cafe, San Luis only eight cases where both parties had hearings where she had been advised
Obispo Housing Authority Office, SARP, The Secret Garden, SLO Perk Coffee, an attorney. In sixteen cases, either the what to do, and Commissioner Perry was
Spirit Winds Therapy, The Studio Fitness for Women, Uptown Cafe, Yoga wife or the husband, but not both, were “annoyed,” the observer remarked.
Centre, Ahshe Hair Salon, Apropos Clothing, Soho Hair Salon, Hempshak, represented, and in 58 cases, neither side Judge Burke also took time to explain
YMCA, KCBX, Salon on Monterey, Jaffa Café, Med Stop (Madonna Plaza), had an attorney. the process to unrepresented parties; in
World Rhythm and Motion, Steynberg Gallery, Correa Chiropractic, High St. There are currently three judicial offi- one case, he helped develop the parties’
Deli, Sunset N. Car Wash, Jamaica You, United Blood Services. cers hearing family law cases; two are evidence so he could fashion an appropri-
• SOUTH COUNTY: Arroyo Grande – Mongo’s, Act II Boutique, Central commissioners and one is a judge. Com- ate order. He often explained very clearly,
Coast Yoga, CJ’s Restaurant, Curves-AG, Cutting Edge, EOC Health Services missioners are appointed by the sitting according to the observers, exactly what
Clinic, Girls Restaurant, Grande Whole Foods, Chameleon; Avila Beach– Avila judges while judges are appointed by the the parties needed when they returned to
Grocery, Custom House, Sycamore Hot Springs, Inn at Avila, Joe Mamma’s; Governor. Parties may elect to have a case court in order to provide a legal basis for
Grover Beach – Back Door Deli, Cindi’s Wash House, Nan’s Pre-owned assigned to a commissioner until a sitting the orders they were seeking. In one case,
Books, Therapeutic Body Center, 30-minute Fitness; Halcyon – Halcyon Store; judge is available. However, the availabil- however, it appeared Judge Burke ordered
Nipomo – Anna’s Creekside Coffee House, Healing Touch Spa, Curves, La ity of the commissioners to hear cases a husband to pay the attorney fees for the
Placita Market, Healthy Inspirations, World Gym, Trendy Sister Salon, Senior helps litigants have their cases resolved wife’s attorney, but without any discus-
Centers; Pismo Beach – Honeymoon Café, Pismo Athletic Club, RETurn to in a timely manner. In the cases we sion or explanation, leaving the husband
JOY!; Shell Beach – De Palo & Sons Deli, Seaside Cafe, Steaming Bean. observed, Commissioners Patrick Perry angry and confused.
• SANTA MARIA: Café Monet, Hunter’s Landing, Library, Curves on Main and and Gayle Peron heard almost 80% the WCC appreciates the volunteers who
on Broadway, Lassen’s. cases, while Judge Jeffrey Burke heard the took their time to sit in court and provide
• ORCUTT: Loading Dock, Oasis Spa. remaining 17. the information from which this report
Our observers were requested to note was drawn, and we are always looking for
whether the judicial officer was respect- more volunteers. Please contact the office
ful and fair in hearing the concerns of if you have a morning available to help
both sides, and in almost all the cases, we us with this very important project. Call
found they were. This is good news for 544-9313 or send an email to wccslo@
litigants and good news for us as citizens. gmail.com.
14 CommunityBulletins
Bulletins
Learn About Social Marketing
Tuesday, January 20th, Lisa Quinn will con-
duct a workshop at the San Luis Obispo
Art Center to help you gain an understand-
ing of community based social marketing.
This class is designed for non-profits, gov-
ernment organizations and change agents.
Social marketing has been proven to suc-
cessfully change behavior.
For details and registration, go to http://
nwetc.org/sust-303_01-09_san_luis_obispo.
htm.
KCBXnet Announces New Class Schedule
for January/February 2009
KCBXnet, a local, non-profit provider of
affordable internet access, offers computer-
related classes to local residents and busi-
nesses at its Training Center, 4100 Vachell
Lane in San Luis Obispo.
January classes include Introduction to
Computers, Microsoft Excel, and, for those
that received digital cameras for Christmas,
a Digital Photography class. In February,
a class on Microsoft Word will be taught
along with a brand new workshop entitled,
“Building a Better Brochure,” suited to any-
one who relies on printed material as part of
their personal or business marketing plans.
For more information about KCBXnet,
its products or services, visit their web site
at www.kcbx.net or call (805) 781-2580.
Stress: Survival Strategies
The Central Coast Healthcare Alliance is
hosting a Forum on Saturday, February 7,
2009 entitled “Stress: Survival Strategies.”
Topics will include stress and cardio-vas-
cular issues, stress and the nervous system,
hypnosis and hands-on holistic remedies.
The forum will be held at the Sierra Vista
Medical Center Auditorium.
For more information, contact Leslie
Jones at 805) 528-0404.
Celebrate The Inauguration In SLO
San Luis Obispo Grassroots Democracy,
an independent political action group, will
celebrate Barack Obama’s Inauguration on
January 20, 2009, with the Central Coast’s
Inaugural Ball at The Graduate, 900 Indus-
trial Avenue, San Luis Obispo, from 5:30 to
9:30 PM. There will be a DJ and dancing,
and food and beverages will be available
from The Graduate menu along with free
appetizers and desserts, provided by The
Graduate restaurant.
Plus you can register to win a Genuine
Buddy 50cc Scooter from Central Coast
Mechanics, as well as many other prizes
and Obama memorabilia.
The event is co-sponsored by Demo-
cratic Women United, SLO County Dem-
ocratic Central Committee and with the
co-operation of the SLO County Obama
Team. Entrance is just a $10 donation per
person. For more information and to pur-
chase tickets, please visit www.slograssroots-
democracy.org and/or www.barackobama.
com and click on “events”.
Get Book Smart!
Join editor Laurie Gibson for her talk “Get
(Book) Smart!” We’ll look at how writers
can improve their chances of being pub- and Implications for Girls and Women in
lished. Included in the talk will be tips for
finding a literary agent, as well as a Q&A
session to address writers’ specific concerns. the Art of China and Europe,” presented by
$10 (cash) per person at the door. For
more information, please contact the pre-
senter at (831) 646-4610 or write eaglet5223@
mypacks.net
Free Energy Balancing Sessions
The Global Alliance for Balance and Heal-
ing is offering free energy balancing ses-
sions on Saturday, January 17 from 11:00am
to 4:00pm. The free clinic will be held at
Dancing Deer Ranch, 2975 Vineyard Drive
in Templeton. No appointment is necessary.
All are welcome.
Visit www.globalalliance.ws or call 805-
438-4347 to learn about energy balancing
or other free clinics held by the Global Alli-
ance for Balance and Healing.
For more information or to coordinate
a clinic in your area, e-mail Wendy McK-
enna at wendy@globalalliance.ws.
Become Prosperity Conscious
Take the class Keys to the Kingdom (origi-
nally created by David Owen Ritz.)
Keys to the Kingdom is an advanced
program for building prosperity con-
sciousness. 7 weekly classes, which will be
held on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8PM
beginning January 21 and continuing each
Wednesday night through March 4. Cost is
$75.00 for the 7 classes. Come learn how to
live a truly abundant life, to become more
free, more creative, more whole, more lov-
ing. Held at: Circle of Spiritual Enlighten-
ment, SLO Adult School, 1500 Lizzie Street,
Room J-1
Online registration available at
www.spiritualcircle.org
Email: spiritualcircle@spiritualcircle.org
For more information call (805) 995-
1390
Season For Non-Violence Concert
James Twyman is an internationally
renowned, best-selling author, filmmaker
and musician who has traveled all over
the globe, sharing his message of peace in
areas of the world’s greatest conflicts. Join
us as he performs his “Season for Non-Vi-
olence” Tour. James will hold a local con-
cert on January 31 at 7PM, at The Circle of
Spiritual Enlightenment. 1500 Lizzie Street
(Adult School) Room J-2 in SLO. Tickets
are $25 and available in January on-line at
www.spiritualcircle.org
Free Women’s and Gender Studies Lectures
Hoping to reach out to the wider county
community, the San Luis Obispo Library is
teaming up with the Cal Poly Women’s and
Gender Studies Department to offer a series
of five lectures focusing on issues ranging
from sex education to women in sports.
The series takes place on the first Tues-
day of every month from January through
May. All talks are from 6 to 8 p.m. in the
Community Room of the San Luis Obispo
Library at 995 Palm Street in downtown
San Luis Obispo. The lectures are free and
open to the public. Refreshments will be
served courtesy of Friends of the Library.
“Abstinence-Only Sex Education and
the Politics of Virginity” is the title of the
first talk in the series. Cal Poly Political Sci-
ence Professor and Women’s and Gender
Studies advisory board member Jean Wil-
liams will present the first lecture.
Other lectures scheduled are: “Women
Around the World: Challenges and Tri-
umphs,” presented by Dr. Patrice Engle;
“The Bitch Manifesto Revisited: Feminism,
Gender and Religion,” presented by Dr.
Judy Saltzman; “Title IX: History, Impact
Sport,” presented by Dr. Camille O’Bryant;
and “Art History’s Bad Girls: Courtesans in
Dr. Jean Wetzel.
For more information, contact San
Luis Obispo Public Library Manager Kris-
tine Tardiff at 781-5783 or katardiff@sloli-
brary.org, or Cal Poly Women’s and Gender
Studies Professor Rachel Fernflores at 756-
2330 or rfernflo@calpoly.edu.
Women’s Press | January & February 2009 | womenspress.slo@gmail.com
Girl Power! at PCPA
Gather up your gang of best girlfriends
to attend a pre-show reception of wine and
snacks for Girls Night Out (GNO) on Fri-
day, February 20, beginning at 5:30 PM,
followed by the PCPA performance of “A
Midsummer Night’s Dream” at 7. GNO
attendees will receive 50% off the adult
priced ticket (regularly $28.25)—just ask for
the Girls Night Out ticket when you call:
922-8313.
Pray The Devil Back To Hell
Watch and hear how the women from Libe-
ria dressed in white and gathered by the
thousands to protest the killing in their
country in the film Pray the Devil Back to
Hell. Watch a trailer on YouTube. This is a
fundraiser for the Global Fund for Women
and is co-sponsored by the Central Coast
Clergy for Laity and Justice, HopeD-
ance FiLMs, Women’s Press, and other local
groups.
Saturday, February 7
7 PM SLO Public Library
Suggested donation $10
SLO International Film Festival
Offers More Than Just Films
Enjoy the many films and related events
during the 2009 San Luis Obispo Interna-
tional Film Festival – Where Movies Matter,
March 6-15.
• International film competition
• “Hollywood and Vines” classic films
and “Western Night” in Paso Robles
with special guests and local wine
• Red carpet events and festival
receptions
• Surf Night in SLO
• Spotlight Award for rising young
talent
• King Vidor Career Achievement
Award
Go to www.slofilmfest.org to buy your
movie passes now or call (805) 235-1507.
Films will be posted in February.
Giving Birth? You Have Choices.



The third Tuesday of each month
at the Ludwick Center in San Luis Obispo
(at the corner of Santa Rosa and Palm)




Roe
Continued from page 12
require a waiting period; a married woman at
one time was required to have her husband’s
consent; California has three times defeated a
proposal to require parental notice for minor’s
services. Nebraska has even tried to re-crim-
inalize providing abortions. And Bush just
announced new regulations, as his parting
shot to women, that require medical facili-
ties to certify they do not require anyone to
provide reproductive health care services over
that person’s “moral objection,” whatever that
is! The struggle to bring our Constitutional
right into a reality for all American women is
not over.
Thirty-six years is a long time – some of
you reading this are probably younger than
that. Join NOW on January 22 at the SLO
Library to learn more (see article on NOW
page). If you cannot control your own body,
you will likely lose out on opportunities to
reach your full potential in our society. Please
do not take your rights for granted. Remem-
ber the wise saying: Those who forget their
history are doomed to repeat it.
Canada
Continued from page 12
network of emergency shelters in Quebec, co-
coordinated a study on women as victims in
abusive relationships, worked with aid orga-
nizations for immigrant women and families,
and worked at Employment and Immigra-
tion Canada and at the Community Cultural
Counsel of Québec.
However remarkable her achievement is,
she is neither the first woman, nor the first
minority, nor even the first person named to
this position without prior political experience.
But she is the first to be all three. Jean is Can-
ada’s first black Governor General, the second
person without either a political or military
background, the second person from a visible
minority, and foreign-born, the second person
in an interracial marriage (again after Clark-
son), and the third woman (after Jeanne Sauvé
and Clarkson). Her appointment also marked
the first time that a child has lived in Rideau
Hall since the early 1980s.
Governor General Jean was in the news
recently when she officially closed Parliament
and ordered it not to return until late Janu-
ary at the request of the Prime Minister. The
move was necessary to avoid a no-confidence
vote that could have toppled his minority gov-
ernment. The no-confidence vote could have
precipitated the rise of a proposed Liberal-
NDP coalition, supported by the Bloc Qué-
bécois, which could have resulted in another
election, depending on the Governor General’s
response. The first order of business when Par-
liament resumes on Jan. 26 will be the presen-
tation of the federal budget, to be delivered the
following day. At that point, the Tory govern-
ment could be brought down when it tables
the budget, which would be a confidence vote,
as all money bills are.
For more information about GG Jean,
check out any number of web sites, from
which this information was liberally drawn.
As to the prior women, minority, non political
GGs, google Adrienne Clarkson. Canada has a
rich and fascination history of strong minority
women in charge of very powerful institutions.




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
January & February 2009 | www.womenspress-slo.org | Women’s Press Resources 15
ABUSE Hospice of SLO County (inc. miscarriage/stillbirth Planned Parenthood
Adults Molested as Children Support Group (AMAC) support) 544.2266 or 434.1164 SLO 549.9446
Project Lifesaver Stroke Support Group
545.8888
Center for Alternatives to Domestic Violence 548.0909 471.8102 (SLO)
Safe and Sober Support Group Caregivers of Stroke Survivors
781.6406
North County Women’s Shelter & Resource Center, 473.6507 544.2266 (SLO)
Senior Peer Counseling Women’s Support/Therapy v (general)
(inc. domestic violence support groups)
461.1338 Free, trained in-home counseling for 60+ 534.1101
547.7025, ext. 15 Women’s Healthcare Specialists
Rape Survivors Support Group, SLO
545.8888 Talk/Listen - Emotional support 544.4883
SARP (Sexual Assault Recovery & Prevention) 489.5481 POLITICAL
545.8888 Transformations Counseling Center
Free monthly workshops 541.7908 Code Pink
Support Group for Sexual Assault Survivors ososousaville@aol.com
545.8888 FINANCE/BUSINESS Commission on Status of Women
Women’s Shelter Program of SLO Consumer Credit Counseling Services 545.8412; Dawn Williams
781.6400 www.womensshelterslo.org 800.540.2227 Democratic Women United
ADDICTIONS 541.4252
GAY & LESBIAN League of Women Voters
AA Meeting Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast
541.3211 543.2220
Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)
541.4252 NOW (National Organization for Women)
PFLAG.Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays slonow@kcbx.net
498.2176 438.3889
Al-Anon SOL (Single Older Lesbians) READERS/WRITERS
534.9204 Mostly socializing! Call 474.9405 Adult Literacy
Cambria Connection (12 step support) 541-4219
927.1654 HOSPICE Creative Writing Group
Casa Solana AIDS Bereavement Group (Hospice) 748-2676; contact Gloria
Women’s Recovery Home 481.8555 544.2266 Nightwriters
Chemical Dependency intensive Hospice of SLO County 549.9656; contact Shirley Powell
outpatient program 544.2266 and 434.1164 Sisters in Crime
541-9113 Hospice Partners of the Central Coast http://SinC-CCC.blogspot.com
Compulsive eaters Anonymous, H.O.W.Concept 782.8608
546.1178 SENIORS
Drug & Alcohol Services JOBS/CAREERS Adult Day Care
781.4275 AARP 489.8894 (Arroyo Grande);
800.549.7730 788.2643 434.2081 (Templeton); 927.4290 (Cambria)
Overeaters Anonymous Cal Poly Foundation Adult Protective Services
541.3164 Jobline 756.7107 781.1790
SCA, SLAA & SAA (Sex, Love & Romance Addictions) Cal Poly University Computerooters:
461.6084 http://calpolyjobs.org 756.1533 Computer help: 489.6230
TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Cuesta College Department of Social Services:
929.1789 http://www.cuesta.edu Jobline 546.3127 In-Home Support 781.1790
Women for Sobriety The Creekside Career Center Nursing help for the terminally ill 781.5540
http://www.womenforsobriety.org www.slocareers.org 788.2631 or 788.2690 Elder and Dependent Adult Advocacy and Outreach –
215.536.8026 Department of Rehabilitation Victim Witness Assistance Center
549.3361 781-5821
CHILDREN & FAMILIES Mission Community Services Corporation Elder Law, Geraldine E. Champion, Attorney
Birth and Baby Resource Center Women’s Business Partners 473.4747
546.3755 www.bbrn.org 595.1356 www.mcscorp.org Foster Grandparents.Senior Companions
Childcare Resource Connection Private Industry Council (PIC) 782.9200
541.2272 or 800.727.2272 www.jobhunt.org 788.2601 Senior Ballroom Dance club
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) 489.5481 dg17@juno.com
“A child’s voice in Court in SLO County” LEGAL Senior Peer Counseling
541.6542 Core Mediation Services Free, trained in.home counseling for 60+
Children’s Services Network 544.6334 medeee8@aol.com 547.7025 ext. 15
781.1847 District Attorney’s Office – Victim Witness Center
First 5: Children & Families Commission 781.5821 SPIRITUAL
781.4058; ask for Susan Hughs Family Law Facilitator Circle of Spiritual Enlightenment
Homeschooling in SLO County (HSC) 546.3769 995.1390; www.spiritualcircle.org
462.0726; ask for Barbara Lawyers Referral Services/Legal Aid Alternative Awakening Interfaith Spiritual Community
La Clinica De Tolosa 238.5334 788.2099 Meditation Monday evenings 7-7:45 pm
La Leche League Pro Per Divorce Workshop Open to all. 772-0306 awakeninginterfaith.org
489.9128 544.9313 Hungry Hearts Spiritual Community
Migrant Childcare Program Senior Legal Services RC liturgy with womanpriest 546.8672
544.4355 and 466.3444 543.5140 Meditation Group
MOMS Club of South SLO county Mondays, 7:30–8:30 PM; 772.0306
473. 2548 MEDICAL SUPPORT/SERVICES
New Beginnings Church
Partnership for Children ALS Support Group (Lou Gehrig’s Disease)
Every Sunday, Coalesce Bookstore, MB
541.8666; ask for Beth 227.4785 or 674.4162 Self-Realization Fellowship
Real F.A.C.T.S. (Forum on Abused Children) Alzheimer’s Support
Sunday Services 995-1599
460.9016 534.9234 (LO); 547.3830 (SLO);
Social Services 547.3830, 534.9234 (SLO/Los Osos) WOMEN’S CENTERS/SHELTERS
781.1600 888.488.6555 Homeless Shelter
Support for Kids Coping with Domestic Violence American Cancer Society 781-3993
473.6507 San Luis Obispo 543.1481 Housing Authority
Templeton 434.3051 543.4478
EMERGENCY/CRISIS Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia Support Group North County Women’s Resource Center, Shelter
Hotline 541.9113 461.1338
www.slohotline.org 800.549.8989 Arthritis Foundation Prado Day Center (for the homeless)
Sexual & Rape Prevention (SARP) 892.5556 786.0617
545.8888 or 800.656.HOPE (4673) Cancer/ Breast Cancer Support Groups Women’s Community Center, SLO
Temporary Restraining Order & Victim Witness 543.1481 ext. 3 for information 544.9313
Program 781.5821 Caregivers of Aging Parents Women’s Shelter Program of SLO
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT 547.3830 (AG); 927.4290 (Cambria); 549.8989 (crises), 781.6401 (business)
227.7135 (PR); 547.3830 (SLO); 543.7969 www.womensshelterslo.org
A.D.A.P.T. (Aid in Divorce Adjustment Problems Today) Celiac Disease Support Group
543.0388 226-9893 OTHER WOMEN’S ORGANIZATIONS
Alzheimer/Dementia Resource Center Endometriosis Association Altrusa International, Inc.
434.2081 or 534.9234 or 888.488.6555 www.endometriosisassn.org 481.1039; Cici Wynn, President
CALL–Concerned Agoraphobics Learning to Live Enhancement, Inc. (for breast cancer survivors) American Association of University Women
543.3764 771.8640 www.enhancementinc.com 781-0922; Karen
Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) EOC Health Services Clinics Camping Women
542.0577 (SLO) 481.5093 (Grover Beach) no or low cost reproductive health services 440.2723 www.campingwomen.org
927.1654 (Cambria) 466.8600 (North County) 544.2478 (SLO); 489.4026 (Arroyo Grande) Hadassah.SLO
Community Counseling Center Healthworks of the Central Coast 543.9452
543.7969 No or low cost reproductive health services
Dealing With Divorce 542.0900
OTHER GROUPS & GATHERINGS
544.9313 IC Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome Central Coast Peace and Environmental Council
Depresson and Bipolar Support Alliance Group 3rd Thursday, SLO, 7 -9 pm 464-0564 544.3399 or 783.2383
927.3703 Long-term Care Ombudsman Services of SLO County Compassion & Choices (or Final Exit)
Divorce Discussion Group 785.0132 800.247.7421 or 489-5481
489.2990, saintbarnabas@sbcglobal.net Lymphedema Education & Support Group
Eating Disorders Support Group 2nd Monday, 4-5 pm, 782-9300
546-3774; free, meets weekly in SLO Parkinson’s Support Groups Please send additions, corrections or deletions to:
Grief Awareness Group 466.7226 (Atascadero/Templeton) womenspress.slo@gmail.com or leave a message at
489.2990, saintbarnabas@sbcglobal.net 481.7424 (Arroyo Grande) the WCC: 805.544.9313. Last update 1/05/09.
541.8633 (SLO)
 FLUTE INSTRUCTION
& PERFORMANCE
Serving Students of All Ages
NEW: Beginning Recorder Lessons

Bonnie Richan
bonnie@bonnierichan.com
805-748-6087
Current Member:
San Luis Obispo Symphony
San Luis Chamber Orchestra

Carmen Green Broker/Owner

www.CGreenRealEstate.com
��� North ��th Street, Grover Beach ����� ���.���.���� DRE ��������

Mama’s Meatball
Fine Italian Cuisine

Integrative Breathwork
Meditation Circle
with Shantel Beckers

Integrative breathwork utilizes a deep, rhythmic breath which

balances the chakra system enhancing the flow of energy
through the body. Allowing the energy to flow freely opens
you to live with clarity and peace in the present.

During the Group Breathing Circle, Shantel Beckers will

lead you in guided breath integrating Shamanic healing tech-
niques. Come experience the profound healing of the breath!

January 22, 2009 – Renewal & Rebirth

February 12, 2009 – Forgiveness
7:15 – 8:45 PM
Meadow Park Community Room, San Luis Obispo
2333 Meadow Street (Meadow and South)
Class size is limited so register now – 805 459 0439
or shantelbeckers@msn.com
Class fee is $30
Dine-in • Take-out • Full Catering Service
All three locations are open: Mon.-Sun. 10:30 AM to 9:00 PM
570 Higuera St., #130 • San Luis Obispo, Ca 93401- tel. 805.544.0861
New Locations:
325 Pier Ave. • Oceano, CA 93425 • tel. 805.473.2383
In Avila Hotsprings • San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 • tel. 805.627.0288
Also, order on line: www.MamasMeatball.com