Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Elise Boulding: when one needs courage

Rantwoman grabbed the following quote from Lilian Vega Ortiz


"...(to) prepare myself to help others find their own values and find the support systems so that change can take place. I know that this society, full of adversity, needs the efforts of valiant and optimistic people, now more than ever."


The passing of Elise Boulding is unquestionably one of those occasions that calls valiant, optimistic people to service now more than ever. RantWoman will start with the obit below and invites her readers to click on linds and send remembrances as led.


[FPT Council] AGLI--Elise Boulding 1920 - 2010


Elise Boulding 1920 - 2010
Dear All,
As you may have heard Elise Boulding died just before her 90th birthday. Here is her obituary which is way too long because she did so many things. In additional to all that is mentioned, she was one of the founders of Friends Peace Teams and one of its original co-clerks. She was still co-clerk when I began working with FPT in 1996.
Peace,Dave


Below is a message received from Russell Boulding, son of Elise Boulding, Friend and Honorary Chair of the National Peace Academy Advisory Board:



Dear Friends, Elise died peacefully at 4:40 pm on Thursday June 24. Her webpage provides more about her last few weeks: http://www.earthenergyhealing.org/EliseBoulding3.htm. A copy of her obituary, kindly prepared by her biographer Mary Lee Morrison is below. There will be a Memorial Service for her on her 90th birthday, 4:00 to 6:00 pm, Tuesday, July 6 at the Houghton Memorial Chapel, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA. Mark, Christie, Philip, William and I will be there with our spouses (Greg in Spirit). This web page can be checked for the latest information about the Service: http://www.earthenergyhealing.org/EliseBoulding1.htm Love, Russell


Elise Boulding died at 4:40 pm, June 24, 2010 in Needham, MA.

Hailed as a "matriarch" of the twentieth century peace research movement, she was sociologist emeritus from Dartmouth College and from the University of Colorado and in on the ground floor in the movements of peace, women's studies and futures and played pivotal roles in each. Her writings on the role of the family, women, spirituality and international non-governmental organizations have offered activists and educators new ways of conceiving the tasks inherent in making peace. Beginning in tandem with her late husband, economist and Quaker poet Kenneth Boulding and later on her own, she went on to build a life that encompassed research, writing and teaching, networking and building communities of learning. Dr. Boulding is the author of over 300 publications and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990. Her theoretical work on the role of the family in educating toward social change, and the role women have played in peacemaking, together with her ideas on transnational networks and their relationship to global understanding are considered seminal contributions to twentieth century peace education thought.

Prior to her scholarly career, which formally began for her at age fifty after receiving her doctorate from the University of Michigan, Dr. Boulding was making major contributions in other areas, most notably as a peace educator and prominent Quaker and as a leader in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), rising up to be International Chair.


She was a founder of the International Peace Research Association and later became its International Secretary-General. She was a co-founder the Consortium on Peace, Research, Education and Development. As an active opponent of the Vietnam War, Dr. Boulding ran for Congress in the 1960s on a Peace Platform in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She taught sociology and women's studies at the University of Colorado, where she helped to found the peace studies program. She later taught sociology and helped to found the peace studies program at Dartmouth College.

She took key leadership positions in the American and International Sociological Associations, worked on climate change, population, and arms control with the American Association of the Advancement of Science, was engaged with the American Futures Society, the World Policy Institute, the United Nations University in Tokyo, consultative work with UNESCO, and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter as the only woman to sit on the Commission to establish the U.S. Institute of Peace. She was on the boards of the National Peace Institute Foundation, the Boulder Parenting Center, the Exploratory Project on Conditions for a Just World Peace, the International Peace Research Association Foundation, the Committee for the Quaker United Nations Office, and Honorary Chair of the National Peace Academy Advisory Board.

Prior to her retirement from Dartmouth College, she was a Senior Fellow of the Dickey Center for International Understanding at that university. In 1993 Dr. Boulding represented Quakers at the inaugural gathering of the global Interfaith Peace Council. Born in 1920 in Oslo, Norway, her status as an immigrant profoundly affected her life and work. A graduate of Douglas College (now part of Rutgers University), Dr. Boulding joined the Religious Society of Friends at age 21, Her sense of herself as a Quaker and her deep spirituality informed all of her subsequent work. Blessed with a very high energy level, at times she also sought out Catholic monasteries for times of retreat from her very heavily scheduled life as an academic, activist, author and speaker. In 1973 she spent a year in retreat in a mountain cabin outside Boulder, CO, where she began writing her seminal work on women, The Underside of History, a View of Women Through Time.

Her last book, Cultures of Peace: the Hidden Side of History, is a celebration of the many ways peace is made in everyday places and hidden spaces and its writing was a culmination of her life's work. Retiring from Dartmouth College in 1985 she returned to Boulder, Colorado. In 1996 she relocated to Wayland, MA and in 2000 she moved to a retirement home in Needham, MA.

Pre-deceased by her husband, Dr. Kenneth Boulding and her two sisters Sylvia Griffith and Vera Larson, she is survived by her five children and their spouses: Russell and Bonnie Boulding of Bloomington, IN, Mark and Pat Boulding of Englewood, CO, Christine Boulding and the late Gregory Graham of Wayland, MA, Philip and Pam Boulding of Olalla, WA and William and Liz Boulding of Durham, NC, 16 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions may be made to the National Peace Academy, PO Box 306, Shelburne, VT 05482 (please identify Elise Boulding Scholarship Fund, which was established to honor her life of dedication to peace, on check). Russell Boulding (4464 N. Robbs Lane, Bloomington, IN, 47408, jrb-eeh@bluemarble.net) is collecting tributes/reminiscences of those touched by her to be complied, shared with the family and placed in the Elise Boulding Collection at the University of Colorado Archives, Boulder.


AGLI Contact Info
-- New webpage: http://www.aglifpt.org/

New email: dave@aglifpt.org
David Zarembka,

CoordinatorAfrican Great Lakes Initiative of the Friends Peace Teams
P. O. Box 189,
Kipkarren River 50241 Kenya
Phone in Kenya: 254 (0)726 590 783 in US: 240/543-1172

Office in US:
1001 Park Avenue,
St Louis, MO 63104 USA
314/647-1287

Lilian Vega Ortiz visits the Northwest

Alternatives to Violence in Guatemala - Lilian Vega Ortiz
Join us in hearing about Friends Peace Teams work in Central America:

RantWoman already has the event at her Meeting on her calendar. RantWoman is especially humbled by the wonderful quote below.

After a career of volunteer social service with young people in detention facilities, Lilian Vega Ortiz now devotes her time to theological study and facilitation of workshops for the Central American Evangelical Center for Pastoral Studies, including Alternatives to Violence workshops.

"I believe that all of my life experiences, as difficult as they have been, never took place to paralyze me, even though I have been a victim. Instead, they have given me strength to go forward and prepare myself to help others find their own values and find the support systems so that change can take place. I know that this society, full of adversity, needs the efforts of valiant and optimistic people, now more than ever.”

Tue., 6/29
Olympia Meeting
Contact: Donna Schumann

Wed., 6/30
7 PM
University Friends Center
4001 - 9th Ave. NE
Seattle 98105 (just north of University Bridge, 1 block W of Roosevelt Avenue, exit 169 off I-5)
Contact: Pablo Stanfield

Thur., 7/1,
7 PM
Lopez Island Worship Group at the Lopez Library
Contact: Ron Metcalf

Fri., 7/2
7 PM
Bellingham Friends Meeting/Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, 100 E. Maple St. (at the corner of Cornwall and Maple)
Contact: Doris Ferm

Mon., 7/5
7:30 PM
Hosted by South Mountain Meeting and held at the Unitarian-Universalist Fellowship, 87 4th St., Ashland
Contact: Ken Deveney

Wed., 7/7
7PM
Multnomah Meeting
Contact: Andy Cross

Thur., 7/8
5:30 Potluck
7 PM Program
Corvallis Friends Meetinghouse, 3311 NW Polk Ave.
Contact: Esther Schiedel,

Fri., 7/9
Eugene Friends Meeting – presentation and benefit concert
Contact: Helen Park

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Happy Pride 2010--1

Look, okay, the live Pride celebration was fine, just fine. RantWoman gives especially high equal access points for the young guy staffing an information table. RantWoman asked what people were lining up for in the middle of the room; young guy giggled and said "I think it's beer." Yet another reason RantWoman found it easy for her mind to go elsewhere.

"...sure plays a mean pinball..."

RantWoman started to post this a couple weeks ago and more music jogged her memory even harder. RantWoman and Blind Roommate spent a couple summers on the campus of the alma mater. One high point of summer social life was a bar called Debasement. There was a pinball machine. Blind Roommate consistently did better at pinball than RantWoman. RantWoman's pinball skills have not improved as her vision has gone south.

Blind Roommate was a singer, with a wonderful voice. Rlind Roommate sang in glee club and did wonderful solo shows with a lot of Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. RantWoman hereby presents a musical tribute to Blind Roommate; RantWoman means no disrespect to the women perfomrers she found on YouTube, but most of them do not hold a candle to Blind Roommate.



Lay Lady Lay




Lay Lady Lay Cover with Harmonica



The Times they are a Changin' by a woman, credible but no competition for Blind Roommate




Leonard Cohen, Suzanne, Praha 2004. Severe anachronism, really haunting.



Vanessa and Suzanne Vega, Blowing in the Wind, Blind Roommate was better



Carla Bruni Sarkozy and Dave Stuart, 46604, Blowing in the Wind. This clip is included for exotic; RantWoman thinks it would be really fun to hear what Blind Roommate would say about the varied life and career of Ms. Bruni-Sarkozy. Alas, Blind Roommate is not available for comment.


Friday, June 25, 2010

Epistles and Ice Water

Sometimes RantWoman hates epistles. Boiling down a whole rich weekend with interwoven themes and thematic counterpoint is not a task for the faint of heart. Boiling this down on a tight schedule with severe space constraints is even more daunting. RantWoman already found the theme of the Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theology Conference "Walk With Me, Mentor, Elder, Friend" rich enough to generate several layers of reflections herself and offers that comment in all humility to Friends reading the conference epistle.

RantWoman further thinks anyone involved with the planning of an event should stay away from immediate interaction with epistle writing on both sanity and seasoning grounds, especially if there are topics still needing seasoning behind the scenes. Alas, RantWoman is gifted with inclination to run off at the keyboard and is seasoning several topics she think are safe for the blogosphere, though the exact timing depends on RantWoman interacting with the rest of her life as well.

As an aside, RantWoman especially recommends public wordsmithing with 200 people in plenary at Annual Session for extra thrills and spills. At that scale, there is no room for ego and it's all God and Light and Friends. RantWoman, having done this task is too happy to be an elder in the conception of elder elaborated at the panel on eldering at the Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theology Conference and gratefully uphold the efforts of those doing the epistle at different events.

In any case, RantWoman supposes that epistles can always be taken as points of departure for conversation. RantWoman especially invites Friends with comments about the Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theology Conference epistle and who might see RantWoman at upcoming events to join her for refreshing beverages (sometimes defined as ice water) or really good frozen desserts and further conversation.

RantWoman decided she should make this offer after seeing comments over at http://northmidwest.blogspot.com/2010/06/pacific-northwest-quaker-womens.html and repeated at
http://onequakertake.blogspot.com/2010/06/epistle-from-quaker-womens-theology.html about issues of sexism. For one thing, some of the threads woven into the conversation are indeed about sexism; others are more generally about what makes good mentoring, passage of wisdowm and weight among generations, and Friends communities continually learning and relearning historical Friends practices in new eras. RantWoman may get something more written, but even RantWoman needs to pry her nose out of her computer and interact with live humans n real space now and then.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

PNWQWTC Epistle

Pacific Northwest Quaker Women's Theology Conference Epistle

To our Quaker family,

Surrounded by the waters and wildlife of Hood Canal and the snowy peaks of the Olympic Mountains, sixty women gathered in Seabeck, Washington from June 16-20, 2010 for the eighth Pacific Northwest Quaker Women’s Theology Conference. Begun fifteen years ago to promote dialogue and build relationships among different Quaker traditions, this conference continues to be deeply Spirit led and enriches the lives of women who attend.

Though we represent different backgrounds and branches of Quakerism, the lines between these seemed very thin and blurred. No one avoided talking about her home meeting or church, but our membership didn’t have as much weight as our personal experiences shared in love. Even as we attempted to be open and accepting, at times we misstepped and unintentionally hurt each other. Many of us felt broken open and left this conference changed.

Through reflection papers we wrote, plenary sessions, home groups and discussion, we each connected personally with the theme, “Walk With Me: Mentors, Elders, and Friends.” Each plenary brought us back again and again to the awareness of the need for support and mentorship in our lives. We identified places in which we are being accompanied and are accompanying others and places where we feel the absence of that loving presence. Many of us made commitments to seek those relationships in our meetings, churches and beyond.

Despite colds, more serious illnesses and concerns for the health of loved ones, we drew strength, support, and encouragement from one another. Many think of the Women’s Conference as a reunion and newcomers found they were welcomed into the family with open arms.

In keeping with the testimony of community, we opened ourselves to another group, Interplay, also staying at the conference center. We described the kind of work that we each came to do, invited them to join us in worship, and likewise were invited to experience their ministry and we shared grace together before meals.

We celebrated the gifts of many through plenaries, workshops, singing and readings by several published authors. During one plenary session, several young adults shared personal experiences of their ministries in relation to the theme of the conference. We were thrilled to hear stories of women being supported and held sacredly in their ministry. However, we were deeply saddened to learn that some are not empowered or recognized in their ministries. We were thus reminded of the reality of sexism in the Society of Friends. Encircling the young adult women, we joined together in heartfelt prayer and were moved by its healing and supportive power. This experience deepened our worship and fellowship together. We challenged ourselves to be aware of internalized sexism, as well as the sexism in our churches and meetings, and to work toward true equality.

During business meeting on Saturday, we reaffirmed the work of this body of women and our leading to continue meeting together as an intra-faith group. We look forward to the next opportunity to join in fellowship.

Blogging as Ministry

Here are bullet points from Wes Daniels' Internet Cafe over at Gathering in Light about Blogging as Ministry

Blogging is an outlet for essays, thoughts, processing

Blogs are a {free} source of relegious reading material

Blogs allow for on-going conversations and friendships

Blogs track our Journey's transformation>> Blogging is timely

Blogs can express communal believing

Your blog is your "virtual living room"


RantWoman wants to add a very pointed, jump up and down with exclamation points and circles and arrows and laser pointers insistent message: RantWoman CANNOT anymore reasonably read enough print to satisfy her soul's rather boundless appetite for correction and elaboration and interaction with spiritual matters. RantWoman SOMETIMES is grateful for humans who can help her, but, well, RantWoman is an introvert and often needs to interact with matters on her own or with her own tools. RantWoman is very humble about the importance of the tools she has as way to access what she wants to read. RantWoman's real point: Blogs are ACCESSIBLE to RantWoman in ways that print is not!

RantWoman does mean to get some info into the QUIP discussions about accessible reading materials. RantWoman also realizes that as people age, the incidence of vision impairment and blindness increases and other blind Friends have different levels of comfort with different media and resources. RantWoman does not even presume to speak for them all, only hopefully to raise questions.

RantWoman further wants to note two points related to the word "free" and to remind her public of an issue of courtesy about attribution when reusing materials from others' sites.

First, "free" is an overstatement: a blogger likely is paying out fairly steadily for enough internet access to blog. The economics of what people pay and what services these costs cover are evolving rapidly and Friends should be aware of many possible changes.

Next, although much material is available for free and easy reuse, it is very minimal common courtesy to properly attribute materials one uses from other sources. RantWoman suspects there are big scary intellectual property lawyers out there willing to weigh in at some points and RantWoman is specifically not going there for today.

RantWoman is actually shy about inviting the internet all the way into her virtual living room. RantWoman also carries a concern for conversations flowing back and forth between the blogosphere and humans she loves, admires, regards as mentors, gets plum annoyed and vexed by, and in particular knows never or on very constrained timelines interact with all this e-stuff.

Monday, June 21, 2010