Bric a Brac

The silent march was a deliberate and striking contrast to the chaos of the past few days, when riot police officers sprayed tear gas and wielded clubs to disperse scattered bands of angry and frightened young people. When the occasional shout or chant went up, the crowd quickly hushed it, and some held up signs with the word silence.”

Arms production

Forty-four US companies accounted for 61 per cent of the Top 100’s arms sales in 2007, while 32 West European companies accounted for 31 per cent of the sales. Russia, Japan, Israel and India accounted for most of the rest.

Thirty companies increased their arms sales by more than 30 per cent. Most fell into one of three groups:

• providers of armoured vehicles, heavily in demand by the United States and other overseas forces in Afghanistan and Iraq . . .

• British-owned companies that have greatly expanded their US presence through acquisitions; and

• companies providing outsourced military services, as well as some military electronics companies.

  . . . the level of concentration in the industry, as measured by the share of the Top 100 arms sales accounted for by the top five companies, has gradually declined since 2002. . .

  Arms companies may face reduced demand in the future if governments cut military spending in response to rising budget deficits. Russian companies have experienced particular cash-flow difficulties and are receiving government aid. . .

  Sam Perlo-Freeman, 2009 Yearbook, Stockholm Peace Research Institute.

Forums

of closed boundaries between classes of people,

of hierarchies and inequalities,

of exploitation,

of patriarchal families and female subordination,

of earthly and heavenly rewards and punishments, and

of the Kingdom of God existing only in the future.

He sees Christianity and evangelism as consisting:

of an invitation to a relationship with the spirit of God rather than a dogmatically required belief in the eschatological Jesus of the synoptic gospels,

of boundary-shattering compassion rather than a search for purity,

of a rejection of “uncleanness,” and

of a freedom to seek truth following the spirit of Jesus rather than by the word of the “post-Easter” Bible.

Borg warns that conventional wisdom can subvert and obscure the teachings of “wisdom teachers” such as Jesus.

On June 14, Josefina Castillo, program director for the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) office in Austin, was our guest and spoke in forum to update us on the current work of her office. In spite of having only two paid staff at this time, active volunteers and interns keep vital economic justice programs going in the Austin area and along the U.S. – Mexico border. The Austin Tan Cerca program continues to send delegations to the border periodically, to learn about corporate-led globalization through face-to-face encounters with maquiladora workers. Friends were especially concerned to hear Josefina’s report on conditions at the Hutto detention center for non-documented immigrant families, and how this facility is part of the private prison industry in Texas.

More on this subject can be found on www.texasprisonbidness.org. AFSC-Austin is one of our supported Quaker organizations.

On July 12 Joe Redfield will be talking about the future of transportation – will it be green? So, think about electric cars, hybrid cars, fuel cell cars. And what about personal jet packs? Teleportation? Joe’s nose is close to the ground.

And on the 26th we shall discuss possible uses for the new building we shall have acquired next to Vandiver. We shall all be able to see it and a plan of the building to give us better ideas. It is large – it will increase threefold the amount of room outside of the meetingroom. How should we use it?

WE WANT YOU!

If you have a skill and/or tools, let someone know on the building committee (Bill O, Ken S, Carol B, James G). To put your skills/tools on a list for future use, contact the building committee clerk by email: willoco@yahoo.com

Thank you in advance! Bill O Building Committee Clerk

Penn House

“My years at William Penn House fed my soul,. They challenged me and allowed me to grow. I will miss many of you terribly. The House is a small gem nested in Quaker circles. It provides a space for Quakers young and old to gather and explore their faith, for Quakers to engage the world in dialogue around the testimonies and an opportunity for those unfamiliar with Quakers to encounter us for a day or two while staying at the House. I am filled with gratitude for my time there and am holding the House and all those who care for its ministry in the Light.”

No kids there

- Claude Brown, Manchild in the Promised Land, quoted by Henry A. Giroux, Truthout. He points out that millions of children now face a similar fate.

Award for Friends Journal

"A tour de force of the possibilities and problematic dimensions of a simplifying, downsizing society. Articles provide a blend of homegrown and sophisticated discussion on working for change in residence and community, and are both societal, global, and long-range in scope. Poetry adds texture and even torque to the conversations raised in prose features."

Subscribe to Friends Journal today using the special offer code "ENERGY," and it will send you the October 2008 special issue absolutely free.

Hate Groups

Potok attributes this rise in hate groups to the recession, the election of the nation's first black president, and the immigration debate. "We're looking at a kind of perfect storm of factors that really favor the continued growth of these groups," he says.

World Refugee Day

The groups prayed, danced, and sang, with many children dancing in the ways children do. It was a sad but wonderful occasion, put on by Catholic Social Services. The groups are all separated by nationality, language, religion, and culture, and united only by their common status as refugees, here.

AGING WITH ONE ANOTHER IN COMMUNITY

The balance between independence and support become more critical as our physical strength changes and our families may be in other cities or even farther away. We can begin to envision living in a continuing community that nurtures our Quaker values and interests with other like-minded Friends. To be in community close to our meetinghouse would, for some of us, be ideal. It has been suggested that interested Friends might decide to move to a nearby apartment complex, where they could join together as they wish for meals, social times, trips, and new learning opportunities. Those in such a community could gently look after one another when a health issue arises, or a need for other support becomes evident. Such a community must be carefully planned and considered, in order to have all the benefits from such an arrangement without creating new difficulties that could arise from short-sighted lack of planning.

Three Friends attended a recent local conference on “Aging in Place” to gain information on existing and planned public services that encourage and support elders who want to remain in their homes indefinitely. Such services that exist and are being considered for improvement include public transportation, health services, assistance with home maintenance and repairs, and opportunities for companionship.

The Adult Education Committee will continue to gather information on this subject, and to keep the conversation going on how those in our Friends community might create such a lifestyle where, together, we can balance independence and support as we “age in place.”

Business Meeting in June

He updated Friends on the negotiations and preparations for purchase of the adjoining Hair Salon building. Funds are being prepared and purchase should be complete within a month. Meeting approved minutes authorizing the Ad Hoc committee to go ahead with necessary repairs and code requirements, handing over the responsibility to another committee when these are complete, until finally the responsibilities for the building can be taken over by the regular committees.

Meeting approved with pleasure M&O’s report recommending acceptance of Andrew McP’s transfer of membership from Liveoak Meeting. The committee hopes that attenders are aware of the possibility of applying for membership, what that entails and how much this is welcomed. Two recent callers asked if there was a Quaker school in the area. One said he wanted to give his granddaughter the same opportunity the Obama daughters were getting.

The committee has considered how the meetinghouse and in future the salon can be used to meet our spiritual needs. There are groups we would like to welcome to use the meetinghouse without incurring the present fees. Recently we had a call from a Narcotics Anonymous group.

The committee has received materials on the 6th Quaker Women’s Conference on Faith and Spirituality. This will be held from November 5-8, 2009 in Oklahoma.

There is continuing concern for Hill Country Friends and their shrinking meeting.

The committee is concerned for the Friends of our meeting who have been facing severe health or other problems in their lives.

From Outreach, the clerk said that our picnic at Guadalupe River State Park was washed out at the last moment. [ By June 25 the river there was completely dry.] Jim S has printed extra photos which have been placed on the board. There are many suggestions for changing Committee responsibilities. These will be raised at the forum on the 28th.

The committee is considering showing the film “The Son,” about forgiveness, in the Fall. Members will place a display shelf with recommended books outside the library window on the first Sunday of each month.

On bookings of rooms, the committee favored special treatment for nonprofit groups which provide a community service – a Meeting service to the community.

The clerk of Building referred to the repairs which are being carried out and asked Friends to volunteer their skills. The committee has agreed to take the responsibility for maintaining kitchen cleaning supplies – this will be taken up in the forum on Outreach responsibilities.

The clerk of Adult Ed summarized the program for August and also the introduction to Quakerism in September, to be held in the morning before meeting.

* Emily Sander (1963) As quoted in Catherine Whitmire's Plain Living: A Quaker Path to Simplicity.

Prayer

Query for July