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Cynthia Word gave us a lovely presentation about modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan, whose dances she performs. Cynthia’s dance company, Word Dance Theater, performs for many groups of all ages in our community. Her colleague, Valerie Durham, performed a 3 minute Isadora Duncan dance. Cynthia explained that as dance affects us each differently, there is no right and wrong. So it is a very freeing art, transcending gender and culture. Isadora Duncan, born in 1878, looked to classic Greek society to create a dance form that showed "the highest intelligence in the freest body." Modern Dance started with her in the US, and is very democratic, with no prima donnas, where as Ballet is about intense leg work and straight body lines. Ms. Duncan created modern dance based on natural movements, allowing the audience to feel capable of doing it themselves, and thus feel more participatory in the experience. Unlike Ballet, there are not tortuous point shoes. |
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IJ Hudson spoke about the digital TV conversion, debuting February 17, 2009. If you have cable, satellite or FIOS, the change will be somewhat automatic, though your provider may try to sell you a new box. If, however, you only get your TV stations over the air with an antenna - or if the spare TV in your work room, or your vacation home TV's use antennas, and these sets are not digital-signal-ready, you will need a converter box for each TV set. You may still also have to upgrade your antenna to a stronger one, if you find that weaker TV stations that might have come in with some "fuzz" when analog, now don't register at all because of the "perfect or nothing" digital signal. You can go to Antennaweb.org for research on the type of antenna to upgrade. IJ also suggested that if you have a tech challenged friend, or parent, get identical units & you can set it up together at the same time by phone. |
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Lew & Judy Priven spoke about their work in the slums of Kampala, Uganda in the summer of 2007. They helped AIDS victims, through the group Meeting Point. "Mama" Noelima Namukisa, director of Meeting Point came from Uganda to fundraise in DC and joined us at our meeting. Starting with a foster home for orphans & children of AIDs victims, Mama Noelina has taken those small beginnings and made a "full circle". The programs include primary & vocational schools, community outreach, free HIV testing, home-based care & an adult day-care, adult literacy programs, food distribution services and many other support programs helping 4000 people affected by HIV-AIDS. Some programs are threatened from increased violence in the area & the pull out of many NGO's. For that reason programs like Mama Noelima's are in desperate need of help. |
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Rob Ritchie, who is the Director of Fair Vote, a non-partisan advocacy group aimed at improving the structure of the voting process. The Electoral College rules are different in each state, which is why 70% of Americans don't want the Electoral College to determine the Presidential winner. In Maryland, the National Popular-Vote Plan passed last year, but it won't be effective until more states pass similar laws. There is also uneven election administration, 13,000 different jurisdictions with laws that effect the national elections. The US government doesn't take responsibility of guaranteeing voter rolls. The companies that manufacture and service voting machines don't make much money, so there is little incentive to improve the machines. You can visit the website www.fairvote.org for more information. |
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Classification Talks Tom Hoopengardner, Glen Echo Associates, LLC Larry Tansinda, Elka Group, LLC Richard Kline, White House Nannies, Inc. |
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Page 13 of 14 |
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